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Promotion of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Computing

Definitions

Culturally responsive pedagogy refers to a student-centred approach to teaching where learners cultural strengths are identified and also nurtured to promote student achievement coupled with a sense of well-being concerning student's cultural position in the world. The concept is divided into three functional dimensions, which comprise of institutional dimension, individual dimension, as well as instructional dimension. The institutional dimension mainly focuses on the need for reform of all the cultural factors that affect an organization of educational institutions, school policies, as well as procedures, such as allocation of funds and other school resources, as well as community involvement. Therefore, the instructional dimensions are the practices as well as challenges that are associated with implementing cultural responsiveness in the classroom.

Benefits

Culturally responsive pedagogy and computing empower learners to maintain cultural integrity and at the same time excel academically in education. Therefore, when teachers adopt this approach to teaching, they can maintain ethnic, societal, as well as cultural diversity in the classroom setting through promoting the importance of cultural awareness among learners (Scott, Sheridan, & Clark, 2015). Also, the strategy is important since it creates a sense of belongingness among learners. Also, it allows learners to celebrate the differences in their traditions and beliefs.

Cultural responsive pedagogy and computing is an important approach that promotes students' needs, strengthens their learning environment, and assists in enacting systematic change in the teaching and learning process. Also, the strategy creates a culturally responsive environment for learners and educator. As such, it nurtures a student-centred learning environment for learners from different cultural backgrounds. Also, the strategy encourages and motivates educators to impart education respectively through taking into consideration the needs of various students as well as necessities (Scott, Sheridan, & Clark, 2015). On the other hand, the strategy can also eliminate racial, as well as ethnic discrimination in the classroom setting and encourage students to explore and understand cultural diversity, tradition, beliefs, and religions. Further, the teaching strategy empowers educators to focus on making an all-inclusive linguistically responsive curriculum that acknowledges every learner's requirements as well as needs. Also, the teaching method motivates learners to develop unique lesson plans, which enables instructors to achieve their target goals and objectives in teaching.

Research

Research demonstrates that recruiting a more radically diverse teaching workforce can tremendously improve cultural responsiveness in schools. However, researchers have raised various concerns concerning proper guidance, education leaders, as well as individual education leaders to teach in culturally diverse ways. As such, it requires teachers and those who provide support to their efforts to have a coherent understanding of what culturally responsive learning and teaching entails. However, compelling research explores the benefits of culturally responsive teaching. For example, studies in brain science demonstrate that all learners process new information which is ultimately best linked when they already understand what is being taught in the classroom. On the other hand, research also demonstrates that instructional materials, assignments, as well as texts, which reflect learners’ backgrounds as well as experiences, are important to their engagement as well as their deep learning (Greer, Mukhopadhyay, Powell, & Nelson-Barber, 2009). As such, the strategy is associated with critical synergies with several other reforms in education. For instance, some initiatives are meant to improve the school climate and also assist in implementing social and emotional learning among students. It has been noted that learners who develop a positive sense of racial as well as ethnic identities develop more interest in befriending individual from different cultural backgrounds. On the other hand, research demonstrates that strong racial-ethnic identities are linked to higher self-esteem, academic attitudes and the ability to navigate discrimination.

Organization of the School-wide Culturally Responsive Technology Task Force

Mission Statement

Together, families, students, community members and staff inspire a life-long success through effective teaching strategies and celebrate cultural diversity, differentiating instruction, as well as communicating higher expectations and also offering an authentic learning experience to students in a safe and a positive learning environment.

Vision

Embrace diversity and develop love towards learning and focus on achieving values of high expectations.

Roles and Responsibilities

Organization of the School-wide Culturally Responsive Technology Task Force

In cultural responsive pedagogy, students receive equal opportunities to ensure that they achieve their full potential. Teachers are required to prepare for effective facilitation of learning for every student. On the other hand, schools play an active role in ensuring that they promote and end of oppression of all kinds (Weinstein, Curran, & Tomlinson-Clarke, 2003). Besides, educators, activists, and other stakeholders take an active role in re-examining all educational practices and how they affect the learning of all students. However, teachers are required to establish a caring environment that instills positive relationships with learners. Also, teachers are required to respond to acts such as teasing and bullying. Teachers are also required to teach conflict resolution skills and also to make use of cooperative learning to build a sense of belonging among learners.

Collaborative Expectations

Educators should work towards establishing a meaningful communication as well as the relationship with learners, their families and to allow them to understand the benefits of parent and teacher relationships. Thus, when learners see the collaboration between their teachers and parents coupled with mutual respect between them, they are more likely to invest in their education in both meaningful and long-lasting ways.

The use of digital content is among the strategies that teachers use to integrate a culturally responsive teaching framework into classroom instruction. This is an important digital tool that allows learners to develop their voice and become academically successful and critically conscious to change their communities. Teachers usually integrate digital content into their instruction that captures up-to-date images, situations, as well as subjects that can be used to illustrate real-world problems. The tools used encourage engagement among learners from diverse backgrounds and abilities. Also, it enables learners to understand the content. The digital content used by teachers should be of high quality to offer learners a pathway to learning. When using digital content, teachers use a graphically attractive visual design that enables learners to be naturally drawn into the material. Also, teachers can use digital activities, which comprise of high-quality graphics, virtual labs, games, as well as robust matt and science challenges to motivate them.

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in the 21st Century

Strategies

Several strategies can be used to develop sustainable connections with community resources to promote student learning as well as well being. These comprise of community and family-community programs. These are important efforts that engage the family, residents and the community to promote student learning (Linn & Eylon, 2011). Also, some programs are meant to engage parents and other family members to promote children learning and development. Other programs include social and community services that are designed to offer learners with social support as well as health services and provide support to learners and their families.

Some strategies can be used to provide equitable access to digital tools and resources in culturally responsive pedagogy. Thus, educators should ensure that they have access to up-to-date hardware, software, and connectivity, as well as access to meaningful high quality and culturally responsive content coupled with the opportunity to use digital tools in the classroom. Also, it is important to ensure that educators understand how to use digital tools (Linn & Eylon, 2011). Therefore, educators can use recent technological tools in virtual reality as well as augmented technology to assist in developing new experiences for learners. There are different types of video, images, as well as animations that can allow learners to determine the meaning of content while at the same time taking control of how to learn the best.

Teaching global digital citizenship is about asking learners the right questions. As such, teachers are required to act and speak with virtue and integrity and ensure that they instill healthily and respect and responsibility for themselves and learners (Cennamo et al., 2010). Several technologies are used in culturally responsive pedagogy. For instance, compugirls is a culturally relevant technology program meant t to teach girls. The technology uses multimedia activities to encourage computational thinking among girls that nurtures the development of positive thinking. On the other hand, the GDTMC project is a year-round information technology instruction meant for underserved populations. The main goal of technology is to create awareness as well as self-efficacy. It is a key instructional strategy that encourages student engagement and collaboration with teachers,

Conclusion

As one reflects on the culturally responsive pedagogy and computing in schools, it is important to understand that digital content is important since it acts as an equalizer. Also, through the use of digital content in the classroom setting, educators can integrate culturally responsive teaching approaches that enable learners to become academically successful and conscious. As such, culturally responsive teaching makes use of the cultural knowledge of ethnically diverse students to ensure that the learning encounters become more relevant. Also, educators can validate every learner's culture socially, emotionally, as well as politically.

References

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. D., Ertmer, P. A., & International Society for Technology in Education. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, California: Wadsworth.

Greer, B., Mukhopadhyay, S., Powell, A. B., & Nelson-Barber, S. (Eds.). (2009). Culturally responsive mathematics education. Routledge.

Linn, M. C., & Eylon, B. S. (2011). Science learning and instruction: Taking advantage of technology to promote knowledge integration. Routledge.

Scott, K. A., Sheridan, K. M., & Clark, K. (2015). Culturally responsive computing: a theory revisited. Learning, Media and Technology, 40(4), 412-436. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17439884.2014.924966

Weinstein, C., Curran, M., & Tomlinson-Clarke, S. (2003). Culturally responsive classroom management: Awareness into action. Theory into Practice, 42(4), 269-276. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15430421tip4204_2 .