Cultural Responsiveness

A key component for supporting newcomer students is culturally and linguistically responsive teaching, which recognizes that culture is foundational to learning and educational success. Cultural responsiveness in education involves ensuring that students’ cultures and languages are reflected and celebrated in the content, learning activities and resources they encounter in school. Being culturally responsive as an educator involves recognizing the connection between culture and one’s ideas, beliefs, and values and being non-judgmental when faced with ideas, beliefs and values that differ from one’s own. It requires valuing diversity, seeking to further cultural knowledge, and striving towards creating spaces where diversity is valued.

Cultural responsiveness requires individuals to be culturally competent. Cultural competence is the ability to understand and interact effectively with people from other cultures. This means having an awareness of one's own culture, a willingness to learn about the cultural practices and worldviews of others, and a positive attitude toward cultural differences with a readiness to respect and celebrate those differences.

Culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy is a foundation of all educational policies and practices. It is important as educators that we overcome cultural and implicit bias, recognize and value the unique strengths of individual students with culturally diverse backgrounds, maintain academic rigour and high expectations for all students and increase visibility of students' cultures and languages throughout the school.