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1 Frees How do teachers include students and families from different cultures into their classrooms? Kade Frees Arizona State University BLE 220: Foundations of SEI Professor Carrie Cicotte 10-19-2022

2 Frees How do teachers include students and families from different cultures into their classrooms? There are many things that teachers don't always know how to address, that goes for both veteran teachers as well as new teachers. Perhaps one of the biggest aspects that is not always addressed is how teachers include students and families from different cultures into the classroom. It cannot be stated in a single sentence answer, there has to be support and reading as to the methods that can be applied in order to make the classroom a more culturally inclusive space for students of different backgrounds or cultures. There are a multitude of reasons that contribute to the overall aspect of inclusion in the classroom. It is also worth mentioning that the relationships with culturally diverse families outside of the classroom is equally as important as the relationships formed with students of diverse backgrounds inside the classroom. The purpose of this paper is to identify those strategies as well as provide examples as to how all teachers can contribute to the overall sense of inclusion in the classroom. Perhaps the way to address such a large question is by starting rather broad, a key way of creating the most inclusive classroom is by having an empathetic disposition towards students. Empathetic disposition can be defined as, “ perceptiveness, compassion and taking the perspective of others.” While this is not an overly obscure phenomenon it is still something that is essential to make the classroom as inclusive as possible. With the ability to incorporate empathetic dispositions into teaching methods it allows the students to feel cared for outside of them being students. If the students know their teacher cares for them as a person actually leads to more academic success and that all starts with the action of caring for students to create the most inclusive environment possible. Academic success is important for all parties involved in

3 Frees this scenario of culturally inclusive education; if the students are performing well, that can contribute to parent satisfaction as well as it reflects on the teacher. “Researchers have noted that students,especially students of color, who have caring relationships with their teachers are more motivated and perform better academically than students who do not” (Foster, 1995; Gay, 2000;Irvine, 1990). Alongside the act of forming more personal relationships with students, when the relationship is further established the teacher can slightly modify the class to cater to the differing perspectives, values, and lifestyles of the students in the classroom. Being flexible as an educator leads to the class being more open to the teacher. “In the culture course, learning about the concept of culture began with teachers’ reflecting on their own culture and its influence on their practice” (Banks, 1994; Bennett, 1993;Cochran-Smith, 1995; Derman-Sparks & Phil-lips, 1997; Lawrence & Tatum, 1997). This quotation brushes upon the concept of making the idea of how a teacher can show perhaps a different part of their culture to the class; so the unspoken understanding that it is ok to talk about your culture and that it should be seen as something to be proud of. The idea of the teacher showing appreciation for different cultures by opening up about their personal lives is a great way of making the class more comfortable with being accepting of all cultures. This is just one example of how teachers can become more culturally more inclusive. After conducting some research, there are approximately three key components to make noticeable in the classroom, The list is composed of, “(a) involvement in the cross-cultural simulation Bafa Bafa, (b) immersion in a cultural community different from their own, and (c) reflection on their own experiences as members of historically oppressed groups.” for a little more clarification, Bafa Bafa is an organization that helps share the vision of getting the movement of people to become more culturally more aware. Another way that the classroom can become more inclusive could be to do a quick presentation on the students'

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4 Frees cultures that they identify with, or a culture that interests them. If that is done properly that also accommodates for the second of the three vitals for an inclusive learning environment. The third aspect would be to reflect on personal experiences, this is something that may be difficult but will also create a further sense of community in the classroom. One of the biggest struggles for teachers is managing the relationship between teacher and parents, however, this struggle is nearly as important for educators as the relationship between students and teachers. Every parent wants their child to feel comfortable, seen, heard, and recognized at school. As an educator it is important for parents to feel comfortable that the teacher will do so. One way to make parents feel more comfortable is by suggesting to them the possibility of volunteering for the class, so they can become involved as well as feel represented inside the classroom. Parents getting involved inside the classroom actually contributes to lower dropout rates, higher achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. According to a study, “The emergence of specific invitations from teachers as the single most influential variable on parents’ involvement choices is significant because schools are able to influence teacher practices more so than any other variable.” ( Kellie J. Anderson & Kathleen M. Minke (2007). This is essential to have in the scope of having the overall representation of student beliefs, parent desires and teacher appreciation when all three combine in a synchronous manner to lead to a better academic experience for all parties involved. The parents get to see how their child is represented by being present in some way getting involved in their child's studies. The teacher being appreciated for making the initial step to involve the parents as well as overall higher scores and higher achievement in many regards.

5 Frees Now, it is not the same for every student at home, some students have an indifferent relationship with their parents making the idea of the students' view of being represented different than that of their parents. This is the reality of being an educator, but teachers can do their best to represent everyone on their own terms to best satisfy everyone. One way to make every student feel represented is by perhaps allowing students to share if they go by a different name than that on the schools role call, this is important because it makes the students choice of going by a different name more heard. If the student sees the teacher making an effort they will respect that. With some parents not liking their child going by an alternate name, an easy suggestion would be to have an individual conversation with the parent where you can discuss the student with the name the parent would like to hear. This makes the parents also feel more comfortable with the educator by their opinion and desires being put into action. Having a completely individualized conversation with the parents to discuss the student identifying with a different name is a simple way of tiptoeing around a topic that might cause tension between the student and parent and it is best to avoid that in any way possible. One additional way of creating the most inclusive educational environment for all students and in particular the LGBTQ community is by incorporating student based alliances called GSA’s (gay-straight alliances) these alliances have actually been proven to “positively influence the physical, social, emotional, and academic well-being of LGBTQ young people and their allies. School administrators and staff are positioned to advocate for comprehensive GSAs.” (Porta, 2017). After the aspect of inclusion as seen with the study and research as previously mentioned it is undeniable the impacts a sense of community has on overall student success. There are many cultures across the school districts in America, however the focus of this paper is directed to the cultures represented in Arizona school systems, because the paper is intended to

6 Frees reach future educators for yes, the nation, but Arizona in particular. Some of the most popular cultures in Arizona are: Latino, Native American, White/ Caucasian, and Black. With the largest demographic being the latino community accounting for “44 percent of all students in Arizona” (Staff, 2021). Along with that it is important for the teacher to be prepared to teach to a very diverse classroom. In an article relating to the importance of teaching to a diverse population it was found, “ Culture and cultural diversity are important concepts for educators to understand because they influence students' lives. Culture is those stated characteristics of a group of people such as language, religion, habits of dress, customs and traditions, and ways of thinking and behaving (Banks, 1992). Culture, thereby, teaches and shapes student's identities, beliefs, and behaviors” (Gollnick & Chinn, 1998). It is important to note that the authors represent the idea that culture is a concept that the teachers can demonstrate to their students in order to create an inclusive classroom as well as mold the students as people to become more accepting of all cultures in the world outside of the classroom, which in truth might be the bigger picture of being an educator. “ Seeing cultural differences as assets; creating caring learning communities where culturally different individuals and heritages are valued; using cultural knowledge of ethnically diverse cultures, families, and communities to guide curriculum development.” (Teel, Karen Manheim., and Obidah, Jennifer E. 2008). This is a unique perspective as to how to approach the possibility of having a culturally diverse classroom, view it as an opportunity as well as an asset. This is important as educators, to take challenges as they come, teaching is a rather difficult career and the way things are viewed changes the whole approach to how educators impact the lives of students. Having a more diverse classroom has the potential to lead to gain knowledge of all the cultures being represented inside the classroom. The more the merrier. If you have more groups being represented it also allows for the students' parents of these different cultures to get

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7 Frees their voices and perspectives heard and noticed creating an overall more inclusive classroom and educational environment for all. In today's climate, representation of all cultures can be seen as a terrifying duty as a teacher, getting the parents on the side of the educator to make sure the needs of their children are being fulfilled all the while making the classroom an inclusive environment can be scary. It does not have to be such a daunting task, there are ways to lighten the load, get parents involved, get your students involved and motivated to represent themselves as part of a larger community, there are ways to make inclusion of all possible and easier than one might think. Hopefully this paper has helped offer some support to current and future educators to guide them to leading a more inclusive classroom.

8 Frees References Jones, H. (2004). A Research-Based Approach on Teaching to Diversity. Journal of Instructional Psychology , 31 (1), 12–19. Staff, A. Z. C. I. R. (2021, March 5). Arizona school data shows uneven distribution of ethnic groups: Azcir . Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting. Retrieved October 19, 2022, from https://azcir.org/news/2016/02/12/arizona-school-ethnicity-disparity-charter-district/ Porta, C. M. (2017, June 4). LGBTQ youth's views on gay ‐ straight alliances ... - wiley online library . Retrieved October 20, 2022, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/josh.12517 McAllister, G., & Irvine, J. J. (2002). The Role of Empathy in Teaching Culturally Diverse Students: A Qualitative Study of Teachers’ Beliefs. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(5), 433–443. https://doi.org/10.1177/002248702237397 Teel, Karen Manheim., and Obidah, Jennifer E. Building Racial and Cultural Competence in the Classroom : Strategies from Urban Educators . New York, NY: Teachers College Press, 2008. Myers, D. J. et al. (2000). Signals, symbols, and vibes: An exercise in cross-cultural interaction. Teaching Sociology, 29 (1), 95-101.

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