Culture and the Classroom: Personal

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Culture and the Classroom Personal
Instructional Implications for Understanding
Managing Student BehaviorNancy J.
MurriKathleen A. KingArizona State
UniversityNational Center for Culturally
Responsive Educational Systems

• PBISAz Training
• Friday, May 5, 2006

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Purpose

• The purpose of the session is to introduce the
  concepts of culture in the classroom and
  classroom culture. Together, we will discuss and
  reflect on what these phrases refer to as related
  to personal and instructional implications for
  understanding and managing student behavior.

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Understanding CultureA Multidimensional Approach

• Self-Awareness
• What we need to consider and address in ourselves
• Instructional Awareness
• What we need to consider and address in our
  classrooms
• Institutional Awareness
• What we need to consider and address at the
  building/district

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Cultural Self-awareness

• Take a few minutes to reflect on
• What is my definition of culture?
• How does culture influence student and teacher
  behavior?
• What assumptions underlie my vision of classroom
  order and management?
• What are the cultural roots of those assumptions?

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Culture

• The system of shared . . .
• Beliefs,
• Values,
• Customs,
• Behaviors, and
• Artifacts
• . . . that members of society use to interact
  with their world and one another.
• 
  (Zion Kozleski, 2005)

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Cultural Self-awareness

• Attitudes and expectations
• Beliefs
• Knowledge and skills

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Framing Student Behavior

• How do you explain CLD students problem
  behavior?

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• Theoretical Explanations of Culturally
• and Linguistically Diverse Student
• Achievement and Behavior
• Deficit
• Economic and Social Reproduction
• Cultural Compatibility

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The Culturally Responsive Teacher

• Explores individual and family histories.
• Learns about the history and experiences of
  diverse groups.
• Visits students families and communities.
• Develops an appreciation for diversity.
• Promotes equity and mutual respect among students.

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The Culturally Responsive Teacher
CULTURE
What students bring
Classroom Culture And Culture in the
Classroom
Classroom
What teachers bring
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Culturally Responsive Teaching

• Take a few minutes to share
• What steps do I take to learn about students from
  diverse backgrounds in my school and classroom?

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Understanding Funds of Knowledge(Moll
Greenberg, 1990)

• Knowledge and skills that one possesses
• Located within the context of social history
• Example-how a family traditionally makes
  tortillas
• Available and accessible through social networks
• Funds of knowledge are central to everyday
  household tasks-necessary for the survival of
  those within the household.
• Households and those within them relate to others
  in their community
• Farmers and ranchers
• Mechanics
• Teachers

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The Culturally Responsive Teacher Makes
instruction RELEVANT
INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING Step 1 Incorporating
Funds of Knowledge Collect student data with a
purpose WHY is it important to know your
students funds of knowledge? HOW will you
gather data on your students funds of
knowledge? Create a social space to interpret
evidence create an instructional plan that
integrates students funds of knowledge with the
school curriculum WITH WHOM/WHERE will you
interpret/use these data? Implement the plan and
get feedback on the use/value of funds of
knowledge from others HOW will you gather
feedback? (adapted from Cloud, 2002 and Moll
Greenberg, 1990)
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Culturally Responsive Instruction

• Take a few minutes to share
• In what ways do I make my instructional program
  responsive to the needs of the diverse groups in
  my classroom?

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Culturally Responsive Classrooms

• Culturally responsive classrooms specifically
  acknowledge the presence of culturally diverse
  students and the need for these students to find
  relevant connections among themselves and the
  subject matters and the tasks teachers ask them
  to perform (Montgomery, 2001, p 4).

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Culturally Responsive Classrooms

• Understanding the classroom
• Ecology of interactions
• Reflecting on teaching practices
• Social Needs
• Behavior problems may stem from lack of
  engagement in the educational process
• Individual work vs. collaborative work
• What are the group practices?
• Academic Needs
• Opportunities to respond
• How do you allow for participation?
• What structure does participation take place
  within?

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Enacting a Culturally Responsive Classroom

• Create a physical setting that supports academic
  and social goals.
• Establish expectations for behavior.
• Communicate with students in culturally
  consistent ways.
• Develop a caring classroom.
• Use appropriate interventions to assist students
  with behavior problems.
• Work with families.

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Recap of Culturally Responsive Instruction and
Classroom Environments Curriculum/Materials What
theme(s) will you use to utilize students life
experiences and backgrounds? Classroom
Interactions How do you highlight social sharing
of knowledge in contrast to narrow teacher-child
sharing of knowledge? Teaching Approaches What
is the relationship between activities and
instruction? Resource Management How will you
use time, space and people to maximize learning?
Who are the teachers?
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Institutional

• Take a few minutes to discuss with your group
• What kinds of information, skills, and resources
  do we need to acquire to effectively teach from a
  multicultural perspective?
• In what ways do we collaborate with other
  educators, family members, and community groups
  to address the needs of all students?

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Culturally Responsive Institutions

• Organization of schools
• School policies and procedures
• Community involvement

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Creating Culturally Responsive Educational
Systems

• School wide change (Cloud 2002 Klingner, et.
  al., 2005 Garcia Ortiz, 2004)
• Positive school climate with shared vision and
  responsibility for educating all learners
• Parent outreach
• Community connections
• Professional development
• Resource management

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Racial Disparities in Schooling Source Office
for Civil Rights 1998 data
Blacks Whites Hispanics
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• Choose High Achievement-Citizenship, Homework,
  Attendance (CHA CHA)

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Getting to the individual student with behavioral
difficulties
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Shared ownership for support and behavior change

• Involve the student in determining function of
  behavior and direction for change

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Wrap Up

• What will I consider as I work to understand and
  manage student behavior?

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References

• Cloud, N. (2002). Culturally and linguistically
  responsive instructional planning. In A. J.
• Artiles A. Ortiz (Eds.), English language
  learners with special needs Identification,
  assessment, and instruction (pp.107-132).
  Washington, D.C. Center for Applied
  Linguistics.
• Garcia, S. Ortiz, A. (2004). Presenting
  disproportionate representation Culturally and
  linguistically responsive prereferral
  interventions. Practioner Brief Series. National
  Center for Culturally Responsive Educational
  Systems. Retrieved from http//www.nccrest.org/p
  ublications/briefs.html
• Klingner, J. K., Artiles, A. J., Kozleski, E.,
  Harry, B., Zion, S., Tate, W., Duran, G. Z.,
  Riley, D. (2005, September 8). Addressing the
  disproportionate representation of culturally
  and linguistically diverse student in special
  education through culturally responsive
  educational systems. Education Policy Analysis
  Archives, 13(38). Retrieved 2005, October 17
  from http//epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v13n38/.
• Moll, L., Greenberg, J.B., (1990). Creating
  zones of possibilities Combining social
  contexts for instruction. In L. Moll (Ed.),
  Vygotsky and education Instructional
  implications and applications of
  sociohistorical psychology (pp. 319-348). New
  York Cambridge University Press.
• Montgomery, W. (2001). Creating culturally,
  responsive, inclusive classrooms. Teaching
  Exceptional Children, 33 (4), 4-9.
• Richards, H. V., Brown, A. F. Forde, T. B.
  (2004). Addressing diversity in schools
  Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. Practioner
  Brief Series. National Center for Culturally
  Responsive Educational Systems. Retrieved from
  http//www.nccrest.org/publications/briefs.htm
  l

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Additional Resources

• National Center for Culturally Responsive
  Educational Systems
• www.nccrest.org
• Civil Rights Project
• www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu
• Southern Poverty Law Center
• www.tolerance.org