McKay School of Education > Diversity > Personal Growth
Personal Growth
Ways to Improve as a Multicultural Educator
There are three primary areas for improving as a multicultural educator:
(1) Self-awareness,
(2) Knowledge of others’ cultures, and
(3) Using effective classroom skills.
SELF AWARENESS
The way we view the world impacts how we treat our students. Educators may unwittingly further the inequitable treatment of students because of personal biases or judgments passively placed on others. To become more self-aware, we can:
- Understand that our own preferences and expectations do bias us.
- Look for how our biases impact our relationships with others.
- Reflect upon how our past experiences influence the way we see other people.
- Accept and invite critique from colleagues, both positive and negative.
- Build relationships with others from a variety of cultures and learn from them.
- Recall our learning experiences as a student, both positive and negative, to gain insight into how these experiences affect our current teaching practices.
- Recognize that everyone has both similarities and differences.
APPRECIATION OF OTHERS
- Desire to learn about others’ experiences.
- Reject “color-blindness.” We are not all the same. We are similar in many ways, but we are also very unique based on heritage and experiences.
- Understand power dynamics. We react differently in a room full of people who are the same as us as opposed to a room full of people who are different from us.
- Relax about being blamed. Others may hold opinions of you, based on their past experiences, which may or may not be true. Do not take these judgments personally because they are based on experiences that you did not create.
- See the whole picture. There are a variety of ways (not just your way) that students display and understand their skills and knowledge.
- Understand the motives and reasons behind others’ behavior. Chances are, you’re wrong about why people do what they do.
CLASSROOM SKILLS
- Pronounce every student’s name correctly.
- Talk openly about issues of culture and heritage that will be brought up in the classroom. Don’t dismiss important topics just because they may be uncomfortable for you.
- Welcome critiques from students; be willing to change yourself accordingly.
- Model active listening skills.
- Use varied styles of teaching. Accommodate different learning styles.
- Critically evaluate sources of information, including information from your own instruction.
- Monitor and facilitate equity among students of different race, gender, religion, etc.
The points on this page were adapted from Paul Gorski’s 20 (Self-) Critical Things I Will Do to Be a Better Multicultural Educator.
Links
- This web site contains resources for educators to use to increase their personal cultural sensitivity and knowledge.
- Ideas that educators can apply directly in their classroom that can improve their multicultural competency.
- Providing useful ideas for improving teaching, this website can inspire educators to improve their personal teaching style. Teaching tips for students of different genders, ages, races, and abilities are just a few of the ideas presented in the web site
- Identifying six major concepts to incorporate into your teaching paradigm, this website can serve as a guide for educators to improve their personal teaching styles.
- CREDE has developed many resources for professionals and students, including 5 standards for Effective Pedagogy.