Towards a Socio-technical System of Culturally Responsive Teaching: The Interplay between Individuals, Communities and Resources

Abstract

Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) is a set of instructional practices that acknowledges and incorporates students’ identities and backgrounds into the classroom in a way that makes learning more effective and relevant for culturally, rhetorically, and ethnically diverse students. CRT helps to create a space where (1) all students are respected and empowered, and (2) their differences are acknowledged, discussed, and incorporated in a meaningful manner. This not only fosters a culturally responsive classroom, but one that supports social justice. Both CRT and social justice in education aim to expand students’ perspectives of people from diverse backgrounds, to help them relate and empathize with others, and also embrace their own identities. Researchers discovered that educators face challenges with both CRT- and social justice-informed teaching, such as cultural unfamiliarity and a lack of training. As a means to overcome these challenges and facilitate CRT- and justice-informed education, we propose the design of a socio-technical system of CRT practices by creating a "CRT agency" between teachers in diverse locations and expertise.