Culturally Responsive Teaching

Teaching the whole child and all that he or she brings to the table of learning was one of the biggest focus points that I gained from the readings this past week.  The six dimensions of Culturally Responsive Teaching addressed in the Gay article talk about just that.  We as teachers tend to get so wrapped up in covering standards and following timelines that we sometimes lose sight of the most important aspect of teaching – the children.  Gay gives us the information to critically evaluate our teaching practices and helps us to make sure that we are doing what we need to do in order to provide the most equitable educational experiences we can for our students.

1.  Validating – Making sure that the students’ cultures & backgrounds are not only acknowledged & represented in the classroom, but also seen as a tool to enhance the learning takes place.

2.  Comprehensive – All aspects of a child’s learning are addressed.  Although we as teachers have a curriculum to cover, we also have to think about the emotional, social, & physical well-being of our students.  These domains of child development can be taken into consideration & addressed when teachers work to develop a sense of community within the classroom.  When a community is developed, students feel more comfortable expressing their thoughts and feelings.  This actually leads us back to a sense of validation to be experienced by each & every child.

3.  Multidimensional – All aspects of teaching should be culturally responsive.  We can’t stop with just one area.  We have to let cultural responsiveness permeate the entire realm of teaching – content, planning, teaching, learning, community, & assessment.

4.  Empowerment – Every student should feel that he or she has a voice & that it is important.  It is our job as educators to help our students truly believe that they have the capabilities they need to be successful learners.  We are helping to create the future members of our democratic society & by helping them to believe in themselves now they will be able to carry those same beliefs with them into adulthood.

5.  Transformative – This is the scariest part of culturally responsive teaching to me.  Change is never easy, but it simply is necessary.  I try to think about the things I would want to be doing if I were a 3rd grade student in my classroom.  I wouldn’t want to do the same boring things over & over, & neither do my students.  We have to be open to changing with the times, & in order for the cultures of all of our students to be fully represented & respected change has to occur.

6. Emancipatory – This piece of culturally responsive teaching is what I aspire to the most.  I want my students to gain the knowledge that they need in order to feel liberated & empowered.  Emancipating students will allow them use & develop critical thinking skills & gain a better understanding of what they have learned.

I don’t think that being a culturally responsive teacher is any easy task by any means.  And striving to be a culturally responsive teacher is a continuous process.  It’s hard work.  However, it is a goal that is absolutely worth working towards, no matter what obstacles you might face.