Strategies for Cultural Awareness of Teachers in Training: An Action Research Project

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Characteristics of students’ communities, families, schools, and their own characteristics represent key cultural contexts that can lead to effective culturally responsive instructional planning and assessment. Therefore it is normal that teacher education programs prepare future teachers to become culturally responsive and to be able to make decisions based on their cultural awareness and sensitivity to other cultures. It is important for teachers to become mindful of their own cultural socialization, and how it affects their attitudes and behaviors toward other cultures.

In this research, six graduate students in a special education program reflected and reported on their improvement in understanding culturally responsive, cultural awareness and sensitivity to others. This research used systematic research method to investigate the teaching and yet the students inside and outside the class. Three settings were in elementary schools, one was a special education for students in inclusive classrooms, self-contained class for students with moderate disabilities, and self-contained class for students with multiple disabilities.  Three settings were in middle schools, one was a general education math class, a special education for students in inclusive classrooms, and a special education resource language arts class for students with mild-moderate disabilities.

            Initially the lead researcher developed questions and prompts about culturally

responsive teaching strategies taken from current literature. During field experiences the lead researcher observed each student teacher implement her unit and gave her feedback at least 3 times. At the conclusion  the teacher-researchers completed a structured questionnaire that included a description of culturally responsive teaching and topics with associated prompts. The instructor asked to the teacher-researchers to respond in writing to the questions within each topic.  They were reminded not to worry about getting correct answers.

The series contained the topic headings on cultural competence, student-centered instructional planning, bringing the community into the classroom, strategies for climate and grouping, and suggestions for school-level cultural competence. The instructor looked for patterns across the six data and coded items from the teacher-researchers’ written responses to questions regarding their cultural awareness and culturally-responsive practices.

They indicated that they felt an increasing awareness of the similarities and differences between their students and themselves as they gained a deeper understanding of their roles as culturally responsive teachers. Their abilities increased as they focused on the contextual factors of their students’ communities, schools, classrooms and the unique characteristics of their students.

            I think it is important to improve teacher’s cultural awareness between them and their special students. Because in fact, special students need special treat too, and it is a must for the teacher to be able to understand the difference before they start to teach.

  

Source : Delta journal of education, ISSN 2160-9179

Strategies for Cultural Awareness of Teachers in Training: An Action Research Project by Maud Kuykendall