Culturally Responsive Practices for Special Education Teachers

1. Culturally Responsive Practices for Special Education Teachers Hyun Ju Kang Rehabilitation Psychology & Special Education University of Wisconsin-Madison

2. Agenda • Watch lives of Korean students in schools • Barriers of CLD students • Barriers of special education teachers • Definition of culturally responsive practices • Strategies of culturally responsive practices • Main foundations of culturally responsive practices

3. Problem Statements • School barriers, including lack of learning opportunities, unchallenging curricula, culturally irrelevant assessments, inappropriate instructional practices, and low expectations • Disproportionately identified as having disabilities and represented in special education programs • Understanding of barriers of CLD students and barriers that special education teachers face, as well as strategies for these barriers.

4. A Clip for Korean Students in the Classroom • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-Vwh86ON_8&feature=related • What did you notice in the classroom? • Differences or Similarities?

5. Lives of Korean students • Enter good Universities • Respect authority figures (e.g., teachers, school personnel, etc.) • Sit and listen to instruction • Study 10 hours a day for elementary students/ 16 hours a day for middle and high school students • Attend private institutes and/or have private tutor to learn mathematic, English, Science, etc. • No time to hang out with friends outside

6. Figure 1. Diagram for CLD Students to Be Referred to Special Education Program . Limited English proficiency Poor academic achievement White, female, monolingual, middle class Unfamiliarity with American education system Special Education Lack of cultural sensitivity Culturally unresponsive instruction and curriculum Deficit views Biased assessment

7. Barriers of CLD Students • Limited English proficiency • Limited opportunities to learn content or lack of exposure to the testing situation • Lack of the acquisition of vocabulary and grammar • Lack of understanding of meaning and concepts • Textbook difficulty • Lack of tests in different languages

8. Barriers of CLD Students • Limited social network • Culturally unresponsive and inappropriate instruction and curriculum • Lack of language support • Lack of fit between attitudes and behavior patterns required by school • Unfamiliar with American education system

9. Barriers of Teachers/Schools • White, female, monolingual, and middle class • Little knowledge and skills regarding teaching culturally and linguistically diverse students • Lack of training in cultural and linguistic differences • Lack of cultural sensitivity and competence in diverse backgrounds of CLD students • Deficit views

10. Barriers of Teachers/Schools • A narrow, white, mainstream lens for judging CLD students’ academic performance and behaviors • Dominant culture's values, behaviors, and beliefs as the "standard" for academic success • Cultural mismatch between a variety of languages, perspectives, behaviors, and learning styles of CLD students and those of teachers • Biased assessment

11. Needs for Special Education Teachers • Not simply applying instructional techniques to incorporate assumed traits or customs of particular cultural groups • Help students build bridges between school learning and their lives outside school • Have insights into how their students’ past learning experiences have shaped their current views of school and school knowledge

12. Definitions/Goals of Culturally Responsive Practices • Incorporate aspects of CLD students’ cultural backgrounds into the organization and instruction of the classroom • Match between home/community culture and school culture • Improve school achievement of CLD students • Help CLD students develop cultural competence

13. Culturally Responsive Practices for Special Education Teachers • Have an open mind. • Become aware of their own cultural backgrounds. • Become aware of the potential for culture clashes between teachers and their students. • Believe that all students are capable of learning.

14. Culturally Responsive Practices for Special Education Teachers • Make conscious decisions not to discriminate based on faulty or incomplete data and assessments. • Understand first and second language acquisition and the problems students face in acquiring a second language. • View a student’s achievement difficulties within the context of that student’s cultural group and language proficiency status • Provide scaffolds between what students already know through their experiences and what they need to learn.

15. Culturally Responsive Practices for Special Education Teachers • Assist students to construct knowledge, build on their personal and cultural strengths, and examine the curriculum from multiple perspectives • Academic contents relative to students’ culture, background, environment, and prior experiences • Multiple content knowledge and skills that are reinforced over time and across subject areas • Increase student involvement in classroom activities • Provide language support

16. Figure 2. Main Foundations of Culturally Responsive Practices Student Learning . Cultural Competence Self-Efficacy

17. Main Foundations of Culturally Responsive Practices • Student learning • Educational capacity • Contents fitted in learners • Cultural competence • Fluent, comfortable in culture of origin • Self-efficacy • A perceived ability to judge whether individuals are able to perform within a given situation • A significant role in teacher motivation and action

18. Comments? Thank you

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