EDU 604- Reflection In the paper below, I have addressed how culturally responsive practices could be used to improve student achievement. Culture affects educational achievement and contributes to the achievement gap. One practice that I have researched is, understanding students' cultural backgrounds and experiences and how to use this to build upon prior knowledge. This would allow students to s make connection and feel connected to their school, teachers, and peers. Other culturally responsive practices that were researched were incorporating aspects of culture in school curriculum and involving parents in the learning process so a community of caring and culturally responsiveness could be developed, Through out this research, I have learned that individual student cultures can have a diverse effect on student learning and achievement. Some students have recently migrated to the United States and have a different attitude toward school than others that have families that have been in the U.S. for several generations. An educator needs to identify the unique differences of each student and use this in the classroom. Conversations of race, culture, and ethnicity are topics to be openly discussed. Doing so will lead to positive relationships between teachers, students, and peers.
Memoir, Memory, and Mastery
After reading the book Mi Voz, Mi Vida, Latino Students Tell Their Life Stories, I became aware of the first hand experiences and challenges of growing up Latino from the student stories. Many of the students were the first to attend college in their families and were filled with many insecurities, even more than non-minority students because they had to overcome adversity related to racism and stereotyping. I learned that there are protective factors during childhood such as family support, effective teaching, school success, and resources from school and community that lead to the resilience and coping abilities of the students in the book. Many of the students came to realize the impacts of these factors in their lives during the writing of their stories. These realizations can be used to make the case for implementing culturally responsive teaching strategies in school districts.
At the beginning of the course, I found it difficult to create a mind map on culture. I had never thought about defining culture and by understanding was limited. I had not analyzed how culture created my own individual identity. In the process of revising my mind map on culture, I realized that culture is very complex. I found that all aspects of culture that I addressed could be connected to each other. Initially I thought of culture in relationship to ethnicity and nationality. Ethnicity and nationality are aspects of culture but culture is composed of much more. Culture is individual and is based on each person’s unique experiences. Our culture creates our identity. Our identity is created through our experiences with our families, the shared knowledge that is passed on through the generations which include our beliefs and values, and even our educational experiences, especially during our formative years.