Creating Culturally Responsive Classrooms: a Model of Intentional Professional Development

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Creating Culturally Responsive Classrooms a
Model of Intentional Professional Development

• Shelley Zion, Ph.D.
• shelley.zion_at_ucdenver.edu
• University of Colorado Denver
• Center for Culturally Responsive Urban Education

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Need

• Teachers lack of competency in teaching
  culturally and linguistically diverse learners
  correlates to students persistent achievement
  difficulties (Gay, 2000 Harry, et al., 1999
  Irvine York, 2001 Sleeter, 2001)
• Preparing current and future teachers to teach
  students from diverse backgrounds and with
  diverse academic needs is one of the most
  compelling challenges facing teacher educators
  today (Futrell, Gomez, Bedden, 2003 Hollins
  Guzman, 2005 Sobel Taylor, 2006)

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• Continuing to expose ethnically, culturally,
  and/or linguistically diverse students who live
  in poverty to educators who are not adequately
  prepared to effectively teach them is likely to
  further exacerbate the existing achievement gap.
  More importantly, such practices will result in
  these children not receiving the high quality
  services that federal mandates guarantee them.

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The Wisconsin Story
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Assumptions

• Schools are microcosms of our greater society
• Schools are structured to reproduce the norms of
  the dominant culture
• The historical structure and purpose of schooling
  contradicts current law and public policy
• Teacher Ed programs do not adequately address
  diversity, and are constrained by state
  curricular requirements
• Knowledge of students home and community contexts
  is invaluable in interpreting classroom behavior
  and academic performance

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• To engage in critical pedagogy requires a
  commitment to the construction of knowledge by
  sharing power and authority between students and
  teachers, challenging the hegemonic notions of
  what school is and should be, and giving up
  control of the curriculum and pedagogy of the
  classroom. Sharing power with students, and
  facilitating questioning of the political and
  social structures of school create a space in
  which students and adults broaden their
  understandings of themselves, the assumptions
  that society operates by, and the ways that the
  world works (McLaren, 1989 Giroux, 1997).

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What Teachers Need

• Socio Cultural-- teachers have an awareness of
  and understanding of the impact of social,
  cultural and historical influences on learning
  and behavior, ideas of social justice.
• Affirmative Attitude-- teachers understand the
  impact of teacher expectation, developing caring
  relationships, ongoing reflection, respect for
  student/family/community cultures, and commitment
  to issues of equity on teaching, learning, and
  behavior.
• Collaborative Skillsteachers have the skills to
  collaborate and problem solve with students,
  families, communities, and other professionals,
  and to understand their own areas of influence
  within the larger educational and social systems.
• Pedagogy Diversityteachers have specific
  knowledge and skills around culturally responsive
  instructional, accommodation/modification,
  management, assessment, and curricular strategies
  and resources. (Voltz, 2007)

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The process

• Classroom Teachers engage in a year long
  intensive professional development and action
  research project to
• 1)study the impacts of race/class/culture on
  individual and groups,
• 2) examine the structure of power and privilege
  in schools, 3) collaborate with families and
  communities, and
• 4) develop a culturally responsive pedagogy and
  practice?
• Data collected during the project documents
  change in teacher values, beliefs, skills,
  knowledge, behavior, practice, and impact on
  student outcomes.

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Segment OneRace, Class, Culture in Public
Schools

• this segment focuses on understanding culture and
  diversity, exploring the socio-cultural histories
  of self and other, recognizing the role of power
  and privilege in both individual and
  institutional interactions, and developing a
  philosophy of social justice and equity.
  Participants complete a project that examines
  their own cultural background, identity, values,
  beliefs, and biases, an examination of a students
  background, and a cross cultural analysis of the
  two experiences.

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Segment TwoWorking with Communities and
Families-

• this segment focus on the importance of
  understanding and connecting with the community
  and families of the students in a school, with
  practical strategies and activities to uncover
  the rich resources that diverse students and
  families bring to schools as well as to connect
  and collaborate with community organizations and
  activities to increase student engagement and
  relevance. The project for this course requires
  participants to further engage with the student
  from the previous project in an examination of
  that students family history, community
  experience, and to identify community resources.

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Segment ThreeCulturally Responsive Pedagogy and
Practices-

• this final segment focuses on developing
  practical tools for creating culturally
  responsive, inclusive classrooms by examining
  assessment and instructional strategies,
  classroom management practices, and curriculum
  and lesson planning in light of the needs of the
  diverse skills and background knowledge that
  students bring to the classroom. The project for
  this session requires participants to critically
  examine the above elements of their classroom,
  critique them in light of their expanding
  knowledge of the culture and histories of their
  students, and to make changes to those elements
  of their classroom practice.

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Activities

• Three, 3 Day Training Sessions
• Weekly Readings, Journal Entries, and Online
  Discussions
• Monthly Facilitated Discussion Groups
• 3 Projects
• Monthly Data Collection
• Classroom Observations

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Evaluating Impact

• Four-level model
• Level one (reactions of participants)
• Level two (learning),
• Level three (transfer), and
• Level four (results).

(Kirkpatrick, 1994)
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Level One Reactions

• Evaluates participants perceptions of the
  program. Did they like it? Was the material
  relevant to their work?
• Outcome measures will be based on a review of
  written feedback after each classroom session and
  at the end segment. A four-square form will be
  used asking participants to complete the
  following statements (1) What I learned today,
  (2) What I can do with what I learned, (3) I
  would like to know more about, and (4) If I were
  teaching this class I would.

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Level Two Learning

• Evaluates the extent participants have advanced
  in skills, knowledge, or attitude.
• Outcome measures will be based on
• comparison of survey data from participants at
  the start and completion of the program.
• examination of personal journal entries to learn
  how their beliefs/values are changing, and
• online reflections focused on how knowledge and
  classroom practices are changing.

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Level Three Transfer

• Evaluates the transfer that has occurred in
  participants behavior due to the program.
  Evaluating at this level attempts to answer the
  question Are the newly acquired skills,
  knowledge, or attitude being used in the
  classroom of the learner?
• Outcome measures will be based on comparison of
  classroom data participants will collect at
  prescribed times throughout the program. The data
  sets include monthly student class maps,
  classroom observations, and artifact scoops of
  classroom items.

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Level Four Results

• Evaluates the success of the program in terms of
  student outcomes. Teachers who are more
  culturally responsive will be more engaging to
  students, create classroom environments where
  students will participate engage, learn and
  behave.
• Outcome measures will be based on comparison of
  monthly student data collected by participants
  including demographics, attendance, homework
  completion rate, grades, student engagement
  through class maps, behavioral incidents, and
  communications with family.

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Model