Ever a melting pot, American society – and students – is becoming ever more diverse. This presents challenges for educators raised and educated in mainstream American culture. These educators may find it difficult to view students whose experiences, readiness to learn, language, interests, cultural backgrounds, values, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic status are very different from their own (Polleck & Shabdin, 2013, p. 142; Ford et al, 2014, p. 59). While teachers may care deeply about their students’ educations, the differences between teacher and student can be an obstacle to effective communication and successful education.
Teachers in America can and must take action to create classrooms where diversity of all kinds is accepted, respected and celebrated. By welcoming and appreciating students for who they are, teachers break down the cultural barriers that still leave too many children behind. Below are ten strategies that can easily be used by any teacher who wishes to create a cultural responsive community of learners within their own classroom.
- Begin with yourself.
Dray and Wisneski, in Mindful Reflection as a Process for Developing Culturally Responsive Practices present a six part process to guide any teacher through the process of self-reflection and toward improved understanding of diverse students. Their article, including a one-page guide to keep handy while learning to be more culturally responsive, is a fantastic starting point in the process of building a culturally responsive classroom.
- Get to know your students.
Polleck and Shabdin, in Building Culturally Responsive Communities (2013) share surveys they use to learn more about their students’ lives and identities. Information gathered from these surveys can be used to guide both instructional and non-instructional classroom decisions.
- Use course content to learn more about your students.
Polleck and Shabdin (2013) also use short writing prompts with a dual purpose: student responses are assessed for writing strengths and weaknesses; and the prompts ask students to share about family, community, interests…in short, their identities.
- Welcome and celebrate diversity.
Rao and Morales in Creating a Climate for Linguistically Responsive Instruction: The Case for Additive Models advocate displays in English and also any other languages your students use. Become comfortable with students speaking in a language other than your own; consider taking a class in a language spoken by your students. Hang flags representing students’ origins; post a rainbow to welcome students of the LGBT community.
- Incorporate literature and artwork from diverse authors.
Rao and Morales also advise teachers to look beyond the tradition canon of literature used by most teachers. Seek literature and current articles by authors who represent students’ diverse cultures; develop interest further by finding companion art that could enhance discussion or understanding of the readings.
- Adapt your communication style.
Lisa Delpit in Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom (2006) shares that differences in communication styles between student culture and teacher culture can impede understandings of behavior and negatively impact student learning. By learning communication styles of your students’ culture(s), you can build more positive relationships with your students and help them to succeed in your classroom.
- Respect who your students are.
Delpit also recommends that teachers respect the primary languages or dialects that students bring to the classroom. Rather than working to eliminate these language bases, teachers should help students to add the language of the mainstream culture (Standard American English) to the students’ primary language. In doing so, you demonstrate respect for the student, the students’ family, community, and culture.
- Help students understand the American experience.
Use the WorldandI.com site, in particular the resources for the Diversity in America (The World and I: Diversity in America, 2016) collection. The American Waves: Race, Ethnicity, and Cultural Identity collection of essays are useful resources in understanding and promoting diversity in the classroom.
- Help students develop a global perspective.
At humanrights.com you can order a set of materials called United for Human Rights materials.
The Peace Corps offers Building bridges: A Peace Corps classroom guide to cross-cultural understanding, an on-line interactive learning experience to help build students’ awareness of the world.
- Connect your students with other students around the globe.
Use the resources at the ed.gov site, Resources for Cross-cultural Interaction and Project Work Here you will find opportunities to build meaningful connections with teachers and students around the globe. Try registering on ePals or Kidlink Association if you’d like to connect with a class in another country.
Our country is ever more diverse, and in a world facing serious threats to our survival as a species, it is more imperative than ever that we teach our young people to embrace cultural differences and become citizens of the world. We are educating a generation of young people who will need to look, think, and live beyond the borders of our own country, outside of the comfort zone of their own cultures. By actively teaching students about the world beyond our borders, by demonstrating acceptance of other cultures, by embracing a spirit of celebration of diversity, we are empowering this generation to be the change that is so needed in these uncertain times.
References
Banks, T., & Obiakor, F. E. (2015). Culturally Responsive Positive Behavior Supports:
Considerations for Practice. Journal Of Education And Training Studies, 3(2), 83-90.
Building bridges: A Peace Corps classroom guide to cross-cultural understanding. (2002).
Retrieved January 28, 2016, from
http://permanentacces.apo.gov/websites/peacecorpsgov/www.peacecorps.gov/wws/bridges/bridges.pdf
Delpit, Lisa D. Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom. New York: New,
- Print.
Dray, B. J., & Wisneski, D. B. (2011). Mindful Reflection as a Process for Developing
Culturally Responsive Practices. Teaching Exceptional Children, 44(1), 28-36.
Kidlink Global Education Projects. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2016, from
http://www.kidlink.org/
Polleck, J., & Shabdin, S. (2013). Building Culturally Responsive Communities. Clearing
House: A Journal Of Educational Strategies, Issues And Ideas, 86(4), 142-149.
Rao, A. B., & Morales, P. Z. (2015). Creating a Climate for Linguistically Responsive
Instruction: The Case for Additive Models. Mid-Western Educational Researcher, 27(4),
296-316.
The World and I: Diversity in America.(2016, January 28). Retrieved from WorldandI.com:
http://worldandi.com/specialcollection/special-collection-diversity.asp