Kaitlin Rossi

C&T 898

Learning Outcome 2: Identities, Communities, and Inclusive Learning Contexts

Before beginning my Masters program at University of Kansas I attended one

semester at Rollins College in Orlando, Florida in 2019. I took a course titled The
Multicultural Classroom. This course took the place of the University of Kansas C&T
807: Multicultural Classroom. In this course I discussed critical current events in our
education system, compared private and public schools education and wrote a research
paper on the effects of teacher preparation and teacher beliefs on diversity in the
classroom.

This artifact, a research paper on preparing teachers for diversity in classrooms,

demonstrates evidence towards Learning Outcome 2: Identities, Communities and
Inclusive Learning Context, which states, that the candidate will be able to “demonstrate
use of critical self- reflection to understand one’s own identity and the ways in which
identity, oppression and privilege influence individuals and their experiences in schools
and communities; 2) Demonstrate commitment to and evidence of practices that foster
inclusive environments and learning opportunities in the candidate’s context.”

In this paper I used research from Dimitrijevic (2015), Maloney (2016), Causey
and Thomas (2000), Kahn (2014) to support my claim that teachers need to enter the
classroom more culturally responsive. Initially, I chose this topic because I was seeing in
my classroom the increase of diversity in my students. I also spoke to other teachers and
administration and they noted that their classrooms have become more diverse over the
past decade. This made me question if teachers that have been teaching for multiple years
or even newer teachers have the proper training and understanding to teach the wide
range of cultural groups we are seeing in the classroom. In the research I conducted for
this paper, I learned that several teachers claimed that they have set perceptions of ELL
students and what culturally and linguistically diverse thinking looks like. If you were to
approach me two years ago and ask if I had cultural bias, I would answer no. However,
after researching what cultural bias looks like I learned that many times parents of the
minority cultural group are responsible for transferring inappropriate values children have
about certain cultural groups. So even if I didn’t think I was culturally bias I was still
doing and thinking things that could display bias behaviors. These initial thoughts and
bias I had developed led me into the research I conducted for my paper.

I began my research by educating myself on what a culturally and linguistically

diverse (CALD) classroom looks like. A CALD classroom describes a community with
diverse language, ethnic background, nationality, dress, traditions, food, societal
structures, art and religion. Through the research I conducted on CALD classrooms I
learned from Maloney (2016) that many teachers feel unprepared to teach in a CALD
classroom because they lack the proper training. Dimitrijevic (2015) and Causey and
Thomas (2000) supported my prediction that many teachers are born into having a bias of
different cultures therefore making it more difficult for them to set the biases aside when
entering a classroom. The research I conducted showed me that many teachers had
developed bias and felt unprepared to teach in CALD classrooms. The next step in my
research was to find ways to assist teachers in preparing them for these CALD
classrooms. Research shows that interacting with students and training and practice are
effective ways to prepare teachers for CALD classrooms. In my research I found that
preparation for CALD classrooms should begin in the pre-service teaching phase. Before
teachers enter the classrooms as full time teachers they should receive the practice and
instruction they need to teach in a CALD classroom.

This paper changed me as a learner because it taught me that I wasn’t a bad

person for having biases or thinking a certain way. It isn’t that teachers don’t want to
accept diversity of students it is just that they don’t know how too. I knew that when I
became a teacher I wanted to ensure all students felt welcomed when they entered my
classroom. But, I wanted to go beyond this. I wanted to make sure the curriculum I was
teaching them was diverse and inclusive for all learners. I knew in my first year of
teaching all of this would not be possible. That is when the importance of self-reflection
comes into play. Now I take time after each quarter to reflect on my teaching. I ask
myself questions like; did all students feel included in the lessons I taught? How could I
have improved? How did my biases affect the way I taught a lesson? How can I work to
remove these biases? By stopping and asking myself these questions I can take what I
have learned from this paper and compare them to my real life experiences. I know now I
still struggle with being a culturally responsive teacher at times. I took this course at
Rollins College before I had begun my teaching career.

Since writing this paper, I learned more about what a CALD classroom looks like,
how teachers should approach a CALD classroom and why it may be difficult for
teachers to enter a CALD classroom without appropriate practice and training. This paper
also allowed me to make changes in my classroom. I created a more culturally responsive
classroom library that includes books where all students can see people and families that
look like themselves. I also have books in different languages from countries around the
world. After writing this paper I made even more of an effort to build relationships with
all my students. I want to learn about where my students are from and what their cultural
practices and beliefs are. By gathering this information on my students I am able to learn
more about them and also adapt my instruction to include elements that they can
personally relate to. It is incredibly important for students to be educated on different
cultures. If the exposure of different cultures begins at a young age that can also prepare
students for the culturally diverse world they will encounter in life.

As I reach the end of my program I can also draw connections from this paper to
courses I took in my graduate program. In my graduate program we learned about the
importance of supporting all students, implementing new instructional practices, and
assessing students learning. In this research paper I was able to learn about the point of
view of a culturally diverse student and ways to make the student feel welcomed and
included in the classroom. A student’s social and emotional learning affects the way they
learn and this paper assisted me in learning about how to create a culturally responsive
classroom where students feel socially and emotionally welcomed. I am glad I wrote this
paper because it impacted me as a learner and educated me on what is happening in our
classrooms across the nation. This research paper demonstrates how I reflected on my
own identity to realize how my previous experiences may affect the way I teach my
students now. I also explain how I can foster more inclusive environments and learning
opportunities so that all students entering my classroom feel welcomed and accepted.
 References

Alismail, H. A. (2016). Multicultural education: Teachers' perceptions and

preparation. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(11), 139-146. Retrieved

from https://proxy.stetson.edu:2443/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/l

ogin.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1099450&site=ehost-live

Dimitrijevic, B. M. (2015). Teachers' perceptions of cultural differences: Ethnocentric

and ethnorelative worldview in school context. ().Bulgarian Comparative

Education Society. Retrieved

from https://proxy.stetson.edu:2443/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/l

ogin.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED568669&site=ehost-live

Iyer, R., & Reese, M. (2013). Ensuring student success: Establishing a community of

practice for culturally and linguistically diverse preservice teachers. Australian

Journal of Teacher Education, 38(3) Retrieved

from https://proxy.stetson.edu:2443/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/l

ogin.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1012937&site=ehost-live

Kahn, L. G., Lindstrom, L., & Murray, C. (2014). Factors contributing to preservice

teachers' beliefs about diversity. Teacher Education Quarterly, 41(4), 53-70.

Retrieved

from https://proxy.stetson.edu:2443/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/l

ogin.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1090541&site=ehost-live

Ramirez, P. C., Gonzales-Galindo, D., & Roy, B. (2016). Preparing pre-service

secondary teachers in arizona: Using culturally responsive approaches to learn

 from diverse secondary english learners. Multicultural Education, 23(2), 22-30.

Retrieved

from https://proxy.stetson.edu:2443/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/l

ogin.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1097615&site=ehost-

live http://www.caddogap.com/periodicals.shtml