Knannariello Portfolio Page
Mini Course: How to be Culturally Responsive in your Teaching
About me
Welcome to my page!
My name is Kayla Nannariello. I graduated from SUNY New Paltz in 2020, with a degree in early childhood and childhood education. I am now in my first semester at SUNY Albany, and I am pursuing a masters in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology.
Last year I worked as a permanent building substitute, where I completed a leave for a 4th grade teacher (most of the time being remote). I am currently working at a K-2 elementary school where I teach kindergarten.
My Topic/Purpose
The topic of my course focuses on being culturally responsive in the classroom. Our classrooms are very diverse, so it's important that we acknowledge this in our teaching. This course will discuss why it's so important to be culturally responsive, the impacts it will have on students, and strategies and resources teachers can use to help them be culturally responsive in their teaching.
Learning Objectives
- Understand what it means to be culturally responsive and how that relates to a diverse classroom.
- Explain why it is important to be mindful of the different cultures represented in your classroom.
- Learn and apply different culturally responsive teaching strategies in your classroom.
- Become familiar with different online resources that can be used in your classroom.
Needs Assessment
Instructional Problem:
The students in our classrooms come from all different cultures and backgrounds. Because of this, a student may have had different experiences not only from their classmates but also their teacher. This may affect how students both learn and behave in the classroom. It may also impact relationships amongst students, and students and their teachers.
What will be Learned:
Students of this course will learn what it means to be culturally responsive, and why it is important to be culturally responsive regardless of how diverse their classroom is. Students will also learn how to use different culturally responsive teaching strategies in their classroom, and will become equipped with online resources that can help them as well.
Exploring the Problem and Solution:
Classrooms are becoming more and more diverse. Because of this, it is important that teachers acknowledge that students come from different backgrounds. They should know not only how to reflect students' different cultures in the given curriculum but also how to meet the needs that may come up due to having a diverse classroom. It is also important that teachers practice being completely unbiased and not pay attention to stereotypes.
Goals:
The goal of this course is to help teachers become culturally competent. This means that teachers will be aware that everyone in their class has a unique cultural identity. Teachers should use what they learn in the course to practice being culturally responsive in their own classroom. They will use the strategies and resources that they are provided with to include students' different cultures and backgrounds in all aspects of their teaching and students' learning.
Analysis of the Learner and Context
This course is designed for teachers of all grade levels. All teachers can benefit from learning what it means to be culturally responsive and how to practice it in their classroom, as all students have different backgrounds and experiences. But, the majority of the books and resources included in this course will be geared towards elementary classes. Young students are very impressionable, so it's important to foster a safe and encouraging environment where they feel comfortable being themselves and sharing their experiences. If we instill this ideas in students at a young age, they will hopefully carry it with them through life. Students of this course will learn how to celebrate the diversity of their class by embracing students' differences, including but not limited to cultural experiences and native language.
Performance Objectives
- Students will be able to explain what culturally responsive teaching is and why it is important.
- Students will be able to facilitate discussions with their classes to learn about everyone's different cultures and backgrounds.
- Students will be able to use the knowledge of their students to find relevant resources to use in their teaching.
- Students will be able to use appropriate resources and the knowledge of their students to be culturally responsive in their teaching.
Task Analysis
Course Goal:
- Using their understanding of what it means to be culturally responsive and why it is important for teachers to incorporate this into their teaching, participants of the course will be able to identify the different cultural backgrounds of their students and use this information to find appropriate tools to use in their lessons.
Prior Knowledge:
- Knowledge of the curriculum for their given grade.
Attitude:
- Participants of the course should be open minded and willing to include new resources in their teaching.
- Participants should be willing to have discussions with students about their cultural backgrounds.
- Participants should not be biased towards any one culture.
Skills:
- Ability to pick age appropriate read alouds for their class.
- Ability to write lesson plans.
- Ability to foster meaningful discussions with their class.
Curriculum Map
Click on the image to view the curriculum map for this course.
References and Resources
5 traits of a culturally responsive classroom - #PBISCON21. PBIS Rewards. (2021, May 17). Retrieved April 14, 2022, from https://www.pbisrewards.com/blog/culturally-responsive-classroom/
Benner, D. (2018, October 15). Five culturally-responsive instructional strategies. TechNotes Blog. Retrieved May 4, 2022, from https://blog.tcea.org/culturally-responsive-strategies/
Burnham, K. (2020, July 31). Culturally responsive teaching: 5 strategies for educators. Northeastern University Graduate Programs. Retrieved April 14, 2022, from https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/culturally-responsive-teaching-strategies/
Culturally responsive teaching strategies: Importance, Benefits & Tips. Culturally Responsive Teaching: Strategies and Tips | American University. (2019, December 5). Retrieved April 14, 2022, from https://soeonline.american.edu/blog/culturally-responsive-teaching
Educators Team. (n.d.). What is culturally responsive teaching? Understood. Retrieved April 14, 2022, from https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-is-culturally-responsive-teaching
Edutopia. (2020, June 18). Supporting schoolwide culturally responsive practice. YouTube. Retrieved April 14, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztnwmVBMfd0
Hammond, Z. (2012, July 18). 5 common myths about culturally responsive pedagogy. Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain. Retrieved April 27, 2022, from https://crtandthebrain.com/5-common-myths-about-culturally-responsive-pedagogy/
HiHo Kids. (2020, April 28). Kids share their cultural tradition | show & tell - youtube. Youtube2. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xerrjjAyZs8
Lancaster, D. (2015, June 24). Culturally responsive teaching. YouTube. Retrieved April 14, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Uc0dFs5nO8
Lee, K. (2021, May 24). How to talk to kids about race and cultural diversity. Verywell Family. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://www.verywellfamily.com/teaching-kids-about-race-and-cultural-diversity-621099
Lewis, B. (2017, February 27). When students have space to talk about their cultures. Learning for Justice. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/when-students-have-space-to-talk-about-their-cultures
Muniz, J. (2019, September 23). 5 ways culturally responsive teaching benefits learners. New America. Retrieved April 14, 2022, from https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/5-ways-culturally-responsive-teaching-benefits-learners/
Shambaugh R.N. & Magliaro, S.G. (1997).Mastering the possibilities: A process approach to instructional design. Ch 3 needs assessment https://blackboard.albany.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-6610459-dt-content-rid-101690058_1/courses/2223-ETAP-623-7832/2223-ETAP-623-7832_ImportedContent_20220109041316/2209-ETAP-623-4552_ImportedContent_20200725115812/2203-ETAP-623-8567_ImportedContent_20200114035357/Readings/ShambaughCh3.pdf
TEDxTalks. (2018, May 8). Trilledu: Culturally responsive pedagogy... | Jeffrey Dessources | tedxnewjerseycityuniversity. YouTube. Retrieved April 14, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KrxfcW7Irg
USA Today. (2014, December 10). Teens talk about diversity - youtube. Youtube. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFNuRJm4LMs
Verner, S. (2011, October 4). Top 10 ways to teach culture. Busy Teacher. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://busyteacher.org/7080-top-10-ways-to-teach-culture.html