How to Incorporate more Cultural Sensitivity in the Classroom

The world and our classrooms are filled with a rich mix of cultural identities. We want our students to feel welcomed and accepted for who they are, and not made to feel less than because of their differences. Even if we don’t have a diverse student population in our classrooms or programs, we want to enrich our students and teach them about other cultures and perspectives, other than their own. This has inspired me to share with educators some great ways to incorporate cultural responsibility into social-emotional learning.

1. Get to know your student population. Do some research. Gain an understanding of who your students are, their customs, and their beliefs. The school should have demographics of the student population. You can use this to learn about the ethnic and cultural make-up of your student populations and their families.
   1. If your school is made up of a homogenous population, it is fantastic to incorporate other cultures into your classroom and lesson plans. Do your research and always use cultural sensitivity.  What are teachers in urban cities doing? How can you spread knowledge of other cultures in a positive and informative way. You can use the information below to guide you.
   2. Spend time getting to know your students.
      • Lunchtime and after school is a great time to have authentic conversations with students. You can learn who they are, as well as their likes and dislikes.
      • Verbally acknowledge your own background, and inform them that you would love to learn more about them and who they are. This is great especially if you have a different background than your students. Students want to get to know you and know that you care about who they are as an individual.
        • Use phrases such as: “I would love to hear more about that,” or “What do you like to do with your family and/or friends?” 
        • Avoid phrases like, “Why do you do that?”. This question may seem harmless, but it can often come across as condescending,  shameful, or superior. You want to avoid sounding as if the way you do or celebrate something is better than others. It may not be meant in that context but could be perceived that way.
2. Use “Getting to Know You Activities” to learn more about students. There are great conversation starters and activities that will allow you to learn about your students and form positive connections.
   1. Avoid singling out students based on race, culture, or ethnicity. If students want to share, allow them to volunteer information. You want your students to feel comfortable. It is not the students’ responsibility to teach you about cultural competency. 
3.  Incorporate graphics, pictures, and names into your lessons that accurately reflect the diversity. Diversity can be found in race, culture, gender, religion, sexuality, family composition, etc. Be mindful that you are not reflecting the bias in these representations.
   1. Avoid depicting students of color as bullies, criminals, or as ignorant. Unfortunately, the media often portray people of color in this manner, frequently placing their pictures in the news regardless of their proven guilt or innocence. Be sure to vary who you use in these examples, showing a variety of races and physical abilities.
   2. For example, there is a small percentage of people of color as actors and actresses in Hollywood. This is not a representation of the people throughout the country or the world. Use more realistic depictions of people in all socio-economic statuses and occupations.
4. Use scenarios in lieu of interactive activities or reenactments.   Reenactments are great for getting students involved, but on sensitive topics, they can further perpetuate oppression and/or trigger a traumatic reaction.
   1. You wouldn’t have students reenact a rape, so be mindful of other topics and traumatic events that should not be reenacted. These include, but are not limited to:
      1. Rape
      2.  Enslavement of peoples
      3. Genocides
      4. Internment Camps
      5. Domestic Violence
      6. 9-11
      7. Death/Murder
   2. You can still have interactive activities that are not oppressive or traumatic. These can include: articles, written stories, or video clips.
      • Avoid extremely graphic scenes
   3.  Use discussions and questions to elicit conversations. This will also allow you to gauge reactions on these sensitive topics.
   4. Have a plan for those students who are affected by these lessons.
      • Inform counselors and/or social workers that you are going to address these topics. Even providing the activities for your lessons is helpful. This will enable counselors and social workers to be prepared to deal with any issues that may arise from these discussions.
      •  Check-in with students after class if you see that they are having a difficult time. You are not expected to counsel students, but instead, you can refer them to people to whom they can talk to about these topics.
      • Inform the students that counselors are available for anyone who would like to discuss these issues further, and/or need additional support.

Hopefully, these tips will help you start to integrate cultural competency into your class or group. Don’t forget… to get to know your population – you can use “Getting to Know You Activities.” Incorporate appropriate graphics and pictures into your lessons, and use scenarios instead of interactive activities or reenactments.

How do you incorporate cultural competency and sensitivity into your classroom or practice?

 

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