Teachers: 3 tips to help become a more culturally focused educator

To educators who want to improve and continue to be culturally competent teachers. Here are two articles from Geoff Master and Kathy Deady that establish easy steps towards a better classroom.

In his article “What is ‘equity’ in education?” Master shows that it is better for classrooms to be fair than to be equal. In a perfect world children are in conditions where they all have the same starting point, but there are going to be students who need extra resources. For students who have learning needs or unequal socioeconomic backgrounds, teachers recognize that students will need extra assistance and an equitable education is giving them the resources to make excellent progress in their learning. Students can’t choose their paths in life but educators can take steps to giving each student the opportunity to excel.

Photo from: https://www.profellow.com/fellowships/18-teaching-fellowships-abroad/

As more than 50 percent of public school students will be POC (People of color), Kathy Deady explores different tools to becoming a more culturally responsive teacher. Deady's 5 steps to becoming a culturally responsive teacher details the importance of being aware of the mindset you bring into the classroom and of the community. In the classroom it makes a big difference when you get to know students and create a space where students can become critical thinkers. Once you start thinking about the content you will teach its vital to involve multiple learning styles and cultures so that student can receive as much context as possible.

Based on these two articles and my own experiences as a student I have developed three action items you should consider…

·         Think Fairness- Recognize that being a good teacher means understanding which students need extra attention/ resources to attain a quality education.

·         Reflect on Identities- Examining and reflecting on how the identities you hold affect a classroom dynamic, is a big step towards becoming a better educator.

·         Vary your Content- Students have different learning styles, so being flexible provides your students the best chance to succeed.

The teaching landscape is quickly evolving and becoming a culturally competent teacher will give you the confidence to uplift the next generation of students.

Fredrick Bugyei is a Northwestern senior studying Radio/Television/Film. He enjoys building community through his work as an RA and is involved with improv and a Capella groups. He plans to be a teacher through Teach For America