Culturally responsive teaching

“Without question, when the majority of students in public schools are students of color and only 18 percent of our teachers are teachers of color, we have an urgent need to act. We’ve got to understand that all students benefit from teacher diversity. We have strong evidence that students of color benefit from having teachers and leaders who look like them as role models and also benefit from the classroom dynamics that diversity creates. But it is also important for our white students to see teachers of color in leadership roles in their classrooms and communities. The question for the nation is how do we address this quickly and thoughtfully?”

Education Secretary John B. King, Jr., Speaking at Howard University, March 8, 2016.

U.S. Department of Education states that research shows that diversity in schools, including racial diversity among teachers, can provide significant benefits to students. While students of color are expected to make up 56 percent of the student population by 2024, the elementary and secondary educator workforce is not. In fact, the most recent U.S. Department of Education Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), a nationally representative survey of teachers and principals, showed that only 18 percent of public school teachers identified as teachers of color. This figure has hardly changed in more than 15 years; data from a similar survey conducted by the Department in 2000 found that 16 percent of teachers identified as teachers of color. Improving teacher diversity can help all students. Teachers of color are positive role models for all students in breaking down negative stereotypes and preparing students to live and work in a multiracial society.

So what are we talking about here? What is CRT? Culturally responsive teaching is a pedagogy or the method and practice of teaching, where all teachers are inclusive and understand the importance of different cultures in all aspects of student learning. CRT is a research based approach which leads to enriching classroom experiences where students are engaged and motivated. It connects what students learn in school to their cultures, languages, and life experiences

According to The Center for Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning (CCRTL) being culturally responsive is an approach to living life in a way that practices the validation and affirmation of different cultures for the purposes of moving beyond race and moving below the superficial focus on culture.

Culturally relevant pedagogy, or CRP, a pedagogical framework was coined by Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings in the early ’90s. She introduced the term culturally relevant pedagogy to describe a form of teaching that calls for engaging learners whose experiences and cultures are traditionally excluded from mainstream settings. Building on the work of Ladson-Billings, Geneva Gay developed a framework with a stronger focus on teachers’ strategies and practices—that is, the doing of teaching. Geneva Gay (2010) defined culturally responsive teaching “as using the cultural knowledge, prior experiences, frames of reference, and performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning encounters more relevant to and effective for them”

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So what does a culturally responsive teaching look like-

• Students have a voice, as teachers make it a priority to learn more about their students.
• Students take ownership of learning and teacher is a facilitator
• Cultural diverse texts & media readily available & used regularly
• Learning is relevant & connects to real life situations
• Students are engaged as evident by their participation and feedback
• Welcoming student feedback throughout the year
• Positive relationship with families and communities. Family is included and invited as guest speakers, when possible
• Students are motivated as evident by designing & having a choice in their learning activities/ projects and assignments
• Habits of mind use strategies are evident as students practice persistence, empathy, metacognition, thinking flexibly and thinking interdependently.
• Have a growth mind set of learning from each other and the belief that failure is not an evidence of unintelligence but as a heartening springboard for growth and for stretching our existing abilities.
• Classroom community feel as evident by use of respect agreements and rules co-created by students.
• High expectations evident
• Social learning is emphasized: groups and pairs
• Student choices and menus provided for activities and assignments: process as well as product
• Culturally responsive restorative justice practices- validate student experiences
• Use of consistent body language with all students
• Acknowledging the contribution of all students

Books about CRT and strategies to use in classroom:

If you are an educator and would like to share how you make your classroom culturally relevant for your students, please comment below or send en email!