Intro to Teaching Reflection

As stated in Internship Performance Criteria 8.2, teachers grow and develop professionally when they participate in a collaborative educational community where feedback is given by colleagues to improve instruction and advance knowledge of teaching practices and methods.  Through collaborative learning in this course, I gained an understanding of how culturally relevant teaching practices can positively impact students in my classroom.

The purpose of culturally relevant teaching is to enhance learning by connecting academic concepts to students’ cultural knowledge, prior experiences and performance styles (see Figure 1). 

Figure 1

For every human being, previous experiences and cultural contexts determine the lens through which he or she learns.  It is vital that educators validate students’ identities and backgrounds by incorporating curriculum that includes their life experiences in their learning. As students and teachers become more familiar with the cultures represented in their community, they learn to value diversity, self-assess their own biases, and understand dynamics of difference within their school (Cross, 1989).

As I’ve participated in the course over the last eight weeks, one of my students has been on my mind. This particular high school student’s incredible work ethic is admired by all of the teachers at my school and he regularly receives good grades.  However, last year he started falling behind on assignments, often fell asleep in class, and missed several days of school. Eventually I pulled him aside to express my concern and ask what was causing these changes.  He explained that his father, a Mexican immigrant, had broken his ankle and was unable to work.  So he was working two jobs in order to help the family pay their bills, taking care of his father and younger siblings while his mother worked, and desperately trying to stay on top of the ever-mounting pile of homework so he could get good enough grades to go to college.  I was shocked! No wonder he had trouble learning at school. 

If teachers don’t understand the cultural factors and experiences that affect their students’ learning at school, they cannot provide the support and resources these students need to succeed.  This year, I hope to develop better knowledge of my students’ previous cultural experiences, plan curriculum that is relatable to students’ everyday lives, and facilitate discussion that opens students’ eyes to the diverse perspectives present in our classroom (Kozleski, 2010).   By accomplishing these goals, I can provide learning opportunities that help my students develop cultural competence and connect what they know to what they learn.

* Cross, T.L. (1989). Towards A Culturally Competent System of Care. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED330171

* Kozleski, E.B. (2010). Culturally Responsive Teaching Matters!. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED520957