The Culturally Responsive Classroom

The Culturally Responsive Classroom

By: Rhonda Phillips

What is a culturally responsive classroom?

• Allows and encourages diversity among the students and teacher.

• It provides a safe environment for all students to be themselves and be heard.

• It provides rigor in the course content by utilizing differentiation strategies.

• It teaches problem-solving, conflict resolution, and critical thinking skills.

• It incorporates students’ culture into the curriculum and classroom environment/climate.

Classroom Environment and Climate

• Includes walls, seating, lighting, sound, materials, and technology– Exhibit student

work– Allow the students

to decorate the room (with guidelines)

Classroom Environment and Climate

• Post and make clear rules, routines, and expectations– Allow students to create the

expectations for the classroom

Classroom Environment and Climate (cont.)

• Teach problem solving, critical thinking, and conflict resolution– Group work – Listening and speaking skills

• Know and understand the leaning needs of all students, including gifted, ELL, disabilities, and socio-economic status– Personal inventory– Learning Style Inventory

• Recognize opportunities for learning– Be cognizant of the things people are saying

and the way they are saying them

Relationships• Activities

– Cultural Concept Map– Personal Profiles– Describe Yourself in 6

Words• Attend events within

the communities of your students.– Festival of the Forks

• *Don’t be afraid to know your students

Festival of the Forks• A 2-day non-stop • festival celebrating • Albion’s community spirit.• Shopping, activities, dancing,

cultural experiences, parade, and music.

Curriculum and Assessment

• Student-Centered Instruction and Authentic Assessments

• ELA– Meaningful Objects– Walking in the Shoes of Others

• Science– Weather, Weather Everywhere– Diversity in Plants and Wildlife

• Social Studies– Life Timeline– Ojibwe Dying Quills Designs

• Math– Graphing Differences– Sweat Shop Math– Heirloom Geometry