At our last Academic Strand meeting, our team discussed and examined the importance of Cultural Competence and Cultural Humility in our work as educators. I believe strongly in the importance of such work as a white male who operates in an education (and societal and economic and legal) system that was created and maintained to benefit people like me. In my role as an Academic Intervention Specialist, I work primarily with students, families, and educators who have cultural and neurologically diverse intersections different than my own. It’s essential for me to engage in culturally competent and responsive practices as much as possible. One resource that has shaped my beliefs on these practices is the book Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain, by local educator and author Zaretta Hammond.
In her book, Hammond brilliantly connects culturally responsive pedagogy with the neuroscience of learning. She takes time to explain how the different sections of the brain have an effect on learning and are affected by culture. A particularly engaging section breaks culture down into three components: surface culture, shallow culture, and deep culture. She explains to the reader to “Think of culture as software for the brain’s hardware.” Hammond explains culture even further in the modern sociopolitical context. This deep analysis of culture is then tied to strategies for teachers to activate students’ capabilities in learning, cognition, and higher order thinking. She describes a culturally responsive teacher as one who can transition students from dependent to independent learners. This kind of teacher is grounded as a learning partner with students and is their ally in education.
Hammond’s ideal culturally responsive teacher is the “Warm Demander,” one who is at the cross-section between “Active Demandingness” and “Personal Warmth” with the following attributes:
Hammond’s ideal culturally responsive teacher is the “Warm Demander,” one who is at the cross-section between “Active Demandingness” and “Personal Warmth” with the following attributes:
Engaging in resources like this book is assisting my growth towards being the culturally responsive teacher I feel our students and families deserve. This growth is made exponential by being part of an All-In! team of educators and service providers who are committed to culturally competent and responsive practices.
I hope you are able to get a copy of Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain and are able to take a deeper dive into the culturally responsive teaching brain based practices that Hammond advocates. In the meantime, I have shared a few articles from Zaretta Hammond herself within the same field of study:
If you have any other resources on Culturally Responsive Teaching (or Education) please feel free to share below.
I hope you are able to get a copy of Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain and are able to take a deeper dive into the culturally responsive teaching brain based practices that Hammond advocates. In the meantime, I have shared a few articles from Zaretta Hammond herself within the same field of study:
- Teaching Tolerance: Cultural Responsiveness Starts With Real Caring
- Cult of Pedagogy: 3 Tips to Make Any Lesson More Culturally Responsive
- Edutopia: Making Connections: Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain Q&A
If you have any other resources on Culturally Responsive Teaching (or Education) please feel free to share below.
Blog post written by:
Alan Ellis, Academic Intervention Specialist
Alan Ellis, Academic Intervention Specialist
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