EDUCATION TRENDS

Culturally Responsive Teaching: Unlocking Student Potential

25 September 2023/ By Zineb DJOUB

Addressing the unique needs of students from diverse backgrounds is one of the major challenges, teachers face today. In fact, teachers need to embrace the differences and create opportunities for students to meet their learning needs with the strength and relevance found in their own cultural frame of reference. In this blog post, we’ll delve deep into what culturally responsive teaching means, why it matters, and how educators can implement it to create a nurturing and empowering learning environment for all students.

What is culturally responsive teaching?

Culturally responsive teaching is more than just a pedagogical approach. It is a philosophy that acknowledges and values the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and identities that students bring into the classroom. This is by drawing on students’ cultural knowledge, life experiences, frames of reference, communication styles, and language and using these as resources for teaching.

It involves teachers’ understanding of the specific cultures of the students; how that culture affects their learning behaviours; and how to change classroom interactions and instruction to embrace the differences.

So, culturally responsive teaching aims to create inclusive and equitable classrooms where all students, regardless of their cultural or linguistic backgrounds, feel valued, heard, and supported in their academic journey.

Therefore, culturally responsive pedagogies focus on positive interpersonal relationships and effective, socially constructed, and dynamic forms for instruction and assessment.

This is done by building relationships, catering to different learning styles and backgrounds, involving all students in sharing, disseminating knowledge, and making decisions to manage learning, besides ensuring fairness and avoiding cultural biases through equitable assessment.

It is also important to create a safe and supportive learning environment that values diverse opinions and promotes responsibility, collaboration, motivation to learn, and a sense of belonging to the classroom community.

However, creating an inclusive learning environment requires promoting cultural awareness to foster tolerance, respect, and positive interactions among students.

To this end, culturally responsive teaching also involves strategies to develop students’ cultural competence and prepare them to thrive in diverse workplaces and communities.

Why does culturally responsive teaching matter?

Culture strongly influences the attitudes, values, and behaviours that students and teachers bring to the instructional process. Indeed, how we learn and what we experience is filtered through cultural perspectives as well as existing knowledge and experiences.

So, unresolved cultural differences between students and teachers can lead to misunderstandings of teacher expectations on the part of the student or of student behaviour on the part of the teacher. This in turn can result in a tense learning environment where equity and fairness are questioned by students.

In fact, achievement test scores, grade promotion rates, graduation rates, and other common indicators of school success provide ample evidence that students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds experience poorer educational outcomes than their peers (Bennett et al., 2004; Conchas & Noguera, 2004).

According to research, culturally responsive pedagogy improves student achievement across all cultural groups, ensuring that all students are encouraged and supported to realize their educational potential regardless of their social, economic, or cultural background, or individual needs.

This is because students are more likely to be engaged and motivated to learn when their unique needs are addressed and they feel a sense of belonging and relevance in their classrooms.

Besides promoting inclusivity and improving academic achievement, culturally responsive teaching helps students develop cultural competence. It fosters an understanding and appreciation of different cultures, equipping students with the knowledge and skills to navigate diverse cultures and perspectives.

Implementing this approach also exposes students to diverse perspectives and experiences, encouraging their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

So, cultural responsiveness is integral to the “essence” of effective teaching (Goe, Bell, & Little, 2008). It not only addresses students’ educational needs but also has a broader societal impact. It promotes equity, inclusiveness, and cultural competence, preparing students to thrive in a diverse and interconnected world while also contributing to a harmonious society.

Strategies to develop or improve culturally responsive teaching

Developing culturally responsive practices requires commitment, self-awareness, and a willingness to adapt. By actively incorporating the strategies outlined below, you can take concrete steps toward embracing this approach.

# Reflect on your cultural knowledge and teaching assumptions

The kind of beliefs and attitudes we hold are critical to the way we behave and deal with diverse students. Our interactions with students shape the kind of relationships we have with them and they impact their motivation and self-efficacy.

So, to make our teaching culturally responsive we should start first by reflecting and examining critically our discourse and beliefs about culturally diverse students, recognizing any discrimination based on differences, and confronting any negative attitudes we might have toward them.

Developing socio-cultural consciousness can help us alter our discourses and encourage us to look for effective practices to support all students in learning.

Furthermore, examining expectations for students is necessary. Having low or no expectations of certain students can increase the achievement gap.

Because your attention and effort will be directed toward those you think will succeed.

You may not realize that, but your students will do. Remember that they perceive themselves and their learning capabilities through the teacher’s eyes.

So, having high expectations of all students (regardless of their level/culture, etc.) is crucial along with providing ongoing guidance and support to help them achieve their goals.

# Build relationships

Building relationships with students is fundamental for creating a safe and inclusive classroom environment where they feel comfortable sharing their cultural identities.

This requires learning about a student’s past experiences, home and community culture, and world in and out of school.

You can have conversations with students, ask them to write about themselves, and their families, or complete a personal questionnaire about hobbies, interests, music preferences, and aspirations. You can also ask parents to fill in questionnaires and provide information about their background.

Besides, learning about the different cultures (food, music, traditions, etc.) we should go beyond that to understand how students perceive their own cultures, and what negative views they hold about their race.

# Use curricular and instructional practices related to the cultures of students

What students already know forms the starting point for exploring unfamiliar knowledge and experiences (Taylor & Sobel, 2011). So, using their culture and experience as a teaching resource can help them learn and get more engaged.

Therefore, when planning curricular content incorporate diverse content. Infuse diverse perspectives, authors, videos, and historical events into your curriculum.

Connect course content to real-world examples and current events that resonate with students’ experiences.

Also, you can begin your lessons by eliciting student experiences and building on these to develop and understand new concepts.

Further, to make the culture of students visible and present in the curriculum, create opportunities for open and respectful discussions about cultural topics and current events.

For respectful dialogue establish ground rules and facilitate discussions to ensure all voices are heard.

# Develop culturally responsive instructional strategies and assessment methods

Culturally responsive teaching requires an interactive and dynamic teaching style where students are encouraged to construct knowledge, build on their personal and cultural strengths, and examine the curriculum from multiple perspectives.

Therefore, engage students in inquiry, active learning, problem-solving, and dialogue. This facilitates culturally responsive teaching as these approaches enable students to bring diverse cultural perspectives to the task.

Also, use cooperative learning strategies to encourage diverse opinions, negotiations, the sharing of expertise, and the sharing of responsibility among students.

To accommodate various learning styles and abilities within your diverse classroom, it is necessary to differentiate instruction and provide ample opportunities for students to make choices.

Not only teaching but assessment methods also should be culturally responsive. So, develop assessment methods that are fair and free from cultural bias.

Be open to alternative forms of assessment that align with diverse learning styles and preferences and encourage students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in different ways.

Always seek feedback from students on your teaching and assessment methods and their experiences in the classroom and make adjustments based on their input.

# Connect with families and communities

Parental learning expectations and aspirations for their children have a strong correlation with student achievement.

So, maintaining communication with parents is essential to help them understand their child’s needs and support them in improving their learning.

We need to call and email regularly each child’s parents to keep them updated on his/her learning process. This is a positive sign of the teacher’s care for students. If possible meet face-to-face with them. You will learn more about those families of diverse cultures, and their children, and collaborate to create an inclusive learning environment.

Community engagement is also required to design a culturally responsive programme. So, collaborate with local community organizations and cultural experts.

You can design projects that draw upon community members’ expertise, and enrich your teaching with authentic cultural experiences (field trips or virtual tours to culturally significant sites) and guest speakers.

In conclusion, as educators, we have the opportunity and responsibility to shape the future by providing our students with the knowledge, skills, and empathy they need to thrive in our diverse world. Culturally Responsive Teaching is more than just a pedagogy; it is a commitment to bridging gaps and ensuring that every student’s potential is realized. Together, we can create a more inclusive and equitable educational experience for all.

References

Bennett, M., Barrett, M., Karakozov, R., Kipiani, G., Lyons, E., Pavlenko, V., & Riazanova., T. (2004). Young children’s evaluations of the ingroup and of outgroups: A multi-national study. Social Development, 13(1), 124–141.

Conchas, G. Q., & Noguera, P. A. (2004). Understanding the exceptions: How small schools support the achievement of academically successful Black boys. In N. Way & J. Y. Chu (Eds.), Adolescent boys: Exploring diverse cultures of boyhood (pp. 317–337). New York, NY: New York University Press.

Goe, L., Bell, C., & Little, O. (2008). Approaches to evaluating teacher effectiveness: A research synthesis. Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED521228)

Taylor, S. & Sobel, D.(2011). Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Teaching Like Our Students Lives Matter. Emerald Group Publishing Limited:UK.