What is culturally responsive teaching?
Have you heard the terms "asset-based," "culturally responsive" and "culturally sustaining"? If you have, chances are you've heard them used alongside words like "mindset" and "pedagogies." But are these terms interchangeable, and what do they really mean?
Download our toolkit to learn more about culturally responsive teaching and how it can transform your classroom.
Why is culturally responsive teaching important?
Culturally responsive teaching helps educators draw from students' cultural backgrounds and use those experiences to enhance their learning. Our downloadable toolkit explains the four components of culturally responsive teaching, including validating cultural identity and modifying instruction.
Who is the toolkit for?
Our Culturally Responsive Teaching Toolkit is intended for K-12 educators, including classroom teachers, building administrators, and district-level leaders. This resource facilitates important conversations about reaching all students in the most beneficial way.
We recommend using this toolkit in PLCs, departments, leadership teams, and in-services. Whether you're new to culturally responsive teaching or a seasoned asset-based educator, you will find value in this resource.
How is culturally responsive teaching different from social-emotional learning (SEL)?
While culturally responsive teaching and SEL work to ensure educational equity, they do so differently. Social-emotional learning focuses on developing students' social and emotional intelligence, whereas culturally responsive teaching seeks to affirm students' cultural identities.
Both strategies have value in 21st-century classrooms, and each can support the success of the other. By becoming more emotionally developed, students can better understand the value they bring from their unique backgrounds. Likewise, the more students share from their backgrounds, the more they can help their peers develop empathy and compassion for others.
Culturally responsive teaching has more direct links to academics, but SEL is an important piece of building educational equity. You can find out more about SEL here.