Toward A Conception of Culturally Responsive Classroom Management

(Carol S. Weinstein, Saundra Tomlinson-Clarke, & Mary Curran)

Annotation #10
Questions:
Why is culturally responsive classroom management (CRCM) a frame of mind, more than a set of
strategies or practices?
This question is asked because the whole premise of this paper is based off of CRCM, that asks
teachers to recognize their biases and values. They reflect on how these influence their
expectations for behavior and their interactions with students. They recognize that the ultimate
goal of classroom management is not to achieve compliance or control but to provide all students
with equitable opportunities for learning. In summary, they understand that CRCM is classroom
management in the service of social justice.
How can a prospective teacher develop an understanding that cultures vary in terms of their
emphasis on the collective or the individual?
The article answers this question by stating that a prospective teacher can begin to appreciate the
importance of conducting home visits and consulting with parents and community members.
Prospective teachers can also learn what questions to ask about students family backgrounds,
educational experiences, and cultural norms and values. The article wants the prospective teacher
to understand that youth must feel cared for before they can care about school. This kind of
awareness can sensitize them to the possibility that cultural values and norms underline behavior
that, on the surface, looks like a lack of interest in school.
How does a teacher begin to change classroom management practices that promote and obstruct
equal access to learning?
The article states that this can be an ongoing, possibly uncomfortable process, in which cultural
diversity becomes a lens through which one views the tasks of classroom management. This task
includes creating a physical setting that supports academic and social goals, establishing and
maintaining expectations for behavior, enhancing students motivation, organizing and managing
instructional formats, working with families, and using appropriate interventions to assist students
with behavior problems.
Reaction:
This article was great. It made me as ask myself what do I want to achieve with my students? My answer
was to educate, care for, and model civil citizenship for my students. I want to approach my students as
active participants in not only academics but classroom management as well. CRCM if consistent in the
classroom can be highly effective in providing an environment that cares about school.
Connections:
After reading this article I reflected on my two years in high school and I have to say that my classes were
controlled, hostile environments. Many times the classroom was the arena for many fights. And, the
majority of them were with the teacher. I believe it was because the teacher didnt understand the
community of students they were surrounded by. Had the teacher just had some common sense in street
smarts they would have known not to get into a stare down with gangsters like I was back in the day. If
the teachers just showed they cared more than showing us how tuff they were, they would have grown
with us and we would have been more respectful of our education.
Restatements:
CRCM is about getting the students to see that they matter, by showing them that the teacher is on their
side. This is accomplished by creating a physical setting that supports academic and social goals,
establishing and maintaining expectations for behavior, enhancing students motivation, organizing and
managing instructional formats, working with families, and using appropriate interventions to assist
students with behavior problems.
Applications: In the future I intend to be a CRCM teacher right from the start of my teacheing career and
plan to be firm, fare, and consistent.