Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What do you think “culturally responsive” teaching is? How might it differ from other pedagogical philosophies such as “culturally relevant” teaching?

Teaching Suggestion: Even if students have not encountered either of these terms, they will likely make fairly accurate guesses about their meanings. You may wish to ask students for initial responses, offer them the resources below, briefly discuss the content of these videos, and then ask them to revise their responses to make them more accurate and complete. Some students may wish to read highlights of the first resource in addition to watching the video in class. A transcript of the second resource is also available; after accessing the link, click “more” and then “show transcript” in the video description.

• This 11-minute video features Zaretta Hammond herself explaining culturally responsive teaching.
• This 4-minute video by Dr. Darin Thompson offers an overview of the similarities and differences between culturally relevant and culturally responsive pedagogies.

2. What concerns motivate teachers to adopt philosophies like culturally responsive teaching?