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 Final Portfolio Reflection: Creating a Culturally Responsive Classroom Environment

Brandie Garcia

Colorado State University Global

OTL565-1: Cultural Responsiveness in Differentiated Classroom

Dr. Anne Mangahas

March 12, 2023

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Final Portfolio Reflection: Creating a Culturally Responsive Classroom Environment

Link to my Website: https://brandiegarcia.weebly.com

These past eight weeks have flown by, and reflecting upon all that I have learned from

this course, the biggest takeaway is the importance of the environment I create and the

relationships I am nurturing. Entering the teaching profession post-pandemic has shown me the

importance of communication, being flexible, accommodating, and adaptable. Rebecca Alber

(2015) stated it best, you need to tell them stuff and show them how to do things, but you also

need to let your learners discover, experiment, and practice even if they miss the mark or the

target. A perfect example that encompasses my job as a teacher-coach is like learning to ride a

bike and be as hands-on in the beginning as I gradually let go and allowed the student to take

over on their own.

To be a culturally responsive teacher, being hypervigilant of all situations and

backgrounds that my students come from. My main goal is to create a safe space for student-

athletes; I strived to create an environment in our team rooms that felt like an extension of their

homes. A place (fully stocked with food and drinks) where they can mentally prepare for games,

study, or relax. Our students need to feel a sense of belonging and have space to feel safe, heard,

respected, and challenged (Williams-Rucker, 2019). I encouraged my students to bring things

from home to personalize their lockers and our space and make it their own. It is essential to

recognize how culture is central to learning and shaping our cognitive processes (The Education

Alliance, n.d.).

Another part of my reflection from this course dealt with Culturally and Linguistically

Diverse (CLD) students. I loved soaking up everything I could find on CLD and how to

implement differentiation in my classroom. We had three students from South Africa, two from

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South America, and a family who is deaf or hard of hearing and communicates through

American Sign Language (ASL). I can understand Spanish. However, I do not speak it. My

assistant, however, speaks Spanish fluently. I have a cousin who is deaf, so I took it upon myself

to brush up on my ASL so that I could communicate with this student and her family. To include

the families from South Africa, we had a multicultural event night where we each brought a dish

to share. This cemented the team bond and opened the line of communication with the parents to

include them as an extension of the team/family.

My biggest takeaways from the assignments are the importance of open communication,

letting students lead the conversation and learning, and checking in with my student-athletes

consistently. When students know that they are valued as people and that their teachers care

about their well-being and not just their grade, the dynamics shift (Alber, 2015). I am very

excited to get this next season underway and allow the student-athletes to have a more hands-on

experience and collaboration in their learning.

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References

Alber, R. (2015). How student-centered is your classroom? Edutopia.

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-student-centered-your-classroom-rebecca-alber

Assessment for Learning. (n.d.) Strategies to enhance peer feedback. Retrieved from:

http://www.assessmentforlearning.edu.au/professional_learning/peer_feedback/

peer_strategies_enhance.html

The Education Alliance (n.d.) Culturally Responsive Teaching.

https://www.brown.edu/academics/education-alliance/teaching-diverse-learn

ers/strategies-0/culturally-responsive-teaching-0

Williams-Rucker, N. (2019) Getting Started with Culturally Responsive Teaching. Edutopia.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/getting-started-culturally-responsive-teaching