"Culturally Responsive Teaching isn’t a strategy, or even a set of strategies; rather, it is a mind-set that underlies and guides everyday classroom practices. Its focus is on validating the cultural learning tools that diverse learners bring to the classroom and leveraging them to effect positive learning outcomes for all students” (Ferlazzo & Sypnieski, 2018).

Classroom management is only as effective as the relationships in the room, which are driven by a teacher’s ability to recognize and engage all learners. At its core, culturally responsive teaching is about building the learning capacity of the individual student. This class is for teachers K-12 ready to help students create positive social and academic identities, promote respectful engagement with diverse people, and raise awareness for social justice. Participants will learn how to infuse culturally responsive practices to increase communication, build strong relationships, and create a safe environment where all learners feel valued. Activities that address identity and equity will increase teachers’ cultural competency and capacity to examine the cultural assumptions and stereotypes we bring into the classroom.

Course Objectives:
Participants will:
    Create awareness of self-identity as related to power and privilege to examine personal biases
    Cultivate practices that promote growth mindset for teachers and students
    Develop and utilize cognitive routines to create intellective capacity for all learners
    Use examples and content from a variety of cultures and groups
    Help student understand how knowledge is created and influenced by cultural assumptions, perspectives, and biases
    Utilize learning activities to support empathy, social justice consciousness, and social justice actions
   Set a goal for each learning target to sustain culturally responsive teaching focused on “What’s next?” in a formal Action Plan