What Is Culturally Responsive Teaching?

States and districts are constantly looking for ways to close learning gaps among students. Many theories exist about the origins of learning gaps, but research has shown that low-income students and students of color tend to frequently have low expectations for academic success set for them.

To address these learning gaps, academic scholars in education developed teaching methods and strategies that bring children’s lived experiences and cultural identities into classroom learning. By employing these strategies, teachers can engage in culturally responsive teaching.

Research shows when students see themselves represented in school, they are more likely to become more engaged in learning, and thus, more successful.

Many schools and curriculums are based on white American culture, which can create a disconnect for a large portion of students of color. They may not see their culture or community represented at school.

Culturally responsive teaching was developed by Gloria Ladson-Billings in the 1990s. She sought to change the narrative about Black children and their misbehavior and lack of success in school. Ladson-Billings spent about two years observing teachers who had success holding high expectations for students and integrating elements of the students’ communities into classroom learning.

From these observations, she developed components of culturally responsive teaching, which use students’ culture — language, beliefs, and customs — to enhance and support classroom instruction.

Culturally responsive teaching has always stood in stark contrast to more traditional forms of instruction. Traditional methods consider the teacher the controller of the environment, with students learning through memorization and recitation.

In these learning environments, teachers rely on students’ memory and use lectures and oral and written assessments to disseminate information and assess students’ mastery of concepts.

But many criticize traditional teaching methods for not providing students with the opportunity to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

Moreover, the practice fails to take into account the diversity of learning styles and how culture influences learning. Traditional teaching methods also view the teacher as having primary responsibility over the learning environment and students as being passive recipients of knowledge rather than active participants in their education.

Simply put, traditional teaching tends to be very regimented and routine, decreasing student engagement and collaboration while increasing boredom.

As the U.S. grows more racially and ethnically diverse — and with continued improvements to the technological infrastructure — there’s been a shift from relying on more foundational teaching methods to more interactive and innovative learning approaches.

Given the diversity of learning styles and our rapidly evolving economy, instruction must provide students an opportunity to engage in inquiry-based and interdisciplinary learning, collaborative activities, hands-on activities, and problem-based learning. Teachers and schools can facilitate this by incorporating group work, technology, multimedia, flipped classrooms, and both traditional and digitized forms of assessment.

Innovative and interactive forms of teaching should also accompany cultural competency, and teachers should understand how students’ cultures impact and enhance the learning environment.

Culturally responsive practice is an implementation of culturally responsive teaching principles. These principles include allowing students to draw on their unique cultural experiences and their cultural identity to enhance learning in the classroom. Students can then connect more deeply to activities and concepts, increasing their motivation for learning.

Engaging students in culturally responsive practice can make students more academically successful. Teachers are typically responsible for engaging in culturally responsive practice and leading students in culturally responsive activities. However, this practice can also come from a school-wide, district-wide, state-wide, or federal level.

Culturally responsive teaching can look different in many different classrooms, especially depending on content area and age. In an elementary school, a culturally responsive classroom may require students to bring in artifacts from home or paint portraits of their family or community. A culturally responsive high school English classroom may require students to read literature from diverse authors. Culturally responsive classrooms will introduce opportunities for students to connect learning activities to their culture and learn about new cultures. A culturally responsive classroom will also hold high expectations for all students.

If a teacher creates a culturally responsive learning environment, students may begin to engage in culturally responsive behaviors. They may begin to show more respect for and interest in cultures other than their own. A culturally responsive classroom may be collaborative, encouraging, and respectful. Students also may start to engage in more critically-conscious conversations, questioning how power has traditionally been distributed and guarded by those who make the laws. Being able to engage in uncomfortable conversations respectfully could be another clear indicator of a culturally responsive student.