Essay Sample on Teacher Diversity: A Growing Need For Cultural Competency In Schools

Introduction

American schools are increasingly becoming diverse which has created the need for cultural competency among teachers. The Census Bureau estimates that by 2100, the current US minorities will become the majority population. As school populations continue to become more diverse, the teacher populations have largely remained the same. Statistics indicate that a majority of teachers in many American schools are white and of the female gender (Gibson, 2016). Changes witnessed in school populations have prompted many schools to prioritize equity and diversity efforts.

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In order to create an environment of respect and rapport in the classroom, teachers need to effectively manage relationships with students. Teachers have a duty to foster and promote only supportive and positive relationships. Teachers need to interact appropriately with their students so that they can establish a respectful environment and also foster rapport with their students. Respect in the classroom pertains to how teachers respond to their students and how they allow students to treat each other (Danielson, 2014). In the video Creating a Community of Learners, the instructor strives to promote only positive and supportive interactions among the students. In an effective learning environment, the learning process occurs through a number of ways. Primarily, instructors have a duty to instill the requisite knowledge to their students. However, the learning process should not only be initiated by teachers. In the video, the instructor encourages the students to initiate the learning process by themselves. As the students brainstorm and exchange ideas on a variety of topics, they get to properly understand the concepts better due to the effective nature of peer learning.

A respectful classroom environment is one where the students feel appreciated and safe. Such an environment encourages students to take on a variety of classroom tasks without fear of being ridiculed. In the video, the students appear to be comfortable learning from one another and at no instance do they disrespect one another. The instructor in the video manages to create an environment of respect by knowing and valuing his students. When teachers freely interact with their students, it implies that they care and respect their students. The instructor in the video effectively utilizes this aspect to create an effective classroom environment. Just as the teacher interactions with students are important, student interactions with other students are equally important. The way students treat each other in a classroom is an issue of great concern for instructors. It is important for the instructor to ensure student interactions are respectful as poor treatment leads to feelings of rejection among students. The classroom environment in the video is respectful as the students treat one another with respect in spite of their different age groups. One of the indicators of a respectful classroom environment is politeness and encouragement. In the video, the students politely exchange information which illustrates the respectful nature of the classroom.

In the video, the students show compliance with the classroom standards of behavior and conduct. The caring interactions between the teacher and the students is characteristic of the 2d component of the Danielson's Framework for teaching. The component stipulates that in order to create an engaging classroom environment, there is need to maintain an orderly atmosphere among the students. The classroom needs to be productive and the instructor needs to be careful not to come off as highly authoritarian. Indicators of properly managed student behavior include; lack of misbehavior by students, clearly set standards of conduct and lack of acrimony between the students and instructors. In the video, no instances of student misbehavior are witnessed which is indicative of effectively managed student behavior.

In an effective classroom environment, there has to be an established culture of learning. A culture of learning usually refers to a classroom atmosphere which places a great importance on educational activities. In the video, all the activities undertaken by both the teacher and students are geared towards promoting learning. For instance, the pairing up of students of different abilities promotes learning in that it enables the less gifted students to learn from those who grasp concepts much quicker. Classroom environments tend to be characterized by significant amounts of cognitive energy. Students harbor the belief that the events taking place are essential and therefore strive to understand the concepts discussed. One indicator of an established culture of learning is student belief in the information being presented. In the instructional video, the students do not question the instructor's teaching methods as they believe in the value of the knowledge being taught. One of the ways that the instructors address equity and learner diversity in the classroom is through their use of diverse teaching methods. For instance, in the video, the students learn amongst themselves as the instructor provides guidance (PBS Learning Media, 2019). Traditionally, it is usually the teachers who provide knowledge to their students. However, by promoting peer learning, students of diverse academic needs get to understand different concepts. In order to grow in my on practice, I plan on incorporating the methods used by the instructor in the video and also researching other effective methods that can be used to promote learning.

References

Danielson, C. (2014). The Framework for Teaching Evaluation Instrument. Retrieved from https://danielsongroup.org/framework

Gibson, T. (2016). 5 Innovative Ways to Create Positive Classroom Culture. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/5-innovative-ways-create-positive-classroom-culture

PBS Learning Media. (2019). Creating a Community of Learners. Retrieved from https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ates12.pd.grresults/creating-a-community-of-learners/