Major Ideas

on Culturally
Aware
Learning and
Teaching
Be in-depth, interactive,
and inclusive

Why is understanding how

to work with diverse
learners important?
There are more diverse learners in
the classroom now than ever
before. As many equal rights
movements gain more and more
ground, the introduction of nontraditional students is something
teachers present and future need
to be prepared to deal with. As a
larger percentage of the classroom
becomes non-traditional, teachers
who continue to teach traditionally
risk marginalizing or even isolating
much of their classroom. Not to
mention, the incorporation of more
cultures/languages/backgrounds is
beneficial to every student in the
classroom: it requires teachers to
know and teach their curriculum
better and more in-depth and have
closer relationships with the
families and communities of their

No surface level culture,

or only recognizing
students cultures on
holidays or special
occasions, but instead
transforming the
curriculum to be culturally
inclusive
Culturally aware learning
and teaching requires the
teacher to be more
interactive with their
curriculum, students, and
the classroom.
Culture and language are
an intrinsic part of the
learning process and must

CULTURALLY
RESPONSIVE
TEACHING IN
DIVERSE
CLASSROOMS

CULTURA
LLY
RESPON
SIVE
TEACHIN
G IN
DIVERSE
Pearson Custom
Education, chapter 3

Definition of Culturally
Responsive Instruction:
Instruction that is responsive to
cultural differences in the
classroom and makes connections
with students backgrounds,
origins, and interests I order to
teach the required standards
associated with a curriculum.

What is the
SIOP model
and how do I
use it?

The SIOP model works to combine

content learning with language
support for ESL students, as well as
enhance instructional delivery by
making teachers aware of practices
and behaviors to aid both academic
and language development.
Major Components

Lesson Prep
Instruction
Strategies
Interaction
Practice/Application
Lesson Delivery
Assessment

We may have all come

on different ships, but
were in the same boat
now. Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.

The Seven Characteristics

of Culturally Responsive
Instruction
1. High Expectations
2. Positive Relationship with
Family and Community
3. Cultural Sensitivity
4. Active Teaching Methods
5. Teacher as Facilitator
6. Student Control of Portions
of the Lesson
7. Instruction around groups or
pairs to create low anxiety

Teaching for Cultural

Understanding
Take a Transformative and Decision
Making/Social Action Approach:
instead of inserting some cultural
holidays into a few lessons here
and there, completely transform
your curriculum to include diverse
learning, teaching, and
experiences. To incorporate the
Decision Making Approach, give
students opportunities to engage
in projects related to cultural
concepts and issues, especially
issues and problems dealing with
social action.