Culturally Inclusive Learning TL Standard 5

Teacher Leadership Standard 5:

Establish a culturally inclusive learning climate that facilitates academic engagement and success for all

Engaging Communities and Culturally Responsiveness Teaching

Background

            “Learning to put culturally responsive teaching into operation is like learning to rub your head and pat your stomach at the same time” (Hammond, Z., & Jackson, Yvette. 2015). To say the least, it is a difficult task. This is especially true when engaged in Critical Race Theory. However, culturally responsive teaching doesn’t exclusively mean working with students of color. It includes a plethora of variables when trying reach “all.” It includes socio-economics, family statuses, religion, sex, etc.  In the end, I believe it’s looking past differences and implicit biases that advances academic success for all students. It is not the complete answer to culturally responsiveness, but it does provide progression for all. Hammond, Z., (2015) lists four culturally responsive areas when engaging in culturally responsive teaching:

1)      Awareness: Placing instruction within the larger sociopolitical context.

2)      Learning Partnerships: Building trust with students.

3)      Information Processing: knowing how to strengthen and expand students’ intellective capacity so that they can engage in deeper, more complex learning.

4)      Community Building: Creating an environment that feels socially and intellectually safe for dependent learners to stretch themselves and take risks. (pg. 19.)

The road ahead to be culturally responsive is many times long. The conversations that take place in order to move practice to cultural responsiveness can emotionally charge a learning environment. “Teachers are often not sufficiently prepared to engage adolescents from diverse backgrounds in meaningful learning, and his affects their own and students’ success in school” (Pace, J. L., 2015). Engaging culturally responsive discussion takes care and finesse to move forward.

Learning and Applied Practice

The EDAD 6589 Engaging Communities and the EDU 6525 Culturally Responsive Teaching gave me new knowledge on social progression.  These classes taught me that in order to establish culturally inclusive learning climate we need to have the right practices and discussions in place. Coupled with Zarreta Hammond’s Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, Caprice Hollin’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion book provides the protocols and frameworks needed to move current practices to be culturally responsive.

I’ve taken my focus to include teaching kids to be resilient with persistence and determination. The learning environment must be built on relationships. This is true for any public service environment. In my action research class, I did a study on what would happen if I made sure the kids knew I believed in them. The results came back positive. Students responded to verbal positive reinforcement. I noticed a change in study habits, increased homework completion, and an overall growth in test results. Akers (2017) explains the importance of creating a safe environment in which students and teachers are able to communicate their thinking via feedback or other forms of communication. I believe this is what being culturally responsive or even culturally inclusive is about. Even student to student feedback is important in building a culturally inclusive learning atmosphere.

Building an atmosphere where cultural differences among students is difficult. We have to teach students to learn how to navigate the dominate culture. WEA/UW Culturally Responsive Classroom Strategies states cultural competency is “The will and skill to create authentic and effective relationships across the differences” (as cited in Howard, G., 2007). In response to the growing diversity, we need to look at ways to remove barriers that inhibit learning. Relationships do this. We have all seen the graphic of equity vs. equality were 3 students are looking over a fence to watch a baseball game. Instead of primarily using academic interventions and practices, Cultural inclusivity removes the fence where all students have access along with the academic interventions. I believe allowing the kids to see what they are missing allow them to build hope and determination to progress. In other words, resiliency. 

References

Akers, R. (2017). a journey to increase student engagement. Technology & Engineering Teacher, 76(5), 28-32.

Hammond, Z., & Jackson, Yvette. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain : Promoting authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin, a SAGE Company.

Hollins, C. and Govan, I. (2015) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Strategies for Facilitating Conversations on Race. Lanham, MD

Howard, G. R. (2007). As Diversity Grows, So Must We. Educational Leadership, 64(6), 16-22.

Pace, J. L. (2015). The charged classroom: Predicaments and possibilities for democratic teaching