Unit 1: Defining Cultural Responsiveness
Unit 1: Defining Cultural Responsiveness
Contents
1 Introduction to Cultural Responsiveness
2 What is the definition of Cultural Responsiveness?
3 Components of Cultural Responsiveness
4 Developing Cultural Responsiveness
5 Let’s Review!
Introduction
In order to effectively meet the needs of diverse learners within classrooms, it is important for the learner to understand the definition of cultural responsiveness. Learners can visit the “American Speech-Language-Hearing Association” website to learn more about cultural responsiveness (https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/professional-issues/cultural-responsiveness/).
What is the definition of cultural responsiveness?
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association cultural responsiveness can best be defined as “understanding and appropriately including and responding to the combination of cultural variables and the full range of dimensions of diversity that an individual brings to interactions.”
- Valuing diversity
- Seeking to further cultural knowledge
- working toward the creation of community spaces and workspaces where diversity is valued
- Maintaining cultural humility
Components to Cultural Responsiveness
According to “New America”, a website dedicated to providing teachers with culturally relevant pedagogy, there are 8 components to cultural responsiveness:
- Reflect on one’s cultural lens
- Recognize and redress the bias system
- Draw on students’ culture to share curriculum and instruction
- Bring real-world issues into the classroom
- Model high expectations for all students
- Promote respect for student differences
- Collaborate with families and the local community
- Communicate in linguistically and culturally responsive ways
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(Taken from https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/reports/culturally-responsive-teaching/teacher-competencies-that-promote-culturally-responsive-teaching/)
Developing Cultural Responsiveness
Being culturally responsive in a classroom is important for many reasons and assists educators in meeting the individual needs of diverse learners. There are multiple ways educators can work to develop culturally responsiveness in their classroom.
- Learning about an individual’s culture(s), language, experience, history, alternative sources of care, and power differentials. (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)
- Developing a dynamic definition of what constitutes culture that allows for possible change, or redefinition, as all participants grow (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association).
- Demonstrating respect for individual cultural backgrounds by integrating personal preferences and cultural practices into assessment and treatment, including recognizing the influence of culture on linguistic variations, which may result in variations in communication patterns due to context, communication intent, and communication partner (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association).
- Recognizing that power in the clinical situation is reciprocal and that individuals receiving services are supported, are encouraged, and have the capacity to make choices and changes in their lives and to participate in service delivery as appropriate for their culture and personal preferences (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association).
Let’s Review!
Take this brief quiz after you take a couple minutes the review they key components of this unit.
Then go to the next lesson: Lesson 1: Defining Cultural Reponsiveness
Continue to next lesson ----> Lesson 1: What Does it Mean to be Culturally Responsive?
References:
- Culturally responsive teaching. New America. (n.d.). https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/reports/culturally-responsive-teaching/teacher-competencies-that-promote-culturally-responsive-teaching/
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.). Cultural responsiveness. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/professional-issues/cultural-responsiveness/