CRC SPRING 2021 DQ III
Discussion Questions - Section III
Answer the following questions by responding below. Please be precise in your answers and respond to 2 other participants. You will screenshot your responses and include them in your LRP.
What did you learn in this section?
How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?
What strategies do you already use?
What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
In this section, I learned some very helpful ideas and strategies that I plan to try and implement in my classroom. I was also happy to learn that I am already doing many of these things as part of my routine and teaching methods. This resonated in the section of Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Guide to Evidence-Based Practices for Teaching All Students Equitably where the author states that, “cultural responsiveness is integral to the “essence” of effective teaching,” (Krasnof, 2016) and listed five qualities that these teachers have or strive for. I found that I already include most of these five qualities in my teaching and it also helped me to identify the ones that I can work at more. Specifically, I need to “contribute to the development of classrooms and schools that value diversity.” (Krasnof, 2016) While I usually focus on my classroom, I need to widen my view school-wide. If the school does not promote and exhibit the same strategies and inclusive practices that I am demonstrating in my classroom, the students cannot fully feel included and safe in the classroom. While my school seems to promote these values and strategies, I have not been an active part in ensuring such behaviors. For example, I noticed that some classrooms continued to dress the students up as pilgrims and Native Americans to celebrate Thanksgiving, depicting Native Americans with feather headdresses. I believe that the culturally responsive approach would have been to teach the students about the atrocities against the Native Americans that occurred when colonizers arrived rather than continuing the peaceful narrative of these two groups. While I have changed how I approach teaching this event in my classroom, if that message is not school-wide, it becomes less effective.
ReplyDeleteAnother part that I found interesting and learned more about was the topic of Cross-Cultural Communication. (Krasnof, 2016) The traditional model of communication in schools is not conducive to the way that many cultures engage in communication and conversation. I think that this is a critical point for teachers to learn about because it will encourage them to reconsider their expectations for conversations and learning in the classroom and it will change their view and understanding of students that might not follow the perceived norm of listening quietly and responding. I have noticed in my experience that different groups of students respond and engage in different ways but did not know that some of it tied into this cultural component of how they communicate within their culture. It helps to both bring understanding for me and pushes me to reconsider my expectations. Perhaps a moderated group discussion on a topic would be more effective than the teacher sharing out the information? Or maybe ensure that a turn and talk and share out time is incorporated into all lessons? Learning this will make me think deeper about the role of communication in my classroom.
(to be continued....)
(...Continued)
DeleteOne part of all of these articles that I was happy to see was the emphasis on building one on one relationships with your students. This is what I would consider one of my biggest strengths as well as one of the areas of teaching I am most passionate about. I truly believe that relationships are key to success in all areas of the classroom. I have found great success in both students behavior as well as their academic success by building relationships with them. Last year, I was teaching Kindergarten and I was having some behavior troubles with a student. I tried minor things like switching his seat and giving him different choices but it was not helping. I chatted with his parent to see if anything was going on at home that I should be aware of and his dad told me that the boy seemed scared of me. I was devastated; I never want a student to feel this way. So I took some time to reflect on why he might be feeling that way and I realized that I had not put the time and effort into building a relationship with the child. He had been in my class for the first two weeks of school and then was out for over a month visiting family abroad. When he returned, we were in the hustle and bustle of the year and besides asking briefly about his trip, I did not carve out time to rebuild that relationship. I decided to invite him and a friend of his choice to have lunch with me a few times. We were able to talk and rebuild a relationship during this time and the behavior problems almost vanished.
I found “Kumu U'i's Culturally Responsive Strategies” to also be very helpful in thinking about ways to be more culturally responsive in my current classroom in a place that is new to me (Hawaii). Teaching preschool special education this year, many of my students have language needs so some of the other engagement strategies might not be the most effective for them. For example, as I previously discussed having classroom conversations or turn and talk opportunities, these students are still working to express their thoughts and ideas with words and some are nonverbal, so they would not benefit from those communication strategies. I do plan to incorporate the ABC book with its connection to culture in my class! I think this is a great idea and way to incorporate Hawaiian culture into the academic curriculum. It will be helpful for all students and it will help to teach some that are newcomers to Hawaii a bit about the culture but will simultaneously infuse the background and culture of those that have lived here longer or are local into our classroom and our learning.
Game, P. (2017, September 14). 15 culturally-responsive teaching strategies and examples + downloadable list. Retrieved March 01, 2021, from https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/culturally-responsive-teaching
Krasnof, B. (2016). Culturally Responsive Teaching; A Guide to Evidence-Based Practices for Teaching All Students Equitably (United States, Department of Education). Portland, OR: Region X Equity Assistance Center Education Northwest.
Southern Poverty Law Center. (n.d.). Culture in the Classroom. Retrieved March 1, 2021, from https://www.learningforjustice.org/professional-development/culture-in-the-classroom
U'i, K. (n.d.). Kumu U'i's Culturally Responsive Strategies [Scholarly project]. Retrieved March 1, 2021, from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pq36JnT2Wn3y_25-sTRYuurXGrg_I2wIaZ22sv4RF3U/edit
Wyatt-Ross, J. (2018, June 28). A classroom where everyone feels welcome. Retrieved March 01, 2021, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/classroom-where-everyone-feels-welcome
I really liked that you are planning to use the ABC book with your students. This seems like such a perfect lesson that can be adapted for almost all grades, but especially rich for preschool and perhaps the integration of family input in that creation. I think that the opportunities for peer teaching in this strategy as well as both the repetition of the ABCs and diversity in the selected words/concepts that students might see in multiple books would be very effective.
DeleteAloha, I appreciated the opportunity I had to read your reflection. You brought up some great points regarding content that may be culturally insensitive and incorrect being taught in classrooms. I have tried teaching facts that are true in regards to Native Americans and Pilgrims but have not been so direct at teaching the mistreatment and injustice that occurred. Like you mentioned, if other classrooms in the school or even within our state are not teaching the same truths it can be confusing and more challenging. You have caused me to think more on this area and have also made me wonder what other areas of content are being taught that may also not be true. In the article "A Classroom Where Everyone Feels Welcomed" mentions, we as teachers must know our content.
DeleteIn “A Classroom Where Everyone Feels Welcome,” the first major suggestion is learning students’ names and how to pronounce them, which really resonates with me. 90% of my students are Hawaiian, and I believe it is my kuleana to know their names and the names of the places on our island and be able to pronounce them correctly. The second and third strategies are “relationship housekeeping” and individual check-ins. These informal opportunities to connect with kids, share stories and questions back and forth, and otherwise just get to know each other one-on-one and as part of a group are essential to the teacher-student relationship. The next strategy of connecting with parents sets a positive tone of support. And the final strategy “know your content” is integral to the trust in the relationship.
ReplyDeleteIn the article “15 Strategies,” multiple promising strategies were highlighted, in addition to those already mentioned above: integrating students’ names into word problems or scenarios, bringing in guest speakers, learning stations, calling on each student, utilizing diverse media, get student ideas for projects, peer teaching, cooperative groups, and using problem-based learning.
In Kumu Uʻi’s strategies, some new ones that I noticed are the cultural research project, the A-B-C book, and the word of the day.
This information has influenced a change in my style by reminding me of some of the strategies I haven’t yet tried, such as problem-based learning and the A-B-C book, or ones that I haven’t brought into the classroom lately but have used successfully in the past, such as learning stations.
I would say that the main strategies mentioned in these resources that I already use are the fundamentals of knowing kids’ names and making my best attempt to get to know them as individuals and keep the relationship going with questions and discussions each day. We see our kids in person once a week and still run Google Meets 4 days a week. In our Meets, we always start with two chat room questions that are a mix of personal and academic that weave in social-emotional competencies, such as self-awareness and relationship building. We also use a project-based model, so students do a kind of cultural research project throughout the year and get a chance to do peer teaching when they present.
For my CRC Implementation Plan, I will focus on bringing in guest speakers that come from our kids’ Hawaiian community but have perspectives that they may not be getting at school. I am choosing this because it blends well with our quarter 4 plan (essential question = How can I perpetuate Hawaiian culture in my community/ahupuaa?), and I believe it’s one of the most important things we can do this year while we are relying on technology and we have so many amazing individuals willing to join us through Zoom or other online platforms.
Aloha! I agree that knowing the names (and finding out how to pronounce names) in a classroom is so important. I too feel that knowing our students, who they are and where they come from, is needed for a good teacher-to-teacher and student-to-student relationship to foster. Sharing of stories and asking questions in a one-to-one setting or in a group is a great way to learn more. I love your plan of bringing in a guest speaker from the Hawaiian culture to share stories and information is a wonderful idea to further develop a culturally responsive classroom.
DeleteI would also like to comment on your discussion of names and using the correct pronunciation of students names. I think that this is such an important piece for teachers to think about and to work on. It requires teachers to put in that extra effort to ensure they are using the correct pronunciation when learning students' names. In the past, I have worked in schools with a large Chinese population and students would tell me that they have an English name and a Chinese name. I would make sure I learned both of their names and call them whichever they preferred in class, but also ensure that they know that I know and recognize their Chinese name as well. It makes me think about the recent shooting in Atlanta and how the media incorrectly published some of the women's names by incorrectly abbreviating this name; essentially trying to write a Korean based name as a "white" name. It's not only disrespectful but also very egocentric. It is important to learn and respect the names and customs of other cultures and backgrounds of those different than one's own.
DeleteAs a local educator I struggle still with Hawaiian names. And as our community gets more diverse with students coming from different countries it is important to learn how to pronounce each name. In every name is a story and meaning and it is the first and foremost item that identifies and individual. I know personally when someone mispronounces my name I am not happy and feel disrespected in a way. I have learned throughout the years to not be afraid to ask the student please help me to pronounce your name. Although sometimes embarrassing on my part, it lets the student know that I really want to get to know them and respect them and their culture.
DeleteI appreciated the readings for this section of the course. I loved that I was provided a plethora of ideas that can be used to create a culturally responsive classroom. I agreed firstly, as stated in the title of the article that all classrooms should be "A Classroom that Everyone Should Feel Welcomed". I reflected on my own educational pursuits and how I felt in each class as I assumed the role of a student. There were some classes I felt completely comfortable and others where I felt awkward and out of place. Through these readings I have concluded that the acceptance and understanding of my culture within the classroom contributed to my comfort or discomfort and acceptance in a class. The vast amount of ideas to help with inclusion of all cultures got me excited. I loved seeing that many of the said ideas I have been practicing in class. With my new found awareness on the topic of culturally responsive classrooms, I can definitely increase more practices and start new practices in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteThe information I have learned has caused me to reflect upon what changes I can make in my pedagogy and teaching. I will be more mindful of the cultural diversity of students in my classroom. Sharing stories and getting to know who they are will important in my classroom. I feel more so now that as I come to know them individually I can respond to them appropriately through teaching styles and methods. Another area I would like to be more aware of is reflectively seeing myself as a student. Thinking more about my facial expressions, body language and tone of voice I use with all of my students. I will try to be more mindful at where or at who my eyes move toward when I ask questions.
I have used a few strategies in my classroom from the beginning of the school year. First, I have learned to pronounce my students names correctly and have made sure that all students have done the same for each other. We played many games to reinforce this knowledge and my students have loved this. In our classroom, especially with our focus on SEL this year due to the pandemic, I have made it a priority to talk story every morning sharing stories with each other of things that are happening in each of our lives. I have also made sure to connect weekly or more frequent with parents through ClassDojo. Parents have appreciated the open communication that they have experienced. It has provided a great foundation of a welcome feel in our classroom.
My students enjoy our talk story sessions. They enjoy learning about each other. I would like to try sharing a word of the day to teach different aspects of the cultures represented in my class. I think my students will enjoy this.
I like your point about reflecting on our own facial expressions, body language and tone of voice used in the classroom. I teach young children and I think it can be easy to forget that they pick up on all of these things, even if they don't seem like they would notice. They might not be able to verbalize it but they can certainly detect a shift in mood from a difference in body language, facial expression or tone of voice. Additionally, these things can be perceived in different ways in different cultures so I think that it also ties into knowing your students and their culture to better understand how these expressions might be view in their culture and thus how they are viewing our actions in the classroom.
DeleteSomething I appreciated about your post was your mention of your parent engagement tool ClassDojo. I have experienced on the parent end how effective this is, especially when teachers post frequently enough and with pictures and videos that really let us see into the classroom. I imagine that parents from most backgrounds feel more included and involved when there are multiple ways of seeing into the classroom, such as with ClassDojo. This is an area I really struggle with for high school. I have tried Bloomz, but still parents were not very involved. This year I experimented with creating a whole website for our high school, and still determining how helpful that is as a tool for parents.
DeleteI do appreciate when when educators take the time to correctly pronoun students names. I know in the past I have struggled with this. Although, I have been born and raised in Hawai`i and Hawaiian names are still a struggle for me at times to pronoun. A personʻs name is their first and foremost item that identifies them. A name has true meaning and for most parts are given to that person for a very special reason. A name, especially in Hawaiian culture is very sacred and holds a story. I am very familiar with ClassDojo from a parents perspective as both of my children where the attend uses this tool. I enjoy having it as a communication tool, to give reminders, post pictures and as a weekly check in report. At the high school I use Remind as a way to communicate daily with my families. However, not all families opted into the portal and so I am not able to to ensure that all families are receiving the messages. I will be looking for next school year in other methods I can use.
DeleteJust like the others before me, I too appreciate when teachers take the time to learn how to pronounce students names correctly. In elementary school it makes even more sense to me since we see them all day long. With the pandemic this school year I have really stepped up my communication with parents. I have always sent a newsletter out on Friday's to parents, but this year I send an email instead. Not only do I send weekly communication, but I feel like I also send at least one email mid-week as well. Now more than ever I feel that parents can reach me through email and I always respond within 24 hours. I think this has really helped parents feel welcome in our classroom since they are not allowed to come and volunteer this year.
DeleteThe takeaway from your response was when you mentioned how you've made sure other students in the classroom have pronounced each others names correctly, not just yourself. You build on that by talking story with your students, trying to get to know them, deepen connections, and communicate with parents. You've also reflected on your own actions, also envisioning yourself as a student to get a better gauge of how your students perceive you. Additionally, once you've established yourself with the students and vice versa, you'll have a better understanding of what teaching methods and strategies to use.
DeleteI like how you mentioned the importance of learning to pronounce students' names. It is such a basic thing that I never really thought about before. At the beginning of every school year I always ask the students if there is a name that they prefer to be called rather than the one on the roster. This is a great opportunity to get to know the students and start building a stronger classroom culture where they will feel safe and welcomed. I remember not liking my name when I was in school as a child. The teachers that called me by my preferred nickname and last name (my parents were divorced and I wanted to change my last name) are the ones that I remember most, now that I think about it. They of course did other things to help make them memorable teachers, but that was still very meaningful for me.
DeleteThroughout this section I really enjoyed learning of the many different strategies one can use in their classroom or within a counseling session. As I read through each article it made me think of my children while they were in preschool or younger ages of elementary school. In the beginning of each school day younger students gather and have what is called either "circle time" or "carpet time". In that time and space the classroom engages in morning announcements, check inʻs, sharing of how was their night or weekends, etc. I remember when my daughter was in daycare they would go around each morning and sing a song, "Good morning to you, good morning to you, good morning to " Student" and and how do you do? How do you do "Student". And in turn the child would respond with their feelings. I believe as students get older and there is much more demand on subject content, testing, etc that it leaves little to no time to get to know our students to implement culturally responsive strategies that are addressed in this section. I work at a high school and I know the everyday demand for an educator at the upper grade levels. Not to say that the younger grade levels donʻt have lots to do, but focusing on one class of 20-30 students throughout the school year, versus 100-120 or more is easier to implement such strategies. I am a counselor and so for me it would easier to implement in one to one settings the use some of the strategies mentioned. As mentioned in Prodigy "15 Cultural Responsive Teaching Strategies" I currently develop positive attitudes by letting students choose how they would like to accomplish tasks. I also interview students to get to know them better; however with so many students I do this by using a survey type form. I know it is not a great method, but when I do have in-person meetings I am able to pull up the survey and discuss their responses more detail. I also incorporate vocabulary. For example I use the word "pau" , finish to ask if a student is complete with a task, when appropriate. I do speak in "pidgin english" to students when it is culturally appropriate as well. In my CRC plan I am looking to use the strategies from Kumu U`i like the "word of the day".
ReplyDeleteI really like that idea to have a "word of the day" not only does it give connection to students but teaches them vocabulary. And from Edutopiaʻs article to connect with parents. I feel I connect with parents only by emails or voicemails but I would like to find a way to transition to a method that gets parents more involved.
As an elementary school teacher I can attest to meeting students at the classroom door and asking them how their morning is going. After we go over morning work, we have morning meeting and discuss what the day is going to be like and then celebrate the good things happening in their lives. I know it is hard to find the time to interview all of your students at the high school level, but I know that you are doing a great job. Students love when you talk on their level or for my students when I play Disney Instrumental music and then connect with me on the movie the song is from. A "word of the day" sounds like a great idea! What type of words would you continue to add?
DeleteI agree with you that it is unfortunate that we lose sight of social and emotional learning as students get older, with more and more demand being on subject content and testing. A few months ago it was one of my students' birthdays. We had a discussion in the class about "why don't we celebrate birthdays in school anymore?" They said they remember their parents bringing snacks in and everyone singing happy birthday. Of course, we didn't have snacks but we still sang for her then! But that made me think that we should do more as teachers to celebrate our students lives and social/emotional health in the classroom, rather than just focusing on their academics.
DeleteI too liked the idea about a "cultural word of the day." I feel like it is bit late in the school year to incorporate that, but it is something that I would like to do for next school year. I am thinking it might work better as a "word of the week," due to block scheduling at our school. It would be a good way to get students involved in the classroom, as students can take turns each week thinking of the word and putting it up for us to discuss and consider.
In this section I learned about how incorporating different techniques is important to students. In the Culture of the Classroom videos, Diane Holtam talked about how she uses flashcards and other strategies to help students with vocabulary and phonics building. This reminded me that I also use this strategy in my classroom to help instill academic vocabulary that we are learning in class. She then goes on to talk about how students can sometimes be judged on their nationality. I see this all the time here in Hawaii and oftentimes hear others discussing it. It really puts into perspective how important it is to stop thinking like this, but how? I believe teaching students that stereotyping from a young age is the key. I loved reading and reviewing the article 15 culturally-responsive teaching strategies and examples because it really reminded me of the things I do in my classroom without even noticing it! In my classroom I have students write their own word problems and then I compile them together for all students to see and solve. I also learn about my students and interview them by asking them about their weekend, their families, and their hobbies. Everyday in class we start off with a class meeting. During that class meeting I have each student share during “Tell me something Good”. This allows the entire class to hear about that student's one good thing, to make connections and to encourage them (and me) to learn about each other. I also make it a point to call on each student during instruction. In my class we use name sticks. Name sticks allow me to pick a student at random to answer a question and then I continue pulling name sticks and I encourage students to build on each other's responses. I also send home a weekly newsletter that lets parents know what we learned in the classroom that past week and I always add information about upcoming events at the school or in the community that I hope parents will attend with their child.
ReplyDeleteFor my CRC Implementation I would like to try some new strategies that I do not use as often. I want to try experimenting with peer teaching. Even though I use it in class, I do not use it as often as I would like, so for this lesson plan I would like to focus on this strategy. I really would love to see my students taking ownership of their work in more of a collaborative learning environment while I step back into being more of the facilitator role. Research shows that students learn from each other not just academically but emotionally as well.
The ideas and strategies you've mentioned are almost the same as mine. In fact, one of the strategies, such as the A-B-C book, will be used in my upcoming lesson. I found it refreshing knowing that you're using guest speakers with a different perspective that students may not be aware of. I also find it frustrating for myself that I never thought about this earlier, since guest speakers can conveniently go online instead of making that journey to school.
ReplyDeleteThis section has many benefits of using different CRC strategies for teaching and a growth mindset. One of the takeaways is being aware and developing a culture in the classroom that accommodates all students. Developing a culture in the classroom should be a priority before teaching a CRC lesson because students should feel comfortable in their own surroundings before they even have the mindset to learn anything. Some of the articles given have simple strategies such as learning everyones name and connecting with parents. Others are a challenge such as making study time, bringing in guest speakers, and integrating relevant word problems.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if these articles are gonna change any type of teaching style by just reading about it, the obvious thing to do is try them out, and see what reactions the students have, and move forward from there,
One strategy I’ve used was a modified version of Kumu Uilani’s “A-B-C Book” that had the students write on a card the english word, then their ethnic word, and a drawn picture of the word.
One of the challenges is integrating HA into a CRC lesson because most students aren’t aware of the importance of keeping Maui clean. As we went deeper into that lesson, many students had previous connections to the island such as hiking up to the mountains, fishing in the ocean, and growing certain plants in their backyard. I thought this was a great activity to learn about the ahupua’a since it culturally connected to all my students in the classroom.
One thing that I learned in this section is that it is just as important to consider the teacher (myself) in the classroom. Usually, when someone references “classroom community” I often think of myself last. The reality is that I should be focusing just as much on where I came from and how I was raised when I am considering how to implement CRT within my classroom as I do with my students. My individual culture and attitudes towards other cultures is an important element to take into consideration when developing curriculum. I need to become more aware of my own individual biases so that I can challenge myself and be a role model for my students in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteAfter looking at some of the smaller strategies, I feel like it would be nice to start small and incorporate little things to build up stronger and healthier relationships with my students. For example, in this module they talked about setting aside time for relationship housekeeping. This refers to having a short time each class period for students and the teacher to talk story - share brief stories about what’s going on in their lives, discuss hobbies and interests, etc. I do this from time-to-time, but I am so inconsistent. It would be nice to dedicate time to this as it will build stronger rapport and help my students feel more welcomed in the classroom.
I noticed that there are several strategies that I already use. For example, I welcome students by name when they enter the classroom, I spend the time learning about the students (culture, hobbies, interests, etc.) through personal interviews or surveys, and I use body language, eye contact, and proximity to promote healthy relationships and expectations. I also use plenty of modeling and guided practice to explain academic tasks and behavioral norms and provide different types of differentiation throughout the lesson.
One of the strategies that I would like to try for my CRC implementation is delivering different forms of content through learning stations. This could give my students a chance to work on the tasks that they are most interested in, or perhaps they can focus on the tasks that cater more to their strengths. For example, English deals heavily with reading/writing. However, maybe my students are more inclined to complete art assignments or listen to an audiobook. Giving the students a chance to interact with the content on their terms can impact student learning tremendously.
Another strategy that I am interested in is “gamifying” my content. I already know that a lot of my students love video games because I talk with them a lot about gaming, and I am a gamer myself. So incorporating role-playing games or board games into the classroom would be a fun way to get the students to actively learn and interact with the reading curriculum. And because it is an interest that the students and I share, it can help to strengthen the relationship between teacher and students in the classroom community.
Aloha Steven
DeleteI really like it when you discuss one of the CRC strategies you would like to try and you said “Giving the students a chance to interact with the content on their terms can impact student learning tremendously.” This is a great example of students learning on their terms and in their own way. This also gives us an opportunity to learn from their perspective and assess our own teaching practices. I had the opportunity to have students record a video about using Geoboard. I was really impressed with how detailed they got and used their own language to describe how to engage with the program. It was a great experience and I will definitely use this method again in deeper literature teachings. Mahalo nui for your reflection on the benefits of CRC.
Aloha
Cheryl
Aloha Unknown March 4, 2021 at 12:11 PM
ReplyDeleteI really like what you reflected on when you mentioned Kumu U'i's Culturally Responsive Strategies” and those strategies being very helpful in thinking about ways to be more culturally responsive in the classroom in a place that is new like Hawaii. I too really liked and will definitely leverage Kumu U’i’s A-B-C book because I feel it will give students a chance to write or draw directly engaging background knowledge of their own. In turn I will be able to learn more about how my students connect with their ethnicity and culture from their own thoughts and feelings. I truly feel that these directly relate to our NaHopena A'o HA values of teaching and learning.