How Is Culturally Responsive Teaching Changing Society?
Culturally responsive teaching is a discipline that focuses on student-led learning. Moving away from passive learning and the concept of a teacher standing in front of students and relaying information, culturally responsive teaching encourages students to become active participants in their own cognitive development.
Many educators believe culturally responsive teaching is the most effective way of leading a classroom. By recognizing students’ individual needs, backgrounds, outlooks and mindsets, course content can be modified appropriately and presented in a variety of different ways.
As well as increasing engagement and understanding, many teachers believe a culturally responsive education has a significant impact on the confidence of students. By celebrating diversity, creating inclusive learning environments and encouraging students to shape their own learning experiences, culturally responsive teaching offers many benefits for learners, including:
Increased confidence
Sense of belonging
Ability to relate to course content
Improves teacher-student collaboration
Helps to eradicate discrimination from our educational system
Boosts social-emotional learning
Creates a personalized learning environment
Promotes educational equity
For educators, culturally responsive teaching is a vehicle that can be used to create a more inclusive and harmonious learning environment. To successfully incorporate this approach, however, it’s important that teachers have a good understanding of what culturally responsive teaching is and how it can be achieved.
Undertaking advanced study and obtaining specialist qualifications is one for educators to expand their own teaching methods. Indeed, many people maintain that this is the most effective way for educators to gain the practical skills and theoretical knowledge they need to adopt new teaching styles and practices.
Becoming a Culturally Responsive Teacher
There are many strategies educators can use to create culturally responsive classrooms. In addition to this, enhancing your skills via advanced study can help you to further your own career. When you obtain a California teaching credential, for example, master’s level study gives you the specialist skills you need to become a more effective educator. Furthermore, completing a Master of Arts in Learning and Teaching gives educators added insight into a range of different pedagogical approaches and theories which can be used to enhance student experiences.
Although many teachers are eager to undertake additional qualifications, finding the time to complete a masters can be difficult. Traditionally, completing an advanced teaching qualification involved taking time out to enroll in a full or part-time course. For many people, the practical implications of taking a sabbatical made it difficult, or impossible, to complete specialist teaching training.
Fortunately, there are now alternative ways to develop your teaching skillset and enhance your career options. Instead of choosing to take a sabbatical and attend face-to-face lessons, lectures, and seminars, educators can choose to undertake a Master of Arts in Learning and Teaching online.
What Are the Benefits of Studying Online?
The widespread availability of the internet has made education more accessible than ever before. By having access to reputable and accredited teaching courses online, educators can combine their own academic careers with full or part-time teaching roles. In addition to this, online learning offers a whole host of benefits, such as:
Reduced course costs
Faster completion times
Multichannel communication methods
Personalized learning environment
One of the most important benefits of online learning is, of course, having access to a flexible study schedule. Many eLearning course providers enable students to learn at their own pace, which increases completion rates and facilitates meaningful learning opportunities.
For teachers who want to pursue a higher qualification, a flexible learning environment can be critical to success. If your day-to-day role requires you to take on more responsibility, for example, you won’t be forced to choose between giving up your studies or declining the added duties at work. Instead, you can simply adapt your study schedule to suit your needs.
Indeed, studying in such a flexible and supported way enables teachers to experience a culturally responsive education from a student’s perspective. This, in itself, can be highly beneficial for educators who want to incorporate a more student-led approach into their own classrooms. By reaping the benefits of a culturally responsive learning environment, teachers invariably find it easier to implement this approach in their own classrooms.
Cultivating a Career in Education
No matter what your professional goals, obtaining an education-related masters can enhance your career as a teacher. Whether you want to increase the learning methods you use on a day-to-day basis or forge a career in educational management, being highly qualified will give you the knowledge, skills, and confidence you need to thrive in a competitive and demanding sector.