BEING CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHERS: BUILDING PROFESSIONAL IDENTITIES IN A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
The paper discusses partial results of a coaching experience with students doing a degree in languages who teach in workshops for socially vulnerable young adults in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). The coaching experience includes mentorship, co-authoring courseware, collaborative teaching and group study of literacies theories. The portuguese language workshops in wich its develloped are aimed at participants of programs of social inclusion who feature the following profiles: (1) young offenders aged 16 to 24; (2) young people from 18 to 24 years old who are at social risk; (3) fathers and mothers at social risk and (4) former prisoners.
The workshops
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Participation in this community, whose practice is characterized by mutual engagement in a joint venture and a shared repertoire, it is, therefore, a central element in the buiding of the teaching identity of its members. From a methodological point of view, we adopted the qualitative research to investigate how the reflective practice and the collaborative perspective that characterize the coaching experience makes sense to the team. We will analyze interviews and diaries of the grantees, focusing on two combined aspects: (1) the development of knowledge, skills and teaching atitudes in the interaction between team members; (2) the incorporation of contemporary literacies theories (COPE & KALANTZIS 2000, 2009 and 2011; STREET, 2014, GEE, 2001; 2008) into the professional identities under construction. Our hypothesis is that the comprehension of the plurality of literacies, inserted into the set of perceptions, values, attitudes, routines, gestures, actions and concepts that make up the community repertoire, is an important element in the identity configuration of its members. We believe that the study and subsequent didactic transposition of these theories, associated with teacher student interaction during the workshops favor the construction of a culturally responsive teaching profile, crossed by a increasing respect
In order to be a culturally competent practitioner, educators and families could start with critical reflection on attitudes and values and or the ways in which children respond to diversity within their community.
I believe another key characteristic trait of a counselor is one who is culturally responsive to the diverse needs of the individuals we serve. The counseling profession would be inadequate if there were a lack personal awareness of the diverse multicultural groups that create the communities in which we live in (Brinson, J. A., & Lee, C. C., 2005). To be a competent counselor, a person must possess the ability to be nonjudgmental and communicate positive unconditional regard both on a cultural and personal level that is understandable to the individual. A culturally responsive counselor is cognizant of how his or her values, biases, and assumptions may impact a person's counseling experience of diverse cultural backgrounds. In that regard, an effective counselor is able to be cognizant of
Currently, general education classrooms have increasingly become diverse with both disable students and students from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. In order for educators to ensure that they effectively teach these classrooms, meet the needs of each student both successfully and individually, effective research that is based on strategies need to be implemented. The U.S. Department of Education suggest that, the current school-age population is becoming more diverse as time passes, yet, majority of the teachers in these schools are white non-Hispanic women. According to another report by The Condition of Education in 2006, American schools are portraying increased diversity and growth. The report suggested that, forty two percent of students in public schools were ethnic or racial minorities in the year 2003; this increased from twenty two percent since 1972. Owing to these reasons, teachers in these schools are expected to educate a diversified class of students including those that come from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Teachers are therefore, required to implement a number of key strategies that will ensure that every student in specific classroom feels that he or she belongs there (Worrell, 2010).
This article elaborately explains the process of becoming culturally competent. It states the stages of development as Denial, Defense, Minimization, Acceptance, Adaptation, and Integration, respectfully. The article goes in depth on each stage of development, the first three being stages in what is termed “ethnocentrism” and the last three being stages of “ethnorelativism”. While the different stages are being discussed, the author presents examples of each and emphasizes the fact that American’s are not the only people who go through these stages when becoming more culturally competent.
1. I learnt that cultural responsiveness is a way reacting through cultural knowledge, recognizing the cultural heritage of different ethnic groups. It is an approach that is being used to empower and emancipate the Aboriginals.
Einstein said: “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Now imagine the various students that enter the classroom. They come from all walks of life with different backgrounds and stories to tell. If educators don’t recognize that these differences do in fact exist then some of the fish that pass through those school doors will leave the building believing that they are incapable because of the trees presented for them to climb. Enter culturally responsive teaching. This method or pedagogical device is the answer to bridging this gap that students may encounter when they are not given the opportunity to show their particular geniuses or to act as their own agent in their education.
I’ve always I thought I was a pretty good teacher. I’ve been selected as a STAR teacher and Teacher of the Year. But after reading Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, I had to seriously self-reflect, and I came to the realization that if I had read and implemented the suggestions in the book perhaps I would have touched student’s lives on a deeper level, a long-term neurological life-changing level. My heart and intent were pure, but did I reach as many students as I could have? I have always been focused on getting my students to be interested in their studies and to give it their all. I’ve been told many times by them, “You do too much.” I took that as a compliment because I have always tried to motivate them to want to excel, not just in school, but in life. After reading Hammond’s book, I see that I must overhaul my thinking and my methods. By following the techniques suggested in Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain I can grow in my individual approach to each student and grow more confident that they can each reach and achieve their best.
Culturally Responsive Teaching is an emerging field that focuses on student cultural backgrounds and experiences in the development of pedagogy. According to Kea (2013) cultural difference is the single largest difference in U.S. schools and also the most neglected. The goal of Culturally Responsive Teaching is to provide an equal opportunity for all students to learn in school, regardless of their gender, social class, ethnic, racial or cultural characteristics (Banks 2005). Ladson-Billings (1994) suggest that the historic failings of educators in educating non-white students is that educators attempt to insert culture into education rather than insert education into the culture. In other words, educators are not providing an equal multi-culturally relevant education by bringing tokens of culture such as food, national flags, or maps from around the world into the classroom alone. Although these actions promote a sense of multiculturalism, an education that is relative to a diversity of cultures is not necessarily being provided. Culturally Responsive Teaching attempts to bring the various experiences of the student’s cultural home life into the classroom. Schmidt (2005) identifies seven characteristics that must be incorporated into curriculum in order to provide culturally responsive instruction. These characteristics are high expectations,
Critical analysis of your own values and beliefs and the assumptions that are made is the first step to becoming culturally competent. It is an ongoing learning process. In practice, it involves talking with families and learning what their culture, beliefs and values are and what aspirations they have for their children, how and what they expect their children to achieve and learn while at the centre. It involves looking at the broader community, what cultural groups are represented, looking at what diversity looks like in the early childhood centre and how the families and their culture is represented, and if it is not, looking for ways that it could be. It is having a commitment to ongoing learning, reflection and continued improvement.
The Four C’s known as critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity helped to prevent education from being long and complicated, (An Educator's Guide to the “Four C’s). Breaking into teams and exploring each candidate side, creating a mock voting station, creating a speech in regards to their candidate and discussing open ended questions would be a few of the 21st Century skills used within this assignment. Students being able to problem solve and decide who they feel is the best candidate would be considered another skill.
In today’s society, being able to communicate or participate in the exchange of information effectively is an essential skill for much of the healthcare providers in America today. Providing patient-centered care involves learning to communicate effectively with various barriers even with those patients who speak a different language than English. There are patients with other ethnicities and culturally influenced health behaviors that can be different than the health care beliefs of the most clinicians in this country.
Gaining learning and experience about other cultures background will enrich my multicultural knowledge. Therefore, as an educator I must learn about others culture. As I begin to learn about others cultures I will understand how values influence the ways families interpret the instruction that feels right to them. A close study on Figure 3.1 implies that a teacher’s point view or the way the students are treaty can affect their learning. It keeps narrating the story of a teacher that had to learn her students’ roots, their culture values, to get to know them in order to reach them in an academically level. The cultural values are very important and cannot be overlooked, they shape our intrinsic motivation. Many families try to keep their values and belief intact at home, so their children when they step in a classroom. Monica Brown, is the Department editor of Diversity Dispatch, argues in her article, Educating All Students: Creating Culturally Responsive Teachers, Classrooms, and Schools, that nowadays it is noticeable the diversity growths in schools, however, this is not the problem. The problem is the way teachers have responded to the diversity growth. (Brown, M. 2007). Therefore, this will affect the students learning. Brown cross with a strong point in regarding the lack of sensitivity some educators show towards their students’ culture. As educator I don’t want to be one of many teachers Monica Brown speaks on her article. I will understand that I must respect my
Arthur H. Woodard, Jr., MSW Soulhelp@me.com Jim Wuelfing, NRPP Jim.Wuelfing@gmail.com Name? From where? Doing what? Why here?
As an ESL instructor, I teach a diverse classroom full of migrants with a variety of backgrounds. It’s as multicultural as a classroom can be! I try to incorporate my students’ cultures into our lessons. After all, everything we know and understand comes from the lens of our culture. Take for example our own education. Think about how much influence our point of view had on our education. Now, how much is our point of view affected by culture? I try to be as culturally responsive as possible. However, I know that there is always room for improvement.
"A set of congruent behaviors, attitudes and policies that come together as a system, agency or among professionals and enable that system, agency or those professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. The word "culture" is used because it implies the integrated pattern of human thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs, values and institutions of a racial, ethnic, religious or social group. The word competence is used because it implies having a capacity to function effectively."