When you think of the goals you have for students in your classroom, does Culturally Responsive Teaching come to mind? Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) relates to how your classroom environment and practices look, sound, and feel in order to best meet the needs of your students in a culturally appropriate way.

What Does a CRT Classroom Look Like?

Thinking about what a culturally responsive classroom looks like may seem overwhelming. Give this trick a try! Look around your room, and see if you can spot a reflection of your students in multiple ways. Look for books, pictures, puzzles, posters, and other materials that may reflect the children in your classroom. Take it a step further, does your classroom provide a window into other cultures that may be beyond your classroom? Educators have this amazing opportunity to provide students with a culturally rich experience that will hopefully guide them on their journeys to come.

What Does a CRT Classroom Sound Like?

CRT also has certain sounds that go along with it. Sounds can mean an array of different things including music from around the world, different languages, and how you are speaking to your students.

Additionally, CRT sounds like having intentional conversations with your students to discover their interests and using those interests to lead your teaching. It may also sound like tapping into the funds of knowledge your students and families have and allowing that to shape your teaching and learning.

The language we use when speaking to students is crucial to ensuring we are meeting their needs, creating a safe space, and being culturally responsive. When we allow ourselves to have these meaningful conversations we are in turn creating a relationship with students and showing them that they matter.

What Does a CRT Classroom Feel Like?

Lastly, when you are implementing mindful ways of CRT’s sounds and looks, the feel of this will come naturally. A culturally responsive classroom should feel safe for all in the room, it should feel like a community. This is a classroom that ALL will feel welcomed in, and wish to stay in.

How Can I Learn More?

Culturally Responsive Teaching works to eliminate barriers that may be standing in the way of a student’s success. CRT is not a single lesson or program, it is an intentional teaching approach that is worked into every aspect of your classroom and practices. In order to be the best educator possible, you must begin to work on “YOU” first. Check out these opportunities to further your work on the journey of cultural competency!

• Stay up to date on all things D(BEI) and join the listserv!
• Click here to see up coming professional learning around D(BEI).
• Explore monthly themes, upcoming events and meet the D(BEI) team in Issue 1 of the Diversity, Belonging, Equity, and Inclusion Bulletin
• Explore the Culturally Responsive Instruction: Resource Lists for a great list of resources to help you learn more about the what, why, and how of CRT, and how to get started!
• Visit The Center for Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning (CCRTL) to help make cultural responsiveness a meaningful aspect of everyday life.
• Listen to Sommer Jabbar chat with Mark and Sarah on the LLCN Brief podcast, Episode #4!

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