Common characteristics of culturally
responsive & competent educators
7 Principles of Good
Practice in
Undergraduate
Education
What the Best College Teachers Do
• Use good learning activities: (1) authentic tasks,
(2) collaboration, (3) find sources of information, (4)
reflective activities.
• Use first day of course in special way.
• Intense desire to continuously learn about their subject and
teaching & learning rather than lukewarm level of learning
about their subject and no interest in learning about
teaching/learning.
• Teacher's interactions show they CARE (1) about students,
student learning, teaching-learning process, (2) about the
subject of the course
• Dynamic communication skills: (1) sense of drama, rhythm,
(2) good use of language (a) use language of "promises" >
Developing a Learning Community Among
"demands", (c) express belief in students ability to learn, (d)
Students: "A climate of inclusion, respect, connect,
• Develops reciprocity
celebrate achievements, (e) use warm language
and caring is fostered in the school and the
and cooperation
• Trustworthy: power-trust issues: (1) don't use classroom to
classroom. Interpersonal relationships are build
among students
demonstrate power, (2) build trust relationships, (3) give
and fostered, and a learning community culture is
power to student to make decisions about their own
developed."
learning, (4) interact fairly (same policies for all)
• Attitudes toward students: (1) trust, (2) never blame
students for problems (for example: don't say "students
today just aren't..." or "you have to force students to work
hard."
• Adjust the course to deal effectively with students' prior
• Encourages contact
knowledge, prior learning patterns, students' expectations of
between students
the course, etc.
Building Knowledge of Students and
and faculty
• Use good assessment activities: (1) students assess their own
Differentiating Instruction: "Teachers find out as
• Gives prompt
learning, (2) provide frequent, good feedback, (3) use rubrics
much as possible about their students' culture,
feedback
to assess complex projects.
language, and learning styles so they can modify
• Respects diverse
• Interact in a way that motivates students: (1) Give praise in a
curriculum and instruction accordingly."
talents and ways of
way that motivates students, (2) listen well to the learners,
knowing
(3) motivate by interacting differently with different
students.
Employing Active Learning and Hands-On
Teaching: "The most effective classroom practices
are hands-on, cooperative, and culturally
• Encourages active
aligned. There is less emphasis on lecture. As
learning
Ladson-Billings says, educators should 'dig
knowledge out of students' rather than 'fill then
up with it'."
Maintaining High Expectations for All Students:
"High expectations and high standards are set for
all students. Remedial work for students is not
acceptable. Activities are designed to foster
higher-order thinking."
Viewing Culture as an Asset to Learning: "Bridges
are built between academic learning and
students' prior understanding, knowledge, native
language, and values. Culture and native
language (and cultural dialect) are valued and
used as assets in learning, rather than deficits.
'Empower students intellectually, socially,
emotionally, and politically using cultural
references to impart knowledge, skills, and
attitudes' (Ladson-Billings, 1995)."
Being Explicit about Cultural Competence:
"Teachers realize that students are at different
stages of acculturation: Lesson plans need to
blend information on how students can become
more comfortable with American culture with
ways that other students can become culturally
responsive to members of diverse cultures."
table:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC
2104499/table/T1/
article:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC
2104499/
• Communicates high
expectations
• Formulate good learning goals: (1) more than learning the
content, (2) full range of Fink's taxonomy (and Bloom's
taxonomy)
• Integrate the course activities well: connect out-of-class
learning with in-class learning
• Respects diverse
talents and ways of
learning
• Incorporate Big Questions & stories into structure and
content of course
• Adjust the course to deal effectively with students' prior
knowledge, prior learning patterns, students' expectations of
the course, etc.
• Respects diverse
talents and ways of
learning
• View your own teaching as an integral part of the larger
context of the educational efforts of the institute and
discipline.
http://www.crlt.umi
ch.edu/gsis/p4_6
http://www.mdc.edu/sailearn/documents/5.1%20Bain%20
-%20Summary%20of%20Ideas%20Dee%20Fink.pdf