The Best Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies For Educators

The Best Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies For Educators, Culturally responsive practices involve recognizing and incorporating the assets and strengths all students bring into the classroom and ensuring that learning experiences, from curriculum through assessment, are relevant to all students.

What Is Culturally Responsive Teaching?

Culturally Responsive Teaching

The culturally responsive teaching definition describes how culturally responsive teaching (CRT) is a research-based approach to teaching. It connects what children learn in school with their cultures, languages, and life experiences.

These links enable students to access the demanding curriculum and acquire higher-level academic talents.

How To Teach Culturally Responsive Teaching?

Follow these steps to create a culturally responsive classroom!

1- Foster confidence among your students

Make the evaluation process less frightening by providing many methods for demonstrating abilities and comprehension. Avoid giving out multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank tests, for example.
Mix in problems that need you to write short- and long-form responses, among other sorts of questions. After that, offer students the opportunity to evaluate their own development and performance, assisting them in focusing on improvement.

2- Establish inclusion

Begin by emphasizing how the material you’re presenting may relate to or apply to students. Many countries, for example, hold fireworks celebrations. While such a celebration is taking place, you might use sample questions to explain how to measure speed using fireworks.
In order to establish inclusion, kids must be routinely grouped with students from various classes, promoting conversation in order to address difficulties. They will be able to offer their distinct insights as a result of this.

3- Create a friendly climate in the classroom and cultivate genuine, loving relationships.

A friendly climate will encourage students to do their best in the classroom. Make sure to solve any problems and tension that might arise in the classroom to maintain a positive atmosphere.

4- Examine the curriculum to see whether it can be made more rigorous and relevant.

This focuses on connecting material to students even more. Allowing students to pick between activities and evaluations that allow them to exhibit their beliefs, strengths, and experiences is a common technique.
You may enhance class content by connecting it to real-world situations and encouraging students to address them using their perspectives and prior knowledge. Encourage students to propose their own project ideas,
for example, while giving explicit learning goals and evaluation criteria.

Why is Culturally Responsive Teaching Important?

Gloria Ladson-Billings popularised the term “culturally responsive teaching.” She saw it as a method to boost students’ academic performance by incorporating cultural allusions into the classroom. Since then, a large body of research has centered on CRT.

CRT is being used by more teachers to better teach diverse student groups. They’re also discovering that it’s an effective approach to reach all students. This is why they regard it as important:

(1) It raises expectations for all students.

Teachers that use CRT shift away from a deficit mindset of focusing on what a student cannot accomplish. Rather, they recognize students’ assets and use them to design rigorous, student-centered education.
This is especially essential for children from underprivileged communities, whose abilities are sometimes overlooked.

(2) It helps schools better meet students’ needs.

Students who are underserved may encounter unconscious bias as a result of their ethnicity, culture, or language. As a result, these students are frequently over-represented in these fields.
Sometimes their needs go unnoticed. In addition, they are frequently underrepresented in gifted education. Schools are more likely to identify and assist all children if they adopt an assets perspective.

(3) It builds cultural competence.

An inclusive curriculum assists instructors and students in understanding diverse points of view, appreciating the talents of others, and developing empathy. CRT can also assist instructors in reflecting on how their own identities and experiences influence their attitudes and teaching methods.
It helps students feel valued and empowered.
Students experience a sense of belonging when they see themselves reflected in the curriculum. They are more likely to establish the trust necessary to form a relationship with their teacher.

What Are The 7 Principles of Culturally Responsive Teaching?

The main 7 principles of culturally responsive teachers are:

• Warm 

• Supportive 

• Personable 

• Patient  

• Understanding  

• Enthusiastic 

• Flexible and stay on task

What Are Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices?

Recognizing and incorporating the assets and abilities that all students bring to the classroom, as well as ensuring that learning experiences, from curriculum to assessment, are relevant to all students, are culturally responsive approaches.

Here are some of the culturally responsive practices in education you can use:

(1) Know your students better

Demonstrating a desire to adjust your teaching approach to students at the start of the year or semester might make them feel appreciated. Because open conversation will reveal their learning requirements and preferences.
This may be accomplished by distributing questionnaires, obtaining information about learning styles, and conducting open conversations in which students can relate positive experiences from previous sessions.
Individually asking students questions will help you gain a better grasp of their values and habits, as well as their strengths and shortcomings. Take each student away for a few minutes during a large-group practice.
Inquire about their interests, favorite classes and activities, and what kind of exercises assist them to recall lessons and improve their skills.
Take notes on what each student says in order to discover themes and preferences. Then, wherever feasible, link information to their interests and give lessons that play to their similarities.
Once you’ve gathered enough information, notify the class that you’ll be focusing on changing your teaching style to assist them to learn as much as possible. Students should warm up to you immediately.

(2) Create culturally-relevant problems

Create culturally relevant word problems by:

• In order to make the subject matter more relevant, use student names.
• Linking to student interests, such as assessing a famous soccer player’s short distance
• Referencing various cultures, for example, by measuring the diameter of a specific ethnic cuisine platter

Using these word problem suggestions will not only assist you in creating a culturally responsive classroom but will also interest students more than using abstract traditional questions.

(3) Invite guest speakers to the class

A great way of incorporating culturally responsive education in the classroom is by inviting a guest speaker. Guest speakers may provide context and enthusiasm to courses in history, geography, and social studies, piquing students’ interests.
A war veteran could tell a great story about his or her experiences. A climber might offer an enthralling account of climbing Lhotse. Both may provide answers to issues that many teachers would find difficult to respond to while engaging students far more effectively than a presentation.
When students share a common background with an educator, they are typically inspired to work more. As a result, different guest speakers may naturally engage and encourage students who share a cultural background with them.

(4) Use different types of content

Students respond differently to different types of information for a variety of reasons, including culture, socialization, preference, and learning requirements. Setting up learning stations allows you to give a variety of materials to each learner.
Each station should teach a skill or idea linked to your course in a unique way. They can read articles, watch a movie, engage in a puzzle game, and so on.

(5) Use call-and-response approach

The technique of asking students many questions while conducting instruction is known as call-and-response. It typically keeps them interested, but it also allows them to express their views and opinions. 

Involve everyone by doing the following:

• When a question allows for it, encourage the exchange of personal opinions.
• Calling on students who do not have their hands up, adjusting them to speaking in front of their peers
• After each new point or notion, ask a question and have a student explain back the topic you just discussed.

By the end of the class, this call-and-response method should have allowed each student to speak at least once. This allows for meaningful learning opportunities in class.

(6) Use media that depict various cultures

Using media such as books and movies that favorably represent a variety of cultures and are relevant to your curriculum can help to meet this requirement.
Finding choices using sources like IMDB or American Literature isn’t difficult. As an added bonus, using several mediums should increase engagement levels.

(7) Encourage free study time

Free study time generally appeals to students who prefer solitary studying, although many cultures value group learning.

You may accommodate both tastes by splitting your class into a clearly defined team and individual tasks, such as the ones listed below:

• Provide audiobooks with material related to your classes.
• Make a station where students may playgroup activities that teach curriculum-aligned skills.
• Maintain a separate, quiet area for students to take notes and finish assignments.
• Allow some students to work in groups while taking notes and completing assignments outside of the designated quiet zone.

(8) Encourage students to suggest project ideas

The benefits of choice are extended beyond open study time by allowing students to propose ideas for their own projects. They should, in particular, boost their confidence by highlighting their abilities. Encourage them to present concepts for taking a project from inception to completion.
In his or her pitch, a student must demonstrate how the product will fulfill academic requirements. If the concept falls short, give the student suggestions to improve it. If the student is unable to improve the concept, he or she may select a project from a list of alternatives you give.

Not only may some pitches surprise you, but you may also create ideas for future culturally responsive activities and evaluations.

How Do I Teach Mathematics in a Culturally Responsive Way?

By bridging the gap between arithmetic and the real world, you may expose children to learning in a more culturally responsive manner. Students may be fascinated by the realization that arithmetic is all around us.

From the rows and columns observed in a well-kept rose garden to algebraic formulae used to construct solid buildings. Creating teaching that is comparable and related to students’ experiences may be a valuable strategy in reaching out to them.

Do you want Culturally Responsive Teaching to plan for your educational institutions? Manaarah is your place to go! Get in touch with our team and visit the website to know more about this, and many other, services that can improve your overall learning and teaching experience.

Manaarah has an experienced team of instructional designers who have designed and built Manaarah to help schools, universities, and companies with their learning and training programs.
Manaarah provides digital Total education solutions for schools, universities, and companies.

We develop and design courses, curriculum education, textbooks, educational games, and other educational materials for your schools. Companies count on Manaarah for comprehensive and engaging training and interactive user guide of your company.