Culturally Responsive Teaching

What Is It and How Can You Achieve It?

In a world of increasing cultural diversity, teachers need strategies for adapting their teaching to meet the needs of all students.

The Lab at Brown University  provides a good source of both information and strategies. Their reader-friendly Web page covers the what, why, and how of culturally responsive teaching -- by addressing the following seven principles:

1. Positive perspectives on parents and families
   
   
2. Communication of high expectations
   
   
3. Culture and school learning
   
   
4. Student-centered instruction
   
   
5. Culturally mediated instruction
   
   
6. Reshaping the curriculum
   
   
7. Teacher as facilitator

See the Lab at Brown Web page for information and strategies on culturally responsive teaching.

Related Links

» Diversity Resources -- This list provides Web sites, research, articles, calendar, and glossary of terms relating to diversity issues.

» Skewing Myths About Diverse Schools -- Education columnist Jay Mathews discusses how author and parent Eileen Gale Kugler debunks seven myths that scare smart parents away from diverse schools (Washington Post, August 2004).  

» Diversity Lesson Plans -- Lesson plans and resources from Scholastic to help teachers stay on top of students' needs by offering the most culturally informed curriculum.