Culturally Responsive
Pedagogy Paper
By Jill Ziebell
Winona State University
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Paper
1) Why do we need address diversity?
The MN Standard of Effective Practice (2010) states that a teacher must
understand how students differ in their approaches to learning and create
instructional opportunities that are adapted to students with diverse backgrounds
and exceptionalities. The teacher must know about the process of second language
acquisition and about strategies to support the learning of students whose first
language is not English.
Another reason we need to address diversity outlined by the MN Standards
of Effective Practice is that a teacher must also understand how to recognize and
deal with dehumanizing biases, discrimination, prejudices, and institutional and
personal racism and sexism. The teacher must understand how experiences, talents,
and prior learning, as well as language, culture, family, and community values,
influence a student’s learning. A teacher must also realize how lifestyles of the
various racial, cultural, and economic groups in our society contribute to learning.
Teachers must be able to incorporate aspects of each students life into
his/her instruction, including culture, families, and communities. Teacher must also
connect student experiences to instruction in order to bring multiple perspectives
into the classroom.
Today many classrooms consist of students from diverse backgrounds. As
efforts mount to identify teaching methods to meet the requirements of diverse
classrooms, the need for pedagogical approaches to meet these diversities grows.
According to the Department of Education (2006), today’s educators are required to
instruct students that vary by culture, language, ability, and many other
characteristics. Culturally responsive pedagogy is a now required to meet the needs
of the diverse classroom. This classroom must also welcome and support students
from diverse background and prove an opportunity for all students to learn.
2) What is culturally responsive pedagogy?
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (2008) describes culturally
responsive pedagogy as having inclusive content covered in the curriculum,
reflecting societies diversity. Being culturally responsive allows students to see
themselves as well as their experiences in the curriculum. Students are able to build
on their own prior knowledge, including their culture and language. Pedagogy is
also based on the premise that culture inclusiveness is necessary to students
learning because there is strong evidence that thought processes are linked to
cultural practices.
The success of all students is encouraged by culturally responsive pedagogy.
Effective teaching and learning occur in a culturally supported, learner-centered
context. The strengths of each student are acknowledged, utilized, and given the
opportunity to grow, creating greater successes.
3) What are some elements of culturally responsive teaching?
The Wisconsin Department of Education (Burmaster, 2008) describes the
three components to determine cultural responsive pedagogy. Culturally responsive
pedagogy comprises institutional, personal, and instructional dimensions. The
institutional dimension reflects the policies schools adhere to and value. The
personal dimension refers to the cognitive and emotional processes teachers must
engage in to become culturally responsive. The instructional dimension includes
materials, strategies, and activities that form the basis of instruction. All three
dimensions significantly interact in the teaching and learning process and are
critical to understanding the effectiveness of culturally responsive pedagogy.
Wisconsin Department of Public Education, in Resources for Culturally
Responsive Instruction and Pedagogy (Burmaster, 2008), goes on to say that in order
to culturally responsive teachers must include: communication of high expectations,
active teaching methods that promote student engagement. Teachers must also
create a positive perspective on parents and families of culturally and linguistically
diverse students. Reshaping the curriculum so it is culturally responsive to the
background of students is also critical for culturally responsive instruction. Such
instruction, as described by Wisconsin Department of Public Education (2008), is
characterized by the use of culturally mediated cognition, culturally appropriate
social situations for learning, and culturally valued knowledge in curriculum
content, a student controlled classroom discourse, and small group instruction and
academically-related discourse.
4) Why is cultural proficiency important?
In Saint Paul Public Schools (2010), cultural proficiency is defined as the
values, beliefs and behaviors that enable individual employees of the district to
interact effectively with culturally diverse students, staff, and families and the
broader community. The intended outcome of becoming a culturally proficient
organization is that the vision, values, policies and practices allow for effective
cross-cultural interactions among and between students, staff, families and the
broader community.
Cultural proficiency reaches across all district roles and responsibilities. It
reaches inward, into classes and staff lounges and hallways---it reaches outwards,
into homes and extended families and communities.
St. Paul Public Schools (2010) goals of the Professional Development toward
cultural proficiency are threefold. The first is to provide all teachers with the tools
they need to be more culturally proficient in the work they do everyday. The second
goal is to reach out to all students and their families and in order to raise
achievement and close the achievement gap within the school. The final goal of
becoming culturally proficient is to create a welcoming environment throughout the
district so both employees and community members feel respected and welcomed.
5) The Institutional Dimension: What Must the Educational System Do?
In a practitioner brief he National Center for Culturally Responsive
Educational System (2006) describes three specific areas that must be addressed in
order to create a culturally responsive school.
The first area to addressed is the administrative structure and the way it
relates to diversity, and the use of physical space in planning schools and arranging
classrooms. School policies and procedure must also be addressed. This refers to
those policies and practices that ensure services to students from diverse
backgrounds. Community involvement is the final component in the institutional
dimension of becoming culturally proficient. This concerns how the school
approaches community members and finds ways to involve them in the school.
School must find ways to make connections with families and community member
in order to make them feel like a valuable part of the school.
NCCREST goes on to say that although all three areas in the institution must
become more culturally responsive, a particular concern is the impact of school
policies and procedures on the allocation of resources. Some things to consider are
teacher assignments, course opportunities, and resource allocation. The schools
must critically look at the relationship between polices and practices, and how the
relate to the diverse students and the community as a whole.
6) The Personal Dimension: How Do Teachers Become Culturally Responsive?
NCCrest (2006) also describes how a teacher becomes culturally responsive.
The first step in becoming culturally responsive is with self-reflection. A teacher
must honestly examine their attitudes and beliefs about themselves and others, and
the effects these beliefs have on others. Teachers begin to discover why they are
who they are, and can confront biases that have influenced their value system.
Because biases impact attitudes and relationships with students and their families,
teachers must reconcile negative feelings towards any cultural, language, or ethnic
group.
NCCrest goes on to say that many teachers find it hard to accept that their
values reflect prejudices or racism toward any group. Once teachers look at
themselves critically they are able to rid themselves of such biases. They are then
able to create a learning environment of trust and acceptance for students and their
families, resulting in greater opportunity for student success.
Another important aspect of the personal dimension is exploration. Teachers
must explore their own histories as well as the histories of their students. Teachers
must get to know the cultural experience of their students as well as their family
values. This will give the teacher a deeper understanding of self and others and a
greater appreciation of differences. An unbiased teacher is better able to meet the
needs of all students in the classroom, resulting in greater successes.
7) List Specific Activities for Becoming a Culturally Responsive Teacher
Geneva Gay (2002), in an article entitled Preparing for Culturally Responsive
Teaching, gives activities teachers can do to become culturally responsive. The first
activity she suggests is developing a cultural diversity knowledge base. This
knowledge includes cultural characteristics and contributions of different ethnic
groups. Teachers must also have knowledge of cultural values, traditions,
communication, learning styles, contributions, and relational patterns and
understand the impact these things have on learning.
The next activity describes by Gay is demonstrating cultural caring and
building a learning community. This includes creating a learning environment that
this conducive to learning of ethnically diverse students. This is done using the
student’s own culture and experience to expand their academic achievements.
Teachers must be truly concerned from all their students. Teachers must have high
expectations for their students and work diligently to help them accomplish these
expectations.
NCCREST (2006) also suggest several additional activities a teacher should
do to become culturally responsive. These include engaging in reflective thinking
and writing about own behaviors, visiting students’ families and communities,
visiting or reading about successful teachers in diverse settings, and participating in
reforming the institution.
8) The Instructional Dimension: How Does Instruction Become Culturally
Responsive?
Geneva Gay (2002) includes the instructional dimension in her journal
article, Preparing for Culturally Responsive Teaching. Gay suggests designing
culturally relevant curricula. She says it is import for teachers to convert knowledge
about cultures into instructional strategies. Teacher must look at instructional
materials and strategies and determine the multicultural strengths and weaknesses
and make changes to improve the overall quality of instruction. Teachers must
analyze material for accuracy, complexity, placement, purpose, variety, significance,
authenticity, illustrations, learning activities, role models, and sources.
Gay also suggests that cross-cultural communication is important to create
culturally responsive instruction. Included in this are “what we talk about; how we
talk about it; what we see, what we attend to, and what we ignore; how we think;
and what we think about. Instruction must take into account the communication
styles of different ethnic groups and how they reflect cultural values. They must
shape their instruction to accommodate these behaviors differences in order to
improve the success of the diverse students.
Cultural Congruity in classroom instruction is the last aspect Gay discusses in
her journal article. Culture is deeply embedded in any teaching; therefore,
instruction has to reflect the culture of each student. Instructional techniques must
match the learning styles of diverse students. Cultural characteristics should be
used to modify instruction to meet the needs of the students.
9) Specific Activities for Culturally Responsive Instruction
The National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational System (2006)
gives specific activities in culturally responsive instruction. The first is to
acknowledge the student’s differences as well as their commonalities. Teachers
should not predetermine a particular characteristics to a student based solely on
his/her ethnic or racial group. Each student has unique qualities and learning needs.
A teacher who realizes these differences is better prepared to meet the individual
needs of each student.
NCCrest also suggests validating students’ cultural identity in classroom
practices and instructional materials. It is important that all classroom materials
and instruction support the students, are free of stereotypes, and capitalize on the
strengths of the students. It is also important to educate students about the world
around them and promote equity and mutual respect among students.
Another activity described by NCCrest is the assessment of students. The
assessment of students must be accurate and sensitive to the student’s cultural and
linguistic background. Teacher must also encourage students to be active in their
learning. The must learn to think critically and strive for excellence. Teachers must
expect the same from them.
The last activities described are fostering a positive relationship with
students, their families, and the community and assisting students in becoming
socially and politically conscious. The interrelation between the school, student,
family, and community benefits everyone involved. In order to create a responsible
citizen, students must believe the world would be a better place if everyone were
treated fairly. They must also believe it is their responsibility to help make this
happen.
10) What Are the Implications of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy?
NCCREST (2006), in a pamphlet entitled Addressing Diversity in Schools,
describes the implication of cultural responsive pedagogy. It states that all students
should have an equal opportunity to achieve to the best of their ability. It is the
teacher’s responsibility to bring forth their full potential. Instruction must reflect
the cultural and linguistic practices and values of all groups of students. Instruction
that is culturally responsive addresses the requirements of all learners. The school
must use a curriculum that addresses the needs of every students and the teacher
must act as an agent of the culturally responsive curriculum. Daily, teachers have
and opportunity to make a difference in the students learning and more importantly
life. Although the curriculum may be dictated by the school system, teachers teach
it. They are a very powerful force in each student’s life.
NCCrest goes on to say, “Where the curriculum falls short in addressing the
needs of all students, teachers must provide a bridge; where the system reflects
cultural and linguistic insensitivity, teachers must demonstrate understanding and
support.” In other words, it is the teacher’s responsibility to be culturally
responsive. Utilizing materials and examples, engaging in practices, and
demonstrating values that include students from all backgrounds is a vital part of
this responsibility.
Geneva Gay, in The Journal of Teacher of Education, states, “Because culture
strongly influences the attitudes, values, and behaviors that students and teachers
bring to the instructional process, it has to like wise be a major determinant of how
the problems of underachievement are solved.”
Resources
Burmaster, E. (2008). Resources for culturally responsive instruction and pedagogy.
Retrieved September 10, 2010, from State of Wisconsin Department of Public
Instruction website: http://dpi.wi.gov/sped/doc/disp-res-cultural.doc
Gay, G. (2002, March/April). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of
Teacher Education, 53(2), 106-116.
NCCrest. (2006). Addressing diversity in schools: Culturally responsive pedagogy
[Pamphlet]. U.S. Department of Education.
St. Paul Public Schools. (2010, May 27). Welcome to the SPPS cultural proficiency
toolkit: A project of the office of educational equity . Retrieved September 21,
2010, from http://culturalproficiency.spps.org/Home.html
Standards of Effective Practice for Teachers, (2010) Minnesota Administrative Rule
§ 8710.2000