Developing the Culturally Responsive Teacher: Three Perspectives From the Frontlines

Methodology

Through examining three different levels of education—high school education, undergraduate teacher education, and graduate level teacher education—this chapter will address three primary questions through the lens of Critical Race Theory (Bell, 1989, 1993, 2004; Delgado & Stefancic, 2001; Harris, 1993): (1) How do the demographics of a teacher’s personal identity and context affect how they understand, adapt, and develop culturally responsive teaching? (2) What does a culturally responsive environment look like for teachers in different educational contexts, teaching at different educational levels? (3) Why is it necessary for teachers to shift culturally responsive teaching practices with changing student contexts and experiences?

In exploring these questions, the authors applied autoethnographic methodology, as they “reflected upon, analyzed, and interpreted” [their lived experiences] within their broader sociocultural context” (Chang, 2008, p. 46). Autoethnographic methodology allows for self-examination as a form of analyzing societal phenomenon, affirming the interconnectedness between “self and society” (Hermans, 2002, p. 148). Each autoethnographic study examines the teacher’s journey to understanding how her own racial consciousness frames her view of the schools and the students she teaches, emphasizing Culturally Responsive Teaching as an imperative at all educational levels.