Teaching & Learning in Spring 2025 - Promoting a Culturally Inclusive Environment

Teaching & Learning in Spring 2025

Learning Targets:

One

The reader should be able to explain why a culturally inclusive environment is necessary for students.

Two

The reader should be able to define Culturally Responsive Teaching.

Three

The reader should be able to provide examples of ways to make their classroom more culturally inclusive.

How have racism and discrimination within American history impacted modern-day classrooms?

America has a long history of discrimination and racism, which has heavily influenced its government and society. Before learning how to promote cultural inclusivity within schools, it is important to understand what happened to get us to this point. Click through the timeline to learn how prejudice and discrimination within American society and government have impacted school systems.

Local Opinions on Diversity within Highschools

In order to collect local data on the current state of diversity and inclusion within schools, I conducted a survey, which I posted to my Instagram. It asked students general questions regarding the students who made up their current or prior high schools. The survey was directed towards college students, but of course, anyone who came across it could respond. Below, I have the demographics of my Instagram viewers to understand the audience of the study, as well as the raw and some interpreted data. You can also click the link in the first sentence of the paragraph to view/fill out the survey.

Instagram Demographics:

**The demographics above were provided by Instagram's insights of my account's engagement over the last 7 days (Feb 25th to March 3rd) and the survey was posted on March 2nd.

Raw Data:

Interpreted Data:

Analysis: I didn't find that this survey provided much more than interesting data to look at. I do think it's useful for understanding the current levels of cultural inclusivity in schools, however I didn't see as many prominent correlations as I had expected. I think that this survey would have been more effective if it had reached a geographically wider audience and if I had more data to work with. Some of the less popular answer's results are skewed because I didn't collect enough data for that demographic.

Why is Inclusive Teaching Important in Classrooms?

Unfortunately, teachers can't just rewrite history or laws. The only power they hold is within their own classroom. So, learning how to promote inclusivity within the classroom is imperative to make it a safe place for students of all backgrounds to learn. Below is a slide show which shows the benefits of an inclusive classroom.

Benefits of a Culturally Inclusive Classroom

Culturally Responsive Teaching

One of the most common methods of promoting inclusivity in the classroom is 'culturally responsive teaching'. CRT, or culturally responsive teaching, is a method used by teachers to help cultivate inclusion in the classroom. Coined by Geneva Gay, this concept emphasizes that combining students’ different cultures, perspectives, and knowledge enriches class learning by widening the array of information and ideas (Ferlazzo 2024, Ashrafova 2024). CRT also helps to create a supportive class environment where students feel comfortable sharing their personal experiences and knowledge, allowing their peers to learn from perspectives other than their own (Ashrafova 2024). While many educators assume that including more diverse reading materials in the classroom will make the curriculum more culturally inclusive, Edweek, Larry Ferlazzo states that culturally responsive teaching is “more about how we teach than what we teach” (2024). Instead of just modifying preexisting lessons and materials, teachers must adapt their teaching to reflect and respect the backgrounds and cultures of all their students.

How to Cultivate an Inclusive Environment:

The core goal of cultural inclusivity in the classroom is ensuring that no student feels like an “other” (Drexel University). While there are activities teachers can lead to help create a more culturally inclusive classroom, it is more valuable to develop a more culturally aware mindset which will naturally lend itself into all aspects of teaching. By doing so, any lesson or activity can be culturally inclusive without intentionally making it so. Some skills to develop to become more culturally inclusive include maintaining high expectations for all students, valuing the knowledge and experience students bring to the classroom, understanding the difference between culture and race, being critical of unfair practices, and modeling inclusivity for students (Ferlazzo, 2024). More than anything, inclusivity requires genuine care- caring to learn about students individually, caring to make them feel comfortable and included in classes, ongoing self-education about different cultures, and fostering mutual respect among students. When teachers prioritize these principles, they create a learning environment where students feel seen, heard and valued. To the left is a video example I created of practicing inclusion in the classroom.

The video to the left is a simple yet effective example of culturally inclusive teaching. It includes all of the students in the activity and allows them to teach each other about their own cultures. As the students all have their own background knowledge, there is an increased availability of knowledge about a variety of topics. This encourages discussion surrounding religion, culture, and tradition, and creates a safe space where student's backgrounds feel honored and respected.

Wrap-Up

Classroom inclusion is extremely important, especially in today's society! Below are some key takeaways from the lesson as well as some further steps you can take to create a culturally inclusive classroom.

Key Takeaways:

Creating safe, educational spaces where students feel free to be themselves and make mistakes is key to creating a well-rounded student (The Century Foundation, 2020).
Culturally inclusive classrooms are proven to have both intellectual and developmental benefits
Inclusion has many proven benefits, and one of the most common ways to practice inclusion is by becoming a culturally responsive teacher (Ferlazzo, 2024).
Cultural inclusivity is centered around kindness, care and respect

Further Steps:

Challenge your own beliefs
Review curriculum and add varying perspectives where possible
Take time to get to know your students individually

Review

How I used AI

Below are the AI sources I used, as well as how I used them.

I found AI to be very helpful for this assignment. It was a very helpful tool for creating graphics and interactive elements in my lesson. It also made the research process, as well as the citing process, much easier. I think it greatly enhanced my lesson, as most of the more engaging portions of my lesson were created using AI.

References

Ashrafova, I. (2024). Culturally responsive teaching: Strategies for promoting inclusivity in the classroom. Global Spectrum of Research and Humanities, 1(1), 100-110. https://gsrh.net/index.php/home/article/view/50/46

Brown at 60 and Milliken at 40. (n.d.). Harvard Graduate School of Education. https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/ed-magazine/14/06/brown-60-and-milliken-40

Citizenship and the right to public education, Tape v. Hurley, school segregation, separate but equal | lesson plan curriculum | The Asian American education project. (n.d.). The Asian American Education Project. https://asianamericanedu.org/right-to-public-education.html

Ford, B. A., Stuart, D. H., & Vakil, S. (2014). Culturally responsive teaching in the 21st-century inclusive classroom. Journal of the International Association of Special Education, 15(2), 1-10.

Harvard Gazette. (2019, January 11). The Emancipation Proclamation now. Harvard Gazette. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/02/the-emancipation-proclamation-now/

Hedgpeth, D., & Horwitz, S. (2024, December 22). They took the children: The hidden legacy of Indian boarding schools in the United States. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2024/american-indian-boarding-schools-history-legacy/

Historical timeline of public education in the U.S. (n.d.). Race Forward: Advancing racial justice in our policies, institutions, and culture. https://www.raceforward.org/reports/education/historical-timeline-public-education-us

How racially diverse schools and classrooms can benefit all students. (2020, January 28). The Century Foundation. https://tcf.org/content/report/how-racially-diverse-schools-and-classrooms-can-benefit-all-students/

Impact of classroom segregation on student education. (2020, August 19). American University School of Education Online. https://soeonline.american.edu/blog/classroom-segregation/

McGuire, T. (n.d.). 1882 historical map of the United States in black and white. Toby McGuire. https://wayneoxfordphotography.com/featured/1882-historical-map-of-the-united-states-in-black-and-white-toby-mcguire.html

Phillips, K. W. (2014, October 1). How diversity makes us smarter. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-diversity-makes-us-smarter/

Promoting inclusion in the classroom. (n.d.). Drexel University. https://drexel.edu/soe/resources/student-teaching/advice/Promote-Inclusion-in-the-Classroom/

The establishment of the public school system in Virginia. (n.d.). Encyclopedia Virginia. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/public-school-system-in-virginia-establishment-of-the/

Wells, A. S., Fox, L., & Cordova-Cobo, D. (2016, February 9). How racially diverse schools and classrooms can benefit all students. The Century Foundation. https://tcf.org/content/report/how-racially-diverse-schools-and-classrooms-can-benefit-all-students/

Ferlazzo, L. (2024, October). You need to understand culturally responsive teaching before you can do it. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-you-need-to-understand-culturally-responsive-teaching-before-you-can-do-it/2024/10

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