Culturally Responsive Teaching

Introduction

Culturally Responsive Teaching takes into account that our students do not learn in a vacuum. They have a rich cultural background that shapes the way they see the world. It is up to us as teachers to take these experiences and worldview into account and tailor our teaching to them so that they can access the learning. This is especially vital for me and something I have had to work on in the years I have been in Hawai`i. I am not from the island, and I grew up in a very different environment from my students. Because of this, I have to make sure when I teach I am catering to the background knowledge of my students, not of my own, and make the learning relevant to them.

Preparation: Internal Processing

Self-Examination

I come from a very different environment from my students, and I had not had to examine the way that my culture affected my point of view of the world. When I moved to Hawai`i, I knew that I would have to take a different approach in order to connect with my students. Because of this, it is crucial that I become aware of what aspects of my culture affect me, how they are different from that of my students, and work to make myself consistently aware.

CulturalSelfStudy_AdlerAlia.docx

Cultural Self-Study

The first piece of CRT is to ensure that I am aware of my own cultural biases. To do so, I performed a cultural self-studies in my Effective Practices 2 class. I took the time to read about different ways that culture affects us, and the biases it can create. I then reflected on parts of my culture that were important to my worldview. I made sure I understood how it affected me and the ways that it may creep into my teaching. The reflection sums up the conclusions I came to when examining myself. I realized that it is not up to my students to understand the way I view the world, but up to me to change the way I speak and interact with them to provide the clarity they need to be successful.

Self-Bias Examination

Harvard's Implicit Association Tests allowed me to diver deeper into the biases that I have developed over my life. Although they did not always directly apply to my job (for example, there were no bias tests around Pacific Islanders), I still learned a great deal about myself as well as areas I can improve upon and be more aware of. For example, I learned that many of the traits my students have such as being disabled or being from a Native population were things I had been socialized into having negative associations. This is crucial information, as it makes me aware that I need to be much more careful with the way that I interact with my students. I need to reflect on the decisions I make with them, especially when setting academic expectations, to make sure that I am not letting my biases influence me. For example, as I build out lesson plans and create teacher models, I need to make sure I am setting an example of high level work, as opposed to telling myslef that they cannot achieve that.

Although my students have learning disabilities, it is important to know that I have a negative bias already. When planning for my lessons, I have to absolutely make sure that I am setting my expectations at a high level in order to make sure that students are reaching their potential, not just what my bias tells me they can do.

Most of my students are not White, but they do have a variety of skin tones. Knowing that their skin tone does not influence me is reassuring, as I can be more sure about the disciplinary actions I take, since I can feel more confident their skin tone is not influencing me. I still need to be reflective, since my students are children of color, but the test provides a some reassurance.

Many of my students would be classified as Native American, which is why I took this bias test, and it did provide useful information to me. Considering that I do perceive Native Americans as being part of the past, I will have to do extra work to make sure I am discussing Hawaiian culture as a piece of the present that is still relevant. However, I do think that living in Hawai`i can help me with this. Hawaiians are the majority population here, so it is easier to see Hawaiian culture as still alive and vibrant, and something I can continue to bring into the classroom.

Preparation: Classroom Planning

Understanding My Students: Student Profiles

In my Effective Practices 2 class I was able build profiles of three of my students. I was not only able to look at them as learners but also as complete people. It forced me to see them through a lens that was wider than just how they are in my class. I was able to see how they are as a whole and the ways their outside lives can affect their learning. Most crucially, I was able to examine them from an asset-based perspective, which not only gave me a more compassionate view of these students, particularly my student "John" who is known for being quite aggressive. Because of this reflection process, I was given an outlet to find his assets and harness them in class.

Student Profile A.docx

My student "John" has had many struggles in school. Unfortunately, due to having ADHD, he could become aggressive when he did not know how else to express himself. Nonetheless, he is very bright, and can provide unique insights during class discussions. Because of this, I know I have to take advantage of his desire to help others and think creatively to be able to engage him in our learning.

Student Profile B.docx

My student "Jane" does not spend a full day in the class, so it will take more concerted effort to be able to build rapport. However, she is a very creative girl, and is very enthusiastic about her interests. She is much more engaged when she can discuss her personal experiences. To make sure that she can access the learning when she is with me, I need to make sure I can provide a point of entry for her to spark her interest and allow her to be creative.

Student Profile C.docx

My student "Jake" is a very insightful boy who cares deeply for others. However, he does need extra processing time, as he does not always understand questions or instructions the first time they are given. To make sure he can continue to provide insights, I need to make sure I am building in time for reflection, as well as providing repeated instructions for those who benefit from repetition like "Jake".

CRTClassroomPlan_AdlerAlia.docx

CRT Classroom Plan

In my Effective Practices 2 class, we spent time reflecting on our teaching and what strategies we can use in our class to best support them based on the way that my students' cultures shape them. We analyzed parts of their culture that would be an asset to their learning as well as what would create difficulties for them. From there, we determined which strategies could help our students the most and work with their assets. In the document to the left, you can see the qualities in my students I worked on nurturing and what strategies I used to do so. These strategies, creating a set of classroom agreements and using graphic organizers did ultimately prove to be helpful for my students, as they could shape their own vision of the class and what they could expect from each other. They also were able to play to their strengths by using a graphic organizer. By doing so, they were able to gain confidence in their ideas, while also taking the time to sort them in order to be able to deliver the best version of their writing, something they typically struggle with.

Specific CRT Strategies

Our classroom's Kaulana Mahina (moon calendar). Students fill in the blanks with the day of the week, the date, the month, and the year, as well as the moon phase for the night and which part of the moon cycle we are in. They then repeat this in Hawaiian. We also discuss which agricultural practices are best performed during this time, as was done by ancient Hawaiians.

CRT Strategy 1: Kaulana Mahina

In the Hawaiian kingdom, time was measured by the moon cycle. It dictated the people's routines from when certain rituals could occur, when war was allowed, or even when to plant and fish. Because of this, knowledge of the Hawaiian moon cycles is still of utmost importance. To incorporate this knowledge, my co-teacher and I built a Hawaiian Moon cycle calender, or Kaulana Mahina to go over with the students every morning. Students learn about the moon phases as well as what they should be doing during that phase.

Kaulana Mahina.MOV

This day was Wednesday the 12th of November, 2025. The moon was in the Anahulu Poepoe, and the specific phase for that night was Huna. This was an almost full moon. The students are not well versed in Hawaiian yet, so we practice the vocabulary with them daily.

Questions of the Day

List of Questions of the Day

CRT Strategy 2: Question of the Day

Morning meeting is an excellent time to connect with students and build relationships with them on a personal level. However, it is a short period of time and can get crowded with announcements and preparation for the day ahead. To make sure that students and I get to know each other as people, I incorporate a question of the day into our attendance. Each student, instead of saying "here", answers a short question about themselves or give an opinion. Sometimes they are Hawai`i based so students can connect to their home, but sometimes they are just would you rather questions, or even just about themselves and their homes.

Sem 1 Gr 3 Walk to Reading Groups 25-26

This planning document lists which students are going to which group. We indicate what reading level they are at, as shown by the iReady testing we have them perform, as well as where their group will be located, and the boxes are color coded based on each child's homeroom. We also talk about which programs we will be using with each group, whether it is a novel study, or the Phonics for Reading program, which focuses on the building blocks of reading.

CRT Strategy 3: Walk to Read

Many of our students struggle with reading, but they tend to be at wildly different levels. To accommodate this, our grade level has implemented a system for reading interventions called Walk to Read. Teachers assess all students' reading levels and needs, then group them by need. Each teacher hosts a group of students in their rooms and works with them on the relevant skill. We work with students who are not in our homerooms to hopefully push them up and out of our groups, or even level up the group as a whole. This way the students can receive targeted instruction among peers at their same level.

In my group, students practice reading comprehension as well as phonics. They start by reading a passage, and then answer questions based on what they just read. They practice going back and forth, gathering evidence from the text, as well as understanding and remembering different plot points.

My students also practice their vocabulary, making sure that they can correctly complete the sentences. Because they read at a slightly higher level, they need to be reinforcing their vocabulary. They will be reading irregular words, and can no longer rely exclusively on decoding strategies.

Execution: Culturally Responsive Teaching in Practice

Cultivating Personal Connections

One very important piece of teaching is the personal connections I build in the classroom. Just like students learn better if they can connect to the material, they are also more willing to work with me if I have a personal connection with them. Students like to know that their teacher is a real person who has life experiences just like them. It can not only foster a positive classroom community, but it helps students get invested in my teaching since they see me as more than just an authority figure. They are more willing to push themselves if they feel that their teacher is actually invested in them as people, and they are interested in my life just as much as I am interested in theirs.

Getting to Know and Respond to My Students and Families: Student and Parent Surveys

Families are an important part of our classroom community. They support the child at home, and ensure that what we are learning in class gets reinforced. Because of this, we want to make sure that we have an idea of their perception of their child, what their communication preferences are, and any other pieces of information that they think is important for us to know. We use written surveys for the adults at the beginning of the year as a "get to know you" and let families know that we want to hear from them. From there, we compile the information and use it for seating charts, insight into how to best communicate with families, and take into account any special religious exemptions or other information. To get a similar profile from our students, we use the question of the day to ask them about preferred subjects, learning styles, or even struggles they are seeing in themselves. This can then be used in our targeted and SEL instruction.

Each family filled out a beginning of the year survey on their child and their family. This family is part of the Jehovah's Witnesses, and so I need to make sure I am approaching topics of holidays with care and consideration. The discussions need to be academic, without the assumption that all students will be celebrating.

Parent Influence in the Classroom: Parent Contact

Though we spend a long time with our students, the people who know them and can support them best are their families. However, they may not know what is happening in the classroom or even may have learned different methods when they were in school. Because of all this, they may not know how to best support their child academically or even what the correct questions are to ask. To help clarify, my coteacher and I publish a monthly newsletter reviewing our teaching for the month. I also send out a daily homework video to show the strategies we are teaching in math that students are expected to show on their assignments.

A monthly newsletter goes out to each of our families so that they can have an idea of what their child is learning. They are also able to use this information to spark discussions with their child and reinforce learning at home

Homework 4.7.mov

Math videos to help families with the homework we assign and the concepts we cover in class. This way if the child is struggling, their families have a resource to understand what we are teaching the students and can align the strategies they reinforce at home with the ones we teach in school

Building Relationships Outside of the Classroom

My students are whole people who have a life outside of the classroom. In order to teach the whole child, I need to engage with them outside of being their teacher, as simply their supporter. This is extra important since I teach at a rural school and the building itself functions as a community center. Thus, I am able to connect with my students at school events such as our Halloween trick-or-treating event or even attending their extracurricular competitions such as a robotics scrimmage. Most crucially to my experience, I have joined our hula group, a halau. I have been able to dance with my students and perform with them while also helping them see that I am a person as like them and we can build connection.

During Haunt-O-Ween this year, I passed out candy from a classroom door. Since our students live in a rural area, they are not able to trick or treat the traditional way. Thus, the teachers come together to set up the school like a neighborhood for students to be able to get a trick or treat experience.

The Mountain View Elementary robotics team is in its first year, and many students have never had experience with robots before. Because of this, showing support for this new activity is crucial for students to feel like valuable members of their community.

My halau (hula school) is comprised of all former and current Mountain View Elementary students. Through the halau, our relationship does not just stay as a teacher and their student, but we become "hula siblings", connected through our work together.

My CRT Ongoing Commitment

Although I have made much progress with CRT, I still have more room to grow. Constantly pushing my teaching to be more place-based, continuing my hula journey, and even being part of the cultural committee at my school are all ways I can push myself more towards enhancing my CRT and ultimately creating a more successful learning experience for my students. I have to continue to take into account my biases, and always double check my planning to make sure I am pushing my students to their full potential. Ultimately, to be a truly culturally responsive teacher, I need to make sure that I am grounding myself, my ways of communicating, and my teaching in local Hawaiian culture. This can look like adapting my speech patterns, using place based learning such as the Kaulana Mahina and dancing hula, and even making sure I am catering to my students at all academic levels, such as in Walk to Read. These need to be an ingrained part of my practice, which I can develop by checking in with teachers during our PLC times, as well as making use of our academic coaches who can help me incorporate appropriate scaffolding and extension activities.

Conclusion

CRT has shown me how to foster a genuine classroom community that is conducive to learning. I am able to check in with myself about my biases, understand my students to a deeper level, highlight the importance of their home, and build connections with both them and their families. These pieces create an environment that is welcoming and warm, putting my students in the right headspace to be able to achieve academically. I not only see that it has made my time teaching more valuable since I can build relationships with my specific students, but they can feel their classroom is a place where they can feel safe. Together, we can grow and support each other as a true community.

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