Culturally Responsive Teaching in American Education - Research Paper Example

The importance of Culturally responsive teaching in American Education Introduction People come from different backgrounds to be a part of the education process in the different educational institutions. The cultural background of the different students is diverse and they need to be nurtured according the practices of their individual culture. A practice has emerged in the case of imparting education to the diverse group of students. In the modern world, the teachers have understood the value of providing education according to the ethnicity of the students. They have comprehended the importance of the culture in the education process. They try to embed the culture into the education of the students. This helps the students to develop their education. The main aim of this kind of teaching is to make the students aware of the mainstream culture and in the same time recognize the importance of their individual culture. As Gloria Ladson-Billings says, "It is an approach that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills and attitudes." (Culturally responsive teaching, n.d.) The subject of culturally responsive teaching has become important in the modern world because the teachers have understood that the culture helps the students to develop the thinking process and thus shapes up their future. This type of teaching is particularly important in the case of the USA. People from the different backgrounds characterize USA. Therefore, the students in a particular state experiences a different culture from the student from a different state. The education in the different states is based on the culture of the region. The society in the USA is multi racial with the intrusion of people from different countries. (Culture, n.d.). The presence of different races in the society with their different backgrounds and culture has led to the importance of the culturally responsive teaching in the USA. The paper will deal in the importance of the culturally responsive teaching in the context of the USA. The importance of culturally responsive teaching The modern world has been characterized by the globalization of the economy. The countries have come closer with the closeness in the economy and it is common nowadays to experience the society as a multi-cultured one. People from a country moves to the other countries to integrate into the society. The people from the other countries bring some distinctive cultural traits with them, which become part of the society. USA has become one of the most developed economies of the world. The development of the economy in the country attracted people across the world. They went to the USA to be part of the development and make them economically stable. The economy of USA offered opportunity for all people in the world. The society of the USA has grown to become one of the most multicultural societies in the world with the influx of the people from all over the world. The population of USA consists of people from different ethnic backgrounds. The Native Americans and the Alaskans are perhaps the oldest community in the country. The Blacks are the descendants of the people from Africa. Many of the Blacks in the modern days came to the country in the days of the slavery and the openness of the society and the economic development of the country convinced them to stay in the USA. The Black population in the country is projected to rise in the coming years. Unlike the older generation, the black population has subsequently improved their living standards due to the development of the economy and education in the country. However, the Blacks still lie behind the other communities in the USA in terms of education and economic development. The Hispanics are the other major group in the USA culture today. The Hispanics are the people of the Latin origin and they reside in the states close to the borders of Mexico. They come from the regions like Mexico, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. The South American countries have become a major source of the imports of the Hispanics in the USA today. The culture of the Hispanics is distinctive. The population of the Asians is one of the fastest growing in Asia and they are one of the most educated groups in the country. People from oriental countries like China, Korea, Japan and the Southeast Asian region like India and Pakistan have been growing in the recent years. The people from these countries are attracted to the economic development of the USA and they come to the country to develop themselves economically. The Whites are the people who came to the United States from the continent of Europe. This group is the most developed race in the country. The development of the group can be identified with the origins of the people in the country. They were the first people to come to the country and they have been a part of the development process from the start. The different cultures and the ethnicity of the people in the country underline the fact that the society of the USA is a multicultural one. Every race and the group in the society are characterized by some distinctive traits. Therefore, it has been important for the education system in the USA to rise to the challenge and develop a system of culturally responsive teaching. (Wellner, 2007; Diversity, 2000) At the present day count about 30 million people in the USA has been born out of the country. A major part of the students in the schools and the colleges come from the immigrant families and most of them are the learners of the English language. The overall level of education in the country has been on the rise and there have been a rise in the number of the graduates in the country. However, the percentage of the graduates from the low-income families has decreased. It has to be noted here that most of the low-income group of people come from the families of the Blacks and the Hispanic origin. The importance of education in the society of the USA is prevalent. It has been seen from the records that the educated group of people earn a lot more than that of the uneducated groups. The groups in the population of the USA have wakened up to the importance of the education. However, the environment in which the students grow up has been a great determinant of applying for education. One of the most important aspects for the education is motivation. Motivation is garnered from the environment and the surroundings. People who group in a disturbing environment are not interested in the learning process. Students are troubled by the disrespect shown to them. (Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 2009; Pp. 1-4) This may happen in a country like the USA where different cultures and ethnicity meet in the society. One of the main ingredients in the clash in the societies is the religion. The society in the USA is characterized by the presence of the different religions. Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews etc. reside in the society of the USA. The main religion in the USA has been Christianity. However, the rise of the immigrants in the USA has changed the religious set up of the country drastically. Most of the population in the USA is still Christian. With the rise of the immigrants from the other countries, the other religions like Islam crept in. As the other religious groups form a very small part of the population, they fall in the category of the minorities. There have been instances where the immigrants have not been respected in the society because of the religious preferences. One of the most significant changes in the modern society in the USA came in the aftermath of the 9/11. After the incident of 9/11, the Muslims in the country were viewed with suspicion. They were not the respected parts of the society. This disturbs the progress of the Muslim race. They are left to be the secluded part of the society and that dithers them from the development. (Merin, 17th March 2008; Religious pluralism in the United States, n.d.) In the education process, a show of disrespect can halt the development of the individual. One of the most significant parts of the education is the interaction of the people on a daily basis. If the students are secluded in the process of the education, then they will not be motivated to learn. In the case of the different backgrounds of the people, their priorities in life vary differently. The mental set up of the individuals and the students influence their characteristics. Some culture may encourage the interaction with the people while the other cultures may deter its followers in openly asserting their preferences. In the case of the Muslim women, they are generally not allowed to interact freely with the society at large. This deters the interaction process of the individuals and can deter the learning process. In the classroom teaching, the teachers may encourage the students to interact. The education system in the modern world has become interactive. In the classroom, the students of different cultures may response differently to the problems thrown to them by the teachers. The students of the culturally responsive groups may able to interact freely while the students of the retarded category may not interact. This affects the results in the education process. The other students may judge the students of the diverse cultures differently. In the case of the USA, there has been a general feeling that the whites are the “normal” people in the society. The other groups like the Blacks and the Hispanics are considered to be different from the “normal” group. These views of the general students in the case of the others hurt the progress of the students. They feel mentally retarded and they don not take part in the education process. The different cultures of the society makes the people under the distinctive cultures prepared according to their own views. Some people of a distinctive culture may be aggressive, arrogant, Intimidated etc. They behave differently from the other students. The behavioral traits of the students from the different cultures separate them from the rest of the students. The students from the different backgrounds are distinctive of their language, culture, eating habits etc. In most of the cases, the people from the different cultures have distinctive appearance. Essentially the students from the mainstream society are ignorant of the other cultures. The appearance and the characteristics of the other students look different to the other students. They view the other students as different. In most of the cases the “gaze” of the mainstream society retards the students from taking part in the mainstream education. The culture of USA has been characterized by the rise of the immigrants from the other countries. The immigrants have a distinctive culture and they have to work hard to integrate into the society because of the difference in the languages and the culture. The modern world has been troubled by the acts of the racism and discrimination in the society. The racism and the discrimination in the society decrease the involvement of the minorities in the society. In the case of the education, this may have a negative effect. The students from the ethnic and the religious minorities may not be interested to take part in the education and the learning process. The unsafe environment in which they grow up influences them to view the environment as unresponsive to their needs. There may exist a hint of indifference in the teaching process, too. The European Americans encourage the participation of the students in the class and develops competition among the students. This process of teaching may not be favorable to the students from the other communities. The students from the other communities may not be used to the environment and this may retard the general development of the students. These factors may halt the economic progress of the minority communities in the country. This in effect retards the development of the country on the whole. Education is one of the most important constituents in the modern society and decrease in the education process may develop in the rise of the other problems like the ethnic clashes and the civil wars. Therefore, it is important for the education body of the country to take care of the needs of the students of they different culture and develop an education system that influences the development of all the communities in the country. Students must acknowledge the presence of the different cultures and the recognition of the different cultures in the society will help in the development of a peaceful society. This will help in the development of the country on the whole. (Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 2009; Pp 4-11) The importance of the culture in the development of the learning process has been acknowledged by the education system in the country. The importance of the teacher in the teaching process is important and she should encourage the students to be responsive of the different cultures. The interaction of the students in the case of the different and the distinctive traits in the individual cultures must be encouraged. The new ideas of the students of the different backgrounds should be appreciated in the classroom environment. The classroom may contain students of different cultures and it is the duty of the teacher to incorporate the references of the culture in the teaching process. Participation in the activities of the classroom is an important part in the interaction process. Many students may not actively partake in the classroom and the teacher should develop activities that interest them. The teacher should be aware of the cultural heritage of the students and they should be encouraged to mix and interact freely. The sharing of the traits of the cultures will develop the idea of belongingness in the society. This will help in the development process of all the students of the society. The teaching process should validate and acknowledge the presence of the different cultures in the society. It should help in the development of the students in the mental and the psychological set up of the students. The position of the teachers is important. The students should feel as a part of the society. This will encourage the students to interact with the other groups of the people in the society. The teaching process should look ton develop the students in all dimensions like education, sports etc. The system of teaching develops a sense of pride of the individual heritage and helps people to be tolerant to the other cultures. This helps in the empowerment of the students by making them an integral part of the progressive society. It helps in the transformation of the students to be successful in the future. The main aim of this type of teaching is to integrate the people from the different backgrounds to the mainstream society in the country. This can be done with the help of the acknowledgement of the individual cultures. The acknowledgement leads to the people believing that they are a part of the mainstream society. This accelerates the process of integration. The overall process of learning will help in the development of the society. In the case of the society of USA, which is so diverse it is important to integrate people into mainstream society to help in the development of the country. (Foltz et al, 23rd April, 2009; Phuntsog, 1999; culturally responsive teaching, n.d.) Conclusions USA is one of the countries in the modern world that have been leading the whole world in the development of the economy. The development of the economy attracted people from across the world to come to the country to be a part of the process. The increased level of immigration in the country has led to the diversifying the culture of the country. The society of the USA in the modern days has been characterized by the presence of people from the different backgrounds and religions. This is a situation, which can give rise to the ethnic clashes and the wars. This can happen because the majority in the society views the minority groups in the society indifferently. This retards the integration of the people from the other backgrounds in the mainstream society. Therefore, it is important for the people in the USA to become aware of the different cultures in the society and responsive to their distinctiveness. Education is one of the most important constituents in the educational system. Right kind of education can help the majority to acknowledge the minorities in the society. It will also help in the integration of the minorities in the integration process. This will help them to open up to the mainstream society. Therefore, culturally responsive teaching is important for a country like the USA because of the ethnic and the cultural diversity of the country. References: 1. Culture. (n.d.). Study destinations. Impel Overseas Foundations. Available at: http://www.impeloverseas.com/studyabroad/usa/usa-country-overview.aspx (Accessed on 12th May, 2010) 2. Culturally responsive teaching. (n.d.). Available at: http://knowledgeloom.org/practices3.jsp?location=1&bpinterid=1110&spotlightid=1110 (Accessed on 12th May, 2010) 3. Wellner,A. (2007). Diversity in America. Available at: http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:_bJzW1w4PTwJ:www.pbinsight.com/files/resource-library/resource-files/diversity.pdf+diversity+of+America&hl=en&gl=in&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShLEEu0SoTMNZI4tpMP1G7ldYKFmUMPKdtcy62MEUeImpP_g0zw6RNer7ZK9oWj6g9YeyS6gzGBCcsAkXWQ9K8l1p_cW2YZUj_5qATrRk7Vm_Drv12vhge-C3_186FcMGuOTxji&sig=AHIEtbTQrvC0O6C6Oqw1rEUBU3JI4pCqGw (Accessed on 12th May, 2010) 4. Diversity. (2000). 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Available at: http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:qWOoXA3SqPgJ:www.teqjournal.org/backvols/1999/26_3/phuntsog.pdf+importance+of+culturally+responsive+teaching&hl=en&gl=in&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgREjEF3TrmL2dlR4xqFSb8XkSaFMF6DiKiCMW2qFT7-WLbjQbEpZ-10Bk9uY35kPGM1Q_EDccgdjonrzxXvTlWuIwPV-ixBi-6d5Ocb4toPGOI-O49Zqx5k7Gw1JeVEdoZVPDy&sig=AHIEtbTslC2orzdS9oQtV6uuTry4NuB-oQ (Accessed on 12th May, 2010) Read More