Providing information and strategies and examples of how to create a learning space that centers equity, celebrates diversity, and affirms culture is the central focus of this piece of the internet.  Helping you develop the type of learning space that you desire and your students deserve is a privilege and an honor. It matters because this is a learning space that will allow you AND your students to show up authentically and thrive and experience joy. 

The other day however, I was challenged with the question, “How are you helping to build educator capacity for the journey?”

This is a great question, because the reality is I cannot be in every classroom, staff meeting, IEP meeting, board room, etc with you. So, am I just feeding you tips and strategies for the moment or pointing you in the right direction and helping you build capacity for learning on your own. 

Well, I like to believe I am doing both. The podcast, my school workshops and coaching program, supplemental resources – these are all designed to be tools for partnership and guidance. I believe that to become a culturally competent educator who centers equity, celebrates diversity, and affirms culture there are three essential practices, reflection, learning, and implementation. I stand firm on that and I lean into it as I craft podcast episodes, design professional learning experiences, and facilitate coaching sessions. 

In today’s episode I want to highlight five incredible female educators and scholars who have inspired and encouraged me on this journey. The research has aligned to the experiences I have had in education. It has also given me a name for this pedagogy and a road map to follow as I guide other educators on this journey. At the time of this recording I have met two of these women in person, but I hope to meet all of these incredible women one day.

Dr. Gloria Ladson Billings – She is considered the mother of culturally relevant pedagogy. Although her work started from a desire to understand the ways in which the educational system was failing Black and Brown children, boys in particular, her framework for teaching and learning is now understood as “just good teaching”. Dr. Ladson Billings is a change maker in education. She has held several roles, from professor at University of Wisconsin – Madison to consultant for publishing companies seeking to design culturally conscious curriculum to president of the National Academy of Education. 

She has written several books and journal articles. Some of her more well known texts include “The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children”, “Crossing over Canaan: The Journey of new Teachers in Diverse Classrooms”, and “Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Asking a Different Question”

Geneva Gay – The former professor of education at the University of Washington College dedicated the majority of her career to develop the idea and frameworks for multicultural education. She also coined the term “culturally responsive teaching”. Dr. Gay was never afraid to ask the tough questions of herself or the system in which she was teaching. During her time as a professor at Purdue she continued her research around the idea of multicultural and culturally responsive education. She has edited several book and contributed to publications including, “Culturally Responsive Teaching:Theory, Research, and Practice”

Zaretta Hammond – She is passionate about creating equitable learning spaces by equipping teachers with the brain science behind how children learn. She considers herself and “equity freedom fighter”. In her book “Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain” she breaks down how the neural pathways respond to different types of instruction. Hammond has been a classroom teacher, an adjunct professor at Saint Mary’s College in Northern California, and now focuses on supporting school districts to shift their education practices to be equity focused and culturally responsive.

Rudine Sims Bishop – Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop is Professor Emerita of Education at The Ohio State University. She taught courses on children’s literature while teaching in the College of Education and Human Ecology from 1986 to 2022.

Dr. Bishop has written several books including Shadow & Substance and Free within Ourselves: The Development of African American Children’s Literature. During her career, Dr. Bishop has focused on Multicultural and African American literature. She has been called the Mother of Multicultural literature and is most well known for introducing the concept of “Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors“.

She has received awards from many organizations including the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the Arbuthnot Award, and the Coretta Scott King. 

Shadow and Substance: Afro-American Experience in Contemporary Children’s Fiction (1982), Presenting Walter Dean Myers (1990), Kaleidoscope: A Multicultural Booklist for Grades K-8 (1994), and Wonders: The Best Children’s Poems of Effie Lee Newsome (1999)

Gholdy Muhammad – She is a seeker of joy and liberation in education. Dr. Muhammad has taken the work of scholars of yesteryear like W.E.B. Dubois and Mary McCloud Bethune and coupled it with current research from scholars like Dr. Ladson Billings and Dr. Geneva Gay to create a framework that succinctly outlines how to truly engage students in a learning experience for gaining knowledge through liberatory practices. In her books “Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy” and “Unearthing Joy: A Guide to Culturally and Historically Responsive Teaching and Learning” you can find the complete framework along with examples of lesson plans for subjects ranging from Writing to Art and STEM to music. Dr. Muhammad is currently an assistant professor at the University of Illinois – Chicago. 

Dr, Taryn Fletcher – She is all about helping school leaders rethink how school is done so that all students can “feel empowered, valued, and courageous in their own skin”. As a former New Jersey school Superintendent and founding charter school principal, she knows what it takes to not only dream about the change you want to see in education, but to create that change. In her book, “essay writing term paper outline”, Dr. Fletcher strategically connects the how to the what. She shares success AND failures along her journey for change in New Jersey alongside each of the strategies. She has a heart for supporting school leaders on this journey toward change though her educational consulting firm, Truly POC – Power, Opulence, Consciousness.

Each of these women have inspired the work I do in education, partnering with schools and districts to create equity focused, diversity affirming, culturally aware learning environments.

Each of these scholars adds to the beautiful tapestry of instructional practices and possibilities to support all of our students, but in particular our Black and Brown students.

Each of these women is asking the tough questions, but providing practical and sustainable methods for achieving ongoing goals.

Tap into the knowledge Tap into the genius. Tap into the joy of education.

Remember to center equity, celebrate diversity and value culture every day.

Are these scholars describing the type of classroom you always dreamed of having? If so, you’re in good company. Let’s create this reality together.  Check out the many https://customteachingsolutions.com/rebecca-solnit-essay/, teaching resources, and coaching options available:

A culturally relevant math class? Indeed, my friend, it can. There is often a misconception that math classes can’t be culturally relevant or shouldn’t be culturally relevant. It should be all about the numbers. There is no place for culture. I think this is because our definition of culture is so narrow. If we were to expand our  definition of culture, the impact of math lessons would be 10 fold. Check out the blog post titled, “What is culture? How can we use it to unlock exciting and remarkable student potential?” I share a much more robust definition of the word.

Before we can decide if a math class can be culturally relevant, I want to define this concept. A culturally responsive and relevant classroom is a space where all of your students are affirmed, welcomed, and celebrated through instruction because you are 1) in tune with your own culture and 2) in tune with and using the culture of your students to design your lessons.

Culturally responsive classrooms are spaces where your students are more engaged because they see the point of the lesson. The students know that the lessons are relevant to them, not just today, but in the future. Math is all about analyzing problems and discovering solutions which is one of the ultimate life lessons. Gospel singer, Erica Campbell said, “How can we learn how to lose without losing IT.” The math classroom is the perfect platform to learn this lesson. We often don’t leverage it. 

Creating culturally responsive lessons puts a focus on the life long lessons being taught through curriculum and content. Therefore, it becomes easier to weave relevance into every moment with your students.

I want to share three tips for effectively creating culturally relevant and responsive math lessons so your students are more engaged, experience increased retention of information and increased levels of academic achievement. All of this helps increase your students confidence in their academic identity. 

The three tips are 1) reflect, 2) keep learning, and 3)implement (take action)

Culturally Relevant Math Tip 1: Take time to reflect

As you are reflecting, I want you to think about your classroom as a whole. Creating a culturally responsive classroom and culturally relevant math lessons is a whole vibe. It’s not just about creating social justice math lessons or including a diverse range of names in a word problem. That is part of it, but it’s the overall feel of the classroom that allows the lessons to land.

Instead, I want you to begin by thinking about the classroom rules, expectations you hold your students to, and norms that have been established. Then, think about how you created them and why you created them? Was there anyone that helped you create these rules? Are there life experiences that clearly impact the rules and expectations you set? Are you modeling your classroom after one of your former teachers, another teacher in the building?  Many times we make decisions about our classroom setup and structure without realizing the impact our own cultural beliefs and norms, life experiences, and schooling impact it.

Next, think about the students in your classroom. Are the established rules, expectations, and norms allowing them to thrive? Really think about this? Are the rules in your classroom foreign or familiar to your students? Do the rules line up with the things they value? Why or why not? 

Do the rules, expectations and norms allow your students to feel comfortable learning, contributing, failing forward?  OR are the rules more geared toward your comfort. I am not saying you should not be comfortable in your own classroom, you absolutely should. The classroom however, is a partnership space. It is a space of knowledge and thought exchange. People who do not feel comfortable will not exchange ideas and share thoughts.

Finally, have you talked through these rules with yourself (reflection), or with a colleague (accountability) to see where there might be a breakdown in communication and understanding?

For example, maybe one rule is that students always complete work independently and then they can chat with a table partner. What if some children come from a households where everyone is encouraged to begin solving problems as a team before breaking into individual thought spaces? How is your rule in direct conflict with the way these children have been raised and encouraged to process? 

Will that child be punished for “acting out”, disrespect, not following rules?

Let’s shift away from teacher centered rules, traditions, and expectations to student centered. I’ll be the first to raise my hand and say that the first few years I taught there were more teacher centered practices in place. I was using rules and expectations from when I was a student in the classroom.

Culturally Relevant Math Tip 2: Keep Learning

Secondly, keep learning. Learn about different engagement routines, learning styles, as well as different practices and customs of your students so you may incorporate that knowledge into the classroom. Learn about different dialects and vernacular. Embrace them. Do not immediately reject a vernacular because it is not considered standard by you. Please do not use the vernacular if it is not yours. Focus on allowing all your students to use whatever vernacular is familiar so they feel more comfortable and welcome in the classroom. This will help reduce anxiety around “Am I saying this the right way?” “Will he/she/they stop me and tell me to say it over again?” Instead, create a safe space where students can bravely express what they are thinking and ask questions. 

After a level of comfort and safety is established in the classroom, feel free to open up conversations with middle and high school students about different vernaculars and ideas about when and how vernacular should be used. Focus on equipping students by making them aware of societal norms and expectations. Encourage students by informing them that they do have a choice. Empower them with the understanding that some vernaculars, unfortunately are not always as well received by the majority mindset.

Continuing to learn about your students and different ways they will feel most comfortable in the classroom is important toward developing a student’s confidence in the math classroom. Many students already enter the math class with tons of baggage from previous years of schooling. There are words that have been used to label them. Words they have learned to use and label themselves.

Creating a culturally responsive math classroom with culturally relevant lessons shows the students that their thoughts, speech, questions, and voice are welcome. Their form of expression is that of a mathematician. Expanding the definition of a mathematician by displaying a variety of examples of people from different schools of thought, gender identifications, races, socioeconomic backgrounds. It matters.

Culturally Relevant Math Tip 3: Take action!

Finally, tip three is to implement. Take action. All that you reflected on and learned about should be used to inform your classroom culture and the development of lessons. You also want to use math problems to provide opportunities to share perspectives. A culturally responsive math classroom is a thinking classroom. It is a classroom where students are encouraged to understand how and why they think the way they do; to understand their processing. It is a place where students are encouraged to share their thinking with others and reflect on questions like, “Well, how do I feel about that?” Students are encouraged to fail forward and make “must”akes. M-U-S-T because that is a part of what we do in life. We fail sometimes and we make mistakes. 

Helping students to do that in the math classroom is critical. This is the perfect platform to facilitate growth and learning around problem solving and multi-step processes, and asking for help, and trying again.

To wrap up, when you are looking to create a culturally responsive math classroom, I want you to think about more than just diverse mathematicians and social justice math problems. Those are important, but I want you to focus on creating a space that takes your students’ learning to the next level because there is a connection between the content and your students; the things they care about and will care about for years to come.

Culturally relevant lessons matter because they center process over product, they are student centered and not teacher centered. These lessons allow your students to grow and develop into the next generation of thought leaders. 

That is what we want. 

For ideas on specific activities and strategies to use in the math classroom check out:

A Culture-Centered Math Class

**Custom Teaching Solutions is an affiliate for the Amazon Associates Program  which means we receive a commission on every sale that comes through our link.**

What do you think of when you hear the word culture? 

When I think about the word culture, I imagine a network of all the individual pieces that make up a person’s life story. I think of the cultural traditions and beliefs and practices of different people that make our world beautiful. 

Culture is all the things that are different, but also all the things that are familiar. Culture is home. It is safety and comfort.

Many times when I ask teachers this question during a workshop, the first three responses are race, ethnicity, and religion. Then food, music, clothes.

So many times, the word culture is synonymous with foreign people, places, and things.

Is that what you think of when you hear the word culture?

All of Your Students are Culturally Diverse

According to Merriam-Webster, culture is:

1. the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group
   1. the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization
   2. the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic
   3.  the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations
2. a: enlightenment and excellence of taste acquired by intellectual and aesthetic training

b: acquaintance with and taste in fine arts, humanities, and broad aspects of science as distinguished from vocational and technical skills

1. the act or process of cultivating living material (such as bacteria or viruses) in prepared nutrient media

I like this definition because it embodies a more complete definition and allows for a fuller understanding, which can open the door for more conversations.

So, when thinking about our students, it is important to understand that just because all of your students identify the same way racially, does not mean they are culturally the same. 

All of your students are culturally diverse, regardless of racial, ethnic, or religious similarities. 

You can create a culture-centered, culturally responsive, diverse, and inclusive classroom if all of you students are white or all of your students are Black or all of your students are Muslim or all of your students are Hispanic. 

All in one category, does not mean all in every category.

Culture is…

Culture is tangible and intangible. It is the why behind the what. Culture is the how and sometimes the when. Culture is the key to understanding our students. It is the key to creating classrooms where students thrive because they do not need to hide who they are in order to be accepted and included and valued.

Culture is the key to designing lessons that bring about learning that can be applied for a lifetime. 

Culture is the key to differentiation and personalized learning and social emotional stability and authentic relationship building.

Our students’ culture impacts who they are as learners. Culture impacts the way our students engage with the content and their classmates. The way students are raised, the experiences that they have or do not have are a part of their cultural make up.

Maybe you can’t see it in your students, but stop for a second and think back to when you were a student. When you first started school you were more than likely dressed in clothes that your guardian selected. Was that outfit similar to what all the other children wore? How did you feel in that outfit?

Did you know how to read and write when you started Kindergarten? Why? Who taught you? 

Did you bring a bag lunch? What was in the lunch? Did you buy lunch? Why? 

Did you ride the bus or were you driven by the aforementioned guardian to school? When you were old enough to drive, did you? Did you get a car?

Did you attend after school care?

How many times did you switch schools? Move from state to state?

Did you primarily speak a different language at home than you did at school?

Were you rewarded for “good” grades? How?

Okay, I think you get the point. As a teacher you know that your students’ culture – their home life, experiences dictated by socioeconomic status, number of siblings, religious beliefs, friend group, etc all impacts who they are as students because these things impacted you as a student.

Before a student ever enters a school building, they begin to understand their worth and understand their place in this world according to x,y,z standards. Students understand the value of education – some greater, some less than. Before students go to school, they are taught to interact with different types of adults in different situations. All of these “understandings”, these cultural norms and expectations may be different from the “understandings” that you had growing up. These “understandings” may stand in direct conflict of your cultural beliefs, norms, and expectations.

Once students enter school, they see if and how the things that they are taught to value outside of school line up with what the Teacher or Principal or Textbook says are valuable. Students then decide to engage or disengage. They choose to segment school learning from life learning. 

Allowing Authentic Culture

School + culture = something new and unfamiliar to these students. School culture is a real thing that often collides with a student’s authentic culture. It is often viciously dejects authentic culture. It attempts to snuff out authentic culture and force it to assimilate to the thinking of those in power.

So, what is step one? What does understanding culture to unlock exciting and remarkable student potential look like?

Well, it looks like intentionally creating spaces where students can be their authentic selves and therefore achieve academic success.

To understand what creating an inclusive space that permits your students to show up as their authentic selves looks like, start by thinking about your own culture. Think about if you were able to show up as your authentic self at school? Did you see your authentic self represented in the textbooks and library books, and school celebrations, and school appointed days off?

Were you able to speak your heart language, your home language, or use a dialect that was comfortable and familiar?

Where was your authentic culture represented in the classroom and lessons? 

Then, think about your students? Are you perpetuating a system that is snuffing out their authentic culture in favor of your own cultural beliefs and understandings or the cultural beliefs and understandings of the current power structure?

Culture. One word with the power to shift the atmosphere in your classroom. A word that can change lives because children feel comfortable to be themselves. One word with major impact. 

The beauty of picture books is in the simple, but solid foundational message presented. These simple messages make it easier to build background knowledge with students of a wide range of ability levels.

Diverse Picture Books

Using diverse picture books expands the depth, breadth, and level of connectedness in the lesson. Using these stories allows more students to see themselves in the message being presented. In this way students are affirmed, welcomed, and celebrated by acknowledgement and representation. 

So, how can you specifically use diverse picture books in the middle school classroom? You can use them as: 

1. read alouds to teach or review literary terms.
2. examples of different styles of writing.
3. a pairing with a poem, short story, or novel.

While all of these are fun ways to use picture books, my favorite is as part of a novel study. 

1. Choose a novel 
2. Identify key themes
3. Choose diverse picture books that discuss similar themes

Begin with a novel preview. Read the back of the novel to students. Have them identify possible themes. You identify a few more. Read a few picture books that discuss similar themes to build background knowledge. Discuss the themes to develop a greater level of understanding.  

Taking it a Step Further

In addition to reading the diverse picture books, I like to continue building a foundation and reading stamina by exploring the themes further through short stories and articles. Doing this allows me to bring in different perspectives, feature different types of people, and highlight different places. Structuring my novel study this way also ensures the continued development of cultural competence in my students. They are able to reflect on these three important questions:

1. What am I learning about myself? This includes developing an understanding of their beliefs, biases, expectations around the topic.
2. What am I learning about my peers? This includes hearing and understanding the variety of perspectives their peers have about the topic. 
3. What am I learning about the world around me? This includes the ability to develop and understand the larger picture. 

From Picture Book to Novel Study

For example, if I plan to read The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis I would start by reading Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai. This picture book, told from a young female perspective, helps me begin conversations around themes covered in the novel. Malala’s story connects well with the novel because she is denied an education just like Ellis’ protagonist. While reading this book, I determine how much the students already know about things like Taliban rule, the Islamic religion, and different ethnic groups in the Middle East. 

I would then have students read an article like, “A Taliban Escapee, an English Baby – and the dramatic story that followed” by Owen Amos. This article is written about a young male named Shams’ experience. Like Ellis’ protagonist, Shams grew up only knowing war. In addition, he travels to the city where Ellis’ protagonist  lives. This article provides students more background on what life is like under Taliban rule. 

At this point we begin reading the novel. While reading, I continue to make connections to support resources so students can get a full understanding of the themes. Incorporating picture books into the middle school classroom however, is one of the greatest ways I have found to build a foundational knowledge base, create safe spaces, and begin dynamic conversations.

Mapping out a culturally responsive novel study is one of my absolute favorite things to do. Join me as I walk you from picture book to novel study in this online mini course. The Culturally Responsive Novel Study.

A Framework to Consider

While I plan each unit, the first two questions I ask myself are, “What is the bigger picture?” and “What will students learn that transcends the curriculum?”

As educators, it is our responsibility to help prepare our students to interact and engage in the adult world. So, there is always a bigger picture. There are always points of connection beyond the curriculum standards.

I recently read an article interviewing Gholdy Muhammad, author of Cultivating Genius. In the article she talks about her four-part equity framework for approaching instruction. The four components are: 1) identity development; 2) skill development; 3) intellectual development; and 4) criticality.

Reading about this framework was like a light bulb. It illuminated the process I have been using for years to design my culturally responsive lessons.  In particular, there is a section of the article where Gholdy shares some questions that she encourages teachers to ask while designing lessons inside of the framework. One question struck me as a golden connection because it is one that I always ask myself and the teachers I coach. That question is, “How does our curriculum and instruction help students to learn about themselves or others?” While I won’t go into detail about each component, I highly encourage you to read the article and her book. I believe many light bulbs will switch on for you, as they continue to do so for me.

Designing Culturally Responsive Lesson Plans – Starting Place

What I will share today is the starting place. After I consider the bigger picture, I then look at each lesson within the unit of study and ask myself three questions:

1. What are my students learning about themselves?
2. What are my students learning about their peers (locally, nationally, globally)?
3. What are my students learning about the world around them?

What are Your Students Learning About Themselves?

When answering this question, go back to the original thought you had about what the students will learn from this material that transcends the curriculum. Maybe you have chosen the concepts of perseverance and accountability. What will students understand about these concepts, and how can you teach them through your curriculum? Finally, what will the students understand about their ability to persevere? What will they understand about the importance of holding themselves accountable and allowing others to hold them accountable?

To take this idea one step further, have students think about the messages that surround them culturally, and how those messages influence their ideas about perseverance and accountability.

1. Are more students already familiar or unfamiliar with these concepts because of family or friends, etc?
2. Does the student view these concepts as important? Attainable?

Have students dialogue or just engage in individual reflection about how their exposure, or lack thereof has affected them as learners.

Helping students to see the relatable “why” behind the “what” encourages them to engage more fully with the lesson. For once, it is not just about the Pythagorean Theorem, it is about the fact that the students have persevered along the path to understanding this concept. In addition, it is about the students working as a team in accountability pods to ensure that everyone understands the lesson. Collaboration over competition.

What are Your Students Learning About Their Peers?

Understanding and respecting that there are a diversity of perspectives is important. Exposing students to differing perspectives allows for open discussion about the reason for differing perspectives. For some students it may develop a deeper appreciation for their own perspective, while other students might change perspectives.

As you consider the aforementioned question, I encourage you to pause and consider these ideas:

1. What perspectives do the students in your class bring with them?
2. Regardless of whether your students all identify with the same gender, racial, or religious group, how are each of their perspectives unique because of things like socioeconomic status, number of parents in the household, siblings, exposure to social media, etc.
3. What perspectives are missing, but can be included through articles, podcasts, blogs, Youtube videos, etc.
4. Shift the definition of peers from just the people in the classroom, to those in a classroom in another state, or another country. Technology is making our world smaller and more accessible.

The more students are introduced to the beautiful diversity of our world, the less they will react out of fear or haste when encountering something unfamiliar.

What are Your Students Learning About the World Around Them?

Our classrooms can be isolated spaces where there is tunnel focus on “just school” and getting to the next standard, the next grade level, the next … The reality however, is that once we leave the school and our students leave the school, the real world is there. So, how can we as educators help our students learn the skills and strategies for successfully engaging in the world around them.

1. What social, political, economic, health, financial happenings can be brought in to the classroom and used as real world examples of how to solve or resolve problems, negotiate deals, defend a point, or collaborate for success?
2. What resources can be used alongside textbooks to enhance the lesson?
3. What authors, local representatives, business owners, etc can partner with you and your students to engage in meaningful discussion and application of theoretical lessons to real world situations?

The more we help students learn to reflect on who they are, engage with diverse perspectives, and critically think about the world around them, the more successful they will be in navigating the world as adults. Successful self-reflection, appreciation for diversity, and viewing world situation with a critical lens takes years of practice. Let’s start now by creating culturally responsive lessons.

I have found that asking these three questions helps me design culturally responsive lessons that encourage engagement, lead to more robust discussion with and between students, increase retention and academic achievement.

Have more questions? If you are looking for some 1:1 coaching on your specific unit and lesson plans, schedule a Zoom call with me today!

Cheers!

Jocelynn

As an educator and a mother of five children, I strive daily toward intentionality in my actions, in the choices I make, and with the words I use. This is completely contradictory to the age old saying, “Do what I say and NOT what I do.”

For this reason, I not only strive to have a culturally inclusive classroom environment and a culturally inclusive home environment, but a culturally inclusive life. 

So what does this look like in the classroom, in the home, and in life?

Let’s first examine the classroom environment. Whether you desire to create a welcoming and inclusive environment in a private, public, or homeschool setting, the strategies are fairly similar.

Creating a Culturally Responsive Classroom

1. PERSONAL GROWTH – Creating an authentically accepting and inclusive classroom begins with you, the educator, the mentor, the role model. Take responsibility for your own learning. Open your eyes. Do not get stuck in what you have always done BECAUSE you have always done it. Talk to teachers that do not look like you and likely do not teach like you.
2. UNITS OF STUDY – Be thoughtful and intentional about planning units of study. Ask yourself several questions: Why am I teaching this? What are my motivations, preconceived notions, biases, etc.? What do I want my students to learn? How am I going to teach this? How can I include representation from multiple perspectives? Where is the female voice, the Hispanic voice, the African voice, the Black American voice, the Asian voice? **New subscribers get a copy of my step by step unit planning resource. It is designed to help teachers think this way without getting overwhelmed.**
3. CLASSROOM DECOR – Look at the quotations, art work, and pictures you have hanging on the wall. If you are discussing the founding of America, are all the pictures of old, White men? Why? Celebrate color and diversity on your walls. Show your students the beauty of a diverse and rich color palette.
4. CLASSROOM LIBRARY – Check out your leveled readers or “choice books”. How many races and cultures are represented in sports, mystery, science fiction, adventure? Start with one section of your classroom library and add books that represent the world in which we live, not just yourself or your classroom demographic. Choosing window, mirror, and map texts will ensure a diverse offering.

The Big Picture

5. LEADERSHIP – Hold leadership accountable for providing professional development sessions that include training and coaching on developing and maintaining a culturally responsive  classroom and school environment.

6. DON’T GET OVERWHELMED – Truly transforming your classroom takes time and intentionality.

1. • You can do this! This decision to be intentional is transformative. Stay the course.
   • Start with one unit of study. Sit down with your team and talk through it together. Working together can make the task enjoyable.
   • Pick one area of your classroom and revamp the decor.
   • Choose one category in your classroom library at a time to overhaul. Talk to the school or community media specialist about resources that the school can provide.
   • Find conferences or organizations that host interesting PD and suggest it to your leadership team.

Creating a culturally responsive classroom environment will increase acceptance and understanding of differences. It will equip students to interact in the very colorful and diverse world in which we live. 

That’s all for now. We’ll talk about intentionally being inclusive in the home and in life in the next blog posts. Cheers to Culturally Responsive Classrooms!

Cheers!

Joce

Looking for in person or virtual training and coaching to develop a culturally responsive environment at your school? Check out The Culture-Centered Teacher Series and contact me to schedule!