Creating a Culturally Relevant Classroom

7/28/2019 Creating a Culturally Relevant Classroom

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RUNNING HEAD: Culturally Responsive Classroom Final Paper

Culturally Responsive Classroom Final Paper

Fiona Connaghan

National-Louis University


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Now that our Culturally Responsive Classroom class is coming to a close, it is important

as professionals to reflect back upon what new information weve gained and how this new

knowledge will affect us in our work environment. Through our classroom readings, discussions

and videos, I have learned not only the importance of establishing a classroom that is culturally

responsive to my students backgrounds, but also the steps that are taken in order to acquire such

a classroom. This paper will discuss the new understandings Ive developed about being

culturally responsive and relevant in the classroom setting; and how I plan on using these new

understandings to create a welcoming learning environment with plenty of learning experiences

that students can embrace and relate to.

One of the first assignments we had to complete for this class was a self-reflection on our

own background and culture. At first I did not understand the purpose of this exercise, but after

we started covering content in class, I came to see how vital and essential this assignment truly

was. Through my reflection on my own middle-class suburban upbringing, I came to the

realization that my life journey has had a huge influence on the way I view education. Having

had parents who greatly valued school and learning; and having been exposed for the majority of

my life to peers with similar backgrounds, it made it difficult for me to view education through

any other lens. The discussions we had in class really helped me comprehend the fact that many

children have completely different views on education. This may be due to their own experiences

and what theyve been exposed to. For example, some obstacles children may face are: bad

experiences with teachers or peers at the school, family members not having completed school,

their struggles in succeeding academically, not having basic needs met, or having little support

from others in their educational endeavors. If I were dealing with similar contexts at such a

young age, I would most definitely view school in a very different way. I probably would not see


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the value in obtaining an education, and I most certainly would not see a necessity in graduating

high school. Where I grew up, it was not a question of whether or not I would be attending

college, it was more of a question of where are you going to college. This is not the norm for

many children growing up in urban areas. Having come to this realization has forced me to think

outside of the box and place myself in my students shoes. I have to have a distinct

understanding of what these children are dealing with at home and how that may affect not only

their views on school, but their drive and determination in setting high goals for themselves and

working to achieve them too. By constructing a better understanding of my students and their

backgrounds, I will hopefully be able to more effectively service them. I am very blessed to have

had such a nurturing upbringing, but in some ways, I realize, by background has acted like

blinders. It is so easy to stand along the sidelines and judge others, thinking, Why dont they

work harder at school? Dont they know the importance of education? They could achieve so

much if they would just try. But if you havent walked in their shoes, all those judgments are,

are pure ignorance. This class has definitely helped to open up my mind more to this

understanding and the importance of applying this new knowledge to my work in the classroom.

Recognizing that there are differences between my own cultural background and that of

my students; and realizing that these differences will affect how my students will participate and

contribute in the classroom setting, is absolutely vital. However, coming to this understanding is

only the first step, and it is the easiest step of them all. Developing a plan of action to address

these differences and the issues that come along with them is the difficult task that will require

time and effort on my part. The readings weve completed for this class have really exposed me

to a variety of approaches to address differences in cultural backgrounds in the classroom. The

career of teaching is all about the students. We are here for the students! So it seems silly that we


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would teach our children in the same way we were taught, particularly if our students do not

come from the same place where we came from. If my career is all about my students, I have to

get to know my students and teach them in a way that is relevant to them. I have to teach them in

a manner that they respond to. It may not be what worked for me when I was their age, but it is

not about me. It is about them. One of the articles we read in class that really drove this notion

home for me was, Culturally Responsive Teaching: Preacher Style by Jennifer R. Spates. Spates

discusses her own struggles in her first year of teaching at an urban school setting when she says,

Like so many other young, white, middle class teachers at the time, I was completely unaware

of what it took to be an effective teacher in an urban school. I believed that if I knew a variety of

instructional strategies and had a behavior plan in place, I would be alright. What I hadnt come

to realize was the potentially detrimental implications of my lack of cultural awareness and

sensitivity (Spates, 2006). It is so easy to come in with a plan of saving the world, but as Spates

points out, it isnt always that simple. Like many other young graduates of elementary education

backgrounds, you leave college in the hopes that your countless hours of studying, reading and

paper-writing has helped prepare you for the classroom. And in many cases, it probably has to

some extent. However, as Spates states, simply knowing the different teaching strategies and

methods and knowing how to implement a behavior plan may not be enough. Spates goes on to

describe how she came to truly understand the meaning of being a culturally responsive teacher.

Knowing the different teaching methodologies and strategies is great, but if you are unable to

tailor them to fit the needs and backgrounds of your students, they will prove to be ineffective.

Spates goes on to discuss the preacher style approach of communicating with her predominantly

African-American students; and how she has come to find that the students respond more to her

when she takes on this approach. I know that by creating a culturally responsive classroom I will


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be able to much more efficiently and effectively reach my students, and bridge that gap that

exists between myself and my students due to our differences in our cultural backgrounds.

Learning to teach in a culturally responsive way will no doubt take time, practice and years of

experience. However, as I have learned from this class, there are some steps I can take now in

order to start practicing culturally responsive teaching.

One of the key elements of culturally responsive teaching that I have heard repeatedly is

relationship building. Developing a relationship with my students is so essential to learning to

teach them in a culturally responsive way. I am often advised by veteran teachers to be stern,

strict, tough and mean when entering the classroom. Dont crack a smile until Christmas is a

common phrase used. And for the most part I had planned on taking this approach, especially in

an urban area. However, this class has helped me realize that although providing strict structure

and classroom routine is key, another necessity in teaching is creating a caring and accepting

learning environment where students will feel comfortable. It is difficult to do this however, if

your students resent you due to your mean aura and strict authoritativeness. A happy medium

must be developed. Something we discussed in class was the importance of making your

students aware that you are interested in them. We must show our students that we want to know

them and their backgrounds. Your students need to feel that you truly care about them if they are

going to respond to you and your teaching. And for the most part, if you impart these feelings

upon your students, it will be easier to obtain their compliance when it comes to behavioral and

structural issues. With this being said, I can recognize the importance of building relationships

with my students for a variety of reasons: it will help me create a warm and welcoming learning

environment, it will help me develop a better understanding of my students cultural

backgrounds so that I may be able to better tailor my lessons to their needs and it will help my


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students trust in me and my main purpose, which is to help them succeed. With this being said,

forming a relationship with each of my students is a goal I have set for myself for this upcoming

school year. I am hoping to truly be able to reach my students and get to know their culture by

forming strong relationships with them. Hopefully this process will then help me teach them in a

culturally responsive way.

In addition to building relationships with students, implementing culturally relevant

learning activities and curriculum is also important when developing a culturally responsive

classroom. Providing a variety of learning experiences that utilize different teaching strategies to

help address different learning styles is one way we can help make our learning experiences

more relevant for our students. Through this class, Ive learned the importance of embracing my

students culture not only as content that should be addressed and taught, but also recognizing

how it will affect their learning styles. Ive learned that different cultures embrace different

teaching pedagogies. For example, western cultures tend to value independent work more,

whereas other cultures, such as African, tend to work better in interdependent relationships

where work together as a community produces the best outcomes. Being aware of preferences

such as this one is important so I can incorporate it in my teaching strategies. It is also vital that I

use culture to enhance learning experiences by incorporating my students interests and

backgrounds in my teaching as well as introducing them to other cultures. Students should not

only be learning to embrace their own culture, but also being exposed to and accepting of others.

One way we can do this is through symbolic curriculum. Geneva Gay discusses the concept of

symbolic curriculum in her article titledPreparing for Culturally Responsive Teaching, when

she says, Culturally responsive teachers are critically conscious of the power of the symbolic

curriculum as an instrument of teaching and use it to help convey important information, values,


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and actions about ethnic and cultural diversity (Gay, 2001). So in order to create this culturally

responsive classroom, I should not only be incorporating my students backgrounds and beliefs

in my teaching, but I should also be exposing my students to new ideas, values and cultures in

my planned learning experiences too. Combining both my students culture along with the

culture of other ethnic backgrounds will produce really great, beneficial and effective learning

experiences for my students. Putting these methods into practice will assist me in developing a

culturally responsive classroom.

Another way I can help develop culturally responsive teaching practices is through

creating bridges between home and school. We have already discussed how culture can greatly

affect not only how our students view school, but also how they participate, contribute and

interact at school. A childs cultures foundation is at the home. Creating bridges between school

and home are absolutely key in establishing cultural acceptance in the classroom. Not only will

reaching out to the students homes and communities help me develop a better understanding of

their backgrounds, but it will also show students and their families that I am interested in them

and want to work as a team. This will lead students to become more trusting of me, which as

stated before, is important when establishing relationships. A study described in Catherine

Coopers book titledBridging Multiple Worlds: Cultures, Identities, and Pathways to College,

shows how bridging the school and home can have a really positive impact on student learning.

In the study, a new language immersion program implemented at a Hawaiian public school had

positive effects on family/school relationships, Families saw teachers and the program as

extended family, a strong value of many HawaiiansAs parents took their children to events

where Hawaiian was spoken, home and school activities became more compatible (Cooper,

2011). This is only one example where creating links between home and school has had


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beneficial effects on the students learning. Reaching out to families, homes and communities

will certainly help me in achieving my goal of establishing a culturally responsive classroom.

These are just a few of the overarching understandings Ive developed from participating

in this class. There are so many other sub-categories that could be discussed, and each of the

overarching understandings has many other details it entails; but overall, Ive learned that

although establishing a culturally responsive class can seem overwhelming, there are actually a

lot of simple easy steps that can be taken to help me achieve this goal. Now that I have a

complete understanding of the influence cultural background has on students educational views,

I can take what Ive learned here and apply it to my own classroom. Being able to walk into a

classroom free of stereotyping or preconceived notions, and recognizing that every one of my

students is capable of learning will help me see my students for who they truly are and use that to

supply them with really great learning experiences. Although it can be intimidating for me to

walk into a classroom where all of my students come from different backgrounds, I know that by

being open and culturally aware, and by developing a culturally responsive classroom setting, Ill

be able to address any issues that arise due to the differences between myself and the students.

Teaching is not about me, it is about the students. I am dedicating my work to these students,

because they deserve the right to an excellent education and because they are worth it. I need to

be able to set aside what my own belief systems are and put myself where my students are. By

doing this, I will best be able to meet their needs. Im excited to begin this journey this school

year, and test my abilities in creating a culturally responsive classroom.


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REFERENCE PAGE

Cooper, C.R. (2011).Bridging multiple worlds: Cultures, Identities, and Pathways

to college.New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Davis, B.M. (2006).How to teach students who dont look like you. Thousand Oaks, CA:

Corwin Press.

Gay, Geneva. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Teacher Education,

53(2), p. 106-116.

Spates, J.R. (2006). Culturally responsive teaching: Preacher style.EdChange and the

Multicultural Pavilion.

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Creating a Culturally Relevant Classroom