I could say that after attending the sessions on culturally responsive teaching, I have been exemplifying instructional practices that respond to students' diverse backgrounds. Guided by the constructivist philosophy of education, I strongly believe that students come from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and prior knowledge and skills. It is my critical role to promote an effective teaching and learning environment through experiential learning opportunities that bridge my students' innate knowledge and experiences with the novel concepts or skills they need to learn. Hence, in classroom instruction, I have been advocating for "learning science by doing science." I believe that in order for students to achieve long-term and meaningful learning of scientific concepts, I must expose them to a variety of hands-on experiences and assist them in constructing knowledge or meanings.

Additionally, I could say that neuroscience principles are reflected in my teaching practices because I have been championing metacognitive learning among my students. I always place an emphasis on teaching strategies that will assist my students in effectively grasping the lessons. I make certain that their prior knowledge and experiences are taken into account, and that any confusion or misunderstandings are addressed. Drawing on the concept of metacognition, I always make sure that my students have minds-on experiences and opportunities to become more reflective of their existing or new knowledge and experiences, allowing them to build meaningful connections between what they are learning and their relevance.

Having the strong belief that teaching and learning experiences must extend beyond the four walls of the classroom, I always make an effort to contextualize my lessons and assist students in becoming informed of and critical of various socio-scientific issues (e.g., climate change, antimicrobial resistance). I always try to use examples that my students are already familiar with. I always make an effort to design teaching and learning opportunities that will engage my students and allow them to gain a deeper understanding of relevant issues while learning scientific concepts. Rather than focusing solely on content-based lessons, I believe that students' scientific learning can be more valuable when they actively generate solutions to real-world problems, allowing them to become scientifically literate enough to make informed decisions about these issues.

When these practices are combined, I believe they create a learning environment that promotes diversity in the classroom and leans toward a more culturally responsive education.