This blog is a self-guided workshop on cultural competency/diversity. There are two goals for this workshop: first, to reinforce your knowledge and understanding of diversity and culture; second, to increase your understanding and knowledge of cultural competency/diversity, so you can sharpen your practice in this area in your classroom. Beside these goals the overall purpose of this workshop is to assist you when helping your student teacher create their cultural competency plan.
This workshop will take approximately 3 to 4 hours to complete. You can do it in one sitting or break it up into small sections. Each section will indicate the time it takes to finish, so you can plan accordingly. You will need paper and pen to jot down some notes, or open up a Word page, type, and save.
The workshop will follow an inquiry approach. Preceding each site will be a question to keep in mind as you watch, listen or read during that section.
Some of you may have classrooms that are quite diverse and some may not be as diverse. In either case it is still important for you to be aware of the concepts involved in a culturally responsive classroom. You may be using culturally responsive techniques but not realize it. As you progress through the workshop, you might find yourself saying, “I do that, but I didn’t realize I was being cultural responsive.” Some of the content here might seem repetitive, but that is purposeful as it reinforces your knowledge and skills.
We are going to begin with a 10 minute video. It is an interview of a teacher education professor answering questions about the culturally responsive classroom. It will get you thinking about yourself, your teaching, and your classroom and put you in cultural frame of mind.
Here is the question to keep in mind as you listen and watch:
What are the concepts involved in a culturally responsive classroom?
OK, can you answer the question previously asked? What are the concepts involved in culturally responsive teaching?
The next section talks about the Principles of Culturally Responsive Teaching. It will explain the What, Why, and How of each principle. Please click on the links on the left side and read those too. This section will take you about 30 minutes. Here is the question to keep in mind for this section: What are the Principles of Culturally Responsive Teaching?
http://www.alliance.brown.edu/tdl/tl-strategies/crt-principles.shtml
Do you know and understand the Principles of Cuturally Responsvie Teaching now?
The following site is a continuation of the previous site. It will reinforce what you just read. It is content dense with resources, research, stories, explanations and more. It was created by the Brown Education Alliance as was the previous page. You can learn more about the Alliance if you click on the icon at the bottom of the page on this site. You will need about an hour to read all the information on all the links and jot down some ideas and practices you might want to use in your classroom.
Here is the question to keep in mind for this section: What are some things you can do in your classroom to address the principals of Cultural Responsive Teaching?
The Knowledge Loom: The Practices
Did you jot down any ideas to sharpen your practice as culturally responsive teacher?
The next video discusses multicultrual education in the classroom. It will give you more ideas and reinforce other ideas for you to use in your classroom. It is about 4 minutes long. Here is the question to keep in mind while watching and listening to this video: What can you do to address multicultral issues in your classsroom?
Did you jot down any ideas? It is difficult to remember all the information presented in this video. Watch it again if you like. It is one of the advantages of an online workshop.
The next four videos relate personal experiences and suggestions that will help you be a more cultural responsive teacher. This section of four videos will take six or seven minutes. Here is the question to keep in mind while watching and listening to this secion: What can I learn from each video?
What did you learn from each video? What was reinforced from each video?
The next section talks about culturally responsive teaching from different perspectives using the experts as references. It will reinforce the content you have just read. Please read the links on the left side margin as well. It will take you about 30 minutes to read everything including all the links. Here is the question to keep in mind as you read this section: What can I do in my practice to be more culturally responsive? Remember to write your ideas down so you will remember.
http://www.intime.uni.edu/multiculture/curriculum/culture/teaching.htm
Have you made any decisions about improving your practice? Remember these ideas are good to share with your student teacher.
The following section has to do with stereotyping. Stereotpying can be positive as well as negative. However, it is a fact we need to address both personally and professionally in your classrooms. It will take about 12 mins. Here is the question to keep in mind when watching and listening to this video: Do I stereotype and what can I do to improve that behavior?
Did you learned anything about yourself and/or your classroom from watching this video? If you did, you will improve your practice as a culturally responsive teacher.
Here is the last video. It sums up what you have been learning. No question here. Just watch and think about improving your practice.
As a way of evaluation, please leave a comment and take the poll at the very bottom of the workshop page. Tell me what you liked and/or what to improve. It will be greatly appreciated.
Instead of posting resources here, I have created a yahoo group for you to join. It contains resouces I will post. But it will allow you to post ideas and resource after you join to share with other educators.
Here is the site: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/culturallyresponiveteacher/
Please join and keep the conversation going, so we can all be better educators.
