Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Standard 3
Standard 3
Standard 3. A teacher teaches with respect for their individual and cultural characteristics.
diverse communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that allow each learner to meet
high standards and of how providing differentiation of instruction in the areas of content,
Each student that enters our school is a unique individual with his or her own life story
that is built on both the students’ genetics and life history. Genetics can include race and
ethnicity, gender, physical ability, and anything else that is set at birth. Life history on the other
hand is fluid and constantly evolving. It may include, but is certainly not limited to, family
make-up and support, socio-economic status, and any personal experience that has influenced the
way the student perceives the world. When I started this program, like many teachers, I believed
that regardless of these life stories, every student is a unique individual who is capable of
success, and that success may not look the same for each student. Now, however, I believe that
because of these life stories, every child is a unique individual who is capable of success, and
that success will not look the same for each student. While the wording is a subtle change, the
When educators have a mindset that embraces diversity, they are able to facilitate
opportunities for students to flourish and become active contributing members to the overall
learning environment. Viewing their unique qualities and learning preferences as an enriching
aspect of the classroom culture allows educators and classmates to value students as individuals
and see their strengths. “When we view children from strengths-based perspective, we show
them that we believe in their abilities to succeed, even in the face of adversity. We also lessen the
likelihood that we will lower our expectations for these children, and thus lower their self-
confidence and social competence” (Fields, Meritt, & Fields, 2014, p. 325).
language arts lesson, all students are set up to succeed in meeting the learning objectives. For this
lesson, students were taught the rubrics, rated an example together, and given choices within the
assignment. “Students learn in various ways, and we can let them show their learning in various
ways… Giving students a choice allows them to take ownership of their learning as well as
create a product that feels authentic to them” (Usher, 2019, p.1). Students could create either a
comic strip or a storyboard and perform a skit, which they could choose to do in individually, in
Educators must also provide needed support for students with specific needs. While
student teaching, I found the ELL Shadowing Protocol to be a valuable tool in helping me
identify the strengths and areas in need of growth for my ELL student. An educator should also
be able to evaluate when to incorporate assistive technologies and which technologies would be
the most beneficial to an individual student. They should be familiar with many options and stay
current in technological advancements that may benefit their students. Cultural responsive
teaching and differentiation are frameworks that are forever evolving in response to the change
and growth of our society and our individual students. Therefore, our educational system needs
responsive teaching and how to implement the approach into my own practice. Cultural
recognize students' cultural displays of learning and meaning making and respond positively and
constructively with teaching moves that use cultural knowledge as a scaffold to connect what the
student knows to new concepts and content in order to promote effective information processing.
All the while, the educator understands the importance of being in a relationship and having a
social-emotional connection to the student in order to create a safe space for learning" (p. 17). In
addition, “Modifying and adapting lessons to include culturally relevant information and
nor something extra. It is simply teaching mindfully and with the intent to support the success of
each human being for whom we accept professional responsibility” (Sousa & Tomlinson, 2011,
p. 9). Differentiation is most successful when it is imbedded into all aspects of teaching through
quality instruction and design of content, the process of learning, the various forms of products,
and the environment in which learning occurs all in response to student readiness, interests, and
learning profile. “[T]eachers in differentiated classes use time flexibly, call upon a range of
instructional strategies, and become partners with their students so that both what is learned and
the learning environment are shaped to support the learners and learning” (Tomlinson, 2014, p.
4). Educators must know and understand their students well and implement informed assessment
that ensures responsive instruction. It is critical to hold all students to high expectations.
"Students learn more when they are challenged by teachers who have high expectations for them,
encourage them to identify problems, involve them in collaborative activities, and accelerate
their learning" (ASCD, 2008, p. 1). It is the teachers responsibility to differentiate the learning to
allow all students the opportunity to succeed in meeting the learning objectives.
An educator who has an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of diversity and its
impact on learning is one whom is knowledgeable and respectful of the the various cultures
represented by his or her students and their collective community. They must be skilled at
planning, designing, and implementing content using culturally responsive teaching and
Competencies for the Classroom, educator and researcher Kenneth Cushner (2002) identified
twelve cultural attributes that profoundly influence the construction of identity. These include;
race, social class, language, social status, geographic location, ethnicity and nationality, ability
and/or disability, sex and gender, sexuality, religion and spirituality, age, and health. Each of the
attributes contributes to the student’s understanding of self and the world. Effective educators
know and understand their students well and are able to recognize these attributes. They strive to
establish and maintain positive relationships with students and their families that are built on
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. (2008). Diverse teaching strategies
Teaching-Strategies-for-Diverse-Learners.aspx
Cushner, K.H. (2002). Human diversity in action: Developing multicultural competencies for
Echevarria, J. & Graves, A. (2015) Sheltered content instruction: Teaching english learners
with diverse abilities. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Fields, M., Meritt, P. & Fields, D. (2014). Constructive guidance and discipline: Birth to age
Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain. Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage
Publications.
Sousa, D. & Tomlinson, C.A. (2011). Differentiation and the brain: How neuroscience supports
Tomlinson, C. (2014). Differentiated classrooms: Responding to the needs of all learners. 2nd
ed. ASCD.
Usher, K. (2019, April 10). Differentiating by offering choices: Elementary students have a better
chance of showing what they’ve learned when they have a choice about how to show it.
Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/differentiating-offering-choices