Cultural Competence in the Classroom

Cultural Competence in the Classroom

Ashford University

EDU 693: Creativity, Culture, and Global Contexts in Education Decision Making

Learning experiences and Cultural Competencies

Educators have a major role in how the students view school. Their view can be distorted by even one educator and the student can begin to dislike and withdraw from school. Our textbook stated, “Children learn differently depending on how they see the world, process information, and internalize their view of learning, education, and success (Wardle, 2013, Ch. 4.3). At Nick’s school, I believe the teachers lacked the knowledge of really understanding how each student learned. Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews is one cultural competence that I believe the staff at his school lacked. Nick described his time at camp as a way that he could be himself and really begin to explore his world. If this competency was recognized the staff would have reached students on their level, interacted with them based on their view of the world, and provide them with engagement to keep them attracted to learning. The other cultural competence positive attitudes and open-mindedness toward cultural differences can help teachers create a relationship with their students that can foster a sense of trust. This type of relationship can help students build trust with their teachers because they will not feel isolated and not understood.

The 4C Skills that are relevant

As a programmer, Nick’s position requires him to use all the 4C skills. Critical thinking and problem solving come into play at times when he encounters a problem while working. He must think about what did not work and use reasoning to then create a plan to solve the problem. Communication and collaboration work together because in many workforces there is a team of staff that is working together to complete goals. This is an important thing as stated by Battelle for Kids, 2007, “Demonstrate the ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams” (Battelle for Kids, 2007). Nick must build and establish positive relationships with those he worked with in order to successfully do their jobs. Creativity and innovation are the last of the skills that are relevant to Nick’s current position. Being a programmer requires thinking outside of the box and exploring new ideas. In many classrooms, I think that the skill that is not adequately addressed in many classrooms today would be creativity and innovation. I say this because many teachers want to stick strictly to what their standards and guidelines say and not think outside of the box when preparing and delivering the lessons. Knowing and following the standards of the school is important but there are ways and techniques that can be used to keep students engaged in learning and school not become boring (Goyal, 2014).

Acquisition of learning and innovation skills through culturally relevant instruction

Maximizing academic success through relevant instructional experiences is one area that can lead to student success. As teachers, we are to study our students and then be led by them in order to teach them. Knowing what areas, the students are struggling in and knowing about their cultures can then help teachers to know how to better help them maximize academic success. Maximizing every moment to teach the students can lead to greater success. According to Gloria Ladson-Billing, 1995, “Thus culturally relevant teaching requires that teachers attend to students’ academic needs, not merely make them “feel good” (Ladson-Billing, 1995, Pg.160). Involving students in the construction of knowledge is also an area of culturally relevant instruction that can lead to greater student success. Students are inquisitive so teachers should be able to use this as a tool to allow them to help in their learning process. If students are more involved and engaged in how they want to learn they would be interested in the information that is being taught. The final area of culturally relevant instruction that can lead to greater student success would be to tap into home and community resources. According to Chafouleas & Whitcomb (2004), “When each person works independently to meet a child’s needs, the task is formidable” (p. 203). Putting together family, the community, and the school is a way that can really help the student be successful. Each of these factors plays a large role in the development of a student because they encounter them.

References

Battelle for Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.battelleforkids.org/networks/p21

Chafouleas, S. M., & Whitcomb, M. (2004). Integrating Home, School, and Community Resources: Evaluation of a District-Wide Prevention Program. Reclaiming Children & Youth, 12(4), 203.

Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). But that’s just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy review the document [PDF]. Theory into Practice, 34(3), 159-165. Retrieved from https://nationalequityproject.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/ladson-billings_1995.pdf

Teachers Lounge (2014, February 11). Why kids hate school?: Nikhil Goyal at TEDxYouth@BFS (Links to an external site.) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/0Iz4APbOOcI

Wardle, F. (2013). Human relationships and learning in the multicultural environment [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/