The Importance of

Diversity
America is more diverse than ever before
As of March 1997, 25,779,000 United States
citizens were foreign born. 57% of these
citizens were born in Latin America.

Culturally
Responsive
Teaching in Diverse
Classrooms

Diverse students bring differences to the

classroom
Some differences include cultural norms
about family, communication, and gender;
unique experiences due to race or ethnicity;
and being more familiar with a language
other than English.

Teachers can teach to these differences

Diverse students may respond better to
certain types of questions; graphics or
pictures, instead of textbooks; material in
their first language; and teachers who
speak slowly and clearly, utalizing multiple
explainations when describing a concept or
task.

Information from
Chapter 3
Vacca and Vacca

We may have all

come on different
ships, but were in the
same boat now.
--Martin Luther King Jr.

The final results

Recognizing the needs of diverse studnets
allows for all students to have an equal
oppurtunity for learning. Thus, America will
become a diverse nation of educated
citizens.

Mary Collins --- EDUC 340

Morning --- 9/9/2014

English Language Learners

Who are English learners?
For English learners (ELs), English is not their
native language. Often, they are immigrants or
children of immigrants.

What difficulties do they face?

ELs have a difficult time keeping up with regular
curriculum due to language barriers. The
vocabulary and presumptions of background
knowledge in textbooks; a lack of English
proficiency; and not fully understanding
American culture all hinder learning.

Examples of Culturally Responsive

Teaching
Culturally Responsive Teaching in Content
Area Classrooms May Entail:

Including multicultural literature

Labeling objects in English as well as the first

languages of the students

Allowing visits from community members

Looking at a historical event from the opposite

perspective

Studying non-European mathematicians, artists,

philosophers, etc.

meaning, and reading-to-learn strategies to

the regular content (Vacca and Vacca 80). This
provides multiple ways in which ELs can

Sheltered Instruction
Observation Protocol (SIOP) is
a guide for teachers to
incorporate and be held

Example 1 ABCs of Cultural Understanding and

Communication

Positive relationships with families and

community

3.

Cultural sensitivity

1.

The teacher has students write confidential

autobiographies.

4.

Active teaching methods

5.

Teacher as facilitator

2.

The teacher interview a family member of a

student who identifies with a different culture in a
neutral space.

6.

Students control portions of the

lesson

3.

The teacher lists similarities and differences of the

interviewee and themselves on a chart.

7.

Instruction around groups and pairs

to create low anxiety

4.

The teacher reviews the chart, making note of

how the differences make them feel, in an
attempt to deconstruct ethnocentric views.

5.

1.

The teachers reads student registration cards to

discover their parents occupations while
considering how those jobs relate to science
and math,

2.

The teacher asks students about these

occupations, facilitates a discussion, then
encourages parents to visit class and explain
their line of work.

3.

After parents visit, the class discusses other fields

related to math and science.

instruction in lessons. This

accounts for the teachers
preparation, six aspects of
their instruction, and a final
assessment.

The teacher relates these discoveries to the

curriculum by including community members in
classrooms to showcase their culture.

Example 2 Drawing on Students Funds of Knowledge in

Science and Mathematics

accountable for sheltered

includes a checklist which

What are the characteristics of Culturally

Responsive Teaching?
2.

understand material.

What is the SIOP Model?

Culturally responsive teaching is recognizing

the diverse backgrounds of students.
Teachers can then use that knowledge to
make connections between the lives of
students and the required curriculum.

High expectations

hands-on cooperative activities, pictures,

relevant media, artistic representations of

What is Culturally Responsive Teaching?

1.

Evidence Based Best Practices of Culturally

Responsive Teaching:

How can sheltered instruction help?

Sheltered instruction encourages adding

Responding to Cultural
Differences and Teaching
Understanding

What is teaching for Cultural

Understanding?
Students gain an understanding of diverse
perspectives when teaching for Cultural
Understanding occurs. Teaching for Cultural
Understanding can be achieved through four
approaches that include the contributions
approach, where a specific holiday or event
of a culture is studied; the additive approach,
where one unit is dedicated to multicultural
themes; the transformative approach, where
multicultural perspectives are considered
often; and the decision-making/social action
approach, where students participate in
social action. The last two approaches help
students with literacy skills while teaching
them about the perspectives of various
groups and cultures.