1. Preparing Culturally Responsive Middle Grades Educators
AMLE 2016 Teacher Education Symposium
Kathleen Brinegar, Johnson State College
Lisa Harrison, Ohio University
Cynthia Reyes, University of Vermont

2. Session Overview What is Cultural Responsiveness?
Where do we come from? Creating Neighborhood Maps
What Makes us Diverse? The Diversity Wheel
Examining a Real World Scenario
Using A Social Justice Framework to Observe Classroom Environments

3. Cultural Responsiveness
Geneva Gay (2002) states that
Culturally responsive teaching is defined as using the cultural characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of ethnically diverse students as conduits for teaching them more effectively. It is based on the assumption that when academic knowledge and skills are situated within the lived experiences and frames of reference of students, they are more personally meaningful, have higher interest appeal, and are learned more easily and thoroughly (p. 106).

4. Five Essential Elements of Culturally Responsive Teaching
Developing a knowledge base about cultural diversity
Including ethnic and cultural diversity content in the curriculum
Demonstrating caring and building learning communities
Communicating with ethnically diverse students
Responding to ethnic diversity in the delivery of instruction

5. Creating Neighborhood Maps
How are you connected to the daily life of your
neighborhood?
In what ways do your surroundings shape who
you are?
What cultural practices are the norm in your

6. The Diversity Wheel
Issues of difference could be examined with the “diversity wheel” (Loden & Rosener, 1991).
How might people treat you differently based on what you share about yourself in different settings?
Issues of difference cover a huge territory.
One way to examine differences more closely is to work with your students to reflect on their differences.
As they reflect on the different categories and what they assigned to themselves they might realize that the wheel doesn’t really say much about their uniqueness, about their personal history, or how they think about themselves.
It does motivate them to think about the social reality that shape people’s lives in powerful ways.

7. Real World Scenario
The dilemma of the “what country are you from” Social Studies assignment.
Why is this parent upset?
Is this parent justified in being upset?
Create a facebook reply post.
Do you think this was a culturally responsive assignment?
In which ways did this post and thread complicate your
thoughts on culturally responsive teaching?

8. Real World Scenario
Communicating with parents in culturally responsive ways.
What are your thoughts on the way that the teacher
responded to Trecia’s ?
As a teacher, how would you respond to this parent?
What role does cultural awareness and understanding
play into effectively communicating with parents?

9. Using a Social Justice Framework to Observe Classroom Environments
According to Nieto (2006) Social Justice Education:
“Challenges, confronts,and disrupts misconceptions, untruths, and stereotypes that lead to structural inequality and discrimination based on race, social class, gender, and other social and human differences.”
Provides “all students with the resources necessary to learn to their full potential.”
“Requires a rejection of the deficit perspective… to a perspective that views all students—not just those from privileged backgrounds—as having resources that can be a foundation for their learning.”
Creates “a learning environment that promotes critical thinking and supports agency for social change.”

10. Resources
Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53,
Gay, G., & Kirkland, K. (2003). Developing cultural critical consciousness and self-reflection in pre-service teacher education. Theory into Practice, 42,
Nieto, Sonia. (2006). Teaching as Political Work:Learning from Courageous and Caring Teachers. Sarah Lawrence College, Child Development Institute.
Loden, M, & Rosener, J. (1991). Workforce America!: Managing Employee Diversity as a Vital Resource. Homewood , IL: Business One Irwin