Chapter 3: Culturally Responsive Teaching

Coming from a small town with little to no diversity, I was not at all familiar with different cultural backgrounds or diverse settings. I did my first field experience in a diverse school setting and I am still learning today, but I am more familiar now than before I started college. In Chapter 3, it talks all about culturally responsive teaching and how to act with a diverse classroom. Being responsive to cultural differences is key and also making connections to each students individual background is also very helpful. I think that this could be quite an overwhelming task at first since you may have students of many different cultural backgrounds in your classroom, but it all comes with time and once you start to get to know students you will learn more and more about them. What I found most interesting and helpful from the chapter was the 7 characteristics that help students become invested and engaged with what you are teaching. I believe in all of those 7 characteristics already so incorporating them into my classroom will not be difficult at all. I want to be involved in my students learning and set high goals, but also give them the chance to explore on their own and figure things out in a way that works for them. I also found the idea about labeling things in their native language and the English language to be a great idea! With this simple gesture, students can feel more at ease because they are included. Being open and embracing to students of any cultural background is key for a healthy classroom environment, and I plan on creating that environment in my own classroom.