Culturally Responsive Practices
for Special Education Teachers
Hyun Ju Kang
Rehabilitation Psychology & Special Education
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Agenda
 Watch lives of Korean students in schools
 Barriers of CLD students
 Barriers of special education teachers
 Definition of culturally responsive
practices
 Strategies of culturally responsive
practices
 Main foundations of culturally responsive
practices
Problem Statements
 School barriers, including lack of learning
opportunities, unchallenging curricula,
culturally irrelevant assessments,
inappropriate instructional practices, and
low expectations
 Disproportionately identified as having
disabilities and represented in special
education programs
 Understanding of barriers of CLD students
and barriers that special education
teachers face, as well as strategies for
these barriers.
A Clip for Korean Students in the
Classroom
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVwh86ON_8&feature=related
 What did you notice in the classroom?
 Differences or Similarities?
Lives of Korean students
 Enter good Universities
 Respect authority figures (e.g., teachers,
school personnel, etc.)
 Sit and listen to instruction
 Study 10 hours a day for elementary
students/ 16 hours a day for middle and
high school students
 Attend private institutes and/or have
private tutor to learn mathematic, English,
Science, etc.
 No time to hang out with friends outside
Figure 1. Diagram for CLD
Students to Be Referred to
Special Education Program
Limited
English
proficiency
.
Unfamiliarity
with
American
education
system
Culturally
unresponsive
instruction
and
curriculum
Poor
academic
achievement
White,
female,
monolingual
, middle
class
Special
Education
Lack of
cultural
sensitivity
Biased
assessment
Deficit views
Barriers of CLD Students
 Limited English proficiency
 Limited opportunities to learn content
or lack of exposure to the testing
situation
 Lack of the acquisition of vocabulary
and grammar
 Lack of understanding of meaning and
concepts
 Textbook difficulty
 Lack of tests in different languages
Barriers of CLD Students
Limited social network
Culturally unresponsive and
inappropriate instruction and
curriculum
Lack of language support
Lack of fit between attitudes and
behavior patterns required by school
Unfamiliar with American education
system
Barriers of Teachers/Schools
 White, female, monolingual, and middle
class
 Little knowledge and skills regarding
teaching culturally and linguistically
diverse students
 Lack of training in cultural and linguistic
differences
 Lack of cultural sensitivity and
competence in diverse backgrounds of
CLD students
 Deficit views
Barriers of Teachers/Schools
 A narrow, white, mainstream lens for
judging CLD students’ academic
performance and behaviors
 Dominant culture's values, behaviors, and
beliefs as the "standard" for academic
success
 Cultural mismatch between a variety of
languages, perspectives, behaviors, and
learning styles of CLD students and those
of teachers
 Biased assessment
Needs for Special Education
Teachers
 Not simply applying instructional
techniques to incorporate assumed
traits or customs of particular cultural
groups
 Help students build bridges between
school learning and their lives outside
school
 Have insights into how their students’
past learning experiences have shaped
their current views of school and
school knowledge
Definitions/Goals of Culturally
Responsive Practices
 Incorporate aspects of CLD students’
cultural backgrounds into the organization
and instruction of the classroom
 Match between home/community culture
and school culture
 Improve school achievement of CLD
students
 Help CLD students develop cultural
competence
Culturally Responsive Practices
for Special Education Teachers
 Have an open mind.
 Become aware of their own cultural
backgrounds.
 Become aware of the potential for culture
clashes between teachers and their
students.
 Believe that all students are capable of
learning.
Culturally Responsive Practices
for Special Education Teachers
 Make conscious decisions not to discriminate
based on faulty or incomplete data and
assessments.
 Understand first and second language
acquisition and the problems students face in
acquiring a second language.
 View a student’s achievement difficulties
within the context of that student’s cultural
group and language proficiency status
 Provide scaffolds between what students
already know through their experiences and
what they need to learn.
Culturally Responsive Practices
for Special Education Teachers
 Assist students to construct knowledge, build
on their personal and cultural strengths, and
examine the curriculum from multiple
perspectives
 Academic contents relative to students’
culture, background, environment, and
prior experiences
 Multiple content knowledge and skills that
are reinforced over time and across subject
areas
 Increase student involvement in classroom
activities
 Provide language support
Figure 2. Main Foundations of
Culturally Responsive Practices
Student
Learning
.
Cultural
Competence
Self-Efficacy
Main Foundations of Culturally
Responsive Practices
 Student learning
Educational capacity
Contents fitted in learners
 Cultural competence
Fluent, comfortable in culture of origin
 Self-efficacy
A perceived ability to judge whether
individuals are able to perform within a
given situation
A significant role in teacher motivation
and action
Comments?
Thank you
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