Culturally Responsive Classroom Reflection

Addressing the individual needs of students from diverse backgrounds is one of the biggest challenges that teachers face today.  This is because many teachers are insufficiently armed with training, experience, and content knowledge in culturally responsive teaching (Krasnoff, 2016).  Without this invaluable training and content knowledge based on researched practices, educators can fall into two perilous traps of appropriation and the ruination of precious teacher student relationships.

Cultural appropriation is the harmful taking or use of  cultural expressions, traditional knowledge, intellectual property, or artifacts from someone else’s culture (Papallo & DeWald, 2016).  This is when teachers slap up language and pictures from the cultures of students in their class simply to make students “welcome” or create crafts and projects with incorrect or little understanding of their place in the culture.  This practice, not based in research or best practice causes harm to our students and ultimately lends to the next problem.

Teachers spend around 1,000 hours with their students in a typical school year (Sparks, 2019).  This is enough time for teachers to develop a strong relationship with students and spark a lifelong love of learning.  It is also enough time to create a toxic relationship with students and derail student learning.  Good teachers teach knowing that the relationship they form with students is crucial and cannot exist if the integration of unique differences is simply a facade.

Using thoroughly vetted and researched techniques to create a classroom where students feel welcome, comfortable, and accepted is a best practice for all educators.  The alternative is a classroom with surface level relationships and, concurrently, surface level learning.  An alternative that stands contrary to our true goals.

References

Krasnoff, B. (2016). Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Guide to Evidence-Based Practices for Teaching All Students Equitably. Retrieved from https://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/resources/culturally-responsive-teaching.pdf

Papallo, J., & DeWald, M. (2016, December 13). Addressing Cultural Appropriation in the Classroom: Tools and Resources. Education Week. Retrieved from https://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/global_learning/2016/12/addressing_cultural_appropriation_in_the_classroom_tools_and_resources.htm

Sparks, S. D. (2019, March 12). Why Teacher-Student Relationships Matter. Education Week. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/03/13/why-teacher-student-relationships-matter.html