The Key to Building A Culturally Responsive Classroom with Dr. Shonta Smith

Ep #29 - What strategies are you employing as an educator to meet your students’ needs? For your students to be successful, you have to engage different appropriate strategies that work for each of your students. 

Culturally responsive teaching is using the cultural knowledge, prior experience, and performance styles of diverse students to make learning more effective and appropriate. It is essentially teaching to and through the student. The educator makes sure that the instructional strategies and methodologies that you’re using are going to help the student be successful- you make it about the student and not you. This method helps educators meet the needs of their students, which goes beyond instructions but building and maintaining relationships with them and their families.

Teachers need to identify the cultural background of their students and understand the processes that are going to work to meet their needs. You have to use different things to ensure all students’ needs are met and that they become successful. Learn the concept of meeting all your students where they are by engaging appropriate strategies that they understand. You have to look at your students’ cultural knowledge, the experiences they bring, and then add spice to it so they understand and perform at their highest level. 

Stop being afraid of your students so your strategies can work! Dr. Shonta explains how as an educator, you can get to know your students and effectively build and maintain relationships with them. She also gives some tips on how to approach lesson planning to give your student and yourself ownership of the time available. 

Key Moments:

 [1:54] Defining culturally responsive teaching and its effectiveness.  

 [3:14] The importance of culturally responsive teaching in building and maintaining relationships between students and teachers. 

[5:54] Dr. Shonta explains the importance of identifying and understanding your students. 

[7:55] How to use multiple different modalities to teach your students. 

[8:13] Just teach! How to employ engaging strategies that your students understand.

 [14:18] Why you should stop being fearful to be successful in teaching your students.

 [16:47] The ways you can get to know your students and maintain relationships with them. 

[20:19] She states a few things an educator should keep in mind when planning a lesson.

[23:55] Why Dr. Shonta chose a path in education over any other career. 

Quotes:

·       “What works for one student might not necessarily work for another student.”- Dr. Shonta [3:01]

·       “To be successful, you have to make sure you’re engaging in successful practices.”- Dr. Shonta [4:31]

·       “If you’re not experiencing success with the students, then what you’re doing is not effective and efficient.”- Dr. Shonta [12:49]

Relevant Links:

Website: https://www.drshontasmith.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrShontaSmithInternational

Book: The Essence of Education by Dr. Shonta Smith 

Contact Nick:

Website: https://nickzizi.com/

Linkend: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-zizi-12a6aa8/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickzizi/?hl=en

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