Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices

 

Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices

Author: Santosh Kumar Biswa, Sr. Teacher, Damphu CS, Tsirang, Bhutan

 

There are a variety of students from various ethnic origins in every classroom. Given that students come from diverse backgrounds in terms of values, beliefs, and knowledge, it is thought that students' cultures should be accommodated with the dominant culture (Ebersole, Kanahele-Mossman, and Kawakami, 2015). Teachers frequently place the responsibility for students' poor academic achievement without taking into account the problems posed by diversity in the classroom. Studying the social and intellectual requirements of different students in education will help teachers promote fair and inclusive classroom practices and break down learning barriers (Katz and Sokal, 2016). Thus, educational leaders should be familiar with the characteristics of culturally responsive teaching practices and their impact on the classroom and pedagogical practices because culturally responsive pedagogy is a student-centered strategy used in the classroom with a special focus on cultural references that recognizes students’ cultural backgrounds and experiences during learning (Samuels, 2018).

Why do educational leaders need to be familiar with the traits of culturally sensitive teaching techniques?

Traditional teaching methods are no longer effective because they focus too much on the teacher-student relationship and instructors' status as subject matter experts. Today's classrooms are full of diverse students from various backgrounds and experiences, which calls for more culturally relevant teaching and learning activities. To establish a suitable learning environment that is engaging and accessible to a wider range of students in today's multicultural classroom, all educational leaders must be familiar with the traits of sensitive teaching strategies. It comes as a result of the fact that culturally sensitive teaching methods are now required to address the varying demands of students from various economic and cultural backgrounds (Deady, 2020). To get the most out of student participation, they can also become aware of and respond to the student's cultural and ethnic demands as well as their social, emotional, and cognitive needs. Knowing this would enable them to select and deliver ethnically and culturally appropriate courses and respond to student-centered instructional procedures (Cantu, n.d.). Finally, they would be well aware of the management and classroom environment needed to inspire students to reflect on their cultures, beliefs, and values.

How can culturally responsive teaching impact your classroom and pedagogical practices?

Since culturally responsive teaching is a student-focused approach where collaborative activities are the major mode, understanding it has a bigger impact on the classroom and pedagogical practices. To attain academic success as a group, the classroom will have an inclusive atmosphere where all students respect the teachers and their classmates and work together to achieve it (Cantu, n.d.). Being multifaceted, it will not only concentrate on the curriculum but also on the contextualization of the content, which is advantageous. The fundamental element of this method of instruction is that it first makes use of the student's prior knowledge to ensure that it is reflected in the learning environment (Howard, 2020). Multiculturalism will be used as a pedagogical strategy in the classroom to help students learn the values of various cultures. Additionally, the teacher's methods in the classroom will be more sympathetic and considerate. The most crucial element in creating effective teacher-student connections is caring. They respect the values and beliefs of other cultures and are more self-aware about their own and other cultures' views. On the other side, because everyone in the class is using effective communication and active listening techniques, everyone will be open. Particularly attentive to what pupils say and feel, teachers, give them the impression that they are being heard. Teachers shall honor and appreciate the cultural diversity of their students from various backgrounds, enabling them to function well in classrooms with a variety of cultures and linguistics (Cantu, n.d.). Finally, according to Howard (2020), the following elements of culturally responsive teaching will be fulfilled:

 

·       Acknowledges the wide cultural wealth, expertise, and knowledge of the pupils.

·       Develops dynamic teaching strategies, multicultural material, and a variety of assessment options

·       Promotes the academic, social, emotional, cultural, psychological, and physical health of students

·       Include assistance from and feedback from family members, such as parents, grandparents, and caretakers.

·       Provides context for learning for pupils who can relate a topic to their lives or community today

 

References

Cantu, M. P. (n.d.). Chapter 8: Qualities of Culturally Sensitive Teachers. https://sites.google.com/site/crmmprojectsite/Home/chapter-4--qualities-of-culturally-sensitive-teachers

Deady, K. (2020). 5 steps to becoming a culturally responsive teacher. https://www.teachaway.com/blog/5-steps-becoming-culturally-responsive-teacher

Ebersole, M., Kanahele-Mossman, H., & Kawakami, A. (2015, November 5). Culturally responsive teaching: Examining teachers’ understandings and perspectives. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 4(2), 97-104. http://dx.doi.org/10.11114/jets.v4i2.1136

Howard, T. C. (2020). 7 Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies and Instructional Practices. https://www.hmhco.com/blog/culturally-responsive-teaching-strategies-instruction-practices

Katz, J., & Sokal, L. (2016). Universal design for learning as a bridge to inclusion: A qualitative report of student voices. International Journal of Whole Schooling, 12(2), 36-63. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1118092.pdf

Samuels, A. J. (2018). Exploring culturally responsive pedagogy: Teachers' perspectives on fostering equitable and inclusive classrooms. SRATE Journal, 27(1), 22-30. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1166706.pdf