practitioner brief

Becoming Culturally Responsive Educators:

Rethinking Teacher Education Pedagogy

Culturally Responsive Educational Systems: Education for All

The mission
of the National
Center for
Culturally Responsive
Educational Systems
(nccrest) is to support
state and local
school systems
to assure a
quality, culturally
responsive education
for all students.

becoming Culturally
Responsive Educators:
Rethinking Teacher
Education Pedagogy
Dr. Cathy Kea, Nor th Carolina A &T St ate Universit y
Dr. Gloria D. Campbell-Whatley, Universit y of Nor th Carolina- Charlot te
Dr. Heraldo V. Richards, Austin Peay St ate Universit y

2006NCCREST

Despite the steadily increasing numbers of

culturally and linguistically diverse student
populations in schools, not all teacher
education programs (TEPs) readily
embrace multicultural education or
culturally responsive teacher education
pedagogy (Gay, 2002). This brief has a
twofold purpose: (a) to demonstrate the
need for rethinking current approaches to
teacher education pedagogy and (b) to
provide guidelines for developing culturally
responsive teacher education pedagogy.

What Are the Key

Challenges Related to
Diversity in Teacher
Education Programs?
Some schools of education have acknowledged the
urgency for developing culturally competent
teachers, while others grapple with ways to fit
appropriate programs into their curriculum.
Unconvinced of the academic merits of culturally
responsive programming, but not wanting to appear
anti-diversity, some TEPs will grudgingly add a
diversity course to their curriculum. Overcoming
this resistance is crucial to developing effective
TEPs that will provide preservice teachers with the
knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to

educate diverse learners. A major part of the

resistance comes from teacher educators
discomfort, if not fear of, addressing issues such as
race and racism in their courses, or even on their
campuses (Cochran-Smith, 2004). Resistance will
persist and children from ethnically and
linguistically diverse backgrounds will go unserved
until schools and faculty acknowledge the need for
culturally competent teachers in the classroom and
the responsibility of TEPs to properly prepare these
teachers. Coupled with this acknowledgement must
be a willingness to truly value and celebrate
diversity in programming and practices.

What Should Be Done to

Create TEPs that are
Mindful of Diversity?
Unfortunately, most preservice teachers lack the
knowledge, skills, dispositions, and experiences needed
to teach ethnically and linguistically diverse students.
Davis (2001) found only 12 empirical articles
pertaining to multicultural teacher preparation in
special education between 1982 and 2000, and the
studies reported limited ideas about diversity. Analysis
of these studies revealed that researchers often
limited ideas about culture to race and ethnicity.
Research suggests that when teachers have had the
benefit of multicultural teacher education preparation,
they are less likely to embrace cultural deficit views
(Irvine, 2003). Moreover, teachers who have learned
culturally responsive pedagogy are more confident
and believe they are effective in their instruction of
diverse children (Pang & Sablan, 1998).

Despite the growing ethnic and linguistic diversity

in our classrooms today, TEPs continue to utilize
pedagogy of decades past. Our schools need teachers
who know who they are teaching, what to teach, and
methodologies to teach them (Kea & Utley, 1998). In
other words, we need teachers who can use quality
research-based pedagogy; that is pedagogy responsive
to the learning, emotional, and social needs of
ethnically and linguistically diverse students with
and without disabilities in urban schools.
There is a dire need for TEPs to offer many and
varied cross-cultural experiences. Teachers need to
know how to adapt the content of instruction and
teaching styles. Curriculum, methodology, and
instructional materials should be responsive to
students values and cultural norms. Thus, the
ultimate challenge for teacher educators is to
prepare reflective practitioners who can connect,
commit, and practice an ethos of care with diverse
students and their families.
Although many TEPs have attempted to address
these issues by incorporating multicultural
education content into courses and field
experiences, multicultural education has not been
integrated in a thorough, persistent, and overt
manner (Kea, Trent, & Davis, 2002). Presently, the
majority of TEPs in special education, for example,
provide little exposure to broader multicultural
perspectives (Sorrells, Webb-Johnson, & Townsend,
2004). Teacher educators need to:
Develop cohesive and comprehensive
multicultural curricula in general and
special education TEPs

Infuse multicultural principles throughout

to prepare teachers to respond to the needs
of diverse learners and their families
Identify critical teaching behaviors and
essential best practices for diverse students

What Are the

Characteristics of
Culturally Responsive
Teachers?
Villegas and Lucas (2002) encourage teacher
educators to critically examine their programs
and systematically interweave six salient
characteristics throughout the coursework,
learning experiences, and fieldwork of
prospective teachers to better prepare
culturally responsive teachers to work
successfully in culturally and linguistically
diverse classrooms. Below is a brief
description of the six characteristics.
Sociocultural consciousness
means understanding that ones way of
thinking, behaving, and being is influenced
by race, ethnicity, social class, and language.
Therefore, prospective teachers must
critically examine their own sociocultural
identities and the inequalities between
schools and society that support
institutionalized discrimination to maintain
a privileged society based on social class
and skin color. Teacher candidates must
inspect and confront any negative attitudes
they might have toward cultural groups.

 An affirming attitude toward

students from culturally diverse

backgrounds significantly impacts their
learning, belief in self, and overall academic
performance. By respecting cultural differences
and adding education related to the culture of
the students, programs become inclusive.
Commitment and skills to act as
agents of changE enable the prospective
teacher to confront barriers/obstacles to change,
and develop skills for collaboration and dealing
with chaos. As agents of change, teachers assist
schools in becoming more equitable over time.
Constructivist views of learninG
contend that all students are capable of
learning, and teachers must provide scaffolds
between what students already know through
their experiences and what they need to learn.
Constructivist teaching promotes critical
thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and
the recognition of multiple perspectives.
Learning about students past
experiences, home and community culture, and
world both in and outside of school helps
build relationships and increase the prospective
teachers use of these experiences in the
context of teaching and learning.
Culturally responsive teaching
strategieS support the constructivist view
of knowledge, teaching, and learning. As teachers
assist students to construct knowledge, build on
their personal and cultural strengths, and examine

the curriculum from multiple perspectives, an

inclusive classroom environment is created.
There are several implications for culturally
responsive TEPs. In the next section, implications
for culturally responsive curriculum and
pedagogical practices are discussed.

What Are the Implications

for a Culturally
Responsive Curriculum?
Morey and Kilano (1997) propose a framework
for infusing attention to diversity throughout the
teacher education curriculum while encouraging
self-analysis and reflective thinking using three
levels of curriculum transformation.
Exclusive, the lowest level, represents traditional
mainstream perspectives of diversity. Inclusive, the
next level, represents a mixture of normative and
nontraditional diversity perspectives. The highest
level, the Transformed curriculum, represents a
structural transformation.
The Exclusive level focuses on minor aspects of
diversity at the lowest level. Teaching about
diversity is restricted to one part of the course.
Gender and diverse groups are discussed in relation
to stereotypes, and activities are limited to the four
fsfood, folklore, fun and fashion. The content
encompasses traditional mainstream experiences
and stereotypes. Extracurricular reading materials
focus on authors who perpetuate and confirm those
myths. Instructional strategies are mainly lecture,

basic question and answer, and other basic didactic

methods. Instruction is teacher-centered, with
assignments that focus on content while avoiding
social dynamics. Exams are usually objective (e.g.,
multiple-choice and fill in the blanks).
The Inclusive level adds diversity content but retains
the traditional, original structure. That is, diversity is
discussed throughout the course and compared to the

dominant norm. Reading materials include authors

with varying, significant, diverse viewpoints. Social
views are discussed but not elaborated upon. There is a
wide array of assessment methods, and various speakers
add flavor to the content. Although the instruction
remains teacher-centered, a variety of methods are used
to relate new knowledge. Students are encouraged
to construct their own knowledge and use critical
thinking skills in conjunction with peer learning.

Table 1. Guidelines for a Culturally Responsive Curriculum (Schmitz, 1999)

1 De fine
Learning Goal s

2 Question
T raditional
Concepts

3 Understand
S tudent Diversity

What do students in your field need to know about:

the history of diverse groups: their writings, theories, and patterns of participation?
the social dynamics of identity formation and change?
structures of power and privilege in society, prejudice,
discrimination, and stereotyping?
patterns of communication and interaction within and among different cultural groups?
theories of personal, institutional, and societal change?
Have traditional ways of organizing content in this course obscured, distorted, or excluded
certain ideas or groups?
What new research is available that addresses past distortions and exclusions?
How will the course change if I include this new research?
How might a change in this syllabus affect its relationship to the rest of the curriculum?
What kinds of diverse perspectives and experiences will students bring to the class?
How can I assess students prior knowledge of race, class, gender, etc.?
How can I incorporate diverse voices without relying on students to speak for different groups?
How will my own characteristics and background affect the learning environment?
Will some students see me as a role model more readily than others?
How can I teach to all students?

4 Sel ec t
Materia ls an d
Activities

If the course topics remain the same, what new research, examples, and writings can illustrate these topics?
Is there a new thematic approach to this material that will help to put cultural diversity in the foreground?
How do I integrate new material so that it is not simply an add-on?
What teaching strategies will facilitate student learning of this new material?

5 Eva luate
Effe ctiveness

What are my strengths and limitations relative to the new content and teaching techniques?
How will I assess student learning?

Modified from: Schmitz, B. (1999). Transforming a course. Center for Instructional Development and Research Teaching and Learning Bulletin, 2(4), 12. Seattle, WA: University of Washington.

The Transformed curriculum challenges traditional

views and encourages reconceptualization and new
ways of thinking. The instructor engages in critical
pedagogy and issue-oriented approaches. Instruction is
student-centered, and students self-evaluate through
projects and related assignments that contribute to
real-life change. Students learn from each other, and
concepts and personal experiences are analyzed.
Transformed courses represent a paradigm shift that
presents content from a diverse perspective. Selfassessment and reflection techniques are employed
that encourage sharing, diverse perspectives and
equity in participation, and critical problem solving.
Instruction centers on content-related vignettes that
require application and examination of values.
Designing a transformed curriculum is a
developmental process. After TEPs examine their
existing curricula, they can determine the current
level of cultural involvement and begin an initiative to
evolve to a transformed level. If current programming
is exclusive, moving through to the inclusive and then
the transformed may be the best option. The
following suggestions can assist in the development of
a transformed curriculum (see also Table 1).
Require preservice students to demonstrate
multicultural competence via assignments,
projects, lesson and unit plan development, and
instructional delivery.
Utilize discussion groups between preservice
and inservice teachers who are regarded as
excellent culturally responsive teachers in urban
schools to dialogue about complicated equity
issues that arise in practice.

Advocate student volunteerism in a local

culture as a service learning experience.
Create opportunities for preservice teachers at
ethnically encapsulated university settings (e.g.,
historically black colleges and universities, other
minority institutions, and traditionally white
institutions) to engage in multicultural
conferences and student and instructor exchange
programs.

What Are some Guidelines

for Culturally
Responsive Pedagogy in
TEPs?
Considering issues of diversity should be an inherent
part of course conceptualization. Consequently, the
course description and objectives should reflect how
the course will contribute to the development of
awareness and/or skills related to diversity and relevant
to the focus of the course. The course text, readings,
and materials listed on course syllabi should include
the interests and contributions of diverse populations
and reflect multiple perspectives. Additionally, where
feasible, multiple ways to access course materials
should be made available (e.g., materials on reserve at
the library, course packets, information on instructors
Web page, etc.). Course requirements, projects, and
activities for each chapter or topic presented should
discuss the implications for ethnically and linguistically
diverse learners. Information and activities related to
diversity should be infused throughout the course, as
opposed to being an isolated single session or
segment of the class. This does not preclude sessions

that are designed specifically to highlight issues of

diversity, but it does suggest that this should not be
the only means by which issues are addressed.
It is important to provide varied activities through
which students gain knowledge or skills, as well as
demonstrate competence. For example, consider the
format in which course content is presented (e.g.,
lecture, large group discussion, small group activity,
reading assignment, simulation, performance
activity, etc.). If care is not taken to balance the
types of activities used, students whose cultural
practice repertoires do not match those favored by
the instructor may be placed at a disadvantage.
Transformation begins with one course and then a
focus on the entire curriculum. These changes in
the curriculum should reveal that learning effective
cultural pedagogy is not just course or curriculum
development, but rather a change in students
thinking, behavior, and ultimately teaching. Next,
attention is given to classroom-based pedagogical
practices in preservice courses and field experiences.

Classroom-based
Pedagogical Practices in
Preservice Courses
Villegas and Lucas (2002) outlined classroom-based
practices essential to promoting the development of
culturally responsive teachers in preservice courses:
Creating classroom communities of
learners learners construct meaning
individually through cognitive processes and

socially through a collective participatory

process involving interactions with others.
Developing dispositions, knowledge, and
skills of culturally responsive teachers by
engaging students in the following:
Reflective writing students engage in
introspection about their beliefs and
assumptions by writing in journals.
Simulations and games students participate in
games and cross-cultural simulations to get firsthand experiences of sociocultural differences and
power differentials. For example, Ba Fa Ba Fa is
a three-hour simulation in which students have
the opportunity to become members of one of
two completely opposite cultures. Students must
learn the language, rules, and roles of their new
culture. All students have the opportunity to
observe and interact with strangers from a new
culture. At the end of the activity students walk
away with real empathy, the ability to stand in
someone elses shoes and feel what they are
feeling (Shelkin, n.d., Retrieved May 25, 2004).
Exploring family histories students
investigate family histories by interviewing
family members (e.g., parents and
grandparents). This practice can enlighten
students about familial cultural influences on
their own lives.
Articulating sociocultural affiliations students
locate themselves as members of different
communities and examine the power and

privileges that come with affiliation with each

one. For example, students may write an essay
exploring how their racial/ethnic identity has
impacted their educational experiences or
complete a social group membership profile
indicating their membership in different groups
identified by race, gender, class, age, sexual
orientation, religion, and ability/disability.
Exploring personal history and development
students examine their personal history
and the development of their awareness of
their identities and values.
Learning about the history and current
experiences of diverse groups students learn
about the lives and history of people different
from themselves to better understand that
personal views are not universal.
Accounts of successful teaching and learning in
diverse settings students read about exemplary
teaching practices in settings with diverse
students to begin to develop a vision of success.
Teaching case students analyze cases to
promote their understanding of different
approaches and perspectives to teaching and
learning in diverse settings.

10

university classroom coupled with an urban field

experience made the information about culture and
ethnicity and its implications for teaching more
meaningful. Thus, TEPs should include specific,
structured activities aimed at increasing awareness
and understanding of cultural diversity within the
contexts of the community, home, and school of the
diverse student population served. Transformation
of both the teacher educator and the preservice
teacher is the goal. Specific activities to accomplish
this should include the following (Ladson-Billings,
2001; Mason, 1999; Villegas & Lucas, 2002):
Form university partnerships with urban schools
that have strong principals, small student/teacher
ratios, fair discipline policies, high teacher
expectations for students, and programmatic efforts
to include parents in the educational process.
Place teacher candidates in a field experience
setting that is different from their own
ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Many
preservice teachers first impressions of
unfamiliar places are informed or challenged
by their own personal experiences in new
environments. Surveying preservice teachers
about their experiences as students in schools
may help them understand how their personal
histories can be enriched with new experiences.

Pedagogical Practices for

Field Experiences

Cultivate and require early field experiences,

practica, and internship sites in culturally
diverse classrooms and communities.

Mason (1999) found that learning about the theory

and practice of multicultural education in the

Provide meaningful immersions in multicultural

schools and communities. An important aspect of

meaningful immersion is participation in

community-centered activities. Teachers are able
to support families and communities as they
gather to celebrate meaningful events. This
requires preservice teachers to invest time into
learning about students and families by joining
them in meaningful activities and events outside
of the formal school environment. Relationship
building with families and communities becomes
a resource for school-related goals and objectives.
Place students in schools where all students
learn and develop to their highest potential. It is
not enough to use the rhetoric of all children
can learn. Preservice teachers should
experience teaching and learning in schools
where students are actively engaged in learning
successfully.
Place preservice teachers with cooperating teachers
who have a thorough knowledge of and extensive
experience with culturally responsive education.

Provide authentic experiences in culturally

diverse schools and communities over an
extended period of time. Build meaningful
relationships with community members so that
preservice teachers can genuinely engage in
community-related activities with other
community members.
Develop host sites where preservice teachers
can live in culturally different communities
while completing their student teaching.

Conclusion
TEPs are critical in giving prospective teachers
opportunities to learn and use culturally relevant
pedagogy. Implementing curricula and field
experiences that are committed to diversity enables
future practitioners to engage in pedagogy with
insight and view all communities as resources for
learning and social justice.

11

References
Cochran-Smith, M. (2004). Walking the road: Race,
diversity, and social justice in teacher education.
New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Davis, C. P. (2001). The evolution of pedagogical changes
in a multicultural context: Journey of a university
professor. Unpublished doctoral dissertation,
Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia.
Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive
teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2),
106116.
Irvine, J. J. (2003). Educating teachers for a diverse
society: Seeing with the cultural eye. New York,
NY: Teachers College Press.
Kea, C. D., Trent, S. C., & Davis, C. P. (2002).
African American student teachers perceptions
about preparedness to teach students from
culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Multiple Perspectives, 4(1), 1825.
Kea, C. D., & Utley, C. A. (1998). To teach me is to know
me. Journal of Special Education, 32(1), 4447.
Ladson-Billings, G. (2001). Crossing over to Canaan:
The journey of new teachers in diverse classrooms.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
Mason, T. C. (1999). Prospective teachers attitudes
toward urban schools: Can they be changed?
Multicultural Education, 6(4), 913.
Morey, A., & Kilano, M. (1997). Multicultural course
transformation in higher education: A broader
truth. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Pang, V. O., & Sablan, V. A. (1998). Teacher efficacy:
How do teachers feel about their abilities to
teach African American students? In M. E.
Dilworth (Eds.), Being responsive to cultural
differenceshow teachers learn (pp. 3958).

12

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Schmitz, B. (1999). Transforming a course. CIDR
Teaching and Learning Bulletin, 2(4), 12.
Shelkin, J. (n.d.). Resources opportunities:
International proposal (Resources). Retrieved
May 25, 2004 from Estrella Mountain
Community College, International Education
Web site: http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/
academics/international/Class_Resources.html.
Sorrells, A. M., Webb-Johnson, G., & Townsend, B.
L. (2004). Multicultural perspectives in special
education: A call for responsibility in research,
practice, and teacher preparation. In S. M.
Sorrells, J. H. Reith, & P. T. Sindelar (Eds.),
Critical issues in special education (pp. 7391).
Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Villegas, A. M., & Lucas, T. (2002). Educating
culturally responsive teachers. Albany, NY: State
University of New York Press.

Additional Resources
Banks, J. A., & Banks, C. A. M. (2003). Handbook of
research on multicultural education (2nd ed.). San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Irvine, J. J. (2002). In search of wholeness: African
American teachers and their culturally specific
classroom practices. New York, NY: Palgrave/
St. Martins Press.
Irvine, J. J., & Armento, B. (Eds.). (2001). Culturally
responsive teaching: Lesson planning for elementary
and middle grades. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.
Florio-Ruane, S. (2001). Teacher education and the
cultural imagination: Autobiography, conversation,
and narrative. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

King, J., Hollins, E., & Hayman, W. (Eds.). (1997).

Preparing teachers for cultural diversity. New
York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Shade, B. J., Kelly, C., & Oberg, M. (1998). Creating
culturally responsive classrooms. Washington, DC:
American Psychological Association.

organizations
Center for Urban Learning/Teaching and Urban
Research in Education (CULTURES), directed by Dr.
Jacqueline Jordan-Irvine, focused on how to enhance
the success of elementary and middle schools in
educating culturally diverse students by providing
professional development for teachers. CULTURES
offered forty hours of professional development
services to 60 teachers annually. The teachers took
classes at Emory University and also made visits to
culturally diverse communities meeting
Hispanic-immigrant mothers, African-American
children enrolled in an after school program, and
Vietnamese social workers, among others. http://
www.emory.edu/IRVINE/CULTURES/

13

About the Authors

Dr. Cathy Kea is currently an associate professor at
North Carolina A&T State University where she
coordinates the Special Education Program. She is a
teacher educator and researcher who studies critical
teaching variables, multicultural education, and
special education, and is the author of several
journal articles in these areas.
Gloria D. Campbell-Whatley, Ed.D., currently
teaches doctoral- and masters-level courses in
special education at the University of North
Carolina at Charlotte. Her research focuses on
social skills and diversity issues in special education,
and she has written articles for various journals in
her field. Dr. Campbell-Whatley has led research
strands, workshops, and presentations for various
schools and communities.
Heraldo V. Richards is an associate professor in the
School of Education at Austin Peay State University,
where he directs a state-funded program to recruit
and prepare culturally and linguistically diverse
students for careers in education.

14

The U. S . Departm ent of E ducation s Off ice of S pec ial E ducation Program s f und the National
C enter for Cu lturally Resp ons ive E ducational Syste m s ( NCC RE St ) to provi de techn ical
ass i stance and profess ional deve lo pm ent to c lose the ach i eve m ent gap b etween students
from cu lturally and li ngu i stically diverse backgro unds and the i r peers , and reduce
i nappro priate re ferral s to spec ial education . The proj ect targets i m prove m ents i n cu lturally
resp ons ive practices , early i ntervention , literacy, and p os itive b ehavioral supp orts .

15

practitioner brief

National Center for Culturally

Responsive Educational Systems
Arizona State University
PO BOX 872011
Tempe, Arizona 85287-2011
PhOne : 480.965.0391
Fax: 480.727.7012
Web : www.nccrest.org
Funded by the U. S. Department of Education
Office of Special Education Programs
Award No. H326e020003
Project Officer: grace zamora durn

Culturally Responsive Educational Systems: Education for All