CRC Discussion Question III

June 29, 2021

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. (If you are unable to post here, please write your responses directly into 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?

Comments

UnknownJuly 9, 2021 at 2:44 PM
1. What did you learn in the section?

I read the article: What to Say Instead of “I’m Proud of You” By Tarn Wilson. After reading the statement:
“it shifted attention away from the student and onto me, as if my approval were the goal.”

My thoughts were, “Wow! I have really missed a huge amount of opportunities by saying, “I am so proud of you!” I see now, how simply changing my response, opens the communication opportunities for student expression, authentic conversations and a student lead discussion with their own thought processes engaged and in action!

2. How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?

This information has influenced a change in my teaching style because I’ll be able to improve the communication with my students. I will practice changing what I say to students instead of, “I’m so proud of you!” I’ll promote and support student lead conversation with, “tell me more” or “tell me everything!” I also feel my teaching pedagogy has been enriched with my new knowledge of building up students’ self-awareness and self-trust by purposefully choosing conversation starters that bring a positive focus on the qualities of my students by saying, “I admire and respect how you accomplished etc.”

3. What strategies do you already use?

When I read the Article: A Classroom where Everyone Feels Welcome by Janice Wyatt-Ross, I read about a few strategies that I already use. I have always made it a point to explain to students when I first meet them that pronouncing their name correctly is important to me. It was great to read that it is actually a culturally responsive strategy. I also have always had discussion time at the beginning of the class where students could share out or ask questions and if others were struggling with the conversation, I would have premade laminated question cards that they could choose from so everyone could participate. The other strategy I use is the one on one conversations. I would be sure to call in my students during our extended lunch advisory time once or even twice a week if needed. Just so they knew that they had a safe place during the school day to relax, decompress, chat, work on assignments, or whatever they needed.

4. What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?

Last year, like every other teacher, I had to re-arrange my classroom for social distancing. A strategy I want to bring back and also improve with what I have learned is the Learning Stations. Having a designated area for different types of learning is honoring students’ diversity in learning styles and supporting the overall success of students and an engaging classroom environment.
Another strategy is Establishing Cooperative Base Groups. I am reading more and more and learning how students thrive by learning from each other. Giving them a social learning opportunity not only supports the content knowledge, but it supports respectful feedback, collaboration and group problem solving.
I also really liked the Word of the Day strategy. I can see this being a fun activity in my classroom that motivates students’ participation, especially when they see another student has suggested a word. It will also show my students that I value their cultural background.
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UnknownJuly 15, 2021 at 3:56 PM
1. Section III: Benefits of CRC gave more information about the benefits of a culturally responsive classroom and strategies to help all students feel welcomed and to be able to express themselves in a variety of ways. In the article, “Culture in the Classroom” there was a particular sentence that resonated with me, “Culture isn’t just a list of holidays or shared recipes, religious traditions or language; it is a lived experience unique to each individual.” I completely agree 100%! This section was filled with many great strategies which included not only learning about a students’ family culture, but also getting to know students one-on-one, understanding what their learning styles are, allowing for choice in assignments and assessments, etc. With a wide variety of easy to incorporate culturally-relevant strategies, this section has given a good starting point for any teacher to build a culturally responsive classroom.

2. In the article “Culture in the Classroom,” it discussed overcoming stereotypes. It suggests getting to know individual students’ academic abilities rather than relying on racial or ethnic stereotypes. The article mentions how Asian Americans are perceived with a “positive” stereotype of academic prowess and motivation. But even a “positive” stereotype can be detrimental to students' learning as it puts them into molds that are not particularly built for them individually. I myself experienced this as a child. I am half Japanese and half Chinese, and growing up I was terrible at math (ironically being a math teacher). I remember times when I was absent and teachers telling me that I should have no problem catching up with the class. I became one of those students who slipped through the cracks until middle school, when I had to take remedial math because I was so far behind. This article has helped to be a reminder that every student has different needs, and as a teacher, I need to be diligent about getting to know as much as I can about each student so that I can meet their individual needs.

3. I am glad to see that there are many strategies that I am already familiar with and use. Some of the strategies that I already use are: Calling on all students to encourage personal perspectives, having one-on-one conversations with students, asking students about their ethnic background, sharing information about myself to help students to get to know me better, allowing students to share short stories, learning about their personal learning styles, know my content, and learning and correctly pronouncing student names.

4. There are two strategies that I will use in my CRC Implementation Plan. First, I would like to learn about my students through a survey or questionnaire at the beginning of the year. This will help me to understand what adjustments I need to make to my teaching, as well as the approach I need to make to help my students to be successful learners. The second strategy is to integrate relevant math word problems that reference student interests and cultures. I think including student names, linking interests, and referencing diverse cultures will make learning more fun and relatable.
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RichJuly 18, 2021 at 6:43 PM
1 In this section I learned about many different strategies for implementing CRT. The crux of many of these strategies are relationships. Many of the CRT strategies provide methods for building student relationships and then leveraging those relationships to create instruction that is relevant to students while also empowering students to become agents in their education. The mindsets for CRT are just as important and require teachers to recognize the disparities in and outside of education that give rise to the achievement gap. CRT also requires that teachers take an asset based approach in recognizing the strengths in all students that can be leveraged for growth. It also really came across to me that true CRT is the adoption of the mindset and belief that education functions as a system of change that bring equity and justice to long standing systemic issues that give rise to social disparities and the achievement gap.
2. This information reinforces the importance of education. This information highlights the role that education can play in social justice. While students, especially low status students, are the product of variables, many out of their control built and continued over generations, education can stand as a system of justice and change. CRT reinforces that a students background (SES, Race, etc) is not prophesy but that students can become agents of change. Critical to this agency and empowerment of students is the strong belief of teachers in the role that education can play and the context in which it exists. CRT also forces the examination of teacher and student roles. CRT reinforces the recognition of students as individuals capable of free thought as opposed to just passive vessels ready to receive information from an authority figure. CRT challenges the notion of traditional teaching where we teach from authority and dictate what information we deem important to bank into docile students who passively learn. This CRT course has challenged me to examine my teaching as I try to step back as the sage on the stage and be the guide on the side. Teacher has this strong connotation of teacher centered learning but CRT is a students centered approach. While I’ve always identified with this approach in theory or belief, I liked reading over the different strategies and mindsets that provided practical and concrete means to achieve this ideal.

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MattJuly 25, 2021 at 8:32 PM
1. What did you learn in this section?
In this section, I increased my knowledge when it comes to the importance of a culturally inclusive classroom and different strategies that could help create this environment within my own class. I was reminded about the growing diversity that is taking place within our world and community. From that, it is imperative for me as an educator to adapt and shift with the changing world to be effective in the diverse classroom that I have. In that, I should not stereotype students based on their ethnicities. For examples, I should expect an asian student to be smart and set lower standards on a hispanic student. I must be above any cultural stereotypes to be able to be effective in the classroom. From the reading, the common link that I found with most strategies is the need to develop relationship with students. I need to make it a daily priority to get to know my students and also give students the opportunity to know me. Relationships are two ways, and a culturally inclusive classroom thrives when the relationship between teacher and students are strong. As well, a main theme I also recognized is a need for small groups. Students grow and learn when they can be social about the content.

2. How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?
This information has influenced me in encouraging me in my approach towards teaching. I know of other teachers that treat content as the highest priority. When I compare my practices and habits to colleagues, I sometimes feel ineffective because of the effort and energy I place in relationship building. Learning about culturally inclusive practices communicates to me that there was and is valuable in my effort to get to know students and for students to get to know me. One thing I would like to change is the amount of group activities and assignments I give. Most of the work is individual, but allowing group work helps in allowing cultures to mesh and grow.

3. What strategies do you already use?
One strategy that I already use is getting to know kids by their names. At the beginning of the year, I make sure to call on students by name even if it takes me an extra second because I have to look at the seating chart. I make sure to practice saying their name and asking for the correct pronunciation so I can pronounce it correctly. Another strategy that I already use is presenting content through a perspective that is understandable to students. For example, I am currently using the movements in Avatar the Last Airbender to help teach different types of fitness.

4. What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
One strategy that I want to implement is the delivering content through different learning stations. I think this is a really cool strategy that allows students to process information through multiple perspectives. They can have a hands on approach, then a more detailed, written stance, followed up with a video for visual demonstration, and finally teaching by me. This allows the student to experience the content in many different ways to meet their need to reach success. Another strategy I would like to try is gamifying certain lessons. I think this is a fun way to modify instruction to encourage students to accomplish and complete the task.
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UnknownJuly 27, 2021 at 1:56 PM
1. Awareness of one’s own prejudice and bias is a reoccurring theme. Self-awareness and reflection seems to be paramount when trying to establish a CRC. Upon embarking on a video provided by this course, I inadvertently stumbled upon another video where the speaker talked about how we are all caught up in a “smog of racism.” It’s a hard point to swallow, but her argument is that none of us are free of prejudice and that it is our responsibility as teachers to know thyself. The term “cultural upbringing,” brought up in this section was an interesting one that sparked my interest. This vernacular reinforced what was said in the previous section about how education is responsible for teaching culture— something I initially questioned but am accepting more as I read/learn on. As educators, it is true that students are placed in our care, not just to grow in the area of academics, but in all areas. Learning about how to interact with, accept, practice, celebrate, and analyze culture is one of our responsibilities to our students.

2. This information has definitely impacted my practice and pedagogy. Already I am reshaping my Quarter 1 unit and essential questions to consider heroism and culture. I am thinking about how I can include texts beyond the traditionally canonized Anglo-Saxon literature to include more diverse voices. Also, during creative short story writing for this unit, I plan to be intentional about talking to my students about dialect and how they are welcome to write in various English dialects that best reflect the characters/heroes they wish to portray (as suggested by one of the videos in this section).

3. Strategies I already use include gamifying lessons, having students teach concepts (peer teaching), problem based learning, and stations. I also try to ensure that my bulletin boards, displays, instructional materials, and so forth do reflect diversity. During a very recent science boat building activity, me and my co-teachers encouraged a group of Pacific Island girls who were determined to not only craft the most buoyant boat, but were also on a personal mission to build their boat according to their cultural tradition. We teachers could have easily steered the girls away from taking on this “non-science” objective. We could have chided them for wasting time on aesthetic details that did not lend to the boat’s buoyancy… but instead, we helped them embrace this added challenge of honoring their culture, and gave them the space and time they needed to fulfill this task.

4. I may try out the Cultural Research project or ABC book as part of our school’s mission to foster the whole child through Social Emotional Learning. I feel like using these strategies to discuss and introduce culture would be fun, exciting, and enriching for students. I am selecting these strategies because they will be a way for students to share about themselves, while also teaching their classmates about culture. These activities, if presented, also help provide my students with oral communication practice.
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UnknownJuly 27, 2021 at 3:35 PM
In this section, I learned more details about intentionally integrating culture into lesson plans. The Golden Rule is not enough, yet I believed it was. I have a greater understanding by taking time to reflect on the readings and my past experiences. When my culture was brought into lessons as a student, I paid attention because there was a familiarity and connection. Most of the literature in my Language Arts and Social Studies classes reflected European/ American culture. I was disinterested when it came to reading. In learning from the past, I have background experiences to improve the cultural environment for my students by creating a physically welcoming environment that celebrates diversity through pictures, words, and music. Studying the cultures of my students by doing personal research, interviewing students, meeting families, and attending events that promote culture are ways that I can prepare myself to connect with the children. I appreciated the articles that discussed stereotypes. They were great reminders for educators to view each child as a unique person with a lot of potential. We need to have multiple teaching tools and strategies, be flexible, and patiently work with our students.

This information influenced a change in my teaching style and/ or pedagogy. As I mentioned in previous responses, my cultural responsive class was limited due to my lack of knowledge. My teaching will involve cultural education woven into the curriculum. For example, I will recognize the cultures of students in my classroom by discussing successful people of their ethnicity that promote health and activity such as Native Hawaiian Dr. Jodi Matsuo, Olympic Micronesian wrestler Keitani Graham, and Filipino champion boxer Manny Pacquiao. I will incorporate games, dances, music and sports from different countries for physical education class. Students will complete a research project on what a healthly lifestyle looks like from their culture that can also be implemented here in Hawaiʻi.

There are some strategies that I already use. Last semester, I learned to pronounce each studentʻs name, greeted each one at the door, and regularly sent out Do Now assignments that helped me to learn about their home life and interests. I used that information as conversation starters to help build relationships with the students. I set aside time in class and during lunch recess to connect with at least 2 students and sent home positive emails that were addressed to parents. Different forms of delivering the lesson were utilized such as game playing, watching videos, completing worksheets, and demonstrations. I called on each student to read and share thoughts.

I will use the following strategies in my CRC Implementation Plan. I will distribute a questionnaire at the beginning of class to learn more about students culture, life outside of school, learning style, and interests. This information will be used for conversation starters throughout the semester and I continue to learn more about each child. Basic vocabulary will be posted throughout the classroom that includes the languages of my students. Biographies and storytelling from others cultures will be shared that tie into healthful living. Music, dance, games, and sports will be introduced from the countries where my studentsʻ ancestry is from.
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AnonymousAugust 2, 2021 at 12:23 PM
In these articles my biggest take away was learning student names and learning how to pronounce them correctly. It makes many other strategies work much better when you take the time out to make sure you learn a students name and how to pronounce it correctly. You learn a lot about a student by just learning their name, you may learn a little about their background, their family the meaning of their names and this all created a relationship to help foster an inclusive classroom. I also really liked allowing students to proposed ideas for their projects giving them their own voice.

I don't think my pedagogy of teaching is really shifted as I feel that I have been doing many of the practices mentioned. The one thing that I will try to add into my teaching style is more student choice and let go of the reins a little.

I always make a point to get to know every student in the classroom by sitting next to them for a few minutes and have conversations about them that extend outside of the classroom. I love asking students to tell me more about their names, the meaning or why they were named the way they were. I make sure to connect with all family members at the beginning of the year with either a phone call phone introducing myself or an email. I enjoy peer teaching because sometimes teachers speak in a language in which not all students can understand and it also helps students who the mastery of a subject without it being a written assignment.

I am thinking of strategies I would like to use in my implementation plan would all be focused around the relationship I build.I recognized that I spend more time on executing the lesson plan and keeping them focused on their classwork and not enough time is on lessons that appeal to them as real world applications. I would also like to start the practice of giving them more feedback in the form of praise and encouragement on the projects they complete. I think this can be accomplished by creating a project that specifically requests of their cultural backgrounds.
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UnknownAugust 12, 2021 at 11:18 AM
Like what I said in Module 2, reading these articles always show me how important having a culturally responsive classroom is. In the Education Northwest PDF, one of the points says "hold high expectations for all students and help all students learn." While I do hold high expectations for all my students, I do sometimes catch myself lowering my standards for some students who I know have a harder time learning. For the future, I will continue to hold all my students at the same standard, but will make accommodations to those students who need it. Perhaps one of the main things that I liked is "learn your student's name and learn how to pronounce them." This is such a big one, as there are some Chinese names that I know I am butchering. I always ask them to repeat themselves when they say their names, but I would not doubt that I am still saying it wrong. I need to make it a point to be respectful to my students and their culture, and make sure I am saying their name correctly. One thing that I want to incorporate into my classroom is setting aside time for relationship housekeeping. I think this is so important for my students to feel as if they have a voice in the class. This is also a good way for myself to see if I have any common ground with my students or learn more about them. Furthermore, this also gives my students the opportunity to learn more about each other, which could give them a chance to make a friend. I think a lot of this goes back to getting to know your students and classroom. Some strategies that I already use are giving out questionnaires and delivering information through different formats. I give out questionnaires at the beginning of the year to ask them about themselves, what they want to learn, and how they learn best. Throughout the year I also give them surveys to see what they need more help with, how they feel, and what I can do to help them more. I also deliver my information through different formats. I like to use PowerPoints, videos, play games, etc. There are many different ways that students can receive the information!

Some strategies that I will implement is using relevant world problems. I think this is good, especially since I teach CTE and Latin. I think using relevant world problems will be really good for my CTE class, and it will give them a chance to learn authentic problems. . Another strategy that I want to utilize is using learning stations. I think this will be a good way for my students to get to know each other, bond, and utilize teamwork to figure out problems.
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UnknownAugust 22, 2021 at 10:35 AM

Of the many things I learned from these readings, I think the lack of curriculum choice at the elementary level is the most challenging aspect of integrating culturally responsive classroom (CRC) practices. We are bound to use specific curriculum and cannot deviate from their scope and sequence. The Culture in the Classroom article states, “Curriculum… is the “what” of education… curriculum decides whose history is worthy of study, whose books are worthy of reading.” Without a curriculum that is regionally and culturally relevant or has flexibility in its approach, we cannot fully implement CRC in the elementary classrooms. Every year I see my style improving and I'm incorporating more CRC practices, but the inflexibility of curriculum choice limits our potential. Sadly, even if we did have a choice, there is little to choose from. I once proposed to supplement a 5th grade curriculum with a 10 lesson course designed locally on Oahu through Hoʻōla Nā Pua. After reviewing the curriculum and meeting with Liliʻuokalani Trust representatives who advocated for its use, I can say it is one of, if not, the most well thought out programs I've ever seen. My proposal was denied because there is no evidence to support its efficacy, yet the curriculum we are using is obviously not effective. To sum up, I learned that CRC practices require an ideological shift that challenges the status quo and will require people in positions of power to rethink their approach to education.

Based on the information in these readings, I need to pay more attention to how my students may see me. We often connect oral language and culture, but fail to consider body language and culture. If you look at photos taken in America and most other places from around the world from 100 years ago, it was not commonplace to smile or express emotion. Now that has changed. I realize that my body language may appear in a manner inconsistent with how I am feeling and this may impact my students. In creating an accepting environment, I need to make sure I appear calm, compassionate, and accepting. I also need to be aware of students who are not accustomed to making eye contact or speaking unless spoken to. I grew up in a household where children were seen not heard, so I reluctantly participated in whole class discussions. I had a lot to say, but I would not speak unless addressed. I am more aware of this after reading these articles.
I also need to learn how to “teach” math. I struggle to teach this “new” style of math and stick to the old school methods of using one way to solve a problem. This limits my ability to present math concepts in a creative way such as a culturally responsive way. Once I deepen my math skills, I will hopefully make connections to culturally relevant ways of presenting content.
What strategies do you already use?

I currently use student surveys to learn about their families, history, interests, and cultural background. I allow students to share personal stories during each class and I also have one-to-one conversations with all of my students. At the beginning of the year, I send home a jar of honey, fresh baked cookies, and a letter to their parents that introduces myself. I tell them about where I’m from, lived, and went to school as well as past careers and my hobbies and interests. I feel it is just as important for them to know me as it is for me to know them. Developing student teacher relationships are of critical importance and my foremost priority.

I plan on increasing student knowledge about the place they call home. Students will read articles about East Hawaiʻi’s history and the various ethnicities and cultures that are both indigenous and have assimilated into the area over time. We will then discuss the articles, answer questions, and hopefully make personal connections to the material. I chose this strategy because I want to both increase awareness about the history of where they live and instill a sense of pride in it.

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RonalAugust 22, 2021 at 4:26 PM
What did you learn in this section?
I learned many strategies used in culturally responsive classrooms. I also learned that culturally responsive classrooms help all students to feel welcome and safe at school. One way that I can create a welcoming space is by conducting informal meetings with each student. This way, I will gain insights into their culture, home life, and interests. Culturally responsive classrooms also foster positive relationships by connecting with parents and families. I also learned about fifteen different strategies of culturally responsive classrooms. One of the strategies that stood out to me is the “call on each student” strategy. After reading through this strategy, I realized that I tend to call on the students whose hands are up. I can see the benefits of using the random response technique. This way, all students are called on and can respond and participate in the class discussion. The resources from this section also focused on bringing student’s backgrounds into the classroom. I appreciate the ethnic word of the day strategy and Genealogy strategy that allows students to learn about different ethnic backgrounds and make comparisons.

How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?
As I read through the resources from this section, I reflected on how my tone of voice and body language may be perceived by my students. I also considered ways that I can use the random response technique during my lessons. This way all of my students will have opportunities to share their ideas with the rest of the class. Another influence on my teaching style includes learning about each student's ethnic backgrounds and having them showcase them throughout the year.

What strategies do you already use?
One of the strategies that I already use is individual student interviews to get to know my students. This strategy allows me to get to know a little about each student and starts the relationship-building process. Another strategy that I use is cooperative groupings. My students appreciate being able to work and learn from each other, which increases their overall engagement. I also find that this process does take time as students must each have a role in completing the task. I use the reading roles strategy where groups review and assign roles while reading a passage or chapter.

What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
One of the strategies that I will implement is the Culture Research Project strategy. I chose this strategy as a good starting point for my first Social Studies unit. Students will learn about a culture, access resources, and present their information to the class. Students will then be able to compare their cultures with each other. This culture project will then lead into my Native American unit. Another strategy that I will incorporate is modeling and using graphic organizers. I chose this strategy because it addresses a variety of learning styles. There are several graphic organizers included on the Learning for Justice site that focus on word work. I can use these organizers and strategies to assist students as they learn new vocabulary. Many students will benefit from the graphic organizer strategy as they learn content-specific vocabulary.
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UnknownAugust 22, 2021 at 8:57 PM
I learned that culturally responsive teaching will help students to make personal connections with content, and therefore allow them to learn more effectively. It is our job as teachers to hold the same high expectations for all students no matter their differences. We need to use diverse resources in order to teach in different ways and meet the needs of all learners and their different learning styles. This information has influenced my pedagogy because I want to be more intentional with what and how I teach and also have more meaningful conversations.
After reviewing the articles I realized that I already have been using strategies to help cultivate a culturally responsive classroom. Some of these strategies include getting to know my students and their families, making learning relevant and relatable to their own lives, teaching in diverse ways and encouraging all students to participate and work together. These strategies have helped me to learn how students prefer to learn and modify my own teaching and also to build relationships. It allows students to feel more comfortable to work with both myself and their peers in the classroom. I even do other things that seemed so small but are so meaningful when trying to cultivate a CRT, which was being mindful of what clipart or pictures I use in our class. I make sure to have clipart of children of all different races and not only one particular group. I want to make sure that all students feel included or seen.
There are so many strategies that teachers can use to cultivate a CRT and communicate high expectations. I plan on trying to integrate relevant word problems. We are currently learning about different strategies for addition (first grade) and use word problems to help us. I think this would be a great way to make their learning more relatable and interesting for them. I would also like to try learning stations if possible. I still need to figure out how I would do that because of covid protocols, but I know that this strategy would help to reach the different learning needs of my students.
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AnonymousSeptember 6, 2021 at 4:42 PM
What did you learn in this section?
In this section, I learned a lot of examples and strategies that others have used to help make their classrooms more diverse. I may not necessarily use the same techniques, but it will help me when I need some ideas to see if there are any other things that I can do to help make my students feel more comfortable in class. I also read the article What to say instead of I'm proud of you and it really made me think about a response that we say so often to children, without even thinking how it could be adversely affecting them. I will consciously use more open ended responses to get my students to share more of his/her experiences and feelings in the future.
How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?
I haven't really changed my style, if anything, it has reinforced that I am already doing some of the things that others have tried and are using now to create a diverse culture in their classes. One thing I will do is I will try to see myself more as how I think my students see me. Try to show more compassion and empathy, not just through my words, but through my body language and facial expressions as well.
What strategies do you already use?
I am already using learning groups and a little bit of peer based teaching. I find that when the students are allowed to interact in smaller groups, they tend to open up a little more and participate in activities. I do make it a point to learn all of their names as quickly as I can and to get a little one on one time with each student, just so I can get a brief glimpse into the learning capabilities that they have and also to start to build a relationship with them.
What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
I really like the concept of using different forms of content in learning stations to teach them the curriculum that they need to learn. I already use some different ways like using the computer or watching videos instead of the old reading a book and doing problems on paper. Completing puzzles, creating artwork and playing games really sound like fun and I'm sure the students will enjoy the change of pace. Also, if the pandemic ever allows it, I would like to bring in guest speakers from time to time to talk to the kids and show them what hard work and good study habits can get them in the future, I really feel if the kids hear from people that walked in their shoes and now are successful, that it hits home a lot harder for them and hopefully they try to achieve success as well.
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LovelySeptember 9, 2021 at 1:43 PM
1. I learned that something as simple as pronouncing their name correctly will make them feel valued and have a presence in the classroom. It is important to have one-on-one conversations with your students, especially early on in the year, so that I can build relationships with them and learn more about them as a person. Another thing I should do is connect more with the parents. When I connect with the parents, I can get to know their relationships with their family, how their family dynamic works, and have better communication so that their child can be successful in the classroom. I can also use student vocabulary in class by using what they're interested in or a word from their culture and incorporate it somehow in the lessons. I also learned that the benefits of CRC is that we hold students both low and high with the same expectations. This is important so that each student feels challenged and to show that I as a teacher believe in them. I also learned that when we have a CRC then we promote equity and make sure that students respect one another. There is no equity or respect if students are not aware of each other and do not understand where each student is coming from. With that, we can also have better relationships in the classroom. Lastly, another important benefit of CRC is that students are more motivated and engaged in their learning. When they feel valued, respected, and can connect with what they are learning, students will be much more motivated and interested in what they are learning. If they feel like they are not at the same level as other students or cannot comprehend or connect with the concepts; they will fall even more behind and be uninterested.
2.I make an effort into saying each student's name. Some parents said that I can use their nickname instead of their full name because it will be difficult for me and other students to pronounce their name, but I made it my goal to continuously say their full first name in the classroom. When I would say their shortened or nickname, some of the students did not know each other's name or said the wrong name. Once I emphasized each student’s name, I can see that students are starting to remember each other’s name and I can see that they are building better relationships with each other. I also have been updating with my parents more often now. At first, I was only reminding parents of any forms or events that are occurring in the school, but now I post more pictures of the classroom and what we are learning. Parents are excited to see what their child is learning and one has come up to say how their child gets excited to see what is on ClassDojo and explain even more of what they learned.
3.Currently, the strategies I already use are calling on each student whether or not they are raising their hand. This shows that I care and expect that everyone is listening. When students who aren’t raising their hand are called on and do now know the answer, I make sure to review the concept again. I also make an effort to emphasize that if they do not understand or need help, they can raise their hand or let me know and I will be more than glad to review the concept again. I also make sure to use wait time in the classroom when it comes to having discussions or answering questions. Not everyone gets the answer right away or will need more processing time.
4.The strategies I plan to use is getting to know me where I ask a question about students’ different ethnicities and create a game where students find someone with same ethnicity or similarities. This will be an engaging activity in the classroom. They will they share about themselves, but also get to know each other and create more relationships. I also plan to use student vocabulary when presenting new concepts. For example, I will use students’ interests, background of their culture and use it in math problems. Students will see the problems and become excited to solve them because they can connect to the problem.
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UnknownSeptember 10, 2021 at 1:49 PM
In this section I learned a lot about how important it is to connect with the students individually and use a lot of strategies in order to do this. One of the things that really resonated with me and hit home was how we are all biased based upon our own upbringing and experiences. I realized that we first have to come to terms with the way we were raised in our environment and how that has molded us into who we are and created a lot of our own biases. This was a big eye opener for me as I was raised in a broken home in a lot of ways moving around a lot including to other countries and how it affected me with all the change and diversity I encountered as a child. The information in this section reminded me of how my childhood has made me biased in my way of thinking and molded me a lot to how I think now. I realized that in order to best connect with the students it's not about me pushing the way that I am on them and wanting them to be like me but more about learning about them and what they are going through and encountering. By gaining a better understanding of their situation the better relationship I will be able to create with them and ultimately educate them to a much higher level. This section has helped me to evaluate the way I teach and realize I need to focus more on that individual connection based upon the students needs, upbringing and specific situation.
I am currently using some of these strategies in my classroom. I start out the year doing a lot of team building with my students. This helps me to better get to know my students including their names, a few personal things about them and be able to make a deeper level of understanding and connection with them. I use the Project based learning on several different assignments throughout the year having the students work in groups that are randomly selected and present at the end of the PBL. I can definitely implement more Culturally Responsive connections in with the PBL lesson that I am currently giving and plan to do so based on this class and what I have learned. I call on each student and do not just take volunteers when we are answering questions, popcorn reading, presenting etc…. I use a wide variety of different learning platforms to learn from like Legends of Learning, Gizmos, Achieve 3000, Kahoot, Videos and Google Docs/Slides. I am planning to use the strategies that I already use and increase my connection with the Cultural Responsiveness implemented into the lessons. All of the information that I learned from this course I plan to use to better implement my lessons and ensure that I am making it more Culturally Responsive and tailored to all students.
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AnonymousSeptember 12, 2021 at 11:20 AM
As I read through the different articles, one of the things that really stood out to me was about the importance of getting to know your students and their families. It requires effort on my part as the teacher to make time during each day to have conversations with my students. As I learn more about my students, I would be able to better design culturally relevant lessons. This will allow me to build relationships and make connections with my students.
Another section that really stood out to me was about culturally relevant curriculum. At our school, we have a “boxed curriculum” for reading and math. We are all required to use this curriculum and follow our pacing guides. For years, all the teachers in my grade level had to read the same stories that came with our curriculum during our designated reading block. It makes it challenging to incorporate more relevant literature. I have slowly started to deviate from the curriculum and have been on the hunt for more diverse literature that I can use instead. I got permission from our curriculum coordinator to do this as long as I am teaching the same standards and comprehension strategies that are outlined in the lesson.
This information has changed my teaching style because I am trying to be more aware of how I respond to students. I want to make sure that my body language expresses to students that everything they have to say or ask is important to me. I want to show the students that they have my attention and interest. I also have been making an effort to incorporate more diverse visual aids and examples when teaching lessons. As I teach new vocabulary words, I try to find examples that are more relevant to my students and make connections that make more sense to them.
As I was reading the articles, I was pleasantly surprised that I am already using several of the strategies listed. One thing that I make a point to do is to learn how to correctly pronounce each child’s name and what they prefer to be called in class. I do this by calling families before the first day of school so that I can get this information from their parents. I also greet each student by name every morning. I have my door open from about 7:15 am because many of my students come to school early. This allows me an opportunity to “talk story” with my students before school starts. I get to check in with them to see how they are doing and they can share stories with me.
One strategy that I would like to implement is learning stations. I know that all students learn differently and this would be a great way for students to learn material in a variety of ways. My students are in kindergarten and I need to give them more opportunities to learn and explore in different ways. I think this is a big goal for me to work towards as we are currently still working on basic routines, building stamina, and staying on task. Another strategy that I am interested in is the cultural word of the day. I might try with a word of the week at first. It takes my students more than a day to learn new vocabulary, but I love the idea of introducing words in different languages and being able to connect it to something we are learning in class.
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AnonymousSeptember 16, 2021 at 7:27 AM
This section discussed many strategies and things I could do in my own classroom to make it more culturally responsive. In the first article, it mentioned the cultural upbringing of the teachers and the cultural upbringing of the students form an intersection that is critical to the academic success of the students and professional success of adults. We need to remember that the students are the navigators and the teachers are the drivers in this cultural crossroads. It mentioned that educators must learn how to understand cultures, but be very careful about not stereotyping cultures into a one-size-fits-all mold. These two statements really had me reflecting on my own life experiences and teaching practices as I read the other articles in this section. I wholeheartedly agree that using my own personal culture experiences and using my students’ is the best way to fit culturally responsive teaching. Finding a medium and making that connection between all lives involved would make academics much more successful because students can see the relevancy and the connections between our own cultures and lives. However, it is really easy for people to form biased opinions with many stereotypes that we have encountered throughout our own lives.
For example, when they discussed asain students being stereotyped for being higher performing scholars. I have to admit, I have thought about this stereotype a lot growing up, but I reflected back on some of my previous students, and it definitely wasn’t something that fit all of my asian students. As teachers, we need to really get to learn all families and their cultures as best as possible to ensure that we are not just thinking we know their culture and trying to place them into a “one-size-fits-all cultural mold.” I would like to intentionally work on this as one of my goals to improve myself as a teacher and try to stop biased opinions and learn about my students more in depth using the strategies learned throughout this section.
I was actually pleasantly surprised that I already do some of these strategies that were presented. Before the school year even starts, our school sets aside time to call all families to learn about the students. This is when I learn how to pronounce names before students even step into my classroom. We are able to connect with parents and families and learn about them through this phone call. Then when students come to school, we have icebreaker activities to learn about others interests and facts about them. I also try to use time throughout the day, like when they are waiting in line to wash their hands to have informal conversations to build relationships with students. Not only do I do those things to build relationships with my students, I also try to look for ways to make the content more relevant for the students and look at our mandated curriculum to see where I can change stories and topics to make it more engaging and relevant for my students.
I actually laughed when I read about integrating relevant word problems by simply including student names, interests (like sports), or cultures (like food) for math. This was such a simple and doable strategy that I would like to try and I was surprised that that never clicked in my head as an idea before. Especially since I always see how excited they get when coincidentally the curriculum has a child’s name that is also in our class. They get immediately excited. I would definitely like to try to create my own word problems to enhance my math lessons. I would also like to find more material that uses media to positively depict a range of cultures to make learning more relevant. I teach first graders so some of the strategies may not be able to fit into my classroom, but these things are a starting point to use for my first graders.
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ScottSeptember 17, 2021 at 9:28 AM
What did you learn in this section?
In this section I learned more about the importance of having a culturally responsive classroom and many strategies that I could implement to make my classroom more culturally responsive. By doing this, I learned that there are many benefits with how students respond, behave, and perform in my classroom. I especially liked how it was phrased that, “Effective teaching is culturally responsive.” As a teacher, it is my goal to be considered effective. In looking more at this idea, I can see how the two are related. Effective teachers need to set aside their own biases and be open to the differences that students have and need to respect those differences. I learned that a lot of the preparation of being culturally responsive comes from understanding students and what they bring to the classroom. Having a better understanding of their cultural backgrounds will help me to more effectively teach them. Overall, my biggest takeaway from this section is that there is a lot of value in classroom relationships. I need to make an effort to make sure that the teacher-student relationship is positive and that I give opportunities for students to develop strong peer relationships.

How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?
This information has influenced a change in my teaching style because I now realize there are a lot of small strategies that I can implement into my practice that is considered culturally responsive teaching. Having this understanding has made me feel more purpose when implementing these strategies and I have found myself spending a little extra time putting these strategies into practice, especially when students are learning through discussion. I also see more value in how implementing these strategies can help students to be more engaged in what they are learning. When students are engaged and interested in what they are learning, success and understanding also improves. Strategically implementing these strategies and placing greater value will have a positive impact on my classroom community.

What strategies do you already use?
Some of the strategies that I realized that I already use are:
Learn about my students.
Integrate relevant word problems.
Involve Parents by Using Take-Home Letters
Know my content.
Set aside time to develop relationships
Using cooperative learning structures.
These are strategies that I have been using somewhat regularly. As I learned in this
section though, there is a lot more I can learn about my students and their cultures. One strategy that I have been trying to develop more than I usually do is cooperative learning structures. I am now using more turn and talk and class discussion when introducing math concepts because I see the value in having my students learn as a community rather than just from me.

What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
I will definitely continue to use the strategies that I am already using in my CRC Implementation Plan. In addition to this, I will spend a little more time focusing on students making connections to themselves and their cultures. In one lesson I plan to have students focus on their ethnicities and the other lesson I will have them focus on video games they play.
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Joshua JoggerstSeptember 18, 2021 at 3:07 PM
I learned from this section that to have a successful CRC classroom you must build positive relationships with your students. For example, a teacher must know each student's name and MUST know how to pronounce the name properly. Nothing shuts down a student/teacher relationship faster than calling on a student with the wrong name or mispronouncing it. What stood out to me, and I am glad this section reminded me to do this, is to give time for students to know you as well. Many teachers focus on getting information about their students but never give information about themselves to their students. Therefore, when I am setting up time for relationship “housekeeping” I will remember to tell the students what I like to do as well so they get to know me as a person as well.
When I was learning about the different strategies used for a CRC classroom, I was pleased to see that I use some strategies already. For instance, gamifying lesson plans and delivering content through learning stations. However, I am glad to have been introduced to other techniques that I seldom if ever used before taking this course. For example, calling on each student needs to be a priority of mine as I become a more veteran teacher. I tend to have a bias to just call on students who have the most confidence but I need to also include the students who are shy so they don’t feel left out. I need to also interview each student so I know what type of personality they might have so I can see how best they learn.
I plan on using the cultural research project that was shared with us as a CRC lesson plan. As a social studies teacher, I chose to start off with a project like this because students need to know themselves first before embarking on learning about other cultures. Once they do this then they are primed to be better learners of history. It will get me to know them better and to see what they value and for me to get to understand them better. In this section, what stood out to me was a quote, “A bunch of teachers here, they think they know what's wrong with us. But they don't know. If people want to help us, they have to see what we've been through, not from what their own experiences tell them.” This cultural research project will help me get to understand my students without subjecting them to my biases toward what their lives are like.
Overall, this information has influenced me to become more accessible to my students so that we can build good relationships so we can learn more about each other. I look forward to implementing CRC into my classroom because it will help me fight stereotypes about my students and give me an opportunity to know them for who they truly are.
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AnonymousSeptember 19, 2021 at 4:51 PM
Following the reading of our assigned texts and related videos, I was looking forward to looking through the list of culturally-relevant teaching strategies and examples. I am drawn to the strategies that encourage teachers to take the time to talk to our students as individuals, to see them as the incredible people they are and continue to grow into. I have found that taking the time to really see students has come back to me ten-fold in student effort and responsiveness. For students to feel that someone cares about them beyond a test score is beyond measure. I see that this is also on Kumu U’i’s strategies as “One-on-One”. Building that type of relationship with my students has helped me to delve deeper when we address curriculum - for example, when trying to build relevancy, I find it is helpful when you can tailor questions to match student interests. When we studied Persuasive Articles and read a story dealing with GMO, I was able to have a student share some of her thoughts knowing that her family was quite active in a grassroots campaign in that area. She was quite animated in sharing and it made her classmates sit up and take notice. Their interest built in the text because they had a peer that knew all about the subject and shared her passionate understanding of the issue. It opened additional discussions about listening to different points of view and how it is okay to agree or disagree after learning more. It was probably one of the best discussions that built understanding around what was, at the time, a somewhat controversial issue that was in the local headlines.
Something that is also touched upon in this section is that by having these conversations with our students, they are also learning about us. They begin to see their teachers as people with lives outside the classroom. Many of my students ask about my children and like to hear stories about them growing up and their school experiences Students have learned about the music I like, books I’ve read, and places I’ve visited. When they notice connections in our stories or daily lessons, they will point it out and we’ve had great discussions as a class tying all of these elements together. To quote Avatar, “I see you.”
Another strategy that caught my eye was the use of guest speakers. This is something that I experienced first-hand and quite accidentally. Last year, all of my students participated in class through distance learning/zoom sessions. As a result, I was in student homes for hours each day and these student homes became the classroom. We were discussing a particular aspect of a literature story when I noticed a grandparent in the background of a student’s zoom. That grandparent was listening to our discussion and wanted to share something for her own background and experience in the Philippines. It was an opportunity for students to get a real-world perspective and know that this was a classmate’s family member. It built a connection between the home and the classroom for everyone involved. Powerful.
How does this change my teaching style and/or pedagogy? I feel that I’m on the right track and will continue to look for opportunities to implement student voice and experience in their assignments. I feel that this is a very effective way to develop relevancy and validate my students and their respective culture.
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TylerSeptember 26, 2021 at 12:47 PM
From the resources in this section I not only recognized the importance of Culturally Responsive Classrooms but also gained an understanding of some of the tangible ways to implement the practice. It was helpful to see how Kumu U’i utilizes these practices in Olelo class, such as something as simple as “Word of the Day” making sure to hit words that are from many cultures. I also learned several methodologies to use to increase cultural awareness form the “Equity Assistance Center” text which included the 6 components to examine my own practice like “Constructivist Views” and “Attitude”. I also was happy to learn about the 5 inclusive teaching practices going hand and hand with CRC. Things like using “Diverse Resources” are things I already do and just need to be further tweaked to align my practice with culturally responsive practice.

This section has contributed to influencing my teaching style in subtle ways that could make a big difference in helping students feel more comfortable and represented in class. This includes making sure to take the time to get to know the student fully including their cultural background. I am excited to use methods like using media to depict a range of cultures and many others in class, but if I do not take the time to really learn about the students and their cultures, than I can not begin to effectively bring their culture and awareness into the classroom. This is a first step that I will make sure to do and should have done long ago.

Strategies that I have already used in the classroom that relate to these resources include making sure to have high standards for all students. I believe in delivering a rigorous curriculum and believe that my students who are in special education, from diverse backgrounds and a variety of socioeconomic levels can meet this and all have the capability to success. I make sure to call my students by their preferred names and make sure that I pronounce the names correctly. If a student tells me that it is close enough, I will not accept that and work with them until I get it right. Some of the texts that have been chosen for class reading also takes place in “Moloka’i” and does not shy away from discussing race and identifying characters racial identities as they are introduced and developed.

A strategy that I read about this unit and would like to implement in the classroom is to experiment with peer teaching. I really like the concept of students using their own voices to relate to one another in authentic ways. Rather than their teacher trying to incorporate their cultural from a top down approach, it seems like the students teaching each other about their cultural identity could be very powerful. Encouraging students to use their own lexicon and not grading based on “good” English will hopefully help contribute to a rich and culturally responsive learning environment. I would also like to bring in diverse guest speakers to demonstrate how the world outside of school is just as diverse as the classroom, and all cultures are represented highly impactful fields ( hopefully more and more in the near future)
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Emily P.November 10, 2021 at 10:49 AM
What did you learn from these articles and videos?

Culturally responsive teaching seeks to increase engagement and motivation of students who have been both unsuccessful academically and socially alienated from their public schools. In short, CRT is another method of addressing student interests and incorporating culture. Most significantly, I noticed that the cultural connection needs to be meaningful. I would encourage teachers to use a connection they are familiar with, passionate about, and comfortable with, because with all things in the classroom, students can quickly distinguish if you are genuine or not. As stated in the reading, CRT signals a need to expand and transform the knowledge base of teachers, the actual perspectives of teachers, and alter the curriculum and instruction in the classroom.
In Culturally Responsive Teaching, I noticed a significant statistic- 90% of all teachers identify themselves as White. This statistic alone is baffling and makes me uncomfortable, and lends itself to further trains of thought, such as who is recruiting teachers, is there a possibility of creating programs to promote an equitable future for our students, and how do we alter and shift the current status quo to suit the needs of our growingly diverse population of students, in order to create a better education system that meets the needs of all.
One of the most significant pieces of advice I learned from the Education Matters video is to start your instruction with familiar culture or themes, something the students are comfortable with, and move outwards as you teach on. In other words, avoid being too myopic so that our students can really have a well rounded education. Culture based education creates a sense of responsibility and students want to give back to the community. It makes learning enjoyable! Using culturally inclusive practices enhances a students self worth, directly correlating with their ability to test, and testing scores.
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Emily P.November 10, 2021 at 10:50 AM
What do you do to make your students feel comfortable in your classroom?
At the beginning of the school year, I introduce myself and my background. Most students find a connection somewhere in my story- from being raised on a reservation, being socially adopted, or being bounced around from home to home when I was younger and never really having one stable situation. This, I tell them, led to my admiration of cultures and love for education and reading. I make it a very important part of my introduction to mention how I was affected by my time on the reservation, and the families who took care of me, and the small things I do to bring honor to their culture while also recognizing that there are parts of that culture I will always be an outsider to. Following my own presentation and introduction, I always have students create a presentation on their cultures and backgrounds to introduce themselves. I use the presentations as a springboard to discuss the importance of respecting others' beliefs at great lengths.
After that, within the first quarter, I work hard to incorporate Na Hopena A’o in the classroom. Having a Hawaiian flag in the room and hanging up the Na Hopena A’o posters always helps the students settle in a bit more. They are super “small” things that teachers can easily do in the room to represent their respect for the place they are teaching in. I’m a strong believer in the classroom environment, and those two items are high on my list of priorities.
Another method I use to incorporate culture is sending out parent letters for any activities that may go against others beliefs or cultures, with encouragement to expose the child to these conversations in a healthy and safe environment. I do allow for opt-outs based on parent comfort. I also make a promise to the parents that if there is anything their child is uncomfortable with learning, that I will create a safe environment for the students to recognize differences in and generate a respect for other cultures. Creating a connection with parents and families is extremely important to me.
I also work hard to incorporate different literature and themes in our reading that explores the diversity represented in my classroom. We read short stories from around the world, drawing on my own admiration of World Literature. One of the students favorite readings is The Rooster. I allow for our students to write in Pidgin occasionally as well, and encourage different dialects exposed in dialogue. For the most part, I reserve the variations in dialect for the short stories or poetry units. Students are also given the option to write their essays in Hawaiian, with the knowledge that the Immersion department will lend a hand in grading.
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Emily P.November 10, 2021 at 10:50 AM
How important is creating a culturally responsive classroom to you?
Creating a culturally responsive classroom is extremely significant to me, in fact, it was one of my driving passions to pursue a career in education. At a young age, I noticed how I was treated in my AP classes at Southampton High School, versus how my Native American friends and family were treated in their remedial classes. I was awestruck at the opportunities and funding that was available for me, and how our teachers would respond when I was caught doing something naughty versus when they were. There were never any stipends available for them, but somehow, my field trips were always paid for. This is what motivated me to become a teacher. I cannot change the entire structure of our education system, but I can break the norms in my own classroom. I always try to respond the way I wished my teachers would have responded to my friends (within reason, of course).
By incorporating elements of culture and driving students towards methods of healthy communication that recognizes differences, similarities, and creates a pathway for respect and honesty in their everyday lives, I believe that we truly can contribute to a better future.
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Emily P.November 10, 2021 at 10:51 AM
How have these articles and videos influenced your view/teaching pedagogy on culturally responsive classrooms?
As stated in Culturally Responsive Teaching, “CRT recognizes that teacher effectiveness decreases when instruction is primarily teacher centered with an absence of student and community voice.” Although I am cognizant of this fact and aware of it, I think that this quote has a strong influence on the changes I need to make in my own teaching style. To me, it serves as a reminder that student centered classrooms are much more effective, engaging, and overall just more fun for both student and teacher!
Sometimes, I am guilty of taking on the role of being a transmitter for information, rather than including students as active participants in that information delivery. Personally, I need to grow in the area of developing more interactive and student centered lessons. I think that I gravitate towards a lecture style class sometime, although I do work hard to try to balance my lecture style with a plethora of group work and activities. I think that by incorporating more project based learning and presentations, I can succeed in giving the students a stronger voice in the classroom.

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Emily P.November 10, 2021 at 10:51 AM
Do you think culturally responsive classrooms can benefit you as a teacher and the school as a whole? If so, how? If not, why?
Culturally responsive classrooms have the potential to not only benefit the student, the teacher, and the school, but the entire community, the state, the country, and the world. By encouraging our students to incorporate their own culture, we are teaching them to embrace their identity, to share the strengths and the weaknesses of how they were raised, and to help each other grow. By creating a collage of cultures in the classroom, our students have the ability to pick and choose aspects that align with who they are and their vision of who they want to become. Exposing students to uncomfortable conversations, where disagreements may occur, is excessively healthy. To keep them sheltered from other cultures and beliefs would be to send them out into the world blind and handicapped. From food, to language, to social mechanisms and art, our students deserve exposure to the magnificence of life. Becoming a globalized citizen creates flexibility, understanding, patience, and resilience in a child.
To incorporate elements of Ha, for example, would be to teach our kids the importance of well being, Hawaii, excellence, belonging, Aloha, and responsibility. These traits, if properly prioritized, can create a cohesive and effective school system for our students to thrive in. If our students were held to these standards, there would be minimal disruption in the learning process and the students would feel a lot more respected, and that would be reflected in the way they treat their educators and school staff. Apply that same thinking to the state, and imagine what a difference it would make in Hawaii if more people followed the framework and held these six fundamental lessons in the highest regard.
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BriannaNovember 28, 2021 at 7:47 PM
1. What did you learn in this section?
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This quote from the article entitled, “A Classroom Where Everyone Feels Welcome” really made me think about how important the little things are that I can do in my classroom. By learning my students’ names or nicknames that they prefer to having informal daily check-ins are just two of the many CRT strategies that can really have a massive impact on how my students feel and behave academically, socially, and emotionally. Upon further reflection from this section, I have learned that a culturally responsive classroom is built on the principles of differentiated instruction meaning that it can only take place when students are receiving unique instruction that is tailored to their needs and supported with their cultural backgrounds in mind. Therefore, if I want to have a culturally responsive classroom, I must set high expectations for all students regardless of their socioeconomic status or ethnic background. It was clear from many of the articles in this section that teachers often tend to lean toward societal biases and in turn treat their students differently regarding academic expectations. Whether it is intentional or not, this cannot happen in the classroom as it will have long term effects on student achievement and self-esteem.
2. How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy? This information has further solidified the importance for me to acknowledge where I might demonstrate cultural biases or a lack of knowledge on specific cultures. What this section has helped me understand is that I need to spend more time reviewing my lesson plans and assessments and look for ways in which I can connect them to my students in ways that they can be comfortably and appropriately challenged.
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JoyceNovember 29, 2021 at 10:12 AM
What did you learn in this section?
Guido (2021) exhorted teachers to recognize and accept students’ “cultures, languages, and experiences.” Furthermore, in the Culture in the Classroom article, the order for teachers to examine their own “cultural assumptions and stereotypes”, revealed the need for me to reflect upon my own cultural experiences and how it affects the way I relate to my students. For example, though there are similarities, I must acknowledge that my experience as a young English Language Learner is unique to the experience of my current students. In short, I should not assume that they hold the same experiences I had growing up. To help embody this, I can devote more time getting to know my students' individual experiences by having intentional and warm conversations with them. All in all, I learned that the preface to culturally responsive teaching is an examination of myself and getting to know my students’ unique stories.

How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?
As the Library Literacy Teacher, I have the exciting privilege to work with the entire student population. I desire for each student who steps into the library learning space to feel welcome. One way to create a welcoming environment with my students is to spend more time with them. This is a challenge in a 45 minute rotation which includes instruction and borrowing books! Honestly, i often treat each rotation as a task driven event. However, I’m challenged to recalibrate my classes so I can spend more time conversing with students - to hear their stories. Therefore, this week, I will shift the book check in routine to take place before school so I eliminate that task during class hours. As suggested by the Region X Assistance Center, I will focus my conversations on learning about my student’s prior experiences in and out of school.

What strategies do you already use?
With over 50% of our student population being English Language Learners, I aspire to provide multi modal approaches in my teaching and learning. One effective strategy I employ is the use of nonverbal language such as body language, expressions and gestures to convey meaning and provide feedback. In addition to it’s vividness, it supplements their language learning. For example, when reading stories, my students will use gestures for specific content based vocabulary to supplement their understanding. Not only does this serve as a formative assessment, but it makes learning fun and interactive! Students are also invited to generate their own gestures based on their experiences and culture. This validates their ideas and experiences.

Another strategy I use is scaffolding off of students’ real life experiences. Specifically, I have the students identify text to self connections with the fiction literature. In addition to connecting with the literature, it validates that their experiences are valuable and relevant. It also creates a stronger community among their peers as they see their shared experiences.

What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
Honoring students’ ideas provides “equitable response opportunities”. One strategy I will use in my CRC Implementation Plan is #16 in the Culturally Responsive Guide - Seek Multiple Perspectives. Providing students with sentence frames to prompt differing perspectives provides a structure for students to engage respectfully in discussion. To help validate student responses, I will provide immediate feedback to confirm their varying perspectives. This acknowledges the students’ ideas while also spurring classmates to draw connections or identify differences in thought. For example, “Student A presented Idea A. What is another idea that is different?”
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BriannaDecember 6, 2021 at 3:06 PM
I think you raise a good point about not assuming your experiences growing up as an ELL are the same as your students. There may be similarities but we can't assume everyone experiences are exactly alike. Like you said, teachers must still provide students with the space to share their stories. That being said, I bet the students really appreciate hearing your stories growing up as I'm sure it makes them feel closer to you and gives them a sense of comfort knowing that you went through similar experiences. I like that you mentioned the strategy of nonverbal communication. I think that is a great way to include all students. Allowing the students to come up with their own signals is clever as well! Great job!
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AnonymousDecember 28, 2021 at 10:11 PM
What did you learn in this section?
In this section, I learned about strategies for creating a Culturally Responsive Classroom. In the article “Culture in the Classroom,” the idea that “teachers must know their students and their academic abilities individually, rather than relying on racial or ethnic stereotypes or prior experience” resonated with me. Listening to Diane Holtman discuss the Asian American stereotype helped me understand the damage stereotyping can cause. As an Asian American, I always felt the pressure to excel at math, but that was not the case. Struggling in math affected my self-esteem as a student. My math teachers knew I was struggling yet did not help me. A huge takeaway from this article is that I must acknowledge and overcome my unconscious biases. I must think about how I treat each student and support them where they are. I must be aware of how I react to students’ comments and contributions and acknowledge my students equally. Ultimately, I learned that to be culturally responsive I must take the initiative to understand my students. Gathering knowledge about my students and building strong teacher/student relationships will help me effectively teach them.

How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?
This information has influenced a change in my teaching pedagogy because I realized that I must be more proactive in creating a Culturally Responsive Classroom, so students feel welcomed, engaged, and connected to their learning. One thing that I would like to try is reflecting on how my students perceive me. I need to be more thoughtful about my body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice. I think at times, I come across as disrespectful when students share diverse perspectives and ideas. I need to be more open-minded and respectful so students know that their knowledge and experiences are important. I like the idea of saying “That’s one idea. Does anyone else have another?”

What strategies do you already use?
One of the strategies that I already use is setting aside time for relationship housekeeping. Each morning I allow students to share stories about their personal lives and discuss how they are feeling. Sometimes students share about difficulties at home, such as family members in the hospital or losing their dog. We are able to validate each others’ feelings and find connections. I also deliver different content through different learning modes, such as game playing and watching videos. I implement cooperative learning whenever possible and give students choice when practicing math problems (solo, partner, group).

What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
I would like to use the call-and-response strategy in my CRC Implementation Plan. I believe this strategy will keep students engaged and ensure that all students have a chance to speak. Calling on all students will communicate that all students are expected to think and are capable of succeeding. In the past, I was guilty of only calling on students who raised their hand or were off task and ignored students who appeared like they were listening. Another strategy I would like to try is gamifying lessons. I think students will be motivated to learn if they are having fun.
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UnknownDecember 30, 2021 at 2:47 PM
In the article, “Culture in the Classroom” it stated that ‘Culture isn't just a list of holidays or shared recipes, religious traditions, or language; it is a lived experience unique to each individual.’ This statement really resonated with me and had me reflect on my teaching practices and how I incorporate culture. I often think about my English Language Learners when I discuss the culture in my classroom because they bring a different language to our classroom and teach us some words that are related to our first grade topics. However, I do need to remember they are not the only students that bring something valuable to the classroom. All my students should feel empowered to share their thoughts and embrace their cultures, languages and experiences and relate them to classroom learning.
This information has influenced my teaching style because I am focusing on differentiated instruction in my classroom and I am looking to deliver different forms of content through learning stations. After getting to know my students and building relationships with them throughout the first semester, I find that many of them enjoy a variety of activities that allow them to practice their skills rather than doing the same activity with different words or numbers on the paper. These rotations would allow for more student-centered activities, a variety of texts and videos, and creating works of art that allow them to show their creativity. I want to continue to recognize the different cultures in my classroom and find more opportunities for students to share their uniqueness to the class.
I currently get to know my students and build relationships with all of them throughout the year. I learn everyone’s name and greet them at the door every morning. I am able to connect with students and families by having one-to-one conversations with them about their interests, hobbies, and student progress. The home and school relationship is so important, so I make it a point to contact each child’s family at least once a quarter (possibly more) to let them know their child in particular is doing so that we keep the lines of communication open throughout the school year. I also do many all about me activities for students to share about themselves so that students can hear if they have similar interests or strengths as their peers.
I would like to integrate relevant word problems in math because it will make the word problems more relatable. In previous years, I’ve noticed that my students struggled with word problems because most of them do not understand what is being added or taken away. By making relevant word problems for my students, I hope that they will be able to connect to the word problem being presented. I also think the call and response strategy will benefit my students because then my students all have a chance to share their thoughts and ideas with the class.
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UnknownJanuary 3, 2022 at 8:41 AM
What did you learn in this section?
One important thing to remember as an educator is that we need to help students feel comfortable bringing up their personal experiences as they participate in the lesson. Without students’ willingness to share their personal experiences, CRT might not be carried out successfully because these experiences are unique to individuals. For this reason, creating a learning environment where all students have positive attitudes (confidence for sharing and respect for reacting) will be crucial.
How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?
Before reading the articles, I did not realize that there are so many different strategies to include cultural aspects in my lessons. I always thought all cultural lessons require a lot of preparation, but some strategies seem very easy to be modified and be used right away. I am very much willing to use them in the near future.
What strategies do you already use?
As a bell activity, I ask students icebreaker questions about their backgrounds or as random as ‘What household chore do you dislike the most?’. Students share their answers at a time. It is not only an opportunity for me to learn about my students, but also has been an opportunity for students to learn about others around them, including me because I also share my answers. This strategy seems to foster a sense of inclusion in the classroom as one of the articles explains.
What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
I am thinking about “using media that positively depict a range of cultures”. Having newcomers with limited language proficiencies, I worried about how to have meaningful discussions if we were to use grade-level appropriate reading materials. Using a video or movie will be better for my students because their listening skills are a lot better than their reading skills. The images in the video will also add to students’ understanding. Perhaps with a similar reason, the article also recommended using children’s books full of images for this strategy. Another strategy that I could easily adapt is “word of the day”, which is designed for honoring students’ home languages. After going over a foriegn word together, students make connections between the word to the lesson for the day. I am curious how students will reflect when the chosen word is from their first language.
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AnonymousJanuary 3, 2022 at 9:17 PM
I learned a lot about how important self-reflection is in the process of creating a culturally responsive classroom. The Classroom Where Everyone Feels Welcome article helped outline the process for me to revisit my own upbringing and cultural norms so that I would be in a better place to see where I might be missing opportunities to learn from my students. The article from Prodigy did a fantastic job highlighting a variety of ways that a teacher can implement CRT practices. I was relieved to read that article because so many of the strategies were doable, immediately! I really liked the tools for identifying “curricular bias” in the Region X article on page 17. The list of identifiable practices immediately made me think of examples from history textbooks that I use in my classes. Moving forward it will be easy to use this reference when preparing a unit. The Teaching Tolerance article and video was a great reminder that stereotypes are not harmless and need to be challenged. Listening to the teacher from Alabama, I reflected on how many comments I have heard over the years about “model” students that really were aimed at a stereotype of Asian-American students. Watching the video gave me a great language around discussing the stereotype and confronting it the next time.

The biggest change in my teaching that I see coming from this section is a greater awareness of my curriculum. So far in my teaching career, I have relied on my personality and on the spot teaching to address cultural issues in the class, but I have not been as intentional around designing lessons and evaluating lessons from existing curriculum. I haven’t avoided lessons with culturally responsive teaching, but I have not been willing to modify my lessons to be more culturally responsive. Additionally, I haven’t been as critical of existing lessons from the text. I usually take them at face value but now I want to evaluate them more closely with the strategies I found in this section.

Looking through the 15 Culturally-responsive teaching strategies and examples from the prodigy article, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I do use a variety of strategies already. I make an effort to get to know all of my students, usually through greeting them at the door and making small talk. I use relevant word problems whenever possible and have brought in guest speakers that were actually selected by the students as part of a career exploration project. I also make an effort to call on every student in my classes as part of my explicit instruction.

For my lesson plans I will use the strategy of “get to know me” questionnaires, and involving parents by using take-home letters. I chose the “get to know me” project because I think it is a great method for respectfully getting to know students at any point in the year. In fact, I really like the idea of doing it a little after I get to know the students initially and have their names memorized. At that point I am much more likely to have baked in notions about them that they can free me of! The take home letters are something that I have been wanting to do more of, and have never fully committed to. While I do make an effort to reach out to families, it is usually brief phone calls and nothing as involved with the student as this.
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AnonymousJanuary 4, 2022 at 2:25 PM
The four conditions of culturally responsive classrooms from the article were all based on relationship and connection building.

The second takeaway was the need for teachers to be mindful of their own biases, assumptions and implicit messages being conveyed to students. This information has made me reflect on my own curriculum, physical classroom, and teaching practices to see what messages about the dominant culture I may be sending to my students and their families. I have ELL students whose families are supportive but tend to participate minimally in our classroom activities. Usually they do not volunteer for events and field trips which I realize can be intimidating for ELL parents or grandparents. I hope to use some new strategies like making a greater effort to connect to my ELL families so that they feel more comfortable and empowered to share their knowledge and skills with our class in ways they are comfortable with. I liked the idea of having a Word of the Day for the whole class to learn so that might be one way to engage my ELL families in sharing their languages with us.

CRT strategies have made me more mindful of ways to present my instruction so that diverse perspectives and activism are an integral part of my teaching. As a kindergarten teacher I have done “multicultural” lessons such as sharing cultural recipes during our family unit and highlighting holidays around the world during the winter. But I want to move beyond promoting color awareness and towards encouraging social justice in my class. I am fortunate to teach at a charter school where I have more curricular freedom and I am looking forward to creating more opportunities for students to take action on issues that affect them. I think this will require a more flexible, emergent curriculum that can meet the individual needs and interests of my students as they arise as opposed to plowing through the same yearly units. This will take a large amount of energy so I hope to transition slowly using existing units as a foundation and build in pockets of instructional time for student-driven inquiry and initiatives.

Some strategies discussed in the articles I already use in my teaching practice such as having one-on-one check ins with students and facilitating end of the day community circle meetings for relationship building. In kindergarten we also tend to do an almost excessive amount of communication with families in different forms (weekly e-newsletters, daily communication journal, emails, classroom blog, sharing of student work on Seesaw, and monthly curriculum newsletters). We start off each new school year with an All About Me unit and we incorporate learning centers 3x a day (literacy, math and free choice). I feel that all of these strategies are very effective in getting to know our students and building strong relationships with them and their families.

Strategies I’d like to try are diversifying media, literature and images in the classroom as well as bringing in guest speakers more often. These strategies are important for diverse representation and for students to see role models from their cultures. I’d also like to experiment with peer teaching and have a project where students teach their peers new skills or cultural practice. After teaching their lesson to the class, each student will write a How To book in writing block to go along with their lesson. This strategy can be empowering to students as they realize their culture and skills are important and valued in our learning community.
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UnknownJanuary 6, 2022 at 11:55 AM
What did you learn in this section?
In this section I read “A Classroom Where Everyone Feels Welcome” I like having a section for students to just ask questions and make conversations with each other. So they foster better relationships.
I make an active effort to know everyone's names and preferred names by the end of the second week of school. It’s hard with such a transient population but I work really hard at it, assigned seating helps. I also have a fairly difficult Japanese last name for some of my students. Unless they have a learning disability, I don’t allow them to shorten it or call me just “miss” because I think learning how to say names is super important. To build a good culture, you need to build good relationships and setting the tone for the year helps with this.
How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?
I think that having a time when students can check in with each other will help them get back on track socially. They’ll learn to better care about each other. It’s been really hard after virtual learning for so long to be back and have them care about each other again
What strategies do you already use?
I already learn about my students, I asked for preferred pronouns (ALSO IMPORTANT, whether I can openly use them) and preferred name, learn about their hobbies and outside of school activities.
I used to bring in guest speakers pre-covid, because it helps them apply what they’re learning and the importance of what they’re doing in school to the real life.
I also give a lot of student choice so that students can choose topics they feel closer to and more engaged by. This allows students to really choose what they’re learning and what’s applicable to them.
What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
As we start books I use different types of study time in class. I play the audiobook for whoever wants it, give fill in the blank worksheets and if there’s a movie we use that too. Students who don’t need the audiobook have the option to work outside.
I’d really like to use base groups since this way I’ll know who is working with who. But additionally they’ll be better able to talk to each other and build relationships that way.
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UnknownJanuary 14, 2022 at 6:16 PM
1 What did you learn in this section?
In this section I really appreciated the different strategies and activities offered to promote a culturally responsive classroom. As I said in my intro, I feel like I knew the premise but was not sure how to go about promoting CRC in my class and with my students in different school environments, as I'm primarily a counselor. I also learned that an imperative of CRC is for teachers themselves to "acknowledge and understand our adult beliefs and practices." (from the Prodigy website) There was also reference to this in the Learning for Justice website where a link was offered to Harvard's Implicit Bias surveys, and I took a few. This is really important for adults and especially people who work with kids. We need to understand our own biases in order to be in an informed place before work with kids in any capacity. These are just a few of the many takeaways I gleaned from these articles.
2 How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?
The information I learned may influence change in my teaching approach (and approach to counseling) in a variety of ways. I really appreciated the list of "Common Beliefs" from the Learning for Justice website because I myself have some of them! I feel that because I've been called out in a few of these articles for my core beliefs about how to discuss race and achievement, I can have more courage to discuss these differences more directly and purposefully. With every lesson plan, or with every counseling lunch bunch I plan, I can put in a "CRC" section where there may be an activity or a question session that specifically addresses students' identity, and in the lesson, plan a way of incorporating this into whatever subject I'm teaching or whatever skill we are discussing in a planned counseling session. In this way, students will feel that they are appreciated and heard. This will also serve to build positive relationships with and among the students, which is listed pretty much as the number one quality of a CRC.
3 What strategies do you already use?
Some of the strategies I already use are making sure I pronounce kids names correctly! I also give choices on questions to answer, differentiate types of questioning techniques, mainly to accommodate ELs or kids with learning differences. In the past with some ice breaking activities, I've done an activity where students have to find a student who has done or identifies with a certain category, like, "Find someone who... knows a different language" or "Has lived outside of the USA" or "Does NOT eat turkey for Thanksgiving" or questions like that. They have to get their names and introduce themselves to each other. In my counseling sessions where the relationship is everything, I will often spend the whole first session asking questions about my students' ethnic, cultural and linguistic background, and if they're from another country I'll pull up their former home on Google maps and ask them to show me their place.
4 What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
In my CRC Implementation Plan (Lesson Plan?) I am going to use cooperative groups where students ask and answer questions of each other about inclusivity, abilities, backgrounds and feelings toward their own backgrounds. I also plan to include words from the different languages of our students as our school has a thriving EL population. I plan on incorporating literature which explores differences in race and abilities for both of my CRC Implementation plans and providing opportunities to respond meaningfully to those stories.
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UnknownJanuary 20, 2022 at 12:06 AM
In this section I learned about strategies to create a Culturally Responsive classroom. The strategies that I found useful and I will implement are to hold high expectations for all students and help all students learn, modeling, scaffolding, and clarification of challenging curriculum, and the Cultural Research Project. I found those three appealing because I believe they will most benefit students. I know that students will rise to the expectations that the teacher is asking of them. I will be able to teach students the content in different ways, and we will learn about their cultures so they feel they are important.
The information learned has inspired me to connect with parents to build a good relationship. In addition to fostering relationships with students, having high expectations, I would like for parents to know that I am available to help their child learn the material. Parents can help students maintain accountability by checking that they have completed their homework or encouraging them to attend tutoring or asking questions in class. I believe that a phone call with a praise of their child will brighten up a parent’s day. In case I need to call regarding another matter, we have established a good rapport.
Strategies that I already use and will continue to use in my classroom are learning students’ names within the first two weeks of school. Although there are many changes within the first weeks of school, I always make it a point to greet students at the door using their first name. It does not take a long time and it can spark a conversation. I feel students are more willing to share what is going on in their lives and they ask how I am doing as well.
The strategies that I will use in my CRC Implementation Plan are fostering a welcoming environment. I chose this strategy because students have been away from school for a year. They need to feel heard and valued in my classroom.
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AnonymousJanuary 25, 2022 at 3:44 PM
This section has really taught me some options to incorporating some CRC strategies into my classroom. I could start some of these right now. Some of them are strategies that I've used but never realized they were CRC strategies. I really thought starting this course that I wouldn't have many strategies for my courses that I teach but as I read through all the articles and viewed the youtube videos, there are many that I could try to incorporate. Just starting on word problems referencing to another culture we could do together in class or even providing several project types to students to allow them to choose from are just somethings I could try right away.
This information has influenced my teaching style in a way that I didn’t think it would have. Coming from a very traditional learning style I find it hard to deviate from what I know of learning styles. Continuing with this PD I’ve learned so many ways to change my approach on teaching. Students need to have voices in the classroom, and it can be through their culture and background. Then they can really feel a sense of belonging to the classroom. Once they are fell welcomed with their own backgrounds then they can move forward to learn. I know it won’t be easy to completely change but can now that I have more information on CRC.
Currently the strategies that I use are interviews with my students and peer teaching. I mainly interview my underclassman by asking about their plans for their senior year and what they plan to do after high school. I feel this really helps the students feel they are being heard and their success is important to me. They can see that I hear their goals and I can help them get there. I do peer teaching in a presentation way. Students are given a problem to present from previous lesson. At first, I asked the students to write down their problem and their work and then present from that but now with technology that all my students have, they make Canva and Google Slides presentations that are remarkable. I can really see the student’s learning growth through their presentation.
Planning on using CRC strategies are difficult for me. For my CRC Implementation Plan, I may continue to use the peer teaching because it’s been working well will almost all my students. I could also do relevant word problems with some of my classes. Eventually I would like to start the year or semester with the student surveys and hopefully next year do cooperative base groups.
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DawnneJanuary 27, 2022 at 6:14 PM
In this section I learned that there are so many ways to implement Culturally Responsive strategies that there really is no reason not to be able to intergrade it in to my everyday interactions with the kids I work with. As teachers, it would be beneficial for us to not just know how our students are in the classroom but to know the whole child. Throughout these readings I kept thinking that CRC skills and implementations was closely related to Social Emotional Learning. I was happy to see in the article, “Culturally Responsive Teaching: Examples, Strategies & Activities for Success” SEL was mentioned as an overlapping approach.

Although I was fairly confident in being able to implement culturally responsive strategies, I always worry about being able to follow through because I don’t have a classroom. Even with the multiple strategies, a lot of them seem to be more geared towards classroom implementation. But now, especially getting conformation that SEL is an overlapping approach, the one thing I will change is to make it a point to visit the classrooms more throughout the year.

I teacher character education when we do classroom rotations. With 4th graders, career explorations is something I usually do after a SMART goals lesson. I ask them to come up with a long-term goal and most of my examples have to do with their future career, which I think is a good bridge for my first career lesson which is about their career mo’oku’auhau. Because they are in elementary, it’s kept simple with just the names and careers of parents and both grandparents. I want them to be able to start conversations with their families and see if any of their career goals aligns or is influenced by their ‘ohana.

I am going to continue to use my career mo’oku’auhau worksheet and I want to incorporate a questionnaire that also requires parent involvement. I think it would be a way for me to get to know the students and parents on a more personal level and also learn about their ethnicity and backgrounds.
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UnknownJanuary 27, 2022 at 10:05 PM
After reading the articles in Section III-Benefits of CRC, I I learned about the strategies for incorporating culturally responsive teaching in my classroom. A key takeaway from the article “A Classroom Where Everyone Feels Welcome” (Edutopia.org) was the sentiment that teachers must first “acknowledge and understand our own adult beliefs and practices.” In many ways, I have to do a self-check of my beliefs and biases every day that I enter the classroom and I remind myself that my students’ well-being is my priority and responsibility. As a teacher in Hawai’i, most of my students are of Hawaiian, Filipino, Mexican, or Pacific Islander heritage. In my virtual classroom, I try to create a sense of community and belonging through virtual games and activities. This is something that was echoed in the “Kumu U’i’s cultural responsive strategies” which included strategies like “Word-of-the-Day”, “Get To Know You”, and “One-to-One conversations”. After reading these articles, I learned new strategies and also received validation that many of the strategies that I already use for differentiation are similar for culturally responsive teaching.

Several key points in the articles influenced my teaching style and how I approach my curriculum. For example, the article “Culture in the Classroom” by Edutopia, discussed ways to create culturally relevant curriculum, overcome stereotypes, and honor home languages. As the article emphasized, “Culture matters.” This article influenced me because I learned techniques to incorporate culture in the classroom, like a “Common Beliefs Survey”. Another strategy that I am excited to use in my CRC Implementation Plan is using flashcards and games to honor students’ home languages and linguistics. After reading all the articles in Section III - Benefits of CRC, I realized that the strategies for CRC will complement my standard lesson plans and create a more connected learning environment.
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AnonymousJanuary 31, 2022 at 7:24 PM
“Culture isn’t just a list of holidays or shared recipes, religious traditions, or language; it is a lived experience unique to each individual.” That was a sentence from the article, “Culture in the Classroom.” That sentence made me think about my own teaching. In our grade level we teach the students about different holidays as it comes up, and we consider that teaching them “culture.” Like the articles have said, I need to reflect on my teaching practices and do a lot of research, in order to actually teach my students about different cultures.
At first I thought culturally responsive teaching was only about teaching about different cultures and ethnicities. But I have learned that it’s about understanding and learning about the whole child; where they come from, their interests, their family, their culture and using that to modify how you deliver your content to engage students. It’s about helping them make connections in school, so that they can see the importance of it and apply it to their own lives.
There are some strategies that I unknowingly used without knowing it was culturally responsive teaching practices. I always made sure to learn my students’ names and pronounce them correctly. I constantly have one-on-one conversations with them throughout the day to learn about them, integrate relevant word problems (using their names in problems and interests), learning stations to deliver different forms of content, gamify lessons, call on each student, peer teaching, and involve parents by using take-home lessons. I did those, because my main thought was thinking of ways to make my students more interested in my lessons. I know that the majority of them love to play games, and using other students’ names would catch their attention.
In my CRC Implementation Plan I will deliver different forms of content, gamify lessons and acknowledge all students’ comments, responses, questions and contributions. My students love playing games and love technology, so gamifying lessons will be a great way for them to review and remember what we have learned. I want to acknowledge all students’ comments, responses, questions and contributions to help empower and make all students feel valued and important.
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AnonymousFebruary 2, 2022 at 1:13 PM
I learned the 6 clear guidelines on how to create a positive learning environment for your students.
Learn your studentsʻ names and how to pronounce them
Set aside time for relationship house-keeping
Have one-on-one conversations with your students
Connect with parents
See yourself as the students see you
Know your content

Learning your studentsʻ names and how to pronounce them has been my biggest take away from this section. I am the technology teacher and I teach all students. Names are a challenge for me because I am teaching 700 students. The hardest part is when I am passing out login information. These one time use slips of paper are created from a database which has their legal names. This causes the problem of preferred name, pronunciation, and abbreviated name. Moving forward I will add a column that will include phonetic spelling and/or preferred name to eliminate the challenges I am currently facing.
Currently I am using “Gamify lessons” and “Call on sach students”
“Learn about your students” and “Interview students” I chose these strategies for a couple reasons. As mentioned before I am teaching the whole school in one hour increments. This results in more quantity less quality in my interactions with students. Using these strategies will be helpful in building my relationships with students for many years to come. All students that attend our school will have me as a teacher for as long as they are enrolled. This could potentially be 6 years. Using these strategies will strengthen the years we will be together.
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UnknownFebruary 2, 2022 at 1:15 PM
1. I learned the 6 clear guidelines on how to create a positive learning environment for your students.
Learn your studentsʻ names and how to pronounce them
Set aside time for relationship house-keeping
Have one-on-one conversations with your students
Connect with parents
See yourself as the students see you
Know your content
2. Learning your studentsʻ names and how to pronounce them has been my biggest take away from this section. I am the technology teacher and I teach all students. Names are a challenge for me because I am teaching 700 students. The hardest part is when I am passing out login information. These one time use slips of paper are created from a database which has their legal names. This causes the problem of preferred name, pronunciation, and abbreviated name. Moving forward I will add a column that will include phonetic spelling and/or preferred name to eliminate the challenges I am currently facing.
3. Currently I am using “Gamify lessons” and “Call on sach students”
4. “Learn about your students” and “Interview students” I chose these strategies for a couple reasons. As mentioned before I am teaching the whole school in one hour increments. This results in more quantity less quality in my interactions with students. Using these strategies will be helpful in building my relationships with students for many years to come. All students that attend our school will have me as a teacher for as long as they are enrolled. This could potentially be 6 years. Using these strategies will strengthen the years we will be together.
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UnknownFebruary 3, 2022 at 11:24 AM
What did you learn in this section?
I think the most influential piece of information that I learned in this section was that by simply treating others the way we want to be treated, we are still failing to fully embrace the true essence of culture in the classroom. One of the most significant aspects of this information is that teachers need to make a conscious effort to not only get to know the student as an individual, but intentionally work to eliminate the impulse to stereotype or make cultural assumptions about our students. An easy way to do this is to incorporate home languages in the classroom, with an activity like Kumu Ui suggested in her Culturally Responsive Strategies, by having a word of the day that reflects the cultures in the classroom and empowering the students to share what they know about the meaning and pronunciation of the words.
How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?
This information has influenced me to start thinking of methods to incorporate my students' culture in the classroom. It has given me a multitude of ideas to implement, such as a Word of the Day, a Get to Know Me presentation, an Ethnic Biography Panel, and I’m even hoping to include a Cultural Research Project this quarter. I was reminded, again, to avoid being complacent. There is always a way to incorporate culture and involve students in teaching, and I hope to act as a facilitator of lessons that can resonate with various cultural backgrounds in my classroom. I also think that I needed a reminder that it is important to focus on other cultures in the classroom- and I enjoy the idea of incorporating lessons on sexuality and plant culture to create a more inclusive environment for every student.
What strategies do you already use?
Some of the strategies I already use would be to introduce my students to Na Hopena A’o in the beginning of the school year, and including culturally relevant writing prompts for our daily journals. I also include culturally relevant content, by teaching cultural books. I try to aim for one BLM book, one Native Culture book, and one book that represents the LGBTQ community every year. I also enjoy oral storytelling, and hope to hone in on this talent throughout the rest of my career.
What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
I choose to focus on giving my students the opportunity to showcase their strengths and existing background knowledge. I want to empower my students to share their thoughts, while integrating diverse work practices that address their different cultures. For my first CRC Implementation plan, I will be creating an Ethnic Biography Panel Project that my students will be able to use as a method of expressing their admiration for a person of interest within their own culture. For my second CRC Implementation Lesson Plan, I will be focusing on Plant Culture. My students recently attended a field trip to Kipuka Oluwalu. I will have students interview each other to discuss the following:
What is acceptable and not acceptable when working with plants? What are people called who work with plants and what are some of their values and maybe even traditions?
This project will be drawing on strategies mentioned such as interviewing students and experimenting with peer teaching.
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Glenn P.February 11, 2022 at 12:11 PM
This section further emphasizes the cultural responsive classroom. It provided more insight in how to establish this type of classroom with my current students. Ultimately, as almost all teachers, we want to make sure that our classroom is a place where our students feel comfortable and welcome.

Relationships is important in being to create this environment. First, in order to establish the relationships, learning their names and recognizing who they are and their identities. Students feel that teachers value them when they use their names and are acknowledged by the teacher. Part of the relationship building is to also have conversations with students, and they do not necessarily have to be about the academic content in the class. Relationships should also be extended to their parents as I feel that they should be part of their child's education and will help to ensure academic achievement.

Another thing that was pointed out in the reading that I never really think about is seeing myself as the students see me. I never once thought about how the students see me, in terms of body language or facial expressions. Even how I interact with other students as they may recognize this and the possibility of treating certain students differently.

I also learned that cultural responsive teaching is also rooted in differentiated instruction. This includes some of the things that I already try to have in my classroom. These things include empowering students to share thoughts, integrate diverse work and study practices while understanding student learning needs and styles. Teachers can also emulate cultural-significant instruction styles.

As I develop a culturally responsive classroom, I learned that there are several conditions to make that happen, much of which I believe should be part of the classroom regardless of being culturally responsive or not. The first is to establish inclusion and trying to have all students participate. A teacher should try to establish an environment where students feel comfortable in participating.

Another condition is having positive attitudes. I see far too many students who do not have a positive attitude or feel very apathetic, who do not see the sense in doing certain things. Having students be more responsible and accountable to their own learning can contribute to their attitudes towards the class and the content you are trying to teach.

With the attitude, the students also have to feel what they learning is relevant to them. Teachers have to demonstrate that there is a connection to real-world issues and how it affects them personally. When they see the why, then they are more open to participating and completing the lesson activities.

Lastly, I also see that students lack confidence. Many students are apprehensive in answering questions out loud in front of the class. It could be that they are not confident in knowing the answer, perhaps their language and accent or the possibility of being mocked by their peers. In any case, I try to foster that confidence, and even if they are incorrect, to be confident, as it serves as a learning/teaching moment in that they can learn the correct content.
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UnknownFebruary 11, 2022 at 12:13 PM
One of the strategies that I currently use is learning about my students. At the start of the year, I usually have an ice breaker activity where students need to share their names, nicknames and pronunciation included. This activity also includes sharing some information about them, i.e. their hobbies, favorite foods, why they are enrolled in this class and what they would like to do in the future.

Another strategy I use when possible is inviting guest speakers. Having guest speakers in the classroom breaks the monotony of having me teach everyday and also brings people from industry, who have experience in what I'm trying to teach in my classroom. These guest speakers also present a different perspective on the content.

Strategies that I would like to use for the implementation plan is gamifying lessons. Gamifying lessons might provide motivation for students and possibly provide incentives or rewards when completing the lessons.

Another strategy I would like use is the word of the day. With this strategy, I would like to introduce words for food from different cultures. This allows students to learn about foods from the diverse student make-up within my classroom.

Lastly, another strategy is possibly have peer teaching. In culinary, this would be a great way for students to communicate and learn from each other, especially when it comes to preparing ethnic foods and learning about culture.
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AnonymousMarch 15, 2022 at 10:25 PM
1.) What did you learn in this section?
The main thing I learned from reading the articles in this section is that CRC strategies are not something hard to implement. In fact, I do some of them already and have seen many teachers at my school implement them as well. This was a huge takeaway for me because prior to taking this class I was under the impression that CRC strategies would be much more complicated because of how diverse culture is to begin with. However I now realize that since at the end of the day we are all human beings and this is our unifying factor, simple strategies are going to be more effective. This makes me feel more confident in my abilities to really implement CRC.

2.) How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?
This information has reminded me of the importance of self reflection and acknowledging my personal beliefs and biases. As a counselor this is something that is stressed a lot, but it is easy to get complacent and forget to do it. If I’m being honest with myself, I can identify times when I did let my personal beliefs and biases affect how I viewed a student and their family. This was never done in a way that could cause harm to a student, but I can see how my views allowed me to make assumptions about a student and their family that were not necessary. Moving forward I will make more of an effort to gain a better understanding of myself so that I am able to appropriately deal with different situations as they occur.

3.) What strategies do you already use?
Strategies that I already use are learning students names and seeing myself as my students see me. Learning students names is key to making them feel like they are valued. As a school counselor I don’t get to see all my students on a regular basis, so I have to make an effort to put a face to a name. When a student walks in my office and I am able to identify them and call them by their name, I can see them light up immediately. Often they are surprised I know who they are and their guard is automatically dropped because that expresses to them that I care. Another strategy I use is seeing myself as my students see me, or basically allowing them to get to know me. I try my best to disclose personal information during counseling sessions with students as a way to connect with them. I am intentional not to disclose too much, but if we both like something similar or if we’ve experienced similar situations, I make sure to point that out. Doing this makes students feel like it's not just a one way conversation or relationship. Personally I have found that this helps to build a stronger relationship with students because I’m no longer just the person they come to talk to their problems with, and become a person with likes, dislikes, and opinions of their own.

4.) What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
I think I am going to focus on a mixture of learning more about my students and the one-on-one strategy/interviewing students. While most of my counseling is done individually, I’d like to make more of an effort to speak to students informally - during recess, lunch or after school, in a teachers classroom, or in the halls. By intentionally working on this I am focusing on more students, not just those that come into my office because they need academic or personal counseling. Keeping this in mind I can also be more strategic or intentional with the questions that I ask so that I am targeting their culture, beliefs and values. From previous experiences I know that I will be presently surprised at what I am able to learn from students.
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HaleyMarch 18, 2022 at 11:36 AM
1) In this section I learned a bunch of culturally-relevant teaching strategies and examples that I can implement into my classroom. I also learned more about culturally responsive teaching and what it means to be culturally responsive. I learned that there are 6 characteristics that can help me prepare to be culturally responsive. I agree that we first need to look at our own attitudes and behaviors in order to meet all of our students’ learning styles and needs. Instead of thinking of what the majority of my students need and what their learning styles are, I need to look at the whole picture and make sure I am offering that instruction that meets the needs of all my students whether it is in whole-class, small groups, or one-on-ones. I think a big thing I learned was to hold high expectations for ALL my students. I think sometimes when there is a huge learning gap in our class we just want our students who are falling behind to just show any time of growth. However, I feel like if I hold them accountable and make a goal with them to go up a grade level or more then they will feel more motivated to keep going.

2) This influenced a change in my teaching style because it allowed me to reflect on what I currently do and how I can improve it. I realized that I do all these things to make my students feel comfortable in their classroom environment by creating that culture where they feel comfortable to share out and they feel comfortable with each other. However, I now realized that there is more to having a culturally responsive classroom besides just having that positive environment. For example, having both high behavior and academic expectations for my students is something that I think I need to work on. I have high expectations, however, I feel like it can be higher for ALL my students. I want to look at ALL of my students’ strengths and weaknesses and then create my instruction based on that instead of just looking at what our curriculum wants to teach and how we teach it.

3) In the beginning of the school year, I learn about my students by putting away time to get to know them, and for my students to get to know each other. I also interview my students to get to know about their personal lives and to welcome what they want to share. Everyday I also call on each student even though they are not raising their hand. I want all my students to feel comfortable so I will call on a student to share who is not raising their hand that I know they know the answer to, to build that confidence in them. I also believe that I use learning stations in order to deliver a range of materials and instruction. I also change how I teach based on my small groups. For example, if one way doesn’t work I change it to fit the needs of my students.

The one strategy that really stood out to me was the “offering different types of free study time.” My class has a learning gap where I have students who are one-two grade levels behind. Even though I teach at a 2nd grade level based on our curriculum, one thing I always struggled in was, how I can still teach my students who are behind because they are missing out on all those pre-requisite skills. I don’t want to hold back my students who are ready but I also don’t want to live behind my students who aren’t ready. Therefore, I always struggled with this concept. During my small groups this is the time where I pull my students who are behind to try and catch them up with their pre-requisite skills that are needed in order to do these 2nd grade concepts. However, I spend a lot of time with my groups because they really need one-on-one instruction that I don’t have the time to do in one day. Therefore, I feel like there isn’t enough time in one day to pull ALL my students who need help. Therefore, I think this idea of study time, is a great way for students to practice those skills that are missing.
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LeilaniMarch 22, 2022 at 9:04 PM
What did you learn in this section?

This section has taught me the benefits of CRC and how to implement CRT strategies into my everyday practice. In the article, Culturally Responsive Teaching A Guide to Evidence based Practices for Teaching, I was dismayed to learn that students of color are often more disciplined than white students even when committing similar infractions. Many traditional teaching practices cater towards White Angelo-Saxton frameworks that undermine or ignore students' backgrounds and culture. Learning this made me reflect and realize that teachers really need to confront and eliminate their own biases. I also learned about the do’s and don’ts of having a classroom that is culturally responsive. It was interesting to learn a similarity between the African American culture and Hawaiian culture in terms of call and response. Students from these cultural backgrounds learn best from being active participants in rich class discussions. Some teachers who are unaware of this cultural practice may view these students as being rude for being so outspoken. If teachers silence these students and force them to conform to their teaching style, the effects are catastrophic. Many students of color will feel undervalued and withdraw from their learning leading to higher rates of dropping out of school. I was glad to know that I actually implement this strategy in my classroom. I strive to have fluid discussions and allow my students to speak freely and engage in class discussions. I also incorporate partner talks after posing a question to allow my students to learn from each other. I also learned that in order for a school to emulate a culturally responsive climate all students need to feel valued, teachers need to provide equity to diverse learners and diverse cultural studies need to be integrated into the curriculum. The major benefit of CRC is developing a curriculum that the students can relate to. I learned that research has shown that students are more likely to retain new information when they can relate to what they are learning by drawing from their own experiences. I also learned that students will foster a love of learning and become lifelong learners when they know that the content they are learning is relevant.

2. How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and pedagogy?
The information from the articles and videos have influenced me to create a student and family survey in the beginning of the school year that gives parents an opportunity to share their cultural background information as well as their child’s learning style. After reviewing the results from the surveys I know which literature I can incorporate into my classroom libraries and lesson plans throughout the school year. When we are able to have visitors back on campus I would love to partner with my student's parents and have a cultural day with guest speakers. I think that this idea is a great way to get parents involved. Our school recently received a grant that will allow us to buy brand new books for our classroom libraries. This opportunity will allow me to research some culturally relevant literature that I can include in my lessons and send home for parents to have an opportunity to read with their child.

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LeilaniMarch 22, 2022 at 9:07 PM
3. What strategies do you already use?

One of the strategies that I use in my class is the call and response dialogue. My teaching pedagogy stems from having a holistic approach that caters to the whole child. I am a firm believer in Social and Emotional Learning. I often use the call and response strategy during class discussions and encourage my students to talk with their elbow partners before calling on students to share their responses or ideas. Since I teach kindergarten, I am constantly modeling and explicitly teaching respect and how to be respectful toward one another. Another strategy that I already use is teaching my students about other cultures throughout the world. My students love learning about Chinese New Year and how different countries around the world celebrate the holidays. When teaching about Girl’s Day, I asked my EA who is born and raised in Japan to show pictures of herself as a child celebrating this important holiday in Japan. The students were really engaged and loved to see one of their teachers as a child. I thought that this was a great opportunity to bring in a real-life experience and help students connect their understanding of the Japanese culture from a first-person view.

4. What strategies will you use in your CRC implementation plan? Why did you choose those?

One strategy I plan on using in my CRC implementation is finding a book that is based on Filipino culture. Every single student in my classroom is Filipino. I myself am also Filipino. I plan on using a book based on a Filipino author to teach text to self connections.
Another strategy that I plan on incorporating is having my students complete a cultural background poster. Since we are in the home stretch of the school year, this will be our culminating project and celebration. I think that both my students and parents will enjoy doing this project. My kindergartners love any opportunity that involves sharing and talking in front of the class.
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UnknownApril 7, 2022 at 1:11 PM
In this section, I was able to review concepts of culturally responsive instruction and the origins of how these strategies were developed based on the culturally inclusive needs of the diverse student population that we serve. Creating student centered learning environments and fostering student and teacher relationships begins with teacher awareness of each student's background. Getting to know each student and how to be respectful in pronouncing their names appropriately will set the standard for respect of each individual in the classroom and students will learn that their teacher is aware of who they are. Setting aside time during the school day to have conversations with the students about their interests and how they are doing, is another stepping stone to bridging the gap in teacher and student relationships and allowing the teacher to be aware of the students’ background and cultural influences. In addition, taking time to have conversations with parents and caregivers will give teachers a glimpse into how a student is cared for at home, if there are cultural influences within the home that translate into student actions and behaviors in the classroom.
Culturally responsive strategies that I practice include daily communication with students and families during a “daily buzz routine.” The daily buzz takes students 5 minutes to complete and it is a graphic organizer that helps students recall what activities they did throughout the day and how they felt about each activity. I also call up each student individually to tell me about their daily buzz and ask about how they are doing and how their family is. This gives each student a chance to communicate with me, and I am able to show my students that I care about their success and their personal updates. I also write a note to the parents on the daily buzz so they can respond to me and provide me with any pertinent information that can help me assist their child in the classroom. Finding ways to have families involved with their child's education provides a well rounded team in creating a student centered environment. Strategies I would like to enhance using culturally responsive instruction includes adapting the literature in my class to real life scenarios that students are able to make connections with. In order to teach the concept of ethnicity and culture, I would like to choose e-books that include words, phrases, illustrations that are familiar and relevant to the students. In addition, I would like to use picture books that showcase how there are cultural similarities and differences amongst each individual in the classroom.
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SybilMay 9, 2022 at 11:50 PM
1. What did you learn from these articles and videos?

I learned that culturally based education increases students’ success because it views the child as a whole, rather than a passing pupil. Teachers foster an environment centered around the student and their cultural and family values, thus allowing instruction to be more relevant to the learner. These strategies can be challenging to implement at first since there is limited diversity found in curriculum and it takes time developing relationships deep enough to understand their cultural backgrounds. However, it is apparent that cultural responsiveness must integrated throughout instruction. Furthermore, students apart of culturally based education understand their teacher values them as a whole and instills trust to create strong and meaningful relationships. This allows students to be active learners and engage during discussions. Students can apply their personal experiences within instruction which makes learning more memorable and meaningful.
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AnonymousMay 10, 2022 at 12:26 AM
1. What did you learn in this section?

One thing that really resonated with me was a quote from Learning for Justice’s article, “Culture in the Classroom”. It said, “Culture isn't just a list of holidays or shared recipes, religious traditions, or language; it is a lived experience unique to each individual.” I think this is a powerful statement to really emphasize that a culturally responsive classroom is an ongoing, conscious effort. One can’t simply have a one-time multicultural night or a celebrate another culture’s holiday and believe that their making culturally responsive choices. As shared in the articles, culturally responsive classrooms help acknowledge the similarities and differences within students and intentionally integrate their values within instruction to make more meaningful and relevant. Another thing I learned, or was reminded of, from one of the videos is being mindful of our biases and not use it to stereotype our students.

2. How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?

This information has influenced a change in my teaching style and pedagogy. One of the articles mentioned the importance of using multiple approaches to consistently monitor student understanding. For some students, including myself, an end of unit assessment is an inaccurate representation of student understanding. I want to incorporate more performance tasks that allows students the creative freedom to demonstrate their understanding of the standards. Additionally, another article mentioned to set aside time for short, relationship housing-keeping. I think it would be good to incorporate this more in my classroom because it allows students to chance to share their “lightbulb” connects to content, while fostering a culturally responsive classroom.

3. What strategies have you already used?

One of the strategies that I use is at the beginning of the school year. When students first introduce themselves, I have them share both their first and last name. Throughout the first weeks of school, I try to greet them with both names and encourage them to correct me if pronounced incorrectly. I explain to my students that names hold power and it’s important to have others correctly address you. Additionally, throughout the year I make a conscious effort to keep and maintain relationships with my student. I ask questions about their outside activities and how their family is doing. I try my best to remember the names of their siblings and names of their sports teams to show that I genuinely care about the things they share.

4. What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?

For my CRC Implementation Plan, I plan on beginning the school year with a questionnaire for both my students and their families. The questions will ask about learning styles, goals, and about their ethnicity/ culture. One of our 3rd social studies standards is relates to culture and based on the answers from the survey, I can make changes to the unit better address my current students. Additionally, I plan on having students complete an “All About Me” google slides describing which include things such as apparel used, food, and special holidays celebrated.
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Melissa O.May 11, 2022 at 9:14 PM
1. What did you learn in this section?
I learned that there are many culturally responsive teaching (CRT) strategies that I didn’t know were CRT strategies. For instance, I do learning stations in my classroom, but I merely viewed stations as ways for students to rotate through practicing different skills/strategies without getting bored by doing one station/activity only. But this section has taught that learning stations address students’ differences in culture, socialization, preference, and/or learning needs—which is what CRT is about. So I learned that I definitely have some CRT strategies already implemented in my classroom—but there are many more strategies that I can incorporate in my classroom to be more culturally responsive to my students. In addition, I learned that CRT strategies overlap with other pedagogical approaches, so there are strategies from other pedagogical approaches that I can and should incorporate/strengthen in my classroom. For example, I sometimes do social and emotional learning (SEL) activities, but I don’t do them regularly because I sometimes feel the need to prioritize other activities (particularly activities that cover concepts/content that students are tested for on grade-level assessments) over them. However, this section has taught me that there are many SEL activities that I can use to strengthen how effectively I use CRT strategies because such activities provide students with opportunities to develop understanding and positive perspectives of race/culture, and students can also feel comfortable and confident with their own race/culture. So overall, I should also value and use strategies/activities from other pedagogical approaches.

2. How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?
The information covered in this section has made me see that although it sounds like a daunting task to incorporate CRT strategies into the classroom (especially since teachers have to cover many different concepts/content to help students meet grade-level standards), there are many different strategies at my disposal. I already use some CRT strategies, but there are more CRT strategies that I can incorporate that aren’t time-consuming or complicated to incorporate. For example, I could use a transitional time in the middle of the school day for students to ask questions or check in—and that could serve as a kind of brain break, too. So now I feel that I can use more/different CRT strategies in my classroom without feeling as if I need to prioritize how time is utilized in the classroom. Rather, CRT strategies can be (further) incorporated into the practices, lessons, and activities that I already do (or should do). Furthermore, I feel more open to adjusting my teaching practice now that I know about many more different CRT strategies.
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Melissa O.May 11, 2022 at 9:15 PM
3. What strategies do you already use?
There are some CRT strategies that I already use in my classroom. One strategy is that I learn my students’ names and how to pronounce them at the beginning of the school year. On my school’s supply drop-off day and/or meet-and-greet day, I check with students/parents on their names and how to pronounce them—first, middle (if students have middle names), and last names. Another strategy that I do is learning stations, including a reading fluency station and a math games station. I also do call-and-response when possible, so I’ll call on students who don’t raise their hands in order to encourage them to speak. However, I make sure to do call-and-response when it’s for an open-ended question, a question that asks what they think, or a question for which I know they have the correct answer to (so they may have written down their answer, and I was able to see what they wrote down prior to sharing out loud; or they told me what their answer was). In doing so, I can ensure that students are able to share (because it’s open-ended or about their opinion) and that they won’t be embarrassed by what they share (because they have a valid or correct answer). In addition, I try to talk with my students and learn more about them, and I also let my students ask me questions about myself. Using these strategies has helped me to build rapport with my students and make them feel comfortable in my classroom, such that students who are shy/quiet at the beginning of the school year steadily open up as the school year goes on, and I’ve found that they become more active and engaged, such that they become comfortable and confident enough to raise their hands and share their thoughts/ideas with their peers.

4. What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
In my CRC Implementation Plan, I will use media that positively depicts a range of cultures, provide students with the opportunity to interview a peer, and have students do a local culture research assignment. I chose to use media that positively depicts a range of cultures because although I sometimes use multicultural media, I don’t do it consistently—but I think multicultural media is an effective way to engage students in understanding and developing positive perspectives on different cultures, so I would like to use multicultural media more regularly in my classroom to better engage my students and make learning more relevant and meaningful to them. I also chose to provide students with the opportunity to interview a peer and have students do a local culture research activity because these are strategies that I haven’t incorporated into my classroom yet. For instance, I talk with and interview my students at the beginning of the school year, but I don’t give my students the same opportunity to do so with their peers. I think it would be beneficial for my students to interview one another and learn about one another, especially with peers who they don’t normally interact with. From there, they can learn to become comfortable and respectful of one another regardless of their differences. In addition, I already do a cultural research project with my students in the middle of the school year, in which they share about their own culture with the class. However, I haven’t yet had my students research about the local culture. But I think it would be good for students to understand the local culture so that they can not only find similarities and differences with their own culture, but also learn to embrace both their own culture and local culture. Therefore, for these reasons, I have chosen these three CRT strategies.
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AnonymousMay 16, 2022 at 4:50 PM
1.What I learned from these articles and videos is that CRT is absolutely essential in schools in order for students to be successful. When children see great disparity between their experience in school and their experience at home, this can negatively affect their own capacity to learn. And this can happen at such a young age. The Deweyian standpoint of a learner-centered pedagogy is one ideal way to address this disparity. And what a great way to teach these young minds that empathy lends to working together towards common goals. Creating an inclusive teaching environment and learning from your students (along with learning from their families and communities) is key. Developing a relationship with the student is where it begins.

I also learned that the teacher/student relationship development is extremely important in early childhood development. If there is an absence of teaching about race differences (color-blind approach to race-related teaching practices), whether intended or not, the child can come up with their own ideas about race. They can feel “different” if their teacher is not the same race. The intent is to let them know that all races are valued (color-aware approach to race-related teaching practices). And therefore, all races, and their differences, should be discussed. The social justice approach to teaching about race goes a step beyond the color-blind and color-aware approaches in that it teaches students to actively recognize and act on race-related injustices. If whole communities could come together and practice these concepts, what a wonderful world it would be.

2.In my classroom, to make my students feel comfortable, I begin the year by having the students fill out a survey about themselves. This helps me to get to know a little about them. I also send home a parent questionnaire asking the parents to tell me a little about their child, including a question about how they think their child learns best. This helps me to know what to look for when we begin our lessons, and also lets the parent know that I would like to give their child the individualized attention he/she deserves. These questionnaires are received with great delight. Throughout the school year, depending on the particular project we are doing, I try to have the students differentiate their learning by including some aspects of their own culture into their projects.

3.It is extremely important for me to create a culturally responsive classroom. It may be difficult for me to have some conversations with my 6th graders regarding race differences. But I think that by NOT addressing it, it may make it more difficult for any student who is not in the majority race of the classroom. Because I teach the Social Studies standards of Ancient Civilizations, this is one way that I could have the students incorporate their own ancient regions (ancestry) into their projects.

4.These articles have reminded me of the importance of integrating CRT in my classroom. Although I do connect with my students and I know that they know that I care about them, I could learn more about their home life and bring more of that into my classroom. It’s wonderful that during PBLs my students can choose much of the aspects of parts of their projects, which lends itself nicely to letting them express themselves and their culture.

5.I think culturally responsive classrooms can benefit me as a teacher and the school as a whole. When the students feel “at home” while at school, they are at their most comfortable level. They can relate and connect to the learning in a way that wouldn’t exist without the CRT.

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DonnaMay 17, 2022 at 11:27 AM
1.In this section, I learned that there are many different CRT strategies that teachers should be using to create a more inclusive cultural classroom environment. Some of these that I can incorporate in my teaching include using more ethnic words in lessons plus reading multicultural books, adding time for relationship building, using more learning stations and teaching children to be empathetic to others and their cultures.

2.This information has influenced a change in my teaching style because it led me to explore my own experiences. With the world the way it is now, children need to be informed and ready to recognize and dismiss racial prejudice. But it starts with the adults. It starts with the teachers, police, and community leaders. Where I grew up, in suburban Long Island, NY, an asian influence was developing and the bar of excellence in learning went way up. This was a good thing for me. I think the bar should be high for every student. But, I didn’t know it at the time. I was a student. I was influenced by others seeing the asian community as a threat and thereby making school work more challenging for me. Once the asian community integrated more and more, they were accepted as “one of us”. Where did I learn to do this? My community. This understanding that every teacher has their own unique experience will change my teaching style to listen more, pay attention more and teach more about these experiences so that we can all be more inclusive.

3.Some strategies I already use include cooperative groupings. At the beginning of each year we cover an entire PBL on the strategies that lend to successful group work. These include choosing roles within the group, knowing and following that role, taking turns, speaking respectfully and working together, i.e.) “No one is done until everyone is done”. This sets the tone for the entire school year for group work success. Another strategy that I use with much success is to have students teach concepts (peer teaching). This strategy always seems to work well. I think students learn more from a peer, who may use different vocabulary or teach a concept in a different way.

4.The strategies that I want to use in my CRC Implementation Plan include allowing students to share more personal stories during class time, which leads to relationship building. I will implement this by including some questions to answer before the curriculum material about their home life when I group them together. I will incorporate racially diverse reading material for my students to read aloud. “Read-to-Lead” has a nice list of multicultural books. These can be used to open discussions on diverse multicultural differences and acceptance of all.

I chose these strategies because I think they will realistically work well in my classroom. I agree wholeheartedly that ignoring our differences, or even being indifferent to them is the wrong approach. We need to provide conversation starters for these students to become accepting and inclusive human beings.
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Jo Anne L.May 18, 2022 at 12:45 PM
In this section, I learned that many of the strategies shared are things that we naturally do having being born and raised in Hawaiʻi. I feel that in Hawaiʻi, it is in our nature to get to know and build relationships with the people around us, even those we meet in a grocery store or on the plane and may never see again. I learned the significance of making connections and how deep of an impact it can have on your relationships and rapport with each students, which then also affects their learning. Everything is a domino effect
This information reminded me of the importance of connecting with students and getting to know them. It inspired me to dig deeper into each of my students by learning more about them, their family, their culture, their traditions, and their beliefs, how they got their name and the meaning behind it. As a mother, I now realize the importance of ensuring that my children know all of these things about themselves - all of their ethnicities; why we practice certain traditions; how we chose their names and the meaning, importance, and significance of their names, etc. I also now know the richness and value of sharing all these things about myself and my family with my students, and how much it helps strengthen my relationships with each of them, while also helping to build trust.
Strategies I already use are ensuring that I pronounce my studentsʻ names correctly; having one-on-one conversations; sharing about myself to help students get to know me better; and allowing students to share short stories about themselves to help me build and strengthen my relationships with each of my students.
In my CRC Implementation Plan, in addition to the strategies I already use, I would like to start using learning stations and using media that positively depict a range of cultures. Learning stations would allow me to have more one-on-one time with each of my students, while ensuring that the other students are still effectively working and learning through various engaging activities. Within those stations, I would be able to utilize media that would help expose students to stories and books that positively depict a range of cultures, which would allow students to step outside of their own bubble and expand their understanding of culture and others.
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AnonymousMay 19, 2022 at 10:52 PM
What did you learn in this section?
Before taking this class, I didn't realize a lot of the things that we do as teachers can apply to this style of teaching. Something as simple as having informal conversations with students contribute to the overall culture of the class. Even being willing to share things about yourself seems to be a valuable way to connect with students. I feel that I learned quite a bit about the strategies that I can use in the classroom to make my incorporation of culture more consistent. In the past, my biggest struggle was finding routines or activities to do on a consistent basis to make culture a bigger part of my classroom.

How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?
I have been working on incorporating more Hawaiian culture, but this has convinced me to try to incorporate more cultures as I become more comfortable with the activities. I am now trying to think of ways to establish a strong class culture from the beginning of the school year. My focus is taking the time just to get to know each other and understand each others backgrounds.

What strategies do you already use?
One of the main ones that stuck out to me that I already make sure to implement is the pronunciation of names. From my time at Kamehameha I really grew to understand the value of people's names and the significance behind them, especially in Hawaiian culture. I always take the time to learn my students' names properly. I also do my best to try to connect with students by pointing out similarities between them and myself. Giving them a chance to see that our experiences can be very similar to each other despite being a generation or two apart.

What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
The first strategy that I really want to focus on is creating time in the day for relationship building through questions and short stories. I think it's such an easy and simple way of relationship building. My students currently and in the past love telling and hearing stories. I think it would be such a great way to establish a culture of understanding in my classroom going forward. The other strategy, which I will eventually try to implement down the line is establishing better connections with parents. I have always had difficulty speaking to parents, so it's something I definitely want to work on to further establish connections with my students.

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AnonymousJuly 4, 2022 at 5:33 PM
In this section I learned that there are so many different strategies to make my classroom more culturally responsive. I was pleased to discover that I already have many practices that contribute to culturally responsiveness. I also realized that many of the activities that are included under the heading of culturally responsiveness are also elements of simply being a welcoming, warm classroom. I used to think that I needed to adopt an entirely new set of skills to be culturally responsive, but now I realize that I can build on a foundation that already exists in my skill set.

This knowledge has changed my pedagogy in that I realize that I can be much more direct in asking about students' cultures and ethnicities. This a win-win, as the students generally enjoy sharing about their background, and I am personally interested in learning more about the various cultures they represent. I also changed in that I see how I can modify existing lessons or activities to make them more culturally responsive instead of having to "reinvent the wheel" and create entirely new, separate lessons.

Strategies I already use are inviting students to share personal information to the class (ex. what they did over the weekend, what certain family traditions are). I also try as much as possible to talk one on one with each students as much as I can in order to develop a personal relationship with each of them. Another strategy I use is to play games or to gamify lessons, but after reading some of the articles I intend to do even more of these types of activities. In the beginning of the year I make sure to be able to pronounce each student's name correctly. Admittedly, this sometimes takes me a few weeks as almost no students nowadays has a "standard" name. I have always felt that calling someone by their proper or desired name is extremely important in developing strong relationships.

I would like to focus on having the students get to know me, so that we can establish solid relationships as soon as possible. I already intend to find out a lot about each of them through various means, but in the past I have struggled a bit with having the students know more about me in ways that will be interesting and meaningful to them. I intend to give out a survey during the first week of school giving students a chance to share what they have heard about me and what their first impressions are. I also want to turn this into a game where they can get points for guessing correct answers about some of my background and quirks. This will serve two purposes: first, it will allow me to see what kind of reputation I already have and perhaps confirm or dispel what they might have heard through the grapevine. Second, this will allow me an opportunity to give them an idea as to what to expect in order to make the class run as smoothly and enjoyably as possible.
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Brandon C.July 7, 2022 at 3:45 PM
1. What did you learn in this section?

In this section I learned the benefits of a culturally responsive classroom (CRC) and some strategies to create a CRC. I think one of the most significant things I learned was the importance of getting to know my students. I took a professional development class last school year that focused on building positive relationships with my students and this course emphasizes the importance of that while building a CRC. Another important thing I learned in this section is teaching strategies that I can implement to help build a comfortable learning environment for my students. Many of the strategies focus on providing differentiated lessons where different students can succeed while accessing the same content. The section provided some interesting strategies such as a cultural research project, word of the day, and cooperative group learning that can help differentiate lessons so students from various backgrounds can succeed in my class and curriculum.

2. How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?

The information helped me realize and understand the value of CRC and differentiated lessons. When designing lessons, I think it is important to keep in mind my student background and readiness levels. This section provided me with a solid foundation on how to get to know and understand my students while providing me with valuable instructional strategies to help me create differentiated lessons based on student needs and interests.

3. What strategies do you already use?

One strategy that I use in my classroom is taking time to learn about my students. As mentioned earlier, I took a course emphasizing the importance of building a positive relationship with my students and I try to dedicate some class time to get to know my students. I distribute questionnaires asking students about their interest and what I can do to help them learn in my class. I also take time at the beginning and ending of the class to just converse with my students to find common interests. Another strategy that I use is welcoming my students by name when entering the classroom. Again, this helps me build a positive relationship with my students and makes them feel welcomed in class. I think by doing this, it helps create a CRC and positive learning environment where the students are willing to share their thoughts, opinions, and ask questions without feeling intimidated or embarrassed.

4. What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?

I would like to focus on peer teaching through jigsaw activities and cooperative group learning. Peer teaching is a good way to create a student-led classroom where students create the discussion and questions and the teacher facilitates and guides it. Cooperative group learning also fosters an environment that is student centered and my students are more engaged when they are able to work and talk with their peers in class. I think strategically grouping students based on readiness level and cultural background will also be valuable to students. By doing this, they will be able to build relationships and friendships with peers from different backgrounds.

I selected these strategies because my focus is to build a CRC that is student-led. Engagement is one of my weaknesses as a teacher and building a CRC that is student-led should create a more engaging classroom environment. Using peer teaching and cooperative group learning should create an environment where students are more engaged with the content.
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AnonymousJuly 8, 2022 at 11:34 AM
This section focused on different strategies that can be used for various subject areas to help develop a culturally responsive classroom. One big takeaway from this section was from the article "Culturally Responsive Teaching: Examples, Strategies, and Activities for Success," in which the author expresses that culturally responsive teaching can include differentiation strategies. These differentiation strategies are comparable to culturally responsive pedagogy because we are catering to students of all backgrounds, which includes their culture and upbringing. This information makes the task of creating a culturally responsive classroom more attainable, and I feel more confident with what I am already implementing and what I plan to implement for the upcoming school year.

Some strategies from this section that I already implement are those that involve getting to know my students. I place a huge emphasis on learning students' names and learning how to pronounce them correctly. A former middle school teacher of mine couldn't pronounce my classmates' Hawaiian names, and shortened it for their benefit. I know that it made my classmates upset, even though some pretended not to show it. I also do a considerable amount of check-ins with my students and talk to them a lot about their responses to questionnaires, in order to develop positive relationships with them. I am also a huge advocate for peer and group work, as I've seen some students thrive in an environment where they get to work alongside a peer and collaborate for class activities. I also love to incorporate gamification into lessons - my students typically love Quizizz and Blooket, and they also like when review games or "mini competitions" are held in the classroom. Because I teach in a middle school setting, they still have a positive attitude about these activities and get very involved.

There are three strategies from the reading that I would like to focus on for my CRC Implementation Plan. The first one is integrating more relevant word problems. Although sometimes I try to think of my own word problems and make them applicable to students by using their names or topics they're interested in, it's difficult to find time to do that consistently throughout the year. Most times I'll use word problems from the textbook (Into Math), although I recognize now that the word problems contained in that book are not necessarily culturally relevant to my students in Hawaii, but were created for many White students in the mainland. I want to carve out more time to make word problems more relatable to my students. The second strategy I would like to implement is adapting stations to incorporate various activities that students can choose based on how they learn best. Although this may be harder to do for math, it could be done by differentiating group versus peer versus individualized work. The third strategy I would like to implement is incorporating more cultural projects and bringing in guest speakers to help resonate the importance of culture with students. We currently have a project called the "Culture Quilt," with which we ask students to research important symbols or patterns from their culture and create a quilt pattern with it using geometric transformations. We are looking for ways to revise this project to be more meaningful for students, and we think that incorporating more cultural projects or assignments along the way will help to instill that idea before assigning the Culture Quilt project.
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Cheryl BorshJuly 13, 2022 at 9:52 AM
In the article Classroom where Everyone Feels Welcome I learned about six very important strategies to build strong relationships with my students. One of which really resonated with me because I am not fluent in Hawaiian language but many of my student's past, present, and future have very special Hawaiian names. For example, last year during our promotion ceremony I needed to be explicit about the pronunciation of my students' names. I communicated with my students about my drive and determination to learn their names properly. Over the year I worked directly with my students asking them to coach me on the correct pronunciation so that I could impress them at graduation. Their responses were beautiful when they said “I know you can do it Mrs. Borsh, if you work really hard at it!” On promotion day I did not disappoint and my students were very proud of their teacher.
The way the information has influenced change in my teaching style is by bringing down my own barriers to learning something new. When my students see that their teacher is taking risks and chances in order to become better at something, they in turn replicate the grit.
One strategy that I already use in my classroom is by setting aside time for relationship housekeeping. I have practiced this with my students during morning meetings, but I think I will try a different approach or supplement approach next year. Maybe having an end-of-day check-in, or setting aside a short time period for students to ask questions, and share brief short stories of their lives.
A strategy I like to use in CRC implementation plan is activating students' prior knowledge. This gives me a lens to see how my students' lives have and are being lived. It allows me a snapshot of their current experiences and what they are living day to day in and out of the classroom.
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LinhJuly 15, 2022 at 1:29 PM
What did you learn in this section?
I learned about safe spaces for multilingual students. A safe space is an area where students can go to receive academic support or meet with peers to tutor each other. This sounds like a great idea. Other than having a multilingual learners (MLL) program, the school I work at does not have something like this. This would be a great support to implement so MLL students have a place of comfort and a place where they may feel there are others like him or her.
How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?
The information definitely lists and expands on things teachers should be doing to ensure an optimal learning environment for MLLs. This motivates me to improve my teaching pedagogy to impact more of my students. I do not teach much about culture in my classroom. I always incorporate my students' hobbies into my lessons however I do not connect my lessons to different languages or traditions. This is something I will need to embrace to improve my teaching style.

What strategies do you already use?
The first relationship building approach in the article, “A Classroom Where Everyone Feels Welcome” is to learn your students’ names. I laughed when I read this because I always make sure I know how to spell and pronounce all my students' names. To many non Vietnamese people, they misspell my name or when they realize the spelling, they say, “That’s an interesting way of spelling it.” From these experiences, growing up, I always made sure I would say people’s names correctly and I had always hoped that my students would appreciate my effort in this. I am also very open to sharing about myself to my students because I hope that they would be willing to share about themselves too. As I provide my students with math word problems or hypothetical situations, I always include their names or talk about their interests. They love hearing about themselves and it is like a realistic fiction story for them.

What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
I plan to continue to build strong relationships with my students by having conversations to learn about them. I always felt that this is the first step in helping students improve. When students trust and are comfortable with you, they will follow your lead and give effort. The Culturally Responsive Teaching guide mentions that many cultures have a story-like way of explaining things. I feel that I am more direct in my teaching and may want to attempt teaching this way.
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Cathleen KuangJuly 23, 2022 at 4:09 PM
1. What did you learn in this section? In this section, I learned about different strategies to create a culturally responsive classroom. In the first article, I learned about how to make everyone feel welcome in the classroom by getting to know our students, getting to know our families, opening up about myself, and understanding the content. In the second article, I learned different examples and activities I could use to create a culturally responsive classroom, such as using different differentiation techniques, calling on every student, allowing student choice, including collaboration with their peers, and implementing problem-based learning scenarios. In the third article, I learned about my instructor’s favorite activities to have a culturally responsive classroom such as learning about the students’ genealogy, doing a cultural research project, having one-on-one conversation with their students, and making an ABC book of cultures. There was a lot of information in the fifth article, including ways that I can mentally prepare to be culturally responsive, how I can be a effective teacher that is culturally responsive, and having high expectations of myself and my students in creating a culturally responsive classroom. In the last article, it explains ways that we should overcome stereotypes, create curriculum that is culturally relevant, and using culturally responsive strategies that honor the home language.
2. How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy? The information from this section has helped me with understanding what I can do to create a culturally responsive environment, and also helped me learn some new strategies that I can use to foster a culturally responsive classroom. Some ideas that resonated with me include understanding the content and getting to know the families. Having just finished my third year of teaching, I feel like I still am trying to get used to the different standards for each subject, which is why I have mostly been following the curriculum as it is. However, when we teach to the curriculum, students with different cultural backgrounds may have a difficult time connecting with the content, because it is not relatable to them. A lot of the strategies that I have learned so far connect the content to the students first before having students connect it to a worldly perspective. I also struggle with making connections with the students’ family members, which probably stem from my childhood experience. Both my parents worked and did not speak English, which made it difficult for them to support me with my assignments and projects. So as a teacher now, I thought it would be better if I kept projects and assignments to things that could be done at school. However, the teacher, the families, and the students all play an important role in students’ success. By not including parent involvement, I have robbed the opportunity for that collaboration and connection with the students, and families, and myself, and I know now that I should provide more opportunities for everyone to become involved in the child’s learning.
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AnonymousJuly 28, 2022 at 4:08 PM
In this section, I learned that Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) acknowledges and embraces students’ cultures, languages, and experiences, as well as relates them to classroom learning. Culturally responsive teachers are aware of the various cultural backgrounds present in their classrooms, and act as a facilitator of lessons that can resonate with each. In order to establish a culturally-responsive classroom, I learned that it is important to: establish inclusion, develop positive attitudes, enhance meaning, and foster confidence.
Through these articles I was able to reflect on my own teaching, as I learned that I already practice some of the CRT strategies currently in my own classroom. One strategy that I implement from the first day of school is getting to know my students. I practice this strategy by asking each student questions often and allowing them to share their thoughts with their peers. Students in my class also complete an All About Me activity in the beginning of the school year with their parents at home and bring it back to share out with the class. My students love this activity because they find about their common interests very early on in the school year. Another strategy that I already practice in my classroom is gamifying lessons. In order to make learning more engaging for my students, over the years, I’ve created and purchased many games and learning incentives for my students to use throughout the year. For example, for our science unit, our students were learning about plant parts and needs. Rather than just showing them our PowerPoint presentation, I additionally created a Jeopardy game for us to all play together. My students loved the game because it was fun, yet challenging, and they also got to participate in some competitive gameplay against their peers.
These articles also taught me many new strategies that I plan to try out once the school year begins. One strategy that I really liked was to implement different forms of content through learning stations. These learning stations may include: playing games, creating art, watching videos, reading articles/stories, computer time, completing puzzles, and listening/reading with the teacher. Due to COVID over the past 3 years, it has been pretty difficult to implement group activities such as reading groups or learning stations. Now that we are 3 years into the pandemic and are seeing some sort of a normalization, I can’t wait to use learning stations in my classroom. My students, over the years, have really missed that social interaction in the classroom, and so have I. Another strategy that I would like to practice implementing is allowing students to propose ideas for projects. In first grade, it can be difficult for them to generate a genius project idea by themselves. However, I do believe that with teacher guidance and a push in the right direction, they should be able to accomplish the learning goal, while also coming up with ideas for projects and/or assignments. Giving students the freedom to propose project ideas will get them really excited for the task at hand, as well as keep them highly engaged throughout their learning.
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AnonymousAugust 6, 2022 at 4:18 PM

In this section, I gained insight into the importance of creating a safe learning environment to implement strategies, practices, and activities to foster a Culturally Responsive Classroom. After reading the articles and viewing the videos, I have been mindful and purposeful in my intentions to set up the class culture as I start the school year with my class. I reflect on my practices and am taking the time to build meaningful relationships with my students. I am adapting what I am learning about Culturally Responsive Teaching to my everyday routines and expectations in the classroom. I have set up Class Dojo to communicate with the families. This section helped me to reflect on my practices and made me more conscientious about stereotyping students by ethnicity. It taught me to embrace each student and help them meet their own specific goals by using differentiation and providing different opportunities for students to show their understanding. Also, I have started the year by embedding social-emotional learning (SEL) into my lessons. Implementing strategies, practices, and activities that support culturally responsive teaching provides a learning opportunity for the students and myself to build relationships to cultivate a safe, nurturing, rigorous and stimulating learning environment.

The information I learned influenced a change in my teaching style and pedagogy and has influenced me to build a relationship with each child and strengthen the relationships within our classroom community. I reflect upon my teaching more often and use different strategies to help the students feel comfortable sharing their culture, language, and ethnicity with their classmates and embrace each individual as a piece of fabric that completes the quilt. We pick a word and have students share how they say it in their native language. They have fun listening to me trying to pronounce the words. The child teaches our entire class. I also use small groups more often for students to learn from their peers and have the students learn from one another. I am more flexible in giving students different choices to show their understanding and providing differentiation when necessary to help all students be successful. I have added valuable strategies, practices, and knowledge to my toolbox to stay current, flexible, and adaptable to my student's needs.

One strategy I already use is getting to know kids by their names and checking daily on their social and emotional well-being. I greet each child by the door every morning and address each child by name. I also ensure I let the students know how happy I am that they came to school. Through the years, I have reflected on my classroom management style and have changed, adapted, and modified my practices to create a safe learning environment for all learners to succeed.

One strategy I want to implement is more small group interaction to help support all learners and have them learn from each other. I believe if I can provide them with the learning opportunity with the necessary support, they will all be successful. I will embed videos, read-aloud books, hands-on activities, and kinesthetic activities to provide students with various learning experiences to help all learners succeed. Another strategy is to give students several choices to demonstrate their understanding of the lesson.
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AnonymousAugust 15, 2022 at 7:35 AM

I learned great strategies that I could use to create a culturally responsive classroom. I learned how important it is to be able to pronounce my student’s names correctly. In the past I’ve tried to sound it out, if I did get a wrong pronunciation I would ask them to please correct me, because I want to be able to pronounce correctly. I also know how it feels because growing up I had a last name that was very hard to pronounce. Another thing I learned is that I need to be consistent in holding my students accountable and be sure to each of them in their learning. I always want to see my students grow and encourage them to do so.
This information has influenced a change into my teaching style because I am able to use these strategies in order to build a better learning environment. I think it’ll help me improve in my teaching practices so that I can create a culturally responsive culture. I want to be able to create meaningful lessons with my students.
The strategies that I already use are talking to my students one on one. I love getting to know them, and I also think it is important to take an interest in their lives. I teach a laulima class which is a social emotional learning class. We use second steps, but I love to create more SEL lesson plans that ties in with many different cultures.
I am interested in using The Cultural Project because I think it’ll be fun and interesting for the students to research and learn about their own cultures or another culture that isn’t theirs. Another thing I am interested in is using the ABC book! I think my students will learn to look deep into their ethnicity.
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AnonymousAugust 22, 2022 at 8:48 AM
I learned in this section the overall understanding of strategies that we can implement in our classrooms to help facilitate and create positive learning environments. How Social Emotional (SEL) learning has an impact on our students day to day learning experience. This section taught that differentiated learning is optimal for students to be successful, but has to be rooted in equity for all based on your classroom expectation not societal norms or socioeconomic status. Each student can still have that unique learning experience, but it needs to be based more on the interaction between teacher and student, not just steeped in their IEP, or 504 plan. We can achieve much more with our students by understanding them as opposed to just looking at their information.
This information has shown me that I would like to create a little more student voice in my room. Not just because it aligns with my school initiative for the year, but because it creates a learning atmosphere where the student has much more invested. I think as teachers, we can all agree that when the student is invested in their learning it makes everything seem to flow and be much “easier”. Learning takes place in the process, so why not let them shift and control the narrative a little bit? As teachers we have a hard time letting go of control of our Lesson Plans or classroom management style.
The Strategy I use in my classroom right from the first day is trying to learn all my students' names and pronounce them correctly. In teaching Fine Arts I always end up with a lot of the Kaiapuni students enrolled in my classes. I always have them introduce themselves and I can hear how they pronounce their name and I make notes on my roster. I also try my best to be intentional in my language with my students. Whether that means positive or not so positive affirmation.
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Carolann BarrettSeptember 11, 2022 at 5:52 PM
1. What did you learn in this section?
I learned my different strategies on why cultural responsive classrooms are important and what strategies could I use develop these relationships with my students.

2.How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy? As I read these articles and watched the video I was able to reflect on my own thought process in relation to how a positive SEL environment is created in a classroom and how it can be not only sustained but flourished. It serves as a great reminder that I need to not only see the culture as a teacher, but to explore it, learn more about the similarities and differences of the cultural backgrounds that my students come from. I also feel that I could do more to facilitate greater compassion, communication, and acceptance across all cultures.

What strategies do you already use?
1. Learn about your students
2.Deliver different forms of content through learning stations
3.Call on each student
4.Establish Cooperative based groups

What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
The resource Kumu U'i's Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies, was so beneficial for me to use in my classroom. I love this resource. As I read though the list of activities I began to think of ways I could adapt these for my grade level and use them personally in the classroom. I feel there is so much to do at the beginning of the year, but getting to know my students and developing a positive relationship with them is first priority. It is important to get to know my students on so many different levels, cultural understanding is a top priority.
1. What did you learn in this section?
I learned my different strategies on why cultural responsive classrooms are important and what strategies could I use develop these relationships with my students.

How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy? As I read these articles and watched the video I was able to reflect on my own thought process in relation to how a positive SEL environment is created in a classroom and how it can be not only sustained but flourished. It serves as a great reminder that I need to not only see the culture as a teacher, but to explore it, learn more about the similarities and differences of the cultural backgrounds that my students come from. I also feel that I could do more to facilitate greater compassion, communication, and acceptance across all cultures.

What strategies do you already use?

What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
The resource Kumu U'i's Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies, was so beneficial for me to use in my classroom. I love this resource. As I read though the list of activities I began to think of ways I could adapt these for my grade level and use them personally in the classroom. I feel there is so much to do at the beginning of the year, but getting to know my students and developing a positive relationship with them is first priority. It is important to get to know my students on so many different levels, cultural understanding is a top priority.
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Markie B.September 16, 2022 at 7:00 PM
What did you learn in this section?

In this section, I learned different strategies and benefits of incorporating cultural responsiveness in the classroom. In one of the articles, it mentioned how students need to be related to as full, complex, multidimensional people. This section taught me how there are many different ways students can be supported, culturally in the classroom. By just getting to know students, pronouncing their names correctly, having conversations with them and allowing students to get to know you, as their teacher, are all strategies that can create a culturally responsive classroom.

How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?

This information made me reflect on my teaching style and pedagogy by really thinking about how I already incorporate culture into the classroom and also ways that I can incorporate it even more. My hope is to include culture more intentionally so it helps students academically. I’d like to learn how to integrate it in different content areas. I think by doing this, students will be able to connect and apply their learning to real world situations. My goal as a teacher is to help students learn and grow so they are able to grow up and be successful citizens in our community.

What strategies do you already use?

A few strategies I already use is having one-on-one conversations with students. I like to get to know each student as a learner and as an individual. I think this helps me understand better who the student is and how I can best support them throughout the year. I make it a point throughout the day to walk around the classroom, sit down and talk to different students. Another strategy I use is letting students get to know me. I like to share about myself so students know that I am human too. I think this allows students to make connections with me because we have something in common and they don’t just see me as a teacher. Another strategy I use is connecting with parents. I use ClassTag which is a parent communication tool. ClassTag allows me to post information, pictures, videos and or message parents about our class or their child. This helps me not only build relationships with parents but opens access for them to communicate with me freely.

What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?

One strategy I want to use in my CRC Implementation plan is presenting new concepts using student vocabulary. I believe it’s very important for students to learn vocabulary and information that is related to who they are, where they come from and where they live. Students are familiar with these vocabulary words, so they can understand what they mean and can pronounce them correctly when learning about new concepts. Students will become use to the words and engaged in their learning because it’s dealing with words they hear/use regularly.

Another strategy I will use in my CRC Implementation plan is involving parents. I think it’s great to involve parents in their child's learning so they know what their child is learning about and can support them as necessary. In all cultures, parents are looked up to for guidance and support. I think it’s important for parents to have this opportunity to support their child in their learning. Also, I think students will feel more confident knowing they have someone to assist them at home with their schooling.
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Jennifer WasadaOctober 2, 2022 at 1:50 PM
What did you learn in this section?
In this section I learned how to create a culturally responsive classroom and some specific strategies. There were so many great examples that I could implement in my kindergarten classroom including but not limited to problem based learning, peer-teaching and student voice and having students suggest different learning/project topics.

How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?
The information in the section confirmed the importance of students needing to feel comfortable and creating a safe learning environment for students so students are able to learn and grow. I also learned to keep an open mind and remember that culture and language may contribue to the different attitudes and behaviors displayed by students. Giving students grace and being patient to each student since I do not live in their shoes and do not know everything they are going through.

What strategies do you already use?
I realize I use a bunch of strategies that were presented in the various articles. Some of the strategies I use include: involving parents with take-home letters, "gamify" lessons, content teaching through small groups, and learn about students likes/dislikes by having one on one conversations.

What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
I definitely want to implement peer-teaching. As students become comfortable in the classroom as a whole, they are able to build relationships through peer-teaching/ partner/ small group work. These can be as easy as having students teach a peer about something of their interest, or it could be academic as teaching a peer to count to 10.

Another strategy I would like to implement is using media that positively depict a range of cultures. A lot of my students love media and I want to leverage what they enjoy and use it to teach them an important life skill.
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Megan TerryNovember 27, 2022 at 3:49 PM
One of the most resonant pieces of the learning was a quote from a Lakota teen speaking about the teachers of her high school: “A bunch of teachers here, they think they know what's wrong with us. But they don't know. If people want to help us, they have to see what we've been through, not from what their own experiences tell them.” Building relationships and meeting students where they are takes a great deal of time, respect, and learning. There may be fundamental aspects of my students’ culture that they are still learning about themselves, but that are extremely sacred. It is important that I learn and respect the history and culture that make up the diverse humans that populate my classroom, and in doing so, they will feel honored, respected, welcome, and open to learning.

There was a plethora of useful culturally responsive teaching strategies, some of which I have tried and some that were new. For example, I frequently use learning stations, gamifying lessons and learning, peer teaching, and cooperative base learning. One strategy that I would love to implement more often is problem-based learning. The article states that problem-based learning lends itself well to culturally responsive learning because “when presenting a relatable real world problem to solve two cultural connections will simultaneously occur.” First, the problem itself can come with cultural implications or implicit connections to the problem can be made. Second, how the students approach solving the problem will come with unique cultural perspectives. Both of these things can open up rich discussions in the class and offer their own type of learning and reflection. I teach at a project-based learning charter school. However, I can’t remember a time where I thought of projects (or problem-based learning) explicitly through the lens of culture and considered all the different avenues we can enrich this type of learning by bringing cultural perspectives and conversations into the learning.

One strategy I have made sure to employ is to pronounce student names correctly, and sometimes to take a lesson to encourage students to share/explore about the origin of their names. This both fosters an inclusive learning environment, allows me space to get to know the most fundamental part of them, and I find that students enjoy learning and sharing about their names. For example, they might describe the meaning, how their parents picked it, or even how they feel about it.

Years ago my students completed a Family Roots Project which was similar to one of the suggestions in Kumu U’i’s Culturally Responsive Strategies list. Students were highly engaged in this project, as I truly believe we are wired to want to explore our own identities, especially in adolescence. There were various components to the project such as interviewing family members, creating a family tree, completing historical research, and creating something related to their roots such as cooking a family dish. It was ten years ago that this project happened, but because of the learnings of this course I am inspired to incorporate it again, as it was such a meaningful learning experience.
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DesireeDecember 6, 2022 at 12:02 PM
Articles in this section provided me with many different strategies that help create a culturally responsive classroom. Some strategies were similar, but at the same time, each article had differences. At the top of the list of must-dos, learning students' names and creating an environment where students can speak and share their thoughts and interest is vital. One strategy that I found myself not doing is making the connection with parents before a problem occurs. Since I teach secondary, I expect students to be self-directed and begin to take charge of their education. With that, I contact parents when grades and behaviors are slipping. Instead, I should also make contact with parents to praise their child as it is just as important. I can see how making that connection with parents is important in creating a culturally responsive class. Other strategies that I read about were interesting because those strategies were always direct. For example, establish cooperative base groups. This strategy creates roles for students that focus on supporting each other while striving to meet learning goals. So this strategy is indirectly creating a culturally responsive classroom as well. Versus direct strategies like learning names and setting aside time to learn about students' interests and just talk stories or allow them to ask questions.

There are a few strategies that I already use in my classroom For example, see yourself as the student sees you - be mindful of body language and tone of voice with students. Being mindful of these things is who I am as a person, but it was an eye-opener when it was listed as a strategy and made total sense! If a teacher comes across in a negative way to a student, that same energy is going to be reciprocated. Another strategy that was an ah-ha moment for me was to know your content so that you can better explain it to students and predict common mistakes. I believe that we need to be pros at our content. We cannot look incompetent to students because how will they trust us and be interested to learn from us if we don't know our stuff? This is why I practice and practice and practice before I lecture on a new topic. Even if I've been doing it for years! There are always different tips and tricks that I can tell students that will help them to understand math, a subject that most don't want to learn to begin with!

Some strategies that I would like to implement in my lesson plans for this course are; Learning names, Surveying students' interests/hobbies and Running problem-based learning scenarios. Taking time at the beginning of the year to learn each student's name is important because it makes students feel valued and acknowledged. Getting information on students through a survey on google forms will help me to get to know my students and build positive relationships with each of them, while keeping organized. Running problem-based learning scenarios will allow students to use culturally-relevant examples and information.
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AnonymousDecember 16, 2022 at 4:17 PM
BY: APRIL PAULINO, 12/16/2022

What did you learn in this section?
I have learned that building meaningful relationships with students is at the heart of every culturally responsive classroom. My students need to feel safe, heard and seen to be their most authentic selves in the classroom. One way I can solidify my relationships with my students is by getting to know their families and involving them more in their learning. I understand that there are some cultures that do not see family as having an active role in education, instead they place their full trust in the hands of teachers. Though, there are ways to engage all families. Thoughtful projects that involve students collaborating with their families create opportunities for students to share the interests and experiences they have.

How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?
The information provided in the articles influenced me to think about how I can create more student-led projects. I realized that my lessons are often teacher-led and are about topics that are selected by a curriculum program. I am curious to see what students will share and what approach they will use to share information. Going this route will help me learn more about their interests and strengths.
What strategies do you already use?
I already use some of the communication strategies. I am sensitive to cultural norms on communication by giving students more wait time and opportunities to discuss with their peers first before sharing their ideas to me. I practice whole-body communication with my students to reinforce the importance of using appropriate gestures and to give students opportunities to practice listening to various people in different scenarios. In addition, I am cognizant about making sure all my students are heard and validated; students practice affirming each other’s thoughts during whole - group discussions.

What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
In my CRC implementation plan, I plan on having students complete a questionnaire, which would require them to interview family members. I am choosing this strategy because it would allow students to practice the communication skills we have been working on in class – whole body listening, affirming, and clarifying. Second, this questionnaire would foster school-family connection, which is currently lacking in my classroom.
I also plan on having students study different cultures by gathering information about past and present experiences of people from different backgrounds. I am choosing this strategy to practice providing a balanced lesson that offers a look at different sides.
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Maureen ClayDecember 18, 2022 at 7:04 AM
What did you learn in this section?
In this section I learned about all of the different strategies and things that I can incorporate into my classroom to become a better teacher to my students. I do currently use some of these strategies, however this section really opened up my understanding of why it is so important for teachers to have diverse teaching strategies in the classroom. I tend to get into my groove in teaching and realize that I have to change things now and again and learn new strategies that will enhance learning for my students.
One thing that I realized is how important families are and how they are such a big part of student learning. Being a distance learning teacher it occurred to me during this lesson that I should be utilizing the parents more than ever because all of my students are learning from home.
How has this information influenced a change in your teaching style and/or pedagogy?
Reading these articles has influenced my teaching and given me many new ideas that I would like to incorporate into my daily teaching. I realized that in math I use the online curriculum that I am given so I do not often change the problems to become culturally relevant to the students, but I now realized that I can and should go into the problem bank and modify the questions so that they are more relevant to the students. I also realized that I have to give students time to assess their own progress and performance after each lesson and that is something that I do not do before class ends.
What strategies do you already use?
I currently do use many of these strategies in my classroom to a certain extent. I do assign different types of student work time. I have been trying out a flipped classroom approach recently with my students so I record my video lecture and allow students to explore a math concept first before doing the classwork/homework. In order to do this I allow students to work in groups or individually. I do allow students to pick slightly but I do have to group students together that have completed the work the night before along with some other factors.
A few other strategies that I currently use is using media that depicts a range of cultures. Some of these include videos that I show in class but mostly I use different themes in my daily slides. I always ask a question at the beginning of class while students are logging into class that often has to do with their likes, interests, culture, and views on a wide range of topics. I then use this information into the themes of my daily slides or problems.
What strategies will you use in your CRC Implementation Plan? Why did you choose those?
One of the first things I would like my student to do is to share something about their culture or in their native language and relate it to math. We are currently working on ratios and proportions in the next month so I would like students to share a family recipe with the class and they will then be required to create different amounts of the recipe. One thing that I would like to implement into my classroom is to incorporate language and have students also share their recipe in their native language, however I currently do not have any students that speak another language. This is the first year that I have not had a bilingual student so I would like to implement that when the situation arises.
Some of the smaller strategies that I would like to implement are including my student names into the problems. I do this a bit now but not as much as I should. I have noticed when I do it really gets students involved in the math questions and more engaged. I would like to include some math artwork into my lesson and with building lines and shapes and have students share their culture in art form.
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