Module I
Academic Achievement
Description
The first component of CRT is focused on holding high expectations for students while the teacher meets students' long-term needs. Students of color are provided equal educational opportunities and instructional resources to learn (Aronson and Laughter, 2016).
A recent study concluded that Culturally Relevant Pedagogy can improve the social and academic lives of students who are considered “at risk”. The study was conducted by Green (2020) who examined how individuals drawn from their community, and who adopt culturally responsive pedagogy, affect the education process of the students they encounter. Green (2020) focused on collecting data from The Sankofa Project, a local grassroots organization and summer program that attempts to dismantle systemic racism and social inequity among African-American and Latino students using CRT. According to Green (2020) the participants in the ethnographic study were children who lived in the most disadvantaged areas of Southern Louisiana where the majority of the population are African Americans. Nineteen students from The Sankofa Project were chosen as participants because the study wanted to examine how much could be accomplished if the students received individual attention with new teachers, curriculum, and culturally relevant pedagogy (Green, 2020). It was reported by Green (2020) that the participants in the study demonstrated an “immeasurable difference in the behavioral and academic success of the students” (p. 382). The findings suggest they are consistent with the practices of educators who use culturally responsive pedagogy to create a culture of high expectations and an understanding of each child’s cultural identity.
Green, D. (2020). Exploring the Implications of Culturally Relevant Teaching: Toward a Pedagogy of Liberation
1. Connect to Students' Lives & Experiences
Using the funds of knowledge and the assets of students is beneficial for both the teacher and emergent bilinguals. Integrating the cultural background, knowledge, and life experiences of emergent bilinguals help teachers to inform their instruction and enhance learning. Culturally relevant instruction embraces the funds of knowledge and assets of students by viewing their prior knowledge as a useful transfer of constructing new knowledge
2. Hold High Expectations
Identifying students' strengths and motivating them to recognize their full potential promotes the academic success of students. Educators who hold students of color to high academic standards show students' they are capable of reaching rigorous work. Jiménez et al. (2015) report studies showing Caucasian teachers holding lower expectations for students from minority groups compared to their Caucasian peers. Teachers need to have focused professional development, increased awareness of students’ cultural and linguistic strengths, and aligning the same expectations for all students.
3. Promote Multiple Perspectives
Teachers who value multiple perspective demonstrate their openess to learn from a perspective that is different from their own. Educators can apply a sociocultural lens to address the experiences and challenges that have historically impacted students of color and minority groups. This awareness can influence instruction by providing opportunities for students of color to share their viewpoints and increase diverse thinking.
4. Enhance Student Collaboration
All students benefit from opportunities to learn and interact with peers from diverse backgrounds. Teachers can structure opportunities for students to strengthen their connections and appreciate for diversity. Educators can foster diverse interactions throughout collaborative assignments, projects, and learning strategies. Some interactions
include think-pair-shares, group projects, jigsaw groups, numbered heads together, debates, collaborative brainstorming. Cooperative learning strategies also benefit emergent bilingual students because it promotes language development and comprehension of academic content.
5. Using Multiple Methods of Assessments
Using multiple methods of assessments can increase the reliability and validity of what students' knowledge and skills. Multiple measures are crucial for emergent bilinguals because they need to be given multiple opportunities to demonstrate their learning. Teachers must gather multiple forms of evidence to ensure the validity of assessments being given. Using multiple measures for assessments can avoid test score pollution by eliminating factors that interfere with the interpretation about the student’s ability. For this reason, teachers can identify a language learner's abilities, comprehension, and strengths if multiple measures are used.
Reflective Questions
What practices do you use to communicate high expectations with all students?
How do you strengthen your reliability and validity in assessments?
How do you include cooperative learning structures for students to work with diverse peers?