Culturally Responsive Teaching: Strategies for Diverse Classrooms

This essay explores the concept of Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) in the context of diverse classrooms and language learning. It emphasizes the increasing diversity in US classrooms and the need for educators to adapt to meet the varied needs of students from different backgrounds. The essay highlights the importance of CRT in creating inclusive learning environments where students feel nurtured, proud, and secure. It discusses the role of teachers in implementing CRT, including the need for communication with parents and the integration of students' cultural backgrounds into the curriculum. The essay also addresses the use of pop culture as a learning tool and emphasizes that CRT is not just about entertainment but a method of attracting students to the classroom by imitating cultural learning. The essay references key sources such as Banks and Banks (2019), Fuqua (2018), and Hollins and Oliver (2017) to support its arguments.

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Language Learning Experiences
Name of Student
Lecture Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date

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Culturally Responsive Teaching
In today's society, public classrooms are incredibly diverse and constantly changing on a
day to day basis across the United States. Students come from various backgrounds who have
had different experiences than their peers and teachers. In some cases, many teachers are
unprepared for the challenges that come with a diverse classroom. The United States Department
of Education (USDE) predicates that over 50% of marginalized subgroups will form a classroom
by 2025 (Fuqua 2018). Consequently, educators and learning institutions must be ready to
change with time. Teachers are aware that learners have differentiated needs and, thus, the
demand for scaffolder, differentiated, and personalized instruction to address every learner's
needs. However, educators have identified gaps in their abilities to implement the Culturally
Responsive Teaching in academic programs (Fuqua 2018). Therefore, there is a need to invest
resources, curriculum, and more structured support custom-made to support CRT
implementation.
Moreover, teachers should ensure they maintain constant communication with parents if
they desire to be effective in a multicultural classroom. Banks and Banks, (2019) notes that
parents are the first teachers and role models to their children, and they are important partners for
both teacher and students. Therefore, teachers should have constructive engagement with parents
as earlier as possible about their children’s hope and goal to educate them on how they can
effectively participate in their children education process. Besides, educators will have to explain
that despite that they must do everything at their disposal to provide students with the best
education, they must explain their limitations and request parents to get involved in their children
education (Banks & Banks, 2019). Parent involvement in their children education is not limited

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to participating in school functions but extends to communicating their children’s pride,
expectations and interests in their academic journey.
Regardless of the countryside one comes from, a teacher must be culturally able to satisfy
the needs of different learners. Despite many instructional approaches that can increase language
comprehension, educators should establish means that ensure students are natured, proud of their
school, and feel secure (Fuqua 2018). Holistic teaching and continual engagement are the best
ways of relating to all learners. Engagement is only achievable via Culturally Responsive
Teaching. According to Hollins and Oliver (2017), CRT entails the ability to involve and appeal
to all students from different backgrounds in one classroom. It goes dipper than just
comprehending every students’ backgrounds, culturally responsive teaching should create a
successful learning environment where learners can thrive since they come from multicultural
world. Moreover, the CRT philosophy should integrate into the curriculum applicable
characteristics of learners’ daily lives. This will push learning facilities to ensure they offer to
incorporate prior knowledge, language, and extracurricular activities in their instructions.
Culturally responsive teaching attempts to promote equity in education provision
regardless of gender, race, culture, or national origin. Students' lives are shaped by both the
society and school (Hollins & Oliver, 2017). Therefore, to ensure success, multicultural
education must involves creation of more equitable schools and involvement of both teachers
and learners in creating a more just society. The simplest way for an educator to evaluate
teaching culturally responsive practices is when the ELL immigrant or colored student is
involved in learning. Further, summative and formative tests and informal observations are tools
teachers can apply to assess students' learning. The instructional processes may need to be more
culturally responsive, where students are not growing academically.

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All teachers are entitled to implement Culturally Responsive Teaching. Even though the
district officials mandate them to teach, they should always come up with the best ways to reach
all students. Learners feel comfortable focusing on their learning, depending on how teachers
share academic materials. Some scholars think that there is a need for some instructional practice
adjustments, especially in teachers' thinking (Fuqua 2018). Often, some educators hold to the
misconception that learners from various races should learn in turn and different and not
knowing that they will be wasting a considerable amount of instructional material, time, and
process. According to Fuqua (2018), learners can understand, connect, and relate using cultural
aspects. These instructional approaches should include but are not limited to video games, music,
and comic and pop culture. Pop culture is a great learning tool because it captures the interest,
sparks imagination, and can establish common grounds.

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Culturally Responsive Teaching
Finally, even though teachers can use different instructional
approaches to meet students' needs. They should remember that CRT is not
about race or means of entertaining students but rather a tool that imitates

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cultural learning to attract many students to come to the classroom. To be
useful in a multicultural classroom, they should ensure they have frequently
communicated with parents. Parents act as first role models to pupils, and
teachers should consider them essential in implementing CRT.

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References
Banks, J. A., & Banks, C. A. M. (Eds.). (2019). Multicultural education: Issues and
perspectives. John Wiley & Sons.
Fuqua, S. (2018). Pop culture in the classroom: An equally unconventional and successful
teaching tool. [Blog post]. Retrieved from
https://yourhub.denverpost.com/blog/2018/05/pop-culture-in-the-classroom-an-
equally-u unconventional-and-successful-teaching-tool/215048/
Hollins, E. R., & Oliver, E. I. (2017). Pathways to success in school: Culturally
responsive teaching. London: U.K.: Routledge.