Course Reflection
8.2 Component 4e: Growing and Developing Professionally
A distinguished teacher will seek out feedback on teaching
from both supervisors and colleagues when they are trying to incorporate
culturally competent teaching into their classrooms. This is the desire to
create an environment that is inclusive, so that every individual feels a part
of the learning process. This means a teacher must proactively look for ways to
acquire ideas, materials and lessons that can help foster a culturally diverse
atmosphere. The way to help empower a
teacher and their classroom, is to
ensure an emphasis is placed on professional development and that must include cultural
awareness, which may come from other fellow educators who possess that
understanding inherently or may have also obtained it throughout their time teaching
or other life experiences.
This article is an excerpted from: A Framework for
Culturally Responsive Teaching, Wlodkowski and Ginsberg, 1995. This briefly
talks about the importance of cultural competent teaching and how it can benefit students
inside the classrooms. This passage gives teachers some insight into how vital
it really is to simply be aware of the students occupying their classrooms, as
they are an important piece of the learning process. This aspect can’t be
overlooked as it is an invaluable part of what can ultimately help stimulate
learning, as it engages students in a manner that makes material accessible and
relevant.
Re-engaging on
Motivation and Culturally Competent Teaching
Research has shown that
no one teaching strategy will consistently engage all learners. The key is
helping students relate lesson content to their own backgrounds.
"To be effective in
multicultural classrooms, teachers must relate teaching content to the cultural
backgrounds of their students. According to the research, teaching that ignores
student norms of behavior and communication provokes student resistance, while
teaching that is responsive prompts student involvement (Olneck 1995). There is
growing evidence that strong, continual engagement among diverse students
requires a holistic approach—that is, an approach where the how, what, and why
of teaching are unified and meaningful (Ogbu 1995).
To that end, we have
developed a comprehensive model of culturally responsive teaching: a pedagogy
that crosses disciplines and cultures to engage learners while respecting their
cultural integrity. It accommodates the dynamic mix of race, ethnicity, class,
gender, region, religion, and family that contributes to every student's cultural
identity. The foundation for this approach lies in theories of intrinsic
motivation."
This article helps teachers understand and realize that
cultural competent teaching is a method meant to help engage students and get
them to intrinsically “buy into” the teaching taking place. Thus, they feel a
part of the process and valued for their experiences and perspectives.
Dynamics of Differences is the interpersonal interactions
that occur in a cross-cultural encounter. These learned expectations or assumptions
about each other are something that could hinder students for being successful in
their educational pursuits. I believe that if I am working in a high need area that is (Bronx, NYC or Central District of Seattle) accompanied by poor economic
conditions, I will be faced with groups of minority students that I may be unfamiliar with such as their
cultures or faiths.
I will have to “educate”
myself about my students/ families and their cultural backgrounds so that I can
become familiar with the aspects of their life’s that I may only have a limited
knowledge about. There is only so much that can be learned about people, unless
you are exposed to them in actuality and having to interact with them directly.
I will have to actively immerse myself in the community and look to involve
myself in every opportunity that I can by engaging in as many possible open dialogues,
inner personal interactions and events as possible. I will have to be candid
about my experiences/assumptions and look to my students to help me resolve and
clarify any misinterpretations and misunderstandings that may arise. The more genuine,
transparent and willing I am to address preconceived notions that may be
evident, the more it will be possible to
create an atmosphere that is conducive for success and achievement.
When the students’ lives and cultures are included and represented
in the classroom, it is more likely that they will feel respected, valued and motivated
to learn. By incorporating cultural competence into their education, you as
teacher are subconsciously letting them know that they are an intricate part of
the educational process. The students will feel as though they are invested in
the education that they receiving because of the inclusion of their culture, which
itself can be a very powerfully influential factor.
I will increase my effectiveness in cultural competence by having
assessments that take into account the students’ perspectives as well as teaching
classes that include the students’ experiences, concerns or their interests in
mind. I will ensure that the students are able to voice their opinions in a safe
environment that nurtures the acceptance of differences and embraces diversity.
I will have questions that go beyond the facts and requires students to give
thoughtful insights or allows them to give their point of view. I will utilize
the prior knowledge and experiences that the students have in order to make the
content relevant.
