Running head: Culturally Sensitive 1

Culturally Sensitive Philosophy In Physical Education

Blake Smith

Wayne State University

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Part I

A culturally sensitive educator is very important in society today. A person

that is culturally sensitive is aware of the differences and similarities in a diverse

community. They know that no matter the race, gender, or culture a person comes

from, they all deserve an equal opportunity for a quality education. A teacher that

shows cultural sensitivity expresses interest in the ethnic background of students

and make sure that everyone is viewed as the same. Culturally responsive teaching

is “a pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and

politically. Pedagogy of this type builds upon students’ cultural and linguistic

resources through various methods such as high standards, restructured student-

teacher relationships, community involvement, culturally mediated instruction,

culturally congruent curriculum, and cultural sensitivity.” (Powell, 1997)

I plan to use my curriculum as a tool to make sure each student is taught in a

way that is effective to them. First, I will gather my cultural knowledge and previous

experiences to make the information I must teach more relevant to the students. It is

my job to reach every student in my class and figure out the necessary teaching

styles for them to succeed. My approach will view the cultural differences as an

asset which will give an opportunity for further expressed teaching. My class will be

a place where culturally different students are valued. This will create an inclusive,

respectful, and safe learning environment. “Physical education classes are rapidly

becoming a kaleidoscope of ethnicities and cultures represented by demographic

changes that have affected America’s schools.” (Diversity and Equity,2008) Having a

culturally sensitive class will cut down on the amount of alienation. My gym will be
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culturally inclusive and meaningful environment. I will include murals, collages, and

reflective wall pieces. Having something visual to look at on the walls will create an

appealing atmosphere ready for learning. I will incorporate music into my lessons

and this will break down barrier’s students have and allow them to socially interact

with one another more easily. I plan to build upon and continue good

communication with my future coworkers at the school. We will discuss any of the

students’ needs or issues, so we can better manage them and help their overall

problems. Having the open communication will guide for the success of the students.

Some students will need in-class aids or a behavior chart depending on what the

student could benefit from. The students at my school come from three different

counties and all different walks of life. Therefor there is already a lot of divide

among the students with their social class and I can see this first hand. Some kids

come to school in very expensive nice clothes while other come with smelly ripped

ones. This is where I can make a difference in PE by making it a socially sensitive

environment that can even transfer into the classroom. Having this divide is going to

bring some difficult circumstances. The students in class might be great athletes that

got kicked out of their other schools and really want to be here while the other

students might just be there because they must. I will need to adhere to all of these

students while giving them something they can benefit from. This is where Mark’s

quote gave me a great insight on motivation in the social setting; “Well, now I think

they weren’t motivated because they either already the kind of capital I was

offering, or they didn’t have it, but didn’t care because they didn’t value it, or value it
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enough.”(Flory,2014,p.76) No matter the content I am teaching, I will need to

pinpoint the exact strategy for the socially diverse students I must accommodate for.

Overall, I want my work environment to be a place I can go where I know I

am making a difference in the lives of students. This must be an atmosphere that

thrives off equality and cohesiveness among students. Once a class enters my gym,

they will know exactly what to expect for the day and how to treat others. I have an

immense passion for the education of children and being able to teach them

something that I enjoy, will only benefit them further. One of the biggest tools I plan

on using is being reflective while I am teaching. “Culturally responsive

pedagogy facilitates and supports the achievement of all students. In a culturally

responsive classroom, effective teaching and learning occur in a culturally

supported, learner-centered context, whereby the strengths students bring to

school are identified, nurtured, and utilized to promote student achievement.”

(Forde,2007) I have always learned best with some type of critique. Teachers

always say they learn just as much from their students as they do from them. I’d say

this is quite accurate because the only way you are going to make your lesson better

for the students is by learning from them, reflecting, and improving your lesson to

best way for them to learn from you. Anyway, every child deserves to get the same

education and be taught by someone that can provide the appropriate tools to get

them that. Once a teacher loses their passion or drive for teaching their kids, they

are useless and should leave the profession. The students deserve a lot more than

just someone trying to get their paycheck. Being a culturally sensitive teacher makes
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your teaching more worthwhile and gives you the impression that you are making a

difference in all student’s lives.

Part II

The school district I currently work for and want to teach in is Ferndale

Public Schools. This is a diverse school district. Right now, I am working at the Tri-

county Educational Center alternative high school. This is where I would like a

position in the future as a PE teacher. I plan to bring something to this school that

there has never been before. The students at this school could benefit from having

culturally relevant pedagogy within the curriculum, classroom, and gymnasium.

First off, I will make sure to learn every student’s name and how to pronounce it

correctly. I’ve learned that knowing a student’s name, minute that it may seem, can

make a big difference with the connection you make with them. Many of the

students in this school are required to take PE at least once during their high school

career. Before I get into how I’m going to establish a culturally sensitive curriculum,

I will explain the complications for it and why it’s important to have one.

Most of the students at this alternative school are African American and all

the teachers are white. Working here for the past month, I have heard and seen

racial comments come from the students. Most of the insults have to do with the

teacher’s skin color. These comments come from them thinking there is a divide

amongst the races. I can tell most of the teachers are caring for all ethnic

backgrounds, so this is not the case. There is possibility for change in this school and

the students’ perceptions. Once all the students know that the teachers care about

them and their diverse backgrounds, they will start to do more work to please that
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teacher. Creating a culturally sensitive atmosphere will result in a better

environment for them to learn in. Therefore, it is important to implement this

especially in PE. Not having one in place will set up a bad experience to happen.

“The most consistent associations were between unpleasant memories of P.E.

classes and lingering resistance to exercise years later, the researchers found.

People who had not enjoyed gym class as children tended to report that they did not

expect to like exercise now and did not plan to exercise in the coming days.”

(Reynolds,2018) Not only does this affect their lives now but could affect their lives

negatively in the long run.

I plan on creating culturally sensitive atmosphere in my gym. For this to

happen there will be a few strategies set in place. These include the curriculum,

gym, and other teachers. There will be set expectations of all the students. This will

consist of being respectful of your peers and rules of required behavior from

everybody. I will make the students aware of social issues by presenting this in a

way that connects them emotionally. This will be anywhere from presenting videos

or adding on to some activities they are doing in their other classes. The other

teachers in the school will all have an idea on what the goal is and what activities

and strategies we are trying to implement. Another strategy is giving the students a

questionnaire that asks them what they would like to learn and what their favorite

sports are. This will aid in their motivation to learn. “Students learn best when

they’re passionate about a subject. Facilitating this by allowing them to pick topics

that interest them and decide what form a project will take.” (Hernandez,2016) On

the first day of school I will implement this strategy of a questionnaire to get an idea
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of what their interests are and what they would like to learn. This is similar to the

Cool PE method. “According to McCaughtry, “cool PE” is physical education that

moves students, empowers students with choice, and is meaningful to students

outside of the gym and has cultural relevance.” (Gaudreault,33) This will allow me

to create lessons that will be more likely utilized by the student on their own later

into adult-hood. Not only will they be more engaged in the lesson, but they will

perceive physical education as a good experience. My lessons will include cultural

relevant issues including dance, yoga, and history of sport that will involve all the

students’ diverse backgrounds. I will have a system set up for students who don’t

have English as their first language. Music and dance will be taught to the students

while they learn the different heritages and cultures that comes with each dance.

There will be tasks the students will need to complete that involves them working

together to achieve a goal. Providing a culturally sensitive atmosphere in the gym

will allow for education that is important to lifelong physical activity. I plan to use a

variety of different teaching strategies to make sure each student’s needs are met.

When creating my lessons, I will include concepts of which the cultural context the

students come from. These strategies can be anywhere from student-centered

instruction to culturally mediated instruction. “Utilization of a variety of teaching

strategies, overlaid with cultural sensitivity, can foster a learning environment that

provides meaningfulness and relevancy for all the students in the class.” (Young,

2011, p. 5) I will also place cultural relevant posters in the gymnasium and in the

hallways. These posters will make sure to capture the student’s attention and give
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them a visual representation that reminds them that they are equal and have value.

These posters could even be made by the students.

Part III

Technology is a big component in society today. Most of the students in our

school grew up with technology and don’t know life without it. Over half of the

students’ classes here are online. They can either do their work here at the school in

the eligible lab hours or at home if they have access. When the teachers assign

homework, I can see how it would be hard for the students to complete it without a

computer or technology. There is no PE class here for the students, so they must

work through this online. Technology can be a benefit in most cases, but also poses a

lot of problems. I don’t agree with the online format of PE. As I walk around

observing the students while they work, it seems like they are just scrolling on the

videos and guessing, hoping for a passing score on the test. I’ve asked an abundance

of students on if they would take their PE class more seriously if it were in person

and active. “Yes”, was the same answer I got from all of them. The obesity epidemic

is another issue. Students might be learning about information on PE, but they are

missing out on the chance to receive the adequate amount of physical activity they

need during the day. “The latest estimates are that approximately 34% of adults and

15–20% of children and adolescents in the U.S. are obese.” (Mitchell) Giving the

students access to quality physical education will help with the lack of physical

activity and help promote a lifelong healthy lifestyle.

In my PE class I will incorporate technology, but in a different way. Most of

the students should already be tech savvy, so if I have any problems, I’m sure they
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could be some help! Technology can be a used as a nice resource in the gym. “We

know that the use of technology in the fields of physical and health education has

long been encouraged. Numerous reasons exist for incorporating technology into

teaching, including (1) motivating students, (2) enhancing instruction, and (3)

objectively assessing students.” (Centeio,11) Heart monitors or step monitors for

students can be a great competitive motivator. It also makes the activities they are

participating in more interesting and engaging. I will design a proposal to receive

funding for these tools, I would incorporate them into the unit plan. To be more

culturally sensitive to technology we need to remember that not all families have

the same things we might have. Like a computer or internet. “According to the Pew

Research Center, only 67% of American households have broadband access, only

68% of Americans own a smartphone, and 13% of these households report being

smartphone-only households.” (Centeio,11) These are low numbers considering the

amount of cell phones I see the students have daily. When creating homework

assignments, I will be aware to make sure each student is able to complete it outside

of school. If there are issues with completing the assignment with technology, then I

will have a private way for them to complete it. Being culturally sensitive will help

close the digital gap and increase an effective learning environment.

In conclusion, a culturally sensitive teacher has the unique ability to make a

world of difference in the school and their classroom. Based on the information

presented there is clear evidence of the many the benefits of taking a culturally

sensitive approach to teaching and doing so will not only create a better atmosphere

for teaching but will create a better experience for the students. All students that
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enter my gym will be encouraged to practice the same sensitivity that I have

portrayed to them.

References

Centeio, E. E. (2017). The Have and Have Nots: An Ever-present Digital Divide. Journal

of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance.

https://doi.org/10.1080/07303084.2017.1331643

Diversity and Equity in Physical Education [Video file]. (2008, October 22). Retrieved

from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdUklkGYhrI

Flory, S. B. (2014). Sociocultural Issues In Physical Education.

Forde, T. (n.d.). Addressing diversity in schools: Culturally responsive pedagogy.

Teaching Exceptional Children. Retrieved from

https://canvas.wayne.edu/courses/80061/pages/why-this-class-is-important

Gaudreault, K. L. (2014). Cool PE and Confronting the Negative Stereotypes of Physical

Education. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/Blake/Downloads/A-in-A_May-June-

14%20(1).pdf

Gupta, R. C. (2018, August 17). Looking at Edtech Through an Equity Lens.

Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/

looking-edtech-through-equity-lens

Hernandez, M. (2016, June 24). Social Justice Projects in the Classroom. Retrieved from

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/social-justice-projects-in-classroom-michael-

hernandez
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Mitchell, N. (n.d.). Obesity: Overview of an epidemic. NIH Public Access. Retrieved

from

file:///C:/Users/Blake/Downloads/Obesity_Overview%20of%20epidemic%20.pdf

Reynolds, G. (2018, August 22). How You Felt About Gym Class May Impact Your

Exercise Habits Today. Retrieved from

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/22/well/move/how-you-felt-about-gym-class-

may-impact-your-exercise-habits-today.html

Young, S. (2011). Practicing Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in Physical Education.

Journal of Modern Education Review, 1(1). Retrieved from

file:///C:/Users/Blake/Downloads/Practicing%20Culturally%20Responsive%20Te

aching%20In%20PE%20(3).pdf