What is culturally responsive teaching? – Benefits, Characteristics, & Examples

Culturally Responsive Teaching is one of the teaching strategies employed mainly by the kindergarten, elementary, and primary teachers in classrooms containing cross-culture and multicultural students. Sometimes also referred to as culturally relevant pedagogy, it is a practice originally emerged in the United States to empower students, especially African Americans, to maintain cultural integrity, and at the same time excel academically in education. Adapting this teaching method encourages educators to maintain ethnic, societal, and cultural diversity in the classroom by promoting the importance of cultural awareness, creating a sense of belongingness among students, and allowing the young and youth learners to celebrate differences in traditions, and beliefs.

Not only does the culturally responsive teaching and learning create a nurturing student-centered learning environment for students from different countries and different ethnic backgrounds, but it also encourages instructors to impart education respectfully by considering every student's needs and necessities, eliminating racial and ethnic discrimination, bridging the gaps of communication barriers in the classroom, and encouraging learners to explore different cultures, traditions, religion, and beliefs.

Moreover, the relevant teaching strategy empowers teachers to concentrate on making an all-incorporating linguistically responsive curriculum that acknowledges every student's requirements and needs. Additionally, it encourages educators to create unique lesson plans, which ensure the objectives of teaching meet their target goals.

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Benefits of culturally responsive teaching

• Eliminates racial and cultural discrimination by emphasizing diversity and culturally responsive classroom
• Improves student-student and student-teacher interaction and collaboration
• Paves the path to personalized learning
• Encourages social-emotional learning
• Empowers teachers to act as a facilitator rather than as an instructor
• Allows students to proudly acknowledge their heritage, culture, religion, and traditions
• Creates mutual respect for different cultures and ethnicities among students
• Provides opportunities to interact and share stories, thoughts, beliefs, and ideas from different cultures

Characteristics of culturally responsive teaching

• Gives students, irrespective of cultural background, the to fully achieve their true potential in the classroom and in life
• Create an intercultural society by encouraging students to participate in bonding activities
• Liberate students
• Enhance Liberal education
• Create an interactive and personalized learning environment
• Create a diverse stage for students to collaborate and share knowledge