Guiding culturally responsive teaching in today’s classrooms

Using the Edthena video coaching platform, we work collaboratively with our teacher candidates to record and then watch short video clips of their teaching in action. This allows us to actually see the different interactions taking place in the classroom. How are teacher candidates addressing their students? How are they engaging with their students? What types of questions are they asking their students?

Seeing these teacher-student interactions on video allows our teacher candidates to better reflect on their practice and allows us to provide feedback as needed. We are now able to objectively focus on specific mannerisms, tones, and body language through the lens of improving culturally responsive teaching practices.

Asking the right questions to improve culturally responsive teaching

As part of this video reflection and collaboration process, our candidates also reflect with their peers and answer qualitative questions related to their teaching. The point of this is for candidates to really start thinking about how they can improve their teaching to be more equitable in the classroom.

To guide these reflections and important conversations, we developed 12 questions related to bias, assumptions, communication style, identity differences, listening skills, and classroom environment.

The reflection questions are:

• To what extent does race, gender, sexuality, ability, or class impact instructional delivery in the classroom?
• To what extent do you see bias and assumptions in the communication between the teacher and students? Consider verbal and non-verbal cues.
• How do students react to the teacher’s communication style and language?
• Is the teacher shifting focus and power away from the most privileged in the classroom conversations?
• Is the teacher making conversations accessible to everyone who wants to participate?
• Could the identity differences between the teacher and the student(s) be contributing to a difference of opinion or perspective?
• Is the teacher listening to people whose identities and experiences differ from their own?
• How might reflecting on the way the teacher communicates help improve the classroom environment, equity, and overall student success?
• Do all of the students hear and react the same to what the teacher communicates, both verbally and nonverbally?
• How does the teacher adjust their communication to connect with each student, if at all?
• Is the teacher listening to the student(s)? What does the teacher’s “listening” look like?
• Is the teacher providing a safe place for people who have been historically marginalized people to speak out?

During reflection, we ask teachers to consider one or a small handful of these questions – rather than all 12 at once – as they think about their teaching practices and how they can continue to improve.

This practice provides our teacher candidates with tangible examples of instances where they can be more culturally responsive in their teaching. It also provides them with a guiding framework to think more critically about their practice as they engage in continuous professional learning – both now and throughout their careers in K-12 classrooms.

It goes without saying that being a culturally responsive teacher takes work, and there’s always room for growth. However, by engaging in reflective and collaborative practices, teachers and teacher candidates alike can improve their craft and create classrooms that support diversity, inclusion, and equity for all.

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