Culturally Responsive Teaching:
A Training Simulation and
Discussion
Dr. Dallas Dolan & Dr. Larry Coleman
The Community College of Baltimore County, Maryland
Hunt Valley
Owings Mills
Randallstown
Catonsville
Essex
Dundalk
Student characteristics
• In 2000, CCBC first identified achievement gaps between
African American and white students
• An aggressive campaign was begun, which included
culturally responsive teaching, professional development,
student case management and targeted activities, and new
developmental education supports.
Achievement Gaps: Some
Background
This professional development work about CRT comes
from ten years of focused examination of the academic
performance of minority and underrepresented
students at our college.
This work also evolved from the attempts of faculty and
administrators to dramatically improve the
achievement and learning outcomes of those students.
Culturally Responsive
Teaching
Gay’s definition indicates that “Using knowledge,
prior experiences, frames of reference, and
performance styles of ethnically diverse students to
make learning encounters more relevant to and
effective for them. It teaches to and through the
strengths of these students.” (Gay, G. 2000, p
29) Gloria Ladson- Billings agrees with the use of
a cultural framework to be incorporated into the
learning environment.
CRT Definitions
Ladson-Billings and Gay support the notion that within a
culturally responsive framework:
• Students must experience academic success.
• Students must develop and/or maintain cultural
competence.
• Students must develop a critical consciousness through
which they challenge the status quo of the social order.
CRT desired Outcomes
• Culturally Responsive Teaching
• Two-week (24 hour) Summer Seminar (stipend)
• Workshops on Stereotype Threat, Social Capital, Race
and Culture and Mindsets
• Reached 100+ faculty last year; targets another 200 this
year, including adjunct faculty.
• Certificate of Culturally Responsive Teaching
Training in CRT at CCBC
• Race and Culture
• Overcoming Stereotype Threat
• Social capital
• *Mindsets
•
*This is the module we will simulate for you today.
The four modules for the culturally
responsive teaching seminar
Simulation……
Exploring
Mindsets About
Learning
One in a series of workshops on Culturally
Responsive Teaching at The Community College of
Baltimore County
Opening Activity
Metacognition: Thinking about
thinking while you’re thinking.
• Self-talk: “What will people think if I get these wrong?”
“I’m horrible at Math, better start with the easier stuff.”
“I hope they don’t make me share my answers—
what if (insert name) finds out I got it wrong?”
• Thoughts: This is easy! I haven’t had to take a test in
years. Hope I remember this stuff. This should be
interesting.
• Feelings: relaxed, energized, anxious, dreadful
• http://youtu.be/UNAMrZr9OWY
This is an example of selftalk
• Two handouts
• Six Question Assessment
• Note sheet
Opening Activity Directions
Assessment
Activity:
Answer all 6
questions on
the activity
sheet.
(5 Minutes)
Thoughts
Feelings
Self-talk
Think- and -Share
Debriefing &
Observations?
“For twenty years, my research has shown that the view
your adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead
your life.” Dweck, 2007.
What does this have to do
with Mindsets?
David Yeager
Fixed Mindset Beliefs
• Ability is fixed and
unchangeable
• We tend to sort ourselves and
others regarding intelligence
and ability
• Difficulty or failure is
confirmation of inferiority
• No responsibility, control or
reference to effort
Growth Mindset Beliefs
• Ability is not limited, but
improvable
• Tend to measure growth in
relationship to a ‘personal
best’ or process of
development toward
mastery
• Difficulty or failure is
information about what
to do to improve
• Effective effort
enhances intelligence
Beliefs and Mindsets
How does Mindset affect learning?
The Learner
Fixed Mindset
Growth Mindset
Performance Orientation Learning Orientation
On entering a task asks..
Can I do it? Will I look
smart?
How can I do it? What
do I need to learn?
Focuses on…
The outcome
The process to an
outcome
Believes that errors..
Indicate failure or
personal limitations
Are a natural and useful
source of feedback
Finds uncertainty…
Threatening
Challenging
Believes that the optimal
task…
Maximizes how smart
s/he looks
Maximizes his/her
learning (becoming
smarter)
How does Mindset affect learning?
The Learner
Fixed Mindset
Performance
Orientation
Growth Mindset
Learning Orientation
Operates with
standards that are…
Comparative,
immediate, rigid
Personal, long-terms,
flexible
Enters the situation
with expectations
that…
Emphasize present
ability.
Emphasize effort
toward learning.
Sees the teacher’s
role as…
A judge, a controller
of rewards and
punishment.
A coach, a resource
and a guide.
When successful,
experiences rewards
as
Extrinsic, reflecting
the value of someone
else’s judgment of
his/her performance
Intrinsic, reflecting
the value of skills,
activity and progress.
• How can we, as educators, encourage our
students to adopt a growth mindset? In our
classrooms? In our interactions with students?
• How can we adopt a growth mindset ourselves?
Translating theory to
practice
Jadi
•
•
•
•
•
Studies on Motivation and Achievement
Studies on Gender Gap in Math
Studies on Narrowing Racial Achievement Gaps
Studies on Resilience and Behavior
Studies on Malleability of Intelligence
More on the Research
see the annotated
bibliography
How Can We as Educators Encourage
a Growth Mindset in Students?
Teach it directly.
Use reflective activities like journaling and
blogging.
Discuss your own personal experiences with
growth or fixed mindsets
Use the terminology---give them the
vocabulary.
• How do the mindsets of faculty and staff who work
with students influence their expectations of students
at your institution?
• How do student mindsets about abilities affect their
academic behaviors?
• Could your institution benefit from a similar program?
Why or why not?
Relating this to your
institution
Questions? Comments?
Discussion?
• Please stop by the Emerging Ideas area to talk with us
more about Culturally Responsive Teaching at CCBC.
Thank you!