Culturally Responsive Teaching
1. Identify and discuss one (or two) disposition(s) in which you believe you've made the most personal growth this semester:
Sociocultural Consciousness, Affirming Attitude Toward Difference Value, or Affirming Student Background Knowledge.
This semester, I made the most positive growth towards possessing an affirming attitude toward differences in student’s culture because I realized that using their differences to help them learn and be engaged (Kozleski,4). As a teacher, it is important to realize the students that are in school today are not the same type of students we were growing up. To realize that family heritage, community involvement (positive or negative) effects academic success. Yet, I have learned to not judge whether the student themselves have the ability to be academically successful and understand that as an Educator it is our job to guide students in the right directions. I have learned to suspend judgement on student behavior and assess situations professionally and logically. Each student is different. Whether they are academically inclined, Special Education, English Language Learners, or high maintenance, each student possesses positive qualities that can be a genuine influence in and out of class. It is our jobs to bring out those qualities that make each student different. Always having an affirmative attitude towards student differences can create a positive classroom community.
2. What will culturally responsive teaching look like in my classroom? How will I embody at least one of the principles from CRT (Academic achievement, Cultural competence, Critical consciousness)?
As a teacher I will consistently be interacting and working with students, parents, and administrators. Therefore, it is important that I am mindful of the different life experiences others have, understand that there are limits to what I can and cannot influence, and always identify the benefits people bring to the table. These are also known as professional competencies which every successful teacher needs to succeed: suspending judgment, practicing locus of control, interpersonal awareness, and asset based thinking.
I will always suspend judgment and assume that someone is operating with the best intentions until evidence to the contrary. This means that I do not let my archetypes or biases interfere when there is a disagreeing situation. Therefore, until I know all the facts about the given situation, I will suspend judgement and work towards solutions instead of pointing fingers. From my own experience, I know that my future students also have a life outside of school that I am unfamiliar with and I must be mindful of the fact that there may be valid reasons as to why a student is late, did not complete an assignment, or does not have the necessary supplies. As a teacher, I will always reach out to students who are having difficulty in the classroom and work on solutions.
Teachers get a unique and special opportunity to work with a diverse group of people every day and gain insight into the community around them. This also means that teachers meet people in situations that they wish they could help more and make a difference. There will always be a student that has an unhappy home life or whose family is struggling economically. This is when a teacher needs to remember that his or her goal is to help these students reach academic success and cannot interfere beyond assisting the student to finding resources within the community. This is to protect the teacher from taking on and becoming too invested in one student because his or her ultimate goal is the success of his or her entire class.
As a professional educator, I will always practice interpersonal awareness by respecting others perspectives and seeing the skills in what others bring to a situation. I would pursue ideas and teaching strategies from other educators to help evolve into a successful teacher. If any disputes were to occur I would suggest to discuss with the individuals on how to solve the issues at hand, and hopefully come to a compromise in a timely manner.
Overall, positive behavior supports a caring and respectful environment among students, teachers and staff. It also provides a community of constant support both within and outside the school by asking family and community members to mutually support all students. Overall, students will feel accepted and comfortable within their school which increases their chances of learning and being proud of what they learned.
3. How will I use professional competencies to drive the relationships that I have with students, parents, and colleagues?
Schools are a professional work place as much as a learning center, and it is important to show colleagues the utmost respect whether they are the principal, veteran teachers, new teachers, or administration. As a professional educator I would place my best ideas forward to help a colleague in need, and I would pursue ideas and teaching strategies from other educators to help evolve into a successful teacher. If a dispute should arise between myself and a student or administration, I will suspend judgement, bring solutions to the problem and understand that everyone is working towards a common good as well.
Parents play a critical role in the success of a student, therefore, I will ensure to always have a positive open channel of communication. I will always address parents with a positive attitude and solutions when a situation arises with their child. Whether the communication would be though email, phone, or face to face, I want the parent to realize that I care deeply about their child’s success in my classroom. Also, I will be proactive when students start to fall behind in classroom and call home to speak with a parent and let them know what is going on.
4. Identify two examples within your content where you can create learning opportunities consistent with Culturally Responsive Teaching.
As a future educator, I cannot expect my future students to all have the same background knowledge especially with the increasing diversity within the population (Kozleski,6). Being a culturally responsive educator, I realize that in order for students to master academic knowledge I have to provide multiple connections to make my content accessible to all students by making the material relevant to their lives. For math content, this can be challenging but not impossible since numbers and its concepts are universal and necessary for all students.
One way I can create learning opportunities consistent with Culturally Responsive Teaching is to use student’s history and experiences and integrate it with the math content. For example, if I am at a school on a reservation where the majority of students are Native American, I would have the number system of their native tongue on the walls. Also, I can use their background knowledge to engage them in the content by using examples and stories that they know. The important thing is to always create a positive classroom where students feel safe and welcomed.
Work Cited
Kozleski, E. (2010). Culturally Responsive Teaching Matters. Equity Alliance, 1-9. Retrieved April 23, 2016, from http://guide.swiftschools.org/Common/Cms/Documents/CulturallyResponsiveTeaching-Matters.pdf
Sociocultural Consciousness, Affirming Attitude Toward Difference Value, or Affirming Student Background Knowledge.
This semester, I made the most positive growth towards possessing an affirming attitude toward differences in student’s culture because I realized that using their differences to help them learn and be engaged (Kozleski,4). As a teacher, it is important to realize the students that are in school today are not the same type of students we were growing up. To realize that family heritage, community involvement (positive or negative) effects academic success. Yet, I have learned to not judge whether the student themselves have the ability to be academically successful and understand that as an Educator it is our job to guide students in the right directions. I have learned to suspend judgement on student behavior and assess situations professionally and logically. Each student is different. Whether they are academically inclined, Special Education, English Language Learners, or high maintenance, each student possesses positive qualities that can be a genuine influence in and out of class. It is our jobs to bring out those qualities that make each student different. Always having an affirmative attitude towards student differences can create a positive classroom community.
2. What will culturally responsive teaching look like in my classroom? How will I embody at least one of the principles from CRT (Academic achievement, Cultural competence, Critical consciousness)?
As a teacher I will consistently be interacting and working with students, parents, and administrators. Therefore, it is important that I am mindful of the different life experiences others have, understand that there are limits to what I can and cannot influence, and always identify the benefits people bring to the table. These are also known as professional competencies which every successful teacher needs to succeed: suspending judgment, practicing locus of control, interpersonal awareness, and asset based thinking.
I will always suspend judgment and assume that someone is operating with the best intentions until evidence to the contrary. This means that I do not let my archetypes or biases interfere when there is a disagreeing situation. Therefore, until I know all the facts about the given situation, I will suspend judgement and work towards solutions instead of pointing fingers. From my own experience, I know that my future students also have a life outside of school that I am unfamiliar with and I must be mindful of the fact that there may be valid reasons as to why a student is late, did not complete an assignment, or does not have the necessary supplies. As a teacher, I will always reach out to students who are having difficulty in the classroom and work on solutions.
Teachers get a unique and special opportunity to work with a diverse group of people every day and gain insight into the community around them. This also means that teachers meet people in situations that they wish they could help more and make a difference. There will always be a student that has an unhappy home life or whose family is struggling economically. This is when a teacher needs to remember that his or her goal is to help these students reach academic success and cannot interfere beyond assisting the student to finding resources within the community. This is to protect the teacher from taking on and becoming too invested in one student because his or her ultimate goal is the success of his or her entire class.
As a professional educator, I will always practice interpersonal awareness by respecting others perspectives and seeing the skills in what others bring to a situation. I would pursue ideas and teaching strategies from other educators to help evolve into a successful teacher. If any disputes were to occur I would suggest to discuss with the individuals on how to solve the issues at hand, and hopefully come to a compromise in a timely manner.
Overall, positive behavior supports a caring and respectful environment among students, teachers and staff. It also provides a community of constant support both within and outside the school by asking family and community members to mutually support all students. Overall, students will feel accepted and comfortable within their school which increases their chances of learning and being proud of what they learned.
3. How will I use professional competencies to drive the relationships that I have with students, parents, and colleagues?
Schools are a professional work place as much as a learning center, and it is important to show colleagues the utmost respect whether they are the principal, veteran teachers, new teachers, or administration. As a professional educator I would place my best ideas forward to help a colleague in need, and I would pursue ideas and teaching strategies from other educators to help evolve into a successful teacher. If a dispute should arise between myself and a student or administration, I will suspend judgement, bring solutions to the problem and understand that everyone is working towards a common good as well.
Parents play a critical role in the success of a student, therefore, I will ensure to always have a positive open channel of communication. I will always address parents with a positive attitude and solutions when a situation arises with their child. Whether the communication would be though email, phone, or face to face, I want the parent to realize that I care deeply about their child’s success in my classroom. Also, I will be proactive when students start to fall behind in classroom and call home to speak with a parent and let them know what is going on.
4. Identify two examples within your content where you can create learning opportunities consistent with Culturally Responsive Teaching.
As a future educator, I cannot expect my future students to all have the same background knowledge especially with the increasing diversity within the population (Kozleski,6). Being a culturally responsive educator, I realize that in order for students to master academic knowledge I have to provide multiple connections to make my content accessible to all students by making the material relevant to their lives. For math content, this can be challenging but not impossible since numbers and its concepts are universal and necessary for all students.
One way I can create learning opportunities consistent with Culturally Responsive Teaching is to use student’s history and experiences and integrate it with the math content. For example, if I am at a school on a reservation where the majority of students are Native American, I would have the number system of their native tongue on the walls. Also, I can use their background knowledge to engage them in the content by using examples and stories that they know. The important thing is to always create a positive classroom where students feel safe and welcomed.
Work Cited
Kozleski, E. (2010). Culturally Responsive Teaching Matters. Equity Alliance, 1-9. Retrieved April 23, 2016, from http://guide.swiftschools.org/Common/Cms/Documents/CulturallyResponsiveTeaching-Matters.pdf