Responsive Teaching Practices Research Articles

Exploring linguistically responsive teaching for English learners in rural, elementary classrooms: From theory to practice

The rapid growth in the number of English learners (ELs) in urban and rural school classrooms and the continual homogenization of a White, female, teaching force in the United States create cultural and linguistic disconnections in the classroom. As research suggests, although classroom diversity and ELs’ academic needs could be addressed by teachers’ enactment of linguistically responsive teaching (LRT) practices, most mainstream classroom teachers are not adequately prepared to implement these practices. This study examined the teaching practices of teachers with English learners in rural, elementary classroom settings in the US to find evidence of linguistically responsive teaching. It also explored how rurality shaped teachers’ instruction of ELs. The findings illustrate limited and considerable evidence of LRT implementation in the teachers’ classrooms. Evidence shows that two focal teachers mostly implemented LRT through their teaching strategies and scaffolded instruction. Findings further demonstrate that rural factors like place-based awareness and the teachers’ rural upbringing influenced their instruction of ELs. Implications on the need for researchers to undertake further and critical examination of LRT both as a theoretical framework that guides teacher preparation and as a theory that guides educational research are discussed while recommendations for language teaching, pedagogy and teacher preparation are put forward.

Teaching Latinx students: Do teacher ethnicity and bilingualism matter?

Prior research has indicated that both mainstream (e.g., positive classroom behavior management) and culturally responsive teaching practices (e.g., cultural socialization in the classroom and promoting parent involvement), as well as teacher-student ethnic match, are associated with greater academic achievement for students of color. The purpose of this study was to examine teacher-student ethnic match and culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy as predictors of self-reported teaching practices used with Latinx students. The present study used a sample of 236 teachers (38.6% Spanish-speaking Latinx) of Latinx students in New York City public schools. We found that bilingual Latinx teachers reported using more effective mainstream and culturally responsive teaching practices compared to non-Latinx teachers (who did not speak Spanish). Using structural equation modeling, we found support for a model in which greater reported use of effective teaching practices by bilingual Latinx teachers is mediated by their greater culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy. Taken together, the findings suggest that greater confidence with culturally responsive teaching among Spanish-speaking Latinx teachers contributes to improved classroom environments for Latinx students.

Culturally responsive teaching knowledge and practices of online faculty in educational administration: a pilot study

Abstract The new statistics project that the nation will become “Minority White” in 2045 where Whites will comprise 49.7% of the population. In contrast, Hispanics will comprise 24.6%, Blacks 13.1%, Asians 7.9%, and 3.8% for multiracial populations. Given such shifts in the demographic trends, a culturally inclusive curriculum design and delivery is critical for all students’ success. The purpose of this pilot quantitative comparative research study was to assess Culturally Responsive Teaching Knowledge (CRT) and Culturally Responsive Educational Practices (CREP) in Texas public university faculty who teach and/or advise online Master’s and/or Doctoral students of color, military students, LGBTQ students, religious minority students, and international students in Educational Administration. All respondents in this pilot research study believed Culturally Responsive Teaching was “very important”. However, their self-reported ratings on knowledge of CRT were significantly lower than their value of CRT. These findings revealed the respondents recognized the importance and necessity of cultural diversity in online learning. They viewed cultural differences as assets in online courses. However, they self-perceived their own knowledge of cultural diversity in online teaching was insufficient. With the changing student demographics and increase in international students, faculty members should incorporate diverse learning activities into the online course design to promote equitable learning outcomes. These instructional methods are particularly important to the online graduate programs in the fields of Educational Administration, Instructional Administration, and Educational Leadership.

Becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution: A Case Study of Faculty Perspectives on Teaching Philosophies and Pedagogical Stance

ABSTRACT Conducted at a university that has just transitioned into a Hispanic serving institution (HSI), this exploratory case study investigated the formation of new institutional identity from a pedagogical perspective. Examining faculty perspectives on what it means to teach and learn at a newborn Hispanic serving institution, this study sought to uncover a less frequently explored aspect of a Hispanic serving identity – faculty teaching philosophies and pedagogical stance. The data were gathered through interviews and focus groups with 29 faculty members of varied ranks, disciplines, and teaching experiences. The results revealed the following six themes in relation to participants’ teaching philosophies and pedagogical stance: (1) understanding the complexity of Latinx student identity, (2) moving from a deficit to asset paradigm, (3) building student peer communities, (4) infusing culturally relevant curricula, (5) implementing culturally responsive teaching practices, and (6) increasing faculty agency and support. The study presents practical recommendations for applying the findings in both HSI and emerging HSI settings, as well as on all campuses serving the growing population of Latinx students.

Culturally responsive teaching efficacy in inclusive education at Taiwanese preschools

ABSTRACT This study aimed to understand the process of implementing culturally responsive teaching (CRT) practices in inclusive settings for young children with disabilities. Two preschools and 24 teachers participated in this study. Data included interviews, field notes, professional consultation meeting notes, observation documents, and self-evaluation questionnaire responses. In the first phase, interview data were collected to understand how the teachers perceived their CRT efficacy. We next applied an action research method in the second phase, where the teachers received professional support in designing the CRT curriculum and instruction. Four themes emerged from the process, namely, curriculum and instruction, classroom management, support system, and cultural sensitivity. The findings suggest that professional support and collective teaching efficacy are key factors for the implementation of CRT practices in inclusive settings. Other implications are also discussed.

CELL protocol (conferring with English language learners): Supporting ELLs’ reading comprehension in middle level education

This article presents a protocol for utilizing conferring strategies for reading conferences with English Language Learners (ELLs) as a means to support their reading comprehension skills and develop content area vocabulary in middle level education. The Conferring with English Language Learners (CELL) Protocol emphasizes ELLs’ conversational skills to enhance reading comprehension and shifts from a teacher-centered lesson delivery to a reciprocal student-to-student approach that reflects the following This We Believe characteristics: Active Learning, Challenging Curriculum, and Multiple Learning Approaches. The discussion begins by framing the vital role that reading plays in promoting language development for ELLs. Then, we define conferring and outline the steps needed to implement our CELL Protocol with an emphasis on culturally responsive teaching practices.

Strengthening Preservice Teachers’ Understanding of Culturally Responsive Classrooms Through Exposure, Immersion, and Dialogue

Schools around the world are incredibly diverse; therefore, understanding inclusion, equity, and social justice is an essential part of teacher preparation. Preservice teachers need guidance to identify and reflect on the personal lenses they bring to their classrooms. This reflection, in turn, helps them understand, relate to, and meet student needs. Partnerships between urban school districts, communities, and universities are necessary to strengthen preservice teachers’ application of culturally responsive teaching practices. Using a mixed-methods, sequential design, the authors addressed the following research questions: In what ways, if any, does the structure of the teacher preparation program impact preservice teachers’ comfort with, understanding of, and/or application of culturally responsive teaching practices in urban teaching environments? Were there specific components of the structure that supported preservice teacher development? The authors conclude by sharing a conceptual framework for structuring authentic field experiences to support culturally responsive teaching practices in preservice teachers.

Puesta en valor de la extensión universitaria: curricularización para una integración real con investigación y docencia

Este trabajo se origina en respuesta a un proceso reflexivo complejo y continuo de nuestras prácticas docentes a lo largo de distintos encuentros, talleres e intercambios de la especialización en docencia universitaria de la Universidad Nacional de La Plata. A lo largo del texto plasmamos nuestras revisiones sobre la fragmentación en la educación y la necesidad de una formación integral, social y colectivamente construida. Consideramos la importancia de la articulación entre docencia, investigación y extensión para los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje social, política e históricamente situados, que promuevan un perfil profesional y ciudadano más comprometido con las problemáticas político-sociales, y situamos a la Universidad como actor institucional fundamental en el intercambio permanente con la comunidad. Incluimos también propuestas concretas de curricularización de la extensión como estrategia pedagógica innovadora para implementar en las prácticas docentes universitarias en respuesta a las problematizaciones abordadas.

Managing student and faculty expectations and the unexpected during the COVID-19 lockdown: role transformation

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to reflect teaching and learning practices, to highlight an educator’s new roles in the transformation when teaching online during the COVID-19 lockdown.Design/methodology/approachThe paper takes a transformative reflection approach, based on competencies and activity system analysis to connect theory and practical experience in managing the students, the teaching delivery and the assessments.FindingsThe transition to online teaching and assessments requires various considerations of the curriculum and instructional approaches and necessitates the transformation of the role of the subject-matter expert to that of designer and co-learner. Empathy and understanding of students’ conditions enable this role transformation.Practical implicationsThe paper highlights the importance of preparedness among faculty members and universities in dealing with uncertainties and the willingness to expand traditional roles and to upgrade the required skills, knowledge and attitudes to engender sustainable teaching and learning practices in response to future disruptions.Originality/valueThe paper reflects on the experience of a faculty who had adopted blended learning prior to the lockdown and how the teaching practice and roles transformed when fully transitioning to online delivery during the lockdown in New Zealand.

Critical Race Structuralism: The Role of Science Education in Teaching Social Justice Issues in Urban Education and Pre-Service Teacher Education Programs

Using critical race structuralism (CRS), a new contribution, as well as primary and secondary data, this article explores the role of science in teaching social justice issues in urban education. In the United States, a teaching workforce, which is predominately White, middle class, and female, intersects with an increasingly diverse student population, creating a need for culturally responsive teaching practices, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) classes. An investigation of existing literature reveals the need for greater emphasis on environmental racism and social justice as they pertain to students living in low-income and urban communities. Our findings reveal that CRS can be utilized in a collective effort to transform teacher education programs and teacher pedagogy, to effectively address environmental racism and other social justice issues in urban schools and communities.

패턴 일반화를 지도하는 초등 교사의 반응적 교수 관행에 대한 연구

A mathematics teacher needs to understand students’ mathematical thinking and to provide them with appropriate learning opportunities. This study explored how an elementary school teacher taught pattern generalization on the basis of what she identified regarding students’ various mathematical thinking during her lessons. In particular, the teacher’s responsive teaching practices were analyzed in relation to whether or not she had anticipated the student’s specific mathematical thinking before the actual instruction. Regarding a student’s mathematical thinking the teacher had anticipated in advance, she faithfully implemented the core instructional elements to be emphasized to teach pattern generalization. However, regarding a student’s mathematical thinking the teacher had not anticipated, the teacher first checked whether such thinking would be meaningful to teach pattern generalization and then used it in the subsequent classroom activities or improvised her initial teaching plan on spot on the basis of her professional knowledge. Building on these results, this paper discusses the characteristics and implications of responsive teaching practices to teach pattern generalization.

Teachers’ Perspectives on Building Spaces for Students To Be Change Agents

This research project is centered around five participating elementary teachers and how they created space for multimodal, literacy-based curricula in their classrooms using culturally responsive teaching (Nieto, 2017, 2018) for social justice. This presentation is a reflection on this focus. For example, Cassidy, a grade three teacher in a diverse urban school, shared that her pedagogy is “always social justice because I want my kids to be change agents if they can be. If I can just teach them how to be more understanding of each other and of humanity; and just be able to see people as humans.” The teachers shared how attending professional development workshops on oppression and discrimination helped them build resources that focused on inclusion and equity. Comprehensive interviews and analyses of pedagogical tools and designs provided knowledge about the multimodal resources, tools and activities that helped the teachers build effective social justice-focused curriculum. The interviews and analyses also provided insight into their struggles and successes as well as their ongoing pedagogical goals. A New Literacies perspective (Coiro et al., 2008) helped reveal how these teachers collaborate, plan and create equitable learning spaces and opportunities in their classrooms. The study also highlights how these teachers built opportunities for multimodal teaching and learning and how they developed their culturally responsive teaching practices.

Revisiting culturally responsive teaching practices for early childhood preservice teachers

ABSTRACT The US Census states that Americans under the age of five are a majority- minority with 50.2% of this population from minority backgrounds. As our country continues to grow as a rich, diverse multicultural nation, it is imperative that early childhood teacher educators prepare future teachers to embrace this diversity and provide experiences that affirm all students, families and communities. In our past work, we (teacher educators) synthesized the current research into five frameworks that we believe embody the foundation of culturally responsive teaching (CRT) in an early childhood setting. In this article, we review the previous frames and continue this work with additional frameworks that are imperative for developing a culturally responsive early childhood educators and their future classrooms. We situate each framework within the larger context of research, and then we move beyond discussing CRT practices by offering ideas on how culturally responsive classrooms look and how to implement this pedagogy in an early childhood setting with authentic classroom practices.

Truth, success, and faith: Novice teachers’ perceptions of what's at risk in responsive teaching in science

AbstractResponsive teaching—or teaching that builds from the “seeds of science” in student thinking—is depicted in STEM education literature as both important and challenging. U.S. science education reform has been calling for teachers to enact instruction that attends to and takes up the substance of students’ STEM ideas; however, responsive teaching represents a substantial shift from the current state of affairs in most U.S. classrooms, where content is often presented authoritatively as facts, definitions, and algorithms, with little consideration of student thinking. Drawing on language from literature about sense‐making, this paper identifies some of the “vexation points” that novice science teachers face as they consider implementing responsive teaching practices in science—that is, what doesn't make sense, to teachers, about this instructional approach. In particular, we show that novice teachers express moral concerns about responsive teaching; themes in their written reflections suggest that they perceive responsive teaching to put truth, success, and faith at risk. We argue that though these concerns originally seem distinct from the institutional constraints to responsive teaching posed by the literature, teachers’ concerns about truth, success, and faith are in fact mutually reinforced by and reinforcing of external constraints. We use this connection to pose implications for research and teacher education.

Community College Librarians and the ACRL Framework: Findings from a National Study

This study explored community college librarians’ engagement with the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education . A national online survey with 1,201 community college librarian respondents reveals limited familiarity with and integration of the Framework into community college instruction to date. Findings indicate an openness to future adoption, as well as substantial interest in targeted professional development and a version of the Framework adapted for community college campuses. These results contribute benchmark instructional data on an understudied section of academic librarianship and add to the growing body of research on how librarians have updated teaching practices in response to the Framework.

The Black Family Rising: “Bringing the Gifts that My Ancestors Gave”

14 | BLACK HISTORY BULLETIN VOL. 83, NO. 2 (EXTENDED DIGITAL VERSION) 83 No.2 INTRODUCTION THE BLACK FAMILY RISING: “BRINGING THE GIFTS THAT MY ANCESTORS GAVE”1 By: Regina A. Lewis, Katherine Scott Sturdevant, and Stephen Collins Family is at the heart of the Black experience—it continues to rise. After the Civil War, in collaboration with the Freedmen’s Bureau, Black people actively looked for family members who were sold during enslavement. Subsequently, missing-family advertisements were placed in newspapers for decades—they communicated to elevate hope. Teaching History Online: Communicate to Elevate ThethemeforthisissueoftheBlackHistoryBulletin(BHB),TheBlackFamily:Representation,Identity,andDiversity,provides special commentary about history and communication. While we were developing this issue, the global COVID-19 pandemic caused schools worldwide to convert to online/distance learning. As professors of communication and history, we believe that teachers must communicate to elevate regardless of the teaching venue. Moving from in-person classroom instruction to remote teaching and learning is a paradigm shift that requires changes to teaching methods to engage students. The BHB is dedicated to assisting teachers in learning and implementing culturally responsive teaching practices. Each journal provides relevant themes and articles with companion lesson plans. Therefore, this issue of the BHB provides concepts, culturally responsive lesson plans, and resources to assist with creating culturally responsive online instruction that is engaging. All of the articles within this issue provide educators with a panoply of materialthatcanbeutilizedwithinin-personorvirtualclassrooms.Additionally,authorscommunicatetoelevatehopebyilluminating how members of Black families continue to use the gifts their ancestors gave. Specifically, the authors’ articles use the lens of diverse disciplines to represent the complexities of Black life: (1) History; (2) Social Policy; (3) Sociology; (4) Cultural Anthropology; (5) Political Reform; and (6) Social History. Below you will find summaries of the articles organized by the aforementioned disciplines. History and Social Policy Title: Exploring the Heartbeat of the Black Family: Observations through the Lens of Endarkened Epistemology Authors: María T. Colompos-Tohtsonie, Shanell L. Walter, and Karina Avila Looking through the lens of endarkened epistemology provides a new clarity across decades of Black family analyses by historians, sociologists, and policymakers. Walking us through historiography of the American family, endarkened epistemology clarifies how and why stereotypes occurred and damaged the Black family. Family History and Social History Title: Walls Tumbling Down: Teaching Black Family History and Genealogy in Social History Context Author: Katherine Scott Sturdevant BLACK HISTORY BULLETIN VOL. 83, NO. 2 (EXTENDED DIGITAL VERSION) | 15 83 No.2 The media trends of Black family history, and the fulfillment it could provide, began with Alex Haley’s Roots and continue with Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s Finding Your Roots. African American family history today accesses sources and technologies that make it more possible than ever to get past the “brick wall” of research that slavery built. Students can build family histories by drawing on documents, artifacts, oral history, and oral tradition, as well as accessing records increasingly online. Weaving the specific family material together with the social history context of what life was like is fulfilling for families and “makes history come alive.” History and Cultural Anthropology Title: A Realm of Descendent History: African American Families Homesteading the Great Plains Authors: Avis Roper and Denise Scales From the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 through the Kincaid Act of 1904, thousands of African American families struck out into the West to build towns, homesteads, and better lives for their families. One case, DeWitty, Nebraska, offers a hopeful example of how, when there is not a site for public visits, descendants can join with local activists and scholars to reconstruct what life was like for these Black families. History and Sociology Title: The Black Military Family: Inspiring through Military Legacy Authors: Charles Edward Lewis III and Lynn Chandler Garcia African Americans have been fighting in America’s military since before American independence. Careful historical study makes clear how Black people weighed those choices, realistically and ethically. Some fought for freedom when it was the American colonies vs. Great Britain, but more accepted Britain’s offer of freedom in exchange for joining the Loyalist side. African Americans answered Frederick Douglass’s “Call to Arms” to fight in the Civil War for their own emancipation...

Grammars of Schooling in the Post-Authoritarian Context: A Comparative Study of Changing Teaching Practices in Elementary Education in Czech, Polish and Portuguese Schools

This paper reports on my dissertation research, a phenomenographic analysis of how elementary teachers in three countries did or did not change their teaching practices in response to the transformations of their cultures and societies. Data come from in-depth interviews with 28 elementary teachers from Poland, the Czech Republic and Portugal. The concept of the “Grammar of Schooling” proposed by Tyack and Tobin in 1994 was used to understand and explain how outdated conceptions of the aims and functions of school can exert a durable influence on teaching practices.

Developing Global Competencies through International Teaching: Using Critical Cosmopolitan Theory to Compare Case Studies of Two Study Abroad Programs

For students to become global citizens they need globally competent teachers. The purpose of this article is to describe and compare the development of global competencies in teacher candidates who participated in international teaching-focused study abroad programs. The article is framed by Critical Cosmopolitan Theory (Byker, 2013), which offers a lens for the development of global competencies through the fusion of critical consciousness (Freire, 1970) and cosmopolitanism (Appiah, 2010). In the field of teacher education, study abroad experiences can help enhance teacher candidates’ commitment to culturally responsive teaching practices (Gay, 2002) and intercultural awareness (Hammer, Bennett, & Wiseman, 2003). The article reports on two case studies of study abroad programs for U.S. teacher candidates. One case study focuses on a study abroad program in China (n=13) and the other case study focuses on a study abroad program in South Africa (n=22). The article compares the teacher candidates’ perceptions of their study abroad experiences in relationship to the development of global competencies.

Culturally responsive education under ESSA: A state-by-state snapshot

A map created from data compiled by Isabela Schettino and Katie Radvany at the Reimagining Education: Teaching and Learning in Racially Diverse Schools Summer Institute (held at Teachers College, Columbia University, and directed by Amy Stuart Wells) shows which states have included references to culturally responsive teaching practices in the ESSA plans submitted to the Department of Education.

Preparation and The Real World of Education: How Prospective Teachers Grapple with Using Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices in the Age of Standardized Testing

The most highlighted provision and consequence of the reauthorization of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, is obsessive practices of assessing students across the United States (U.S.). Despite newly named policies, including Every Student Succeed Act (ESSA) of 2015, which governs current U.S. K-12 education standards, concerns over NCLB’s unprecedented fixation on high stakes testing remain acute for many school districts. This manuscript examines the struggles of four preservice secondary mathematics teachers (PMTs) who grappled with enacting culturally responsive teaching practices at schools that aimed to meet accountability standards.