Culturally+Responsive+Classroom+Management

=﻿Culturally Responsive Classrooms=

Culturally responsive classroom management (CRCM) recognizes that “definitions of appropriate behavior are culturally influenced” (Curran, et. al. 2003). However, because 90% of teachers are European American, aspects of cultural diversity should be taught so that teachers are aware of the importance of knowing about the cultures of their students, and so that they are able to seek out and interpret relevant information about the cultural identity of their students. Knowing about the culture of your students is important not only so that you may make adjustments to your standards of behavior (which could better parallel those which students have at home;) also so that students are made to feel like welcome community members in their classrooms, which will motivate them and encourage them to act appropriately in the classroom.

__CRCM broken down:__ CRCM is a “frame of mind, more than a set of strategies or practices, that guides the management decisions that teachers make (Curran, et. al. 2003). Goal of CRCM is “not to achieve compliance or control but to provide all students with equitable opportunities for learning” (Curran, et. al. 2003). To meet this goal the teacher must focus on creating an environment where students feel the need to act responsibly out of a sense of personal responsibility. Therefore the focus is on prevention, not discipline. Discipline is at times necessary; however, when an incident occurs it is more beneficial to reexamine the root cause. Often students feel as though they do not have a voice in class and will act out as a way to express themselves. For example a student sleeping in class may be showing resistance against a system that treats him/her like he/she is unimportant. Prevention, then gives students the control and communication skills before they become frustrated and act out. This can be done by creating a caring community, where the teacher expects nothing less than a high level of success from all students.

Five identified ‘essential components’ of CRCM are:
 * Recognition of ones own ethnocentrism
 * Knowledge of students cultural backgrounds
 * Understanding broader social, economic, and political context
 * Able and willing to use culturally appropriate classroom management strategies
 * Committed to building caring classrooms

__CRCM in bilingual classrooms__ “It is critical that teachers deliberately model respect for diversity- by expressing admiration for a student’s bilingual ability, by commenting enthusiastically about the number of different languages that are represented in the class, and by including examples and content from a variety of cultures in their teaching” (Curran, et. al. 2004).

__What I plan to do when I am teaching/lesson planning:__
 * Recognize my own cultural identity and biases, continually questioning the way in which I treat students in regards to these biases.
 * Get to know the cultural background of my students and encourage them to share about their home, culture whenever possible.
 * Strategically arrange my classroom so as to communicate respect for diversity (what is displayed, do my settings promote social interactions?)
 * Create a set of shared norms among students; talk about how sometimes our norms at home are different from each other, so in order to make sure we all treat each other in respectful ways, we need to come to an understanding of how to do that in the classroom.
 * When a problem arises with a student I will look into it deeper, asking “has this problem arisen out of some sort of cultural misunderstand?” and “What needs are not being met that would create this student to act out?”
 * Ask myself, "what am I doing/saying to promote a caring and respectful environment?"

Resources for this page:

Weinstein, C., Tomlinson-Clarke, S., & Curran, M. (2003). Culturally Responsive Classroom Management: Awareness Into Action. //Theory Into Practice// 42(4).

Weinstein, C., Tomlinson-Clarke, S., & Curran, M. (2004). Toward a conception of culturally responsive classroom management. //Journal of Education// 55(1), 25-38.