Dimension of Effective Teaching: Teaching All Students: Cultural Proficiency

Description: The main emphasis of this standard is that it is the teachers responsibility to create
a safe classroom where everyone respects each others differences. Students diverse
backgrounds and identities should be actively respected. This means going beyond classroom
management and ensuring that lessons are created with diverse cultural values taken into
consideration.
Successes:

Challenges:

Area for Growth:

I regularly create lessons that

explore ideas around cultural
proficiency. Students in my
class regularly reflect on
historical structures of power,
oppression, and discuss the
importance of tolerance.
Through various activities we
also explore the ideas of
bystanders and how
individuals can make an
impact in correcting the
wrongs that occur.

This year I have a group of

students who struggle with
being respectful. For
example, they sometimes
make culturally inappropriate
remarks and jokes. Although
these actions lead to
consequences, it still hurts the
community. Their behavior is
not isolated to my classroom
and my colleagues and I have
tried several interventions, but
only moderate progress has
been made.

Continue to collaborate with

colleagues to find appropriate
interventions for more
challenging students.

Artifacts: Select evidence from each week that

demonstrates your new learning. What am I
most proud to highlight about my work?

Resources: List web-based resources from

the sessions that supported your growth.
Teaching Tolerance website

E.g.: Use forum post, lesson plans, etc.

I feel like modifications that I have made to my
current unit best exemplify how I have
integrated what I have learned into my
classroom practice.
We are in the middle of a Civil Rights
Movement research paper assignment in my
class. All quarter we have been having regular
conversations about race, privilege, and the
historical legacies of legal segregation. Since
reading some of the blogs on the Teaching
Tolerance website I have been trying to
integrate more conversations connecting the
Civil Rights Movement to my students lives.
One way that I have done this is by carving out
time to discuss current articles in the news.
Two headlines that sparked some interesting

conversations were: Schools Aim to Bridge a

Lingering Racial Divide, which I found in the
Boston Globe, and, More Hispanics Declaring
Themselves White, from the New York Times.
I also had students read a blog about the use
of the n-word and how the historical and racist
roots of this word is still relevant to modern
uses. I tied this conversation in to a larger
dialogue on respectful language and behavioral
expectations when discussing controversial
topics.
Reflection: Why do the selected artifacts constitute evidence of achieving growth in the DOET?
Why did I choose these pieces? What does this work show about my learning?
The selected artifacts are evidence of my growth because the ways that I have modified my
lessons have increased student engagement. It also shows how I have tried to increase
awareness over use of appropriate language.
Future Learning Goals: What more can I learn that will support growth in this Dimension?
I need to continue to create more consistent expectations around student behavior and do a
better job of reinforcing consequences.
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Next year I am switching from an 8 grade position to a 6 grade position. As part of this
transition I plan on refreshing my classroom routines.