The idea of creating a culturally responsive classroom is an interesting one and one I think as
educators will need to constantly work and incorporate into our classrooms.
“Culturally
responsive teachers have unequivocal faith in the human dignity and intellectual capabilities of
their students. They view learning as having intellectual, academic, personal, social, ethical, and
political dimensions, all of which are developed in concert with one another” (Holt,2023).
Our
students are important, they bring another perspective and value to the classroom.
According to
Holt, there are four ways to incorporate the student’s cultures, life experiences and languages in
our teaching, the first is building a positive classroom.
You want to make students feel safe,
respected, and included.
The second is to take a moment to get to know your students and
families, when they feel safe and known they are more willing to be more open. The third way to
create a culturally responsive classroom is to create opportunities for students to see themselves
in what they are learning.
You can do this by making, “. . . sure your students are represented in
the books you read, songs you play, practice sheets you use, and movies you show. The last thing
Holt suggests is setting high expectations for all your students, which can be done with
differentiation and scaffolding.
“Differentiation
is when you tailor the content you’re teaching or
the process you use for teaching it to meet the needs of each student.
Scaffolding is when you
provide temporary support to a student to help them gain the understanding they need before
moving on to more complex topics. It usually involves breaking content down into more
digestible units, and it allows you to provide access to material that’s on grade level (or even
beyond, if that is what a student needs)” (Holt, 2023).
Culturally responsive classrooms
incorporate all the students cultures and backgrounds and they are held to the same high
expectations as any other student.
Holt, C. (2023, May 16).
4 ways to practice culturally responsive teaching
. Teach. Learn. Grow.
https://www.nwea.org/blog/2022/4-ways-to-practice-culturally-responsive-teaching/
