Developmentally and Culturally Responsive  

As a teacher, I make a continual effort to build rapport with my students. From the first day I began student-teaching at Wingate Elementary, I had the students create a name card to place on their desk so that I could learn and remember their names more easily. Inside the card, I had them write their favorite animal. I decided to make this activity short, so I did not overwhelm them. Then we all sat in a circle where they would not only share their favorite animal, but also if they thought their animal would either survive in a zombie apocalypse or win in a dance battle. This was such a fun activity as I got to know my student’s favorite animal which gave me insight about their family if they are talking about a family pet, or their personality if they are interested in a wild animal because it is cool, fast, silly, or cute. In addition, this activity was developmentally responsive as it gave the students a chance to use their interests and creative reasoning skills to explain their answer about their animal. It is also culturally responsive as I am getting a chance to understand more about them and their background. For instance, one of my students lives on a farm and has many animals, but they did choose a dog as their favorite because they had a pet dog. As I learn more about a student’s family and home life, I learn more about their culture and include opportunities to include a student’s culture into lessons for term to make connections. 

 

  

  

  

  

  

Equitable: Activities 

In the classroom, equitable to me means students have the resources needed to have the same opportunities and be successful. There are so many different learners in the classroom that can benefit from various forms of support. While teaching in a reading class, I have seen students who struggle with reading, writing, and spelling. That is why I try to adapt various strategies of teaching and assessing assignments so that students can fully participate and reach their full potential. 

For instance, in one of my vocab lessons, students were put in partnered groups to make a slide on a PowerPoint, or use a paper to present their vocab word and teach it to the class. I explained the directions along with putting them on the board in case any student forgets. I also allowed students to use any resource to help them teach the word. By providing some options for flexibility, students were not limited by their resources. For students that struggle with writing, they would be able to type. If they struggle with spelling, they can look up the word on google or ask me. If they struggle with reading, they can always ask their partner or a teacher for help. In the end, the students did well with the activity, despite being a little shy to present, they all had creative teaching resources such as decorative slides or papers. 

 

Equitable: Assignments and Quizzes 

In terms of assessment, I have handled formative assessments where students can redo their quizzes and paper assignments if they need to. I have also helped some students read questions when they struggle with reading so they can answer them. In a similar, but different way, I have seen my mentor support a student who struggles with writing and spelling by having them tell them their answer and my mentor write it out. In an oppositive way, I have supported this same student by reading the answers and spelling words that my mentor copied down for the student so that she can type her answers on the computer. These are just some strategies that I have seen to be very helpful for students that cannot finish a task or feel discouraged because they struggle with writing, reading, or spelling. Students deserve to have a chance to be successful and show us what they know, but the process of doing that can be much harder if they are still working on foundational skills. That is why, while they are practicing these foundational skills, teachers can use other strategies to help students express what they learned to assess them. 

Anti-Racist Teaching 

Throughout my student-teaching experience, I make sure to be culturally aware and educated while also being aware of any biases I may hold to counteract them. In the schools I have student-taught in, most of the students were white. However, this did not change anything for me for my approaches, but it did emphasize the fact that these students should have as much diversity inclusion in the curriculum as any other school should. Hence, for Black History Month, I began the class by asking students what they knew about Black History Month. Almost all of them said they knew little to nothing. I then explained that today, February 1st is the start of Black History Month which is a month dedicated to recognizing African American contributions and achievements while also learning about the acts of unjustice they have faced through the racist, oppressive systems in America. 

I made sure to emphasize that just because black history is a major part of U.S. and world history and we should not just be learning about black history in the month of February, it is something we should always be recognizing and learning about. Then I showed them a video about how Black History Month became a federal holiday since Carter G. Woodson created the commemoration because he felt schools were not teaching African American youth about their own heritage, but also that schools were not teaching anyone enough about African American History. As we taught more of our curriculum, we began reading stories about Frederick Douglass and Rosa Parks where they learn about slavery, emancipation proclamation, Civil War, 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, and the Civil Rights Movement. I hope that teaching about the history of this nation that is plagued in racism will help students understand the origins of this nation and how we have come a long way from now, but inequity and injustice still stands today. Although I want them to know that they can be a part of standing up for social justice. 

Pictures of KWL Papers about Frederick Douglass: 

 

Resources: 

Learn Bright. “Black History Month for Kids | Learn about the Month-Long Celebration of African American History.” YouTube, YouTube, 9 Feb. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsKPi4vYu_4&t=1s.