Culturally Responsive Teaching {Chapter 14 Synthesis}

What I Do Right...

Culturally responsive teaching is very important in today's world. Students come from all varieties of backgrounds, and it is important that teachers include practices in the classroom that will help all students learn to the best of their abilities. As a second grade teacher, I strive to foster a classroom environment where ALL my students feel like a welcomed and important member of our family. It is important to me that each child feels safe and valued in my classroom.

Relevance 
I try to incorporate lessons that are relevant. Our social studies regions tour is a perfect example. We "tour" the country from our very own classroom through virtual tours, read alouds, and project based learning. These tours help my students to build background knowledge and actually EXPERIENCE our social studies curriculum. Each phase of the tour {Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West} highlights different cultures that have influenced our nation. In the Northeast while visiting New York City, students researched immigrant groups that came through Ellis Island. They worked together to make a "pizza." This "Culture Pizza" was a great way to celebrate cultures from around the world. 

 This activity liked to our science unit on matter {students make the pizza by changing a solid through bending, cutting, stretching, and tearing}. 

 This activity was completed during reading and writing time. They had to work together to make the inside of their pizza and research the elements of the immigrant group's culture {language, food, dress, and celebrations}.

Collaborating

I try to incorporate cooperative learning into my lessons. One such example was during our weather unit in science and Midwest tour in social studies. While in the Midwest, we learned about the Mall of America and supply and demand. Students were divided into teams and asked to design a store full of things {supply} that would be needed {demand} during a particular season. {Sorry for the tilted picture again}.  

 Winter Season Store

Our Family 

I also try to promote a sense of family in my classroom. One such method is a song that we sing. This song sends the message that we all should care for each other and value each other because our class is one big family.  {Sung to the tune of We are Family by Sister Sledge.}

We also have a STAR of the WEEK. One student is selected each week to decorate a bulletin board with favorite pictures and their favorite things. Their families are asked to send in a secret letter that I read to the class, they bring their favorite book that I read to the class, their parents are invited to have lunch with them one day that week, and they bring something special in to share with the class. 

 {star of the week share time}

I also read Have You Filled a Bucket Today? at the beginning of the school year. Students work hard throughout the year to fill our class bucket by being kind and sharing. Any time I see them performing an act of kindness, they add two sparkles to the bucket {two because when you are kind to someone else, it makes you feel good, too}. When our bucket gets full, we will have a KINDNESS PARTY. During this party, we will complete a service learning activity to spread kindness outside of our school building. {I have not done this yet, so I am still gathering ideas because our bucket is almost full. I am thinking of having the kids put together care packages for people in a nursing home. I think that it will really help the kids see that they can do something good for others.}

What I Do Wrong...

I still need to work on learning more about specific cultures. I want to make sure that my teaching style matches the learning styles of all of my students. As the chapter mentioned, gaps in achievement of minority students could be due to the fact that teachers do not change their teaching styles to meet the needs of students from diverse backgrounds. I think that all teachers are in danger of getting STUCK in a rut for many reasons, and I need to make sure that I am constantly reflecting on my instruction to students that are culturally diverse. I think that I need to allow for more music, movement, debates, and share time for the students in my classroom. 

How I'm Going to Fix It...

I would like to research more about the cultures of my culturally diverse students. I think that the chart on page 323 in the text is a powerful resource for teachers to use when planning lessons to ensure that a variety of strategies are being incorporated into daily classroom activities. I have taught students of Mexican, Chinese, and Haitian descent. I think that a chart should be available for teachers to use for students from varied cultures. These charts would include ideas for teachers to use so that BEST practices of instruction are incorporated into lessons. This type of chart would ensure that culturally diverse students are not left behind, and gaps in achievement could be narrowed. 

 

Classroom Management {Chapter FIVE Synthesis}

What I Do Right...
I strive to maintain a classroom environment where all of my students feel like they are in a safe place where they are valued and important members of our PLANET 128 community. I work very hard at the beginning of the year to train my students on the rules and procedures so that maximum learning can take place. I read several books that demonstrate good manners, being kind to others, and being a good friend. Here are a few of the books I like to read:

At the beginning of the year, my class brainstorms rules that we all think are important in a classroom. We then narrow it down to six main rules. Each rule has a color {orange=talk when appropriate, red=follow directions, yellow=keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself, blue=respect teacher & all other adults, purple=respect school & personal property, and green=be kind to others.} The students mark their behavior on their homework sheet. This system really works because the parents know exactly what kind of day their child had.

The extra incentive that I give my students is through the Friday Store. Students earn money for good behavior during the day. A day without tickets=2 pennies. I also give various amounts of money to student that I see exemplifying excellence. Every Friday I have a parent volunteer that comes to "run the store" while I am still teaching. I have several different baskets full of various prizes at various prices for the students to choose from. The students can either spend their money, or save it for something in a bigger prize box. 

I also maintain other methods that foster opportunities for cooperation and kindness:

• Our class earns brags from other teachers/building personnel. When we reach our goal of 50 brags, we earn a fun activity such as silly songs or extra recess.
• Tables work hard to earn 10 tally marks by being quiet during transitions, having materials out and ready, and keeping their table nice and tidy. When they get 10 tallies, they get 10 cents for the Friday store.
• After reading Have You Filled a Bucket Today, we collect SPARKLES. Students earn two sparkles to put in our bucket when they say or do something kind for another person.

My management system works very well, and I can honestly say that I have very few behavior problems. When I was student teaching, my mentor teacher said that teachers should make the punishment bad enough and the reward good enough so that the students WANT to behave and do their best. I think that my system does just that because they want to earn rewards, and they want to please their teacher. 


What I Do Wrong...
I think that I need to work harder on contacting parents. I think that I try to handle things the best I can in the classroom, and I honestly forget to call parents to discuss concerns or praise their child for good things. I do maintain contact through emails, newsletters, and homework folders. I do think that a phone call can be so much more meaningful. A goal of mine is to call parents more frequently so that they hear from me not only when there is a problem, but also when the child is experiencing success. 

I also have struggled in the past with students who have behavior problems. It is very hard for me to deal with outbursts of anger, temper tantrums, or "shutting down" moments. I do not feel truly qualified to handle these types of behavior issues, and I do not know the right way to help students express their frustrations in more positive ways. 


How I'm Going to Fix It...
I want to set up a schedule or plan where I call a certain number of parents each week. That way the parents will hear good things from me as their child's teacher before they hear about behavior problems. I also want to make more phone calls home so that I build a better relationship with the parents of the students I teach. This will in turn strengthen my classroom management because I will have parental support and camaraderie with the parents of the students that I teach each day. 


I also want to research better strategies to handle students who have behavior issues. I know that a one-size-fits behavioral management system is not effective for every student. I think that I need to find other methods and strategies to help students who need more chances, or need better ways to express their emotions.