Diversity
Diversity Statement
Promoting the diverse needs of all students requires that educators have a culturally responsive pedagogy. Paris (2012) states the basis of what, I feel, a culturally responsive pedagogy seeks, which is to, “join the home and community practices, histories, and activities of students and communities of color with dominant ones in meaningful ways that do not devalue either in the process of school learning and access” (Paris, 2012, p. 94). The role of the culturally responsive instructional technology coach is to leverage technology towards the active inclusion of students regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, SES, or ability. This encompasses and should be extended to all stakeholders including teachers, students, and community members. Technology is the medium through which the instructional technology coach can actively promote the understanding of subcultures thus enhancing cultural understanding.
As educators and facilitators of technology, we must understand that race, ethnicity, economic status, language, culture, gender and sexual orientation are all factors that touch all students’ lives. It is imperative that, as facilitators of technology, we consider the diversity of all stakeholders and make it a mission to have global awareness diversity considerations become the subtext of all our actions. Throughout my coursework and field experiences, I feel that I have gained the knowledge, skills, and dispositions associated with being a culturally responsive professional. Further, educators must continually assess, expand, and redefine their worldview and also celebrate, nurture, and sustain smaller cultures within the larger dominant culture in order to ensure academic equity is extended to all. The bulleted list of activities below document some of the many ways in which I have demonstrated the importance of culturally responsive practice, and how I have applied it to meet the diverse needs of all students.
References
Paris, D. (2012). Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy: A Needed Change in Stance,
Terminology, and Practice. Educational Researcher. 41(3) 93-97.
Promoting the diverse needs of all students requires that educators have a culturally responsive pedagogy. Paris (2012) states the basis of what, I feel, a culturally responsive pedagogy seeks, which is to, “join the home and community practices, histories, and activities of students and communities of color with dominant ones in meaningful ways that do not devalue either in the process of school learning and access” (Paris, 2012, p. 94). The role of the culturally responsive instructional technology coach is to leverage technology towards the active inclusion of students regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, SES, or ability. This encompasses and should be extended to all stakeholders including teachers, students, and community members. Technology is the medium through which the instructional technology coach can actively promote the understanding of subcultures thus enhancing cultural understanding.
As educators and facilitators of technology, we must understand that race, ethnicity, economic status, language, culture, gender and sexual orientation are all factors that touch all students’ lives. It is imperative that, as facilitators of technology, we consider the diversity of all stakeholders and make it a mission to have global awareness diversity considerations become the subtext of all our actions. Throughout my coursework and field experiences, I feel that I have gained the knowledge, skills, and dispositions associated with being a culturally responsive professional. Further, educators must continually assess, expand, and redefine their worldview and also celebrate, nurture, and sustain smaller cultures within the larger dominant culture in order to ensure academic equity is extended to all. The bulleted list of activities below document some of the many ways in which I have demonstrated the importance of culturally responsive practice, and how I have applied it to meet the diverse needs of all students.
- Provided professional development for teachers on how to use technology to differentiate instruction and meet the diverse needs of English language learners.
- Continuously advocating for the fair and effective distribution of technology resources to special education and ESOL teams.
- Continuously partnering with administration to address the unique needs of students who have had limited prior computer experience and ensuring that technology-rich learning opportunities are extended to summer school students.
- Provided technology training for parents and other community members during evening English Yes I Can! classes.
- Collected and utilized demographic or subgroup data for targeted school improvement.
- Implemented a variety of new Web 2.0 resources with faculty to provide differentiation for diverse range of learners.
- Minority and low-income students have experienced leadership roles through the completion of technology-enhanced learning experiences designed to promote equitable access and successful learning outcomes for a range of diverse learners.
References
Paris, D. (2012). Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy: A Needed Change in Stance,
Terminology, and Practice. Educational Researcher. 41(3) 93-97.