Student populations are becoming more diverse and schools need to begin to foster an educational environment that is culturally aware enough to include all ethnic backgrounds in the classroom. Becoming more cognizant of the many cultures and ethnic groups that make up the student body will not only encourage children to seek out and learn about people and places that are foreign to them, but create an inviting and inclusive learning experience in which every child may participate to the best of his or her ability. This includes maintaining a focus on parental engagement as well, schools can go one step further in their effort towards culturally responsive teaching by developing a method for parental involvement, particularly with children who hail from families that are underserved in the community. Studies have shown that a growing percentage of Hispanic students are part of families where the parents completed only a portion of their own education. In addition, many Hispanic parents have a difficulty with access to teachers due to cultural and language difficulties that may exist. Some of them may also be wary of initiating or continuing any contact with the school due to their legal status.

Cultural awareness isn’t only about tolerance of other cultures in the classroom it also requires a knowledge of the specific backgrounds and barriers of the families of minority students. Hispanic parents decline to keep communication with teachers and school staffs for a variety of reasons and teachers should be trained in how to properly navigate these issues. A number of these families don’t feel welcome at the school, they are uncomfortable in social interactions with teachers, or believe that the school does not hold the same values as they do for the well being of their child. There’s a perception among some families that the school treats their children differently than others because they come from low-income backgrounds or live in public housing. Proper cultural awareness requires that teachers are equipped to navigate these matters successfully in order to steer the children towards positive and meaningful academic outcomes. The value of training teachers in cultural awareness is found in the effect it can have on the student body from all walks of life.

Many schools and programs offer bilingual support from teachers who have learned the language of the majority of English Language Learners in the classroom and they make a concerted effort to engage with the parents of these children in their native tongue. It’s a way to acknowledge the sensitivity of the family while also attempting to bring them into the learning process of the student in order for that child to achieve his or her goals in class.

The Latino Family Literacy Project can help your school with being more culturally aware. This award-winning program has years of experience working with teachers and culturally diverse students and parents. If you’re interested in finding more information about this program schedule a training meeting. They offer both online webinar training and in person workshops.

If you’re interested in the latest information regarding culturally aware classrooms visit our Facebook and Twitter. We look forward to hearing from you.

The post The Value of Training Teachers in Cultural Awareness appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.

In today’s diverse world, being culturally responsive is a critical and necessary feature of a quality education. But what does it mean to be culturally responsive?

According to the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCREST), “cultural responsiveness is the ability to learn from and relate respectfully with people of your own culture as well as those from other cultures.” Now we can begin to spell out how to develop and sustain a culturally responsive school environment.

One of the most effective ways to bring cultural responsiveness into the school environment is to train teachers to be prepared for a diverse classroom and diverse families. In many ways, teachers are the facilitators and mediators between the overall school culture and the families and their children who attend the school. They orchestrate a series of social interactions and social contexts on a continuous basis. To do this well, teachers need training in cultural responsiveness.

It starts by making sure that teachers believe in their students and in their desire to learn. A focused effort to understand a student’s cultural context needs to be made when students from different backgrounds arrive at the school. All students want to have a sense of belonging. One way teachers can accomplish this is to be able to learn from and relate respectfully with the students and with their students’ parents.

This also means creating the opportunities and the conditions for academic success for children from diverse backgrounds. By being culturally responsive, that is, being respectful of their backgrounds and home cultures, teachers can reach out to parents in an open way to source the parents’ own well of knowledge. Parents come to the school environment with their own well of cultural knowledge. Teachers need to tap into that knowledge and build a communications exchange that works for both teachers and parents.

A culturally responsive approach also helps teachers realize that one’s culture is central to learning. The way we receive information and process it is culturally based. When teachers recognize that and incorporate that into their work, the classroom experience is enriched. At the same time, it helps to build students’ cultural references into all aspects of learning.

Imagine a spectrum that goes from the home to the classroom. Within that spectrum are the activities of the classroom, what happens on the playground, what books are in the school library, how parent events at the school are organized, and the learning moments in the home itself. The goal for a culturally responsive teacher is to help ensure that every point in the spectrum is not only a learning opportunity but is also culturally responsive.

There is a long-term practical aspect to all this. Culturally responsive teachers and schools play an essential role in career preparation. By creating and sustaining a culturally responsive classroom environment, teachers help students learn to collaborate and communicate with the different cultures and backgrounds found in the 21st century work environment both here in the United States and abroad.

Finally, schools and administrators must take a proactive approach to creating cultural responsiveness by finding teacher training programs and opportunities that highlight a culturally responsive approach. It’s up to you at your school to make a difference and set the tone.

The post What Does It Mean to be Culturally Responsive? appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.