Standard 5 Reflection

MEd. Program Standard 5 

Teachers will:
Establish a culturally inclusive learning climate that facilitates academic engagement and success for all students.

Relevant Courses in Program: 

Cont. Ed Teaching Diversity


Original Experience

Prior to this program, I understood the importance of having a deep understanding of students, and respect for their diverse backgrounds. I thought that simply by knowing my students well, and respecting and embracing their differences, and differentiating to meet their need I was modeling cultural competency as an educator. Now, I recognize that while all of those things are still incredibly important, my understanding of true inclusivity and cultural competency was limited. It is important to work intentionally to foster a mutually-respectful, open classroom environment in which different cultures and highlighted and appreciated.  This takes work and effort. It is important to understand students, their backgrounds, and learning preferences and let them know they are valued. It is so important to integrate their cultures into our curriculum, and to teach in a way that highlights all students and their backgrounds. I now know that I need to be constantly working to improve my skills as a culturally competent educator.
New Learning
          I have learned that it is incredibly important to understanding the cultures of our students, when considering their learning styles. Omidvar, and Tan (2012) address the relationship between student culture and learning styles in their article, Culture Variations in Learning and Learning Styles. The article expounds that there in an increasing need for authentic understanding of how culture affects the learning styles of our students due to the global increase of diversity in the classroom. When designing lessons or interventions for students, it is important to understanding student needs, and to integrate their interests and preferred learning style into lessons.

            Through my courses, I developed a deeper understanding of culture, and how student culture surfaces in the classroom. Culture is defined as “shared motives, values, beliefs, identities, and interpretations or meanings of significant events that result from common experiences of members of collectives that are transmitted across generations” (House, Hanges, Javidan, Dorfman, & Gupta, 2004, p. 15). It also takes into account language, and identifies the strong relationship between language and culture. Omidvar and Tan explain that when students learn, this involves thinking, feeling, and executing. Students develop learning styles, described as “special abilities and preferences ” Culture undoubtedly affects learning styles, and how these styles are developed among students as people belonging to the same or similar cultures have commonalities and shared beliefs. It is critical to have a deep understanding of your students, and their backgrounds and to be committed to supporting students succeed. Understanding that students learn differently as a result of their culture, and altering your instruction to meet their needs will help students succeed in school. It is important to understand that students who share a culture may also share similar learning preferences, but we must also understand that not all members of a single culture share the same style, and the importance of appealing to various learning styles. Cultural research also notes that the majority of scholars see learning styles as a combination of nature and nurture. They explain that learning styles are a combination of abilities students are born with, along with the culture, family environment, and wider culture. When students are brought up in a culture that conflicts with school expectation, this influences their learning styles and makes them alter themselves to fit into the school culture (Guild, 1994). This further illustrates the importance of understanding that culture affects learning styles, so that teachers and be cognizant and accommodating.

             The first way I will become a multicultural educator is through a lifelong commitment to building my toolkit. Brown (2004) and Holt and Garcia (2005), describe dispositions of effective teachers in diverse settings. These dispositions range from having a caring attitude, and strong relationships with students and families, to demanding effort, and assuming responsibility for student learning. In order to become a multicultural teacher, I need to seek to cultivate these dispositions in myself. I must understand that there is a myriad of personal dispositions that I must possess in order to provide the most powerful, gap-closing education for my students. It is imperative that I commit to building my toolkit each year, and becoming an increasingly effective multicultural educator. Chait (2009) expresses that the most valuable quality of an effective teacher is “the desire to be a life-long learner and model that for our students.” I will model to my students daily the gift of diversity, and learning more about each other.

Impact

My courses highlighted the importance of providing equal access to students with diverse learning styles by using a variety of differing teaching methods. If we use methods that serve to correspond to the differences of our students, we believe that all students are capable of learning, despite differences in cultural backgrounds. The only way to provide all students with a chance to succeed is by understanding the role that culture plays in their learning style, to understand different learning styles, and to adapt our teaching to fit the needs of all of our students.

Becoming a culturally responsive teacher can be attained through specific methods, as illustrated through this course, but it is also a commitment and a mindset. A commitment to building relationships with students, learning about understanding their cultures and giving them a safe space to express their cultures. It is providing curricular access to all students. Above all, closing the achievement gap begins when I establish a classroom atmosphere in which cultural, academic, social, ethnic, and cognitive needs are met.

In my classroom, it is imperative that I model multicultural literacy to my students, and cultivate a safe, comfortable classroom environment that encourages students to share about their cultures. We will celebrate students who speak multiple languages, and label our materials in all of the language spoken in our classroom to demonstrate that being bilingual is a powerful gift that we should all seek to have. I will encourage students to speak in their native languages, and empower their knowledge. I will use various teaching styles and conversational methods to increase participation among all students, and use interactive, kinesthetic lessons, and verbal strategies to meet the needs of both genders, and learning styles. It is so incredible to have the opportunity to teach our world’s future generations. This is a privilege that can make a huge difference. As my research elucidates, it is imperative that I maintain high expectations for each of my students and support them in reaching these expectations.  This requires me to never let students off the hook, and to always remind them of their worth and capability.

            My diverse, bright, capable and unique students deserve the most impactful education possible and I am committed to providing this. This has course has equipped me with strategies to add to my toolkit to implement in my classroom to provide my students with a multicultural education.  There are so many ways in which I will strengthen my practice as a result of this class. However, the most crucial are establishing a classroom environment in which all cultural, academic, social and cognitive needs are met, and to ensure that my core instruction and provided materials accurately reflect and appeal to each uniquely wonderful learner in my classroom.

 Artifacts:

Toolkit

Addressing Achievement Gap 

References

Brown, D. F. (2004). Urban teachers’ professed classroom management strategies: Reflections of culturally responsive teaching. Urban Education, 39(3), 266-289.

Chait, R. (2009). From qualifications to results: Promoting teacher effectiveness through policy. Washington, D.C.: Center for American Progress.

Holt, C. B., & Garcia, P. (2005). Preparing teachers for children in poverty. School Administrator, 62(11), 22-26.

Omidvar, P., & Tan, B. (2012) Culture Variations in Learning and Learning Styles. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1000428.pdf.

Rothstein-Fisch, C., & Trumbull, E. (2008). Managing diverse classrooms: How to build on students’ cultural strengths. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.