Rigor, Relevance,
and Purpose
INDEPENDENT STUDY
Cultural Competence
I N D E P E N D E N T S T U D Y
I N D E P E N D E N T S T U D Y
“The true power of culturally responsive teaching comes from being comfortable in your own skin because you are not a neutral party in the process. You can never take yourself out of the equation. Instead, you must commit to the journey.”
ENGAGE INDEPENDENTLY IN GROWING
As a part of the Rigor, Relevance, and Purpose Community of Practice, you have committed to centering equity in your schools and classrooms. The Barr Education Program believes that every child deserves a high quality school, where all doors are open for all students. Culturally Responsive Teaching is one way we can move toward more equitable schools for students and communities.
In our time together, we will review a theory of Culturally Responsive Teaching as it is presented in Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain by Zaretta Hammond, but we will not have time in each of those sessions to do all the work required of each of us to develop critical consciousness as a culturally responsive teacher or leader. We will also need to engage independently in growing and developing our own cultural competence.
One of the practices that Hammond articulates in her Ready for Rigor Framework is Awareness. This Independent Study is shaped around five goals that develop our cultural competence in service of building our capacity in the practice of Awareness:
Center your cultural competence journey.
Begin with an intention.
Get to know your cultural identities and beliefs.
Explore implicit bias.
Build cross-cultural background knowledge.
Although this is a journey where you must select your own levels and pathway, this summer we ask you to engage in one resource (e.g., reading, podcast, activity) that moves you forward in each of the goal areas. There are suggested resources and reflection questions to guide your thinking as you engage in this work.
We use the word journey very intentionally when talking about cultural competence. We want to acknowledge that cultural competence is an ongoing process. We hope this summer is the start or continuation of a long-term practice of continual growth.
Engaging with the Independent Study
Orient to the goal by reading the intro “Before you begin” thinking prompts.
Choose one or more resources to review/work through.
Spend some time in self-reflection, answering the journal prompts to process your experience.
Engage another person in conversion around your self-reflection and to further process your experience.
GOAL 1
Center Your Cultural Competence Journey
“Too often, we focus on only doing something to culturally and linguistically diverse students without changing ourselves” (Hammond, pp 52). Many of us have already engaged in learning more about systemic racism and oppression—historical roots, our place within that system, and work that needs to be done to dismantle systems of oppression. This first goal is about reflecting on where you are in your cultural competence journey. This self-reflection will help us determine areas to grow within each goal of this independent study.
Center Your Cultural Competence Journey
“Too often, we focus on only doing something to culturally and linguistically diverse students without changing ourselves” (Hammond, pp 52). Many of us have already engaged in learning more about systemic racism and oppression—historical roots, our place within that system, and work that needs to be done to dismantle systems of oppression. This first goal is about reflecting on where you are in your cultural competence journey. This self-reflection will help us determine areas to grow within each goal of this independent study.
Before you begin, think about:
What work or thinking have you already engaged in around systems of oppression, systemic racism, and your own cultural competence?
How have you brought those learning into your practice as an educator? a colleague? a participant in the wider world?
Suggested Resources
Becoming Antiracist (A journey defined) by Andrew M. Ibrahim MD, MSc
Racism Scale by C. Demnowicz
Cultural Proficiency: Tools for School Leaders (Principal Leadership, Volume 8 No 1 p16-22 Sep 2007)
How Leaders Can Improve Their Schools’ Cultural Competence by Chris Lehmann
As you journal to unpack and articulate your intention, consider:
What are some of your takeaways from your cultural competence reflection?
What are some of the big questions that you are asking yourself about your journey toward greater cultural competence?
Look forward at the other goals in this independent study, are there any intentions that you want to set for your cultural competence journey?
GOAL 2
Begin with an Intention
In Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, Hammond states, “the act of committing to the process primes your brain and activates your will.” The second goal is all about grounding yourself in the journey of other educators who have already engaged in the process of improving their culturally responsive teaching practice.
Begin with an Intention
In Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, Hammond states, “the act of committing to the process primes your brain and activates your will.” The second goal is all about grounding yourself in the journey of other educators who have already engaged in the process of improving their culturally responsive teaching practice.
Before you begin, think about:
How confident do you feel about your practice as a culturally responsive educator?
What do you hope to gain by examining the journey of another educator?
Suggested Resources
For White educators
Reading, Writing, and Rising Up by Linda Christensen
Teaching for Joy and Justice by Linda Christensen
White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son by Tim Wise
For BIPOC educators
Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks (PDF)
Radical Equations: Civil Rights from Mississippi to the Algebra Project by Bob Moses and Charles E. Cobb Jr.
A Teacher's Journey Toward Culturally Relevant Teaching Practices | Rethink Together by Ann-Katherine Kimble
The Censorship of Neglect from The Essays by Rudolfo Anaya
Math is Life. Life is a story. So why aren’t we telling stories in math class? by Shraddha Shirude
#31DaysIBPOC curated and edited by Tricia Ebarvia and Dr. Kimberly Parker
The ‘Beautiful Struggle’ of Culturally Responsive Teaching by Hoa P. Nguyen
Because of the Kids: Facing Racial and Cultural Differences in Schools by Jennifer E. Obidah
Lessons from Teachers by Lisa Delpit
Preparing Culturally Responsive Teachers: Using Latino Children’s Literature in Teacher Education by Kathy Escamilla and Sally Nathenson-Mej´ıa
As you journal to unpack and articulate your intention, consider:
What are some of your key takeaways as your “virtual mentor” developed their practice?
What are some challenges that you anticipate in your own journey to improve your practice as a culturally responsive educator or leader of a school working on improving Culturally Responsive Teaching?
GOAL 3
Get to Know Your Cultural Identities and Beliefs
Hammond refers to this as “making the familiar strange,” a process where you examine your own cultural identity so that you can assess and shift your implicit bias. Our own culture shapes our perceptions of the world and responses to situations. For this element of the journey, you will map your cultural reference points using one of the self-inquiry tools below.
Get to Know Your Cultural Identities and Beliefs
Hammond refers to this as “making the familiar strange,” a process where you examine your own cultural identity so that you can assess and shift your implicit bias. Our own culture shapes our perceptions of the world and responses to situations. For this element of the journey, you will map your cultural reference points using one of the self-inquiry tools below.
Before you begin, think about:
Have you examined your cultural identities and beliefs before? If so, what were some of your takeaways from the experience? If not, how are you feeling about digging more deeply into your cultural reference points?
Suggested Resources
Self-Inquiry Tool for Identifying Your Cultural Frame of Reference (Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, pp 57-58)
Frame of Reference Excercise (Robin DiAngelo)
As you journal to unpack and articulate your intention, consider:
What are some of your key takeaways after mapping your cultural reference points? How do these reference points relate to your conception of learning and intelligence?
What are some ways that you anticipate your cultural worldview has shaped your classroom practice? How can this help you improve your practice as a Culturally Responsive Teaching educator?
GOAL 4
Explore Implicit Bias
“Even educators who have taken an explicit social justice or progressive stance have implicit bias based on their exposure to the dominant culture’s messages and memes over a lifetime” (Hammond, 29). Throughout Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, Hammond describes the work of becoming a culturally responsive educator as “a long journey” and “area of continual growth,” the same holds true for our work on recognizing and unpacking our implicit biases. In goals two and three, you worked on setting an intention and mapping your cultural reference points. For this element of the journey, you will deepen your understanding of implicit bias and work towards identifying them in your frame of reference.
Explore Implicit Bias
“Even educators who have taken an explicit social justice or progressive stance have implicit bias based on their exposure to the dominant culture’s messages and memes over a lifetime” (Hammond, 29). Throughout Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, Hammond describes the work of becoming a culturally responsive educator as “a long journey” and “area of continual growth,” the same holds true for our work on recognizing and unpacking our implicit biases. In goals two and three, you worked on setting an intention and mapping your cultural reference points. For this element of the journey, you will deepen your understanding of implicit bias and work towards identifying them in your frame of reference.
Before you begin, think about:
This process might activate responses in your “lizard brain” as you push the boundaries of your comfort zone. Decide how you are going to work/sit in discomfort.
What do you hope to gain by examining your implicit biases?
Suggested Resources
Personal Self-Assessment of Anti-Bias Behavior (Anti-Defamation League)
Test Yourself for Hidden Bias (Learning for Justice)
A Simple Way to Monitor for Implicit Bias by Jay Wamstead (Edutopia)
Implicit Bias, Microaggressions, and Stereotypes Resources (NEA)
Four Tools for Interrupting Implicit Bias by Zaretta Hammond
As you journal to unpack and articulate your intention, consider:
What are some of your key takeaways as you explored your implicit biases?
What are some ways that your implicit biases might have affected your classroom practice?
GOAL 5
Build Cross-Cultural Background Knowledge
We need to move away from interpreting other people’s—not just students’, but people’s)—actions through our personal cultural frames. “Many teachers don’t always think about the cultural lens that influences their interpretations of student actions, parents' responses, or their own instructional styles. Instead we fall back on our default programming...” (Hammond, 59). Part of this lies in thinking about our mindsets, responses to situations, classroom structures, and even pedagogical decisions. Another piece of this lies in building cross-cultural background knowledge. “Widen your interpretation aperture by exposing yourself to other cultural experiences similar to those of the students you serve so you can experience alternative ways of doing and being.” Remember that you are not in a space to just, just watch and study.
Build Cross-Cultural Background Knowledge
We need to move away from interpreting other people’s—not just students’, but people’s)—actions through our personal cultural frames. “Many teachers don’t always think about the cultural lens that influences their interpretations of student actions, parents' responses, or their own instructional styles. Instead we fall back on our default programming...” (Hammond, 59). Part of this lies in thinking about our mindsets, responses to situations, classroom structures, and even pedagogical decisions. Another piece of this lies in building cross-cultural background knowledge. “Widen your interpretation aperture by exposing yourself to other cultural experiences similar to those of the students you serve so you can experience alternative ways of doing and being.” Remember that you are not in a space to just, just watch and study.
Before you begin, think about:
Think about your school community. Where are you engaging with learning about the cultures in your community? Where are you not?
Choose an area of growth or learning related to cultures represented in your school community.
Suggested Resources
As you journal to unpack and articulate your intention, consider:
While you were working on background knowledge, did you notice any patterns that cut across the cultural archetypes of individualism and collectivism?
What are some ways that increasing your cross-cultural background knowledge might impact your practice as a Culturally Responsive Teaching educator?
Map your next steps. Remember that this is a journey towards increasing our cultural competence. Is there a goal you want to revisit or another resource you want to dive into?