One way teachers meet the diverse needs of their students is by addressing their cultural, linguistic, and economic backgrounds.
Culturally responsive teaching uses students' cultural experiences and background as a medium for helping them learn skills in various classes.
A culturally responsive teacher:
- Designs instruction that affirms, draws on and extends students' life experiences. He is knowledgeable about students' life circumstances, and encourages them to write, research, and create artworks about topics that are close to them.
- Chooses diverse materials that relate to who the students are.
She makes sure to include works from other cultures that both affirm and challenge student experiences.
- Gives students access to successful adult models who come from a variety of backgrounds, including backgrounds similar to those of the students. She draws on adult practitioners from diverse backgrounds to enrich student learning.
- Shows sensitivity to students' language.
He does not, for example, over-correct lapses in language use by students who are working toward proficiency in standard English.
- Creates learning activities that mesh with students' styles of interaction.
She encourages students to work alone, and with peers in pairs, and in small, self-regulating groups.
In the interactive below, identify ways that Stephen DiMenna demonstrates sensitivity to the cultural, linguistic, and economic backgrounds of the students he is teaching.
NOW: Write and Reflect
You've just observed a visiting theatre artist use culturally responsive teaching to help students in a New York City public high school write their own plays. Now extend your observations to your own teaching situation. Read the following questions and answer one in light of the students and art form you teach.
Questions to write and reflect about:
- What are the cultural backgrounds and prior experiences of the students in your school? What are some ways you are already addressing these experiences in your teaching?
- Pop culture and mass media are a shared culture and a powerful presence for most adolescents. How do you address this in your arts teaching — whether by consciously drawing on it, avoiding it, or something in between?
- Would Stephen's teaching choices (material, guests, writing strategies) have worked equally well with students in your school? Which of his strategies is most relevant for your own students, and how might you incorporate this strategy into your teaching?
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