Selecting Culturally Responsive Texts
Overview
Culturally responsive texts include those that reflect different facets of students' identities, including race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic, and disability status, as well as the intersections of those identities. Providing students with multicultural texts allows them to connect with and see themselves in what they read, not just in the text, but also in imagery, and encourages a Sense of Belonging. It can also help students to engage in deeper learning by allowing them to expend less cognitive resources understanding the surface of the text and more energy on the underlying meaning. The underlying meaning includes a reflection of one's worldview as well as others–often called mirrors (i.e., self-view), windows (i.e., view of others), and sliding glass doors (i.e., transformation into the world of others) in the literature. Diversity in content also exposes students to perspectives that may be different from theirs, expanding their cultural awareness and Background Knowledge. It is important that texts go beyond surface-level diversity and engage with complex social issues to truly support the practice of culturally responsive teaching and the development of Critical Thinking.
Example: Use This Strategy in the Classroom
Learn how these educators conducted an audit of their elementary classroom libraries to create a collection of diverse, representative texts. By providing rich choices that are mirrors and windows into other cultures, students are able to develop a greater sense of their own identities and widen their viewpoints.
Design It into Your Product
Additional Resources
Additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.
Factors Supported by this Strategy
More Culturally Responsive Strategies
Developing empathy in educators and in learners is an iterative process that requires taking the time to understand and honor others' perspectives.
Checking in with learners, or taking the time to talk with individual learners about their experiences or goals, is important for fostering a positive classroom environment.
Developing cultural awareness as an educator is an ongoing process that includes a recognition and appreciation for the full diversity of students and an understanding of how one's own Identity intersects with students' Identities.
Discussing race with students can range from conversations on cultural celebration (e.g., celebrating the importance of diversity) to developing critical consciousness (e.g., understanding the impact of social inequities like racism and how to dismantle it).
A first step to supporting learners is truly understanding who they are.
Equitable grading systems and practices reimagine how to communicate student progress and mastery through various methods that reduce subjectivity and increase opportunities to learn.
Family engagement happens when educators and schools collaborate with families to collectively support their child's learning in meaningful ways, both at school and at home.
Learning about students' cultures and connecting them to instructional practices helps foster a Sense of Belonging, increase positive student Identity development, and mitigate Stereotype Threat.
Shadowing a student involves an educator, administrator, or designated adult observing a learner across different parts of their day to deepen their understanding of that learner's experience beyond their classroom.
Translanguaging is a flexible classroom practice enabling students to listen, speak, read, and write across their multiple languages or dialects, even if the teacher does not have formal knowledge of these additional languages.
