Diversity in Higher Education: Creating

Culturally Responsive Classrooms

For many college students, the years spent pursuing a degree can be a time of self-exploration and
discovery. In order for students to get the most out of their educational career, it is important for
instructors and professors to support students to the greatest extent possible. This can be done by
exploring several factors that impact classroom diversity and ways to improve instruction, which
include:

 Understanding Culturally Responsive Practices

 Understanding Unconscious Bias
 Understanding Reflective Practice
 Implementing Practices from the Framework for Improvement

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a report released in 2015 indicated a highly diverse
cohort of college applicants. The college enrollment rate for Asian high school graduates was 83
percent, followed by 71 percent for White graduates, 69 percent for Hispanic students, and 55
percent college enrollment rate for African-American high school graduates.

Data from both the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Department of Education show a strong
correlation between academic achievement and race and ethnicity. Data indicate that factors such
as socioeconomic status, parental level of education, and enrollment in remedial courses affect a
student’s likelihood of successful completion.

While this achievement gap shows to be closing, disparities still exist. However, there are specific
ways in which faculty and administrators can help improve the outcomes for all. It is important for
higher education leaders to have a willingness to identify possible biases, engage in reflective
practice, and implement equitable classroom practices.

What are Culturally Responsive Practices?

Even at the college and university levels, it still takes a variety of instructional practices to meet
the needs of all students. Teachers must differentiate instruction, as learning differences, strengths,
and weaknesses exist even with adult learners.

Culturally responsive teaching practices add to this level of differentiation and ensure that the
needs of diverse learners are met. According to Ladson-Billings (1994), culturally responsive
teaching is a pedagogy that recognizes the critical importance of identifying and including a
student’s cultural experiences and references in all aspects of teaching and learning.
A student’s culture impacts their learning. In fact, culture has an impact on the way a student
receives information, perceives it, and communicates. Culture shapes a student’s beliefs and way
of thinking which plays a role in their overall education. To ensure classrooms are equitable places,
colleges and universities need to not only acknowledge this, but also engage in it.

Unconscious Bias

The overwhelming majority of college faculty are rooted in a belief that students can be successful
and complete school. However, whether as teachers or other professionals, unconscious bias does
exist and it is important to understand what it is and how it may affect teaching practices.

Unconscious bias is an unintentional bias, negative feeling, or stereotype about a specific group of
people. This is not an intentional negative belief, but rather unintentional because the bias forms
in our subconscious. Most people may not even be aware that they have these biases.
Unconscious bias happens in some ways because of our natural tendency to categorize things,
especially things that look or appear different from us. An unconscious bias develops over time
and is based on our own interpersonal interactions, or often lack thereof, with other diverse groups
of people.

Examples of Bias
One example of unconscious bias in the classroom is gender bias. Research tends to indicate a bias
against females in the areas of math and science; somehow it is perceived that males are stronger
in these areas than females. In some disciplines, females are called on more often, and the opposite
is true in other areas of study.

Research has shown that as teachers and students interact, opinions and perceptions are formed,
often based on student dress, appearance, or speech. As the subconscious draws on past
experiences, teachers may begin to create an overall picture about specific students and set
expectations accordingly.

It is important to stress that these biases are not necessarily intentional. Faculty are not making
calculated decisions to call on females less than their male counterparts, in most cases. Similarly,
instructors are not engaging with culturally diverse students any more or less than their peers in an
intentionally negative way. Teachers are not deliberately limiting their students’ potential.

Reflective Practice

The best way to combat unconscious bias is to be reflective in practice and acknowledge that it
exists. Awareness is key to understanding, which is an important first step. Faculty of all
disciplines must confront their own potential biases and look to find ways in which they may
impact their classrooms. By doing so, we create a more culturally inclusive environment;
ensuring positive outcomes for all students.

Additionally, it is important to be intentional in teaching practices. By creating opportunities to

be more inclusive, educators will create more culturally responsive classrooms. However, these
changes won’t happen on their own.

Framework for Improvement

So how can we create more culturally responsive higher education classrooms?

The Louisiana State Personnel Development Grant (2011-2015) focused research and resources in
the area of disproportionality and culturally responsive practices. The Equitable Classroom
Practices Observation Checklist was designed as a two-pronged measure.
First, the assessment is designed to foster reflective practice of teachers, instructors, and higher
education faculty to increase awareness of classroom practices. As a simple checklist, it fosters
self-awareness to determine whether or not these practices are being utilized.

Second, the checklist offers a list of specific, actionable classroom instructional practices that can
be easily implemented to improve cultural responsiveness of the higher education classroom.

The Equitable Classroom Practices Observation Checklist provides 10 ways to create more
equitable, culturally responsive classrooms.

1. Accommodate Discussion

Who’s in the group? For many students, peer-to-peer interaction happens naturally. Some enjoy
speaking in front of the class and expressing opinions or asking questions. However, for some
students, this does not come easily.
To create a classroom that supports conversations and interaction, consider seating arrangements
that foster small group discussions. To ensure that talking actually happens, it may be necessary
to group students in ways that include those who enjoy discussion. A table of quiet, non-talkers
may not do the trick.

2. Diversify Instruction

What’s new? Lectures. Presentation slides. Videos. High tech and low tech. All of these
approaches work, unless the same one is used all the time. Just as instructors have a teaching
preference, students have a learning preference. Engage more students by incorporating a variety
of teaching methodology. Get creative and try something new.
 3. Use a Random Response Strategy

Which one is it? There’s always one. Visit any higher education classroom and it’s easy to spot
the one student who always responds to questions or prompts. However, a semester cannot be
successfully built on the one student who always has an answer. Engage more students by using
random response strategies such as numbered tables, even/odd numbered students, or in some
cases, picking names out of a cup.

4. Structure Heterogeneous Groups

What’s the difference? Understanding and appreciation of our differences comes from
interacting with people who have different experiences than we do. Just as educators need to
confront their own unintentional biases, the same goes for students. When creating groups or
pairs, be intentional in selecting students who have some level of differences. Otherwise, it’s
easy to fall into the same grouping patterns.

5. Use Probing or Clarifying Techniques

Is there more to the story? Asking students questions can be a good way to gauge understanding
or to get the conversations started. However, for a host of reasons, not everyone may get the
answers exactly right on the first try. There may be an inclination to pass on to the next student,
trying to find the right answer. However, what about the student whose first language is not
English? What about the student who may not have the same background or context to place the
answer?
Instead of passing over a partially correct answer, consider asking a follow-up or clarifying
question. This will not only create a more supportive classroom environment, it will provide a
more accurate understanding of a student’s knowledge.

6. Use Formative Assessments

Are they getting it? It can be easy and economical to teach for seven weeks and then administer
a mid-term exam; followed by seven more weeks of teaching and then the final. Consider
implementing ongoing formative assessments to check for understanding. Using exit tickets,
intermittent quizzes, or a summary of post-it notes can help identify gaps in knowledge for
certain students. Creating a system that monitors student progress may also eliminate poor
performance on summative assessments.

7. Pre-Assess All Students

What do they know? Before diving into new content, it’s always a good idea to check for previous
understanding. Not every student arrives to our classroom in the same way and with the same level
of knowledge. By checking for previous knowledge, teachers can create lessons that are more
inclusive and meet the needs of diverse classrooms.

8. Connect Content
Whose life? Research has shown that students learn and retain more when they can make
connections between the content and their own experiences. Making intentional connections to
students’ experiences will increase the likelihood for retention. The key factor here is their life,
not yours. The best way to do this is by getting to know your students and understanding how to
link them to the curriculum personally.

9. Use Wait Time

What’s the rush? Research has shown that even in higher education, teachers are not giving
students enough time to formulate an answer. As noted earlier, for a variety of reasons some
students may need extra time to gather and express their thoughts. Generally, the ideal waiting
period is at least three seconds. For more complex application questions, consider keeping quiet
for twice as long.

10. Be Explicit in Expectations

What exactly do you want? To create a culturally responsive classroom, be explicit in your
expectations. If there is ever a gray area, or lack of structure in terms of what you expect, some
students can easily fall through the cracks. Using rubrics or specific exemplars will help establish
clear criteria for performance.
The ultimate goal in education is to reach all students, and well, educate them. By understanding
potential biases and making meaningful, reflective changes in classroom practice, higher
education leaders can increase the likelihood that all students are reached. Instructors bring
themselves into the classroom — experiences, preferences, and practices — so it’s no surprise
that students do the same. Understanding ourselves and our students can lead to more
effective practices and improve outcomes for everyone.