teachNKY Collaborative - Build Your Knowledge, Elevate Your Students

Build your Knowledge, Elevate your Students

One thing that makes our public education system in Kentucky so incredible is that our students and staff represent many different strengths, abilities, races, cultures, and perspectives. As a public school teacher, ensuring you are creating an inclusive environment in your classroom not only makes you more effective, it allows each of your students, families and colleagues to feel valued and loved. As you begin this important work in your classroom, I urge you to remember the words of poet, writer, activist Maya Angelou:

“I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug or just a friendly pat on the back. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Here are 10 ways to begin creating an inclusive culture in your classroom.

Evaluate where you are on your own journey

Reflect on where you are in your personal growth and mindset in regards to those who may have perspectives, abilities, racial, ethnic, or gender identities, cultures or socio-economic statuses different from yours. What assumptions may you have about people who have different experiences than you? What biases do you need to address? What professional learning do you need?

Check out this post from Edutopia on Getting Started.
Familiarize yourself with the A4 Model Cultural Competence.
Participate in NKCES Professional Learning Online: Culturally Responsive Teaching
Share with students and families that you want to learn about perspectives and cultures different from your own, and you know you may make mistakes along the way. When you do: apologize, ask for education, move on and do better the next time! We are all growing together.

Build your own knowledge.

Take time to meet with all students and parents to discuss strengths, culture, and identity. Ask questions like: What are some items or artifacts that represent your culture, identity, heritage, values, etc.? 2. How can I help celebrate your strengths, your identity, your family's culture, and your identity in our classroom this year? What are some of your character strengths? Use this knowledge when planning individual and group learning.

Learn about important terms and concepts.
Ask how to pronounce names and words important to your students with help from My Name, My Identity.
Ask the best way to communicate - language and format - and find a way to respect that if possible. There are many communication systems out there that translate or make multiple message delivery methods available.
Check out this resource from KDE on having Race-based Stress and Trauma conversations in schools.

Analyze instructional approaches and resources.

Take a look at the pictures, articles, stories, texts, examples, etc. that you are preparing to use in your classroom. Do they represent diverse perspectives and situations? Are the authors, people featured, names used or viewpoints shared mainly from one race/ethnicity or ability group?

Look at the information you've gained from your students and include perspectives with which they could feel more immediately connected.
Implement Universal Design for Learning to support the growth of all students.
Learn brain-based information processing strategies common to the cultures and abilities in their classrooms and design instruction to match. An example from Cult of Pedagogy, for example: mimicking students' cultural learning styles and tools. One way to do this is appealing to certain traditionally oral cultures when they "storify" the content. Teachers can also look at student abilities and design learning to complement them.
Check out this tool from Jefferson County schools to help you affirm racial equity.
Evaluate whose stories are being told with this resource.
Go over this Culturally Responsive Teaching checklist.

Make learning social.

Give students opportunities to talk to each other and connect.
Plan activities that include focusing on attributes, things students enjoy, etc.
Explicitly teach how to respect and value things and perspectives differing from what one might be used to.
Give all students access to the learning by planning supports for students who traditionally may not be physically, academically or socially able to participate in the activity.
Create opportunities for peer-to-peer discussion on academic topics and other topics.

Consider prior knowledge.

For each activity, design entry points that help activate prior knowledge. Also, consider the prior knowledge you are assuming students bring to your classroom. Is it related to a certain socio-economic status, ability group, ethnic group, religion, or perspective? Does a question include a reference to one religion's holiday tradition? Are you expecting a student to know something that is not universally understood at that age in all cultures? Are you assuming a student knows about something based on a stereotype of a group with which you believe he/she identifies?

Consider celebrations.

Consider the things you choose to celebrate in your classroom. Do the celebrations that occur in your classroom (holidays, traditions you follow, days you highlight) reflect mainly one culture or religion? Is everyone's culture discussed and celebrated equally? Consider your students whose families may not celebrate birthdays and holidays.

Create a safe space.

It is important for students to feel that the classroom is a safe space for them to take risks, learn and grow.

Work with the student and family to determine how comfortable the student is with sharing and discussing culture, ability, background, family dynamic, identity, etc. Respect that comfort level.
Include families in planning to educate or celebrate different cultures and abilities.
No matter how well-intended, do not ask a student to speak for or represent a perspective for his/her entire culture or group.
Allow opportunities for all of the students to offer differing perspectives without pointing out one child is different from another group of children.
Check out this guide from KDE on Considerations for Using Student Preferred Names
Identify someone who students can talk to about identity by establishing a safe space.
Create a safe space by using inclusive, sensitive language. Make sure the language you use is considerate to all situations, people, and identities.
Remember: "Mom and Dad" may not reflect every child's caretakers.

Address issues when they arise.

Do not allow any exclusive comments, attitudes, or behaviors in your classroom. This includes students pointing out something in a derogatory manner about other students’ ability, foods, clothing, voice, materials, etc. Openly address things in a compassionate and respectful way and direct students toward learning and growing.

Use a strategy like this one from Learning for Justice.
Use these responses from the Oregon Center for Educational Equity to help confront racism when you hear it.
Give students tools to speak up at school.

Seek and value student and family voice.

Create a classroom culture where you value and are responsive to student and caregiver voices. Allow for feedback and student choice of how they demonstrate learning.