Gresham High School teacher Sarabeth Leitch has devised new teaching strategies to reach her students of diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
themes — culture, ability, resilience and effort — and aims to help educators address educational disparities and student achievement. “These are strategies that provide opportunities for teachers to learn about the different cultures in their classrooms, while also allowing students to feel proud and honored about their own culture,” said Paul Duchin, a retired math and general education teacher in Eugene who, along with Merri Steele, conducts C.A.R.E. training workshops for educators in Oregon. “It’s a pretty powerful message.” The culture part of the training encourages teachers to be especially mindful of the different cultural backgrounds of the students they’re teaching, including differences in language and economic status. Teachers are encouraged to lock in on students’ different abilities and learning styles while also recognizing and building on the resilience they bring to the classroom. And lastly, the training helps educators find unique ways to engage students so that they put forth the effort needed to do well academically. One way to do that, said Steele, is for teachers to include a range of different Credits: Chris Becerra
cultural subjects and ideas in their instruction. “With so much of the emphasis being on test taking and making the grade, you can sometimes overlook the important cultural pieces,” she said. “If you don’t engage in that, sometimes it’s harder to keep students drawn in.” Steele said one of the main strategies of the C.A.R.E. training is to get people to understand not only the differences between them, but what they have in common, as well. One activity has participants writing a poem about where they are from and then sharing that with others if they so choose. That exercise alone helps people learn a little bit about themselves and establish common connections with others. It’s also the kind of mindset that teachers can then take back into the classroom with them and pass on to their students. Both Steele and Duchin said the feedback they get from educators who have taken the training is positive, particularly in helping them become more comfortable in talking about different cultural, gender and socioeconomic issues in their classrooms. “Most people feel they have a better understanding of students,” TODAY’S OEA | OCTOBER 2013
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