Part I

As we study and discuss the following dispositions of culturally responsive teachers this
semester, our goal is that by developing your understanding of these dispositions, they become
part of how you operate. For Part 1, respond to all of the questions listed below with specific
and insightful responses. You will need to include information from at least 1 additional piece of
research. All citations must be completed properly in APA format.
1. Identify and discuss one (or two) disposition(s) in which you believe you've made the most
personal growth this semester:
Sociocultural Consciousness
Affirming Attitude Toward Difference
Value and Affirming Student Background Knowledge
Constructivist Approach to Learning
Responsibility and Capacity to be Culturally Responsive
The area in which I grew the most in was definitely sociocultural consciousness. I have always
considered myself to be a very objective, open-minded person. Suspending judgment for any
given situation has been a tool I have used for every situation I have come across in all of my
internships. Unfortunately, across all three internships, there has been a virtually nonexistent
diversity with regards to socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. However, from the
readings and the class discussions, I have gained insight into sociocultural consciousness to the
extent that when the time comes that I find myself teaching a student from a different
sociocultural background I will know how to approach them and to teach them. The first step I
will take is to prepare myself beforehand by exposing myself to different cultures. There are
many ways I can do this. I can read books, watch films, and most importantly I can attend public
events where I can immerse myself in the culture and interact with individuals of different
cultures. The purpose is to break out out of my own culture shell so to speak and become not just
a citizen of my community, my state, or my country, but a citizen of the world. Teachers must
be able to relate well with their students, believe in students academic abilities, and know ethnic
studies content and perspectives well; often (but not always) they are members of the same
ethnic background of most of their students (Sleeter, 2011, pg. 20). By gaining new perspective
from different cultures, I can begin to make connections with my students of different
sociocultural backgrounds. I want to know each student as an individual. The better I do this, the
better I can differentiate my instruction, and the better I can assimilate their culture into the
classroom culture. The ways in which I can get to know my students are things like
understanding their vernacular, understanding their expressions such as facial and hand gestures,
and understanding what moral codes and values they may possess as product of their cultural and
social backgrounds.
Sleeter, C. E. (2015). Negotiating Academic Behavior and Social
Manners.School Choice, Ethnic Divisions, and Symbolic Boundaries.
doi:10.1057/9781137480071.0007

2. What will culturally responsive teaching look like in my classroom? How will I embody at
least one of the principles from CRT (Academic achievement, Cultural competence, Critical
consciousness)?
I iterate that I want to get to know each of my students as an individual and show interest in their
lives. The classroom is a community, so I want them to be comfortable enough to not only share
with me, but with their peers. I know conversation is a two way street, but taking any opportunity
to just listen to what students have to say and to share about themselves is important.
3. How will I use professional competencies to drive the relationships that I have with students,
parents, and colleagues? (Please discuss all)
Suspending judgment, interpersonal awareness, and locus of control go strongly hand in hand.
They are part of a two step process. The first step is remaining objective and suspending
judgment no matter the situation. This is extremely important because as a party to what has
happened, I only have access to one perspective. This is where interpersonal awareness comes in.
Interpersonal awareness is the part where we take into consideration the other perspective and
understanding where the other parties are coming from. Then locus of control is understanding
the limitations of your own perspective and what you are in control of. Cooperation and
exercising empathy are the best ways to get through any situation and to resolve any conflict.
Once we evaluate all perspectives, a resolution can finally be reached by using asset-based
thinking, which is basically evaluating what your resources are, who you can look to for help.
What does this look like in action? Whenever there is a disagreement between teacher and
parent, as the teacher, seek first to understand where the parent is coming from. Realize that you
are not always fully aware of everything you do, and though we may try our hardest, we will
make mistakes. As we listen to the parents perspective, we must consider what they say and
acknowledge the merits of their argument despite what we may disagree with. It is important to
understand that you cannot control everything and that compromise is usually the best route
because in the end every party has the childs best interest in mind.
4. Identify two examples within your content where you can create
learning opportunities consistent with Culturally Responsive Teaching.
One way that I would like to exercise culturally responsive teaching would be to create a project
where my students all have an opportunity to share their culture with the class. As a teacher it is
important to show students that while we are all individuals, we are all part of the classroom
culture and community. The best way to show that is to inform and share. I could ask students
questions about themselves and their sociocultural backgrounds during the flow of a classroom
discussion, but Id prefer to give them the power, the ability to choose what they share and how
much of it. This project would probably do well in small groups where students can bounce ideas
off each other, collaborate.