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Through this inquiry, I learned that embedding anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices into daily classroom instruction requires teachers to be very intentional and to practice critical self-reflection. Resources like Learning for Justice and the TDSB Equity Toolkit emphasized practical ways educators can dismantle systemic barriers by designing inclusive, culturally responsive lessons that reflect diverse histories, voices, and experiences. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “The Danger of a Single Story” (highly recommend this Ted Talk!) reinforced how harmful dominant narratives can limit student identity and belonging, especially for racialized learners. This inquiry made me reflect deeply on how I engage with underserved and underperforming students, particularly those with exceptionalities. It pushed me to consider how strategies like de-streaming and differentiated instruction can help shift educational outcomes. I am committed to being more intentional in actively designing lessons that uplift marginalized voices and foster safe learning environments where all students can succeed.

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story | TED

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This learning experience affirmed the importance of adopting an anti-oppressive lens in everything I do as an educator but also revealed gaps in my practice. It challenged me to move beyond performative inclusion and toward transformative change that disrupts inequities in educational pathways. The TDSB’s Equity Toolkit and articles from Edutopia’s strategies both highlighted that I (teachers) must take a more proactive role in examining the intersection of race, ability, and academic streaming. I realized I need to deepen my understanding of how systemic oppression manifests in school structures, including how racialized students are disproportionately placed in special education and streamed into applied pathways. This reflection showed me that anti-racism isn’t a “unit” to be taught, it must be embedded across subjects, interactions, and expectations.

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Culturally Responsive Teaching

Understanding students' lives can help teachers foster a sense of belonging and ensure that all students feel respected and challenged.

The world of education is buzzing with talk of being more culturally responsive, but what does that mean, and how important is it really?

When I talk about culture, I'm talking about norms, beliefs, and behaviors that are passed down from one generation to the next-the things that explain why a student might answer a question the way he does or why another might not feel comfortable looking you in the eye when you're speaking to her. These aspects of culture are among the most misunderstood in the teacher-student dynamic and are often the things that cause students to get into the most trouble in the school discipline system. Culturally responsive teaching (CRT) attempts to bridge the gap between teacher and student by helping the teacher understand the cultural nuances that may cause a relationship to break down-which ultimately causes student achievement to break down as well.

In her book Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, Zaretta Hammond writes that "by third grade, many culturally and linguistically diverse students are one or more years behind in reading." CRT is one of the most impactful tools for empowering students to find their way out of that achievement gap. This alone makes being culturally responsive one of the most important things you can learn at this moment.

Getting Started

The first step in being culturally responsive is to do an internal audit-yes, you read that right, an audit: truly digging deep inside of ourselves and recognizing and naming those things we don't want to look at or talk about. The experiences we've had along our journey in life have formed stereotypes which have then turned into implicit bias. These unintentional, unconscious attitudes impact how we relate to our students and their parents, and how we choose curriculum, assess learning, and plan lessons. Harvard University's Project Implicit has an online test you can take to examine your implicit bias.

Culturally responsive teachers also have to be aware of the sociopolitical context schools operate in and dare to go against that status quo. Students need to understand the system that is working around them in schools. Give them context and don't be afraid to talk about the tough subjects that may not be addressed in your school. In addition to Hammond's Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, another great resource is Affirming Diversity by Sonia Nieto. The most important part of this work is a willingness to do something different to get different results, with the goal of increasing academic achievement.

For your audit, take some time to ask yourself hard questions and reflect on past and current practices. Are you operating from a place of critical care within your classroom-a place that marries high expectations with empathy and compassion? Are your students, regardless of socioeconomic status or background, being held to high standards? Has your past interaction with a particular race of people impacted your ability to communicate with parents? Identify those places in your instructional planning where you might have allowed your implicit biases to prevent you from pushing your students to achieve at optimal levels. Answering questions like these might be hard, but in order to create change, you have to identify and unearth the roots of your teaching practice.

Now that you have conducted an internal self-audit, your curriculum will need one as well. What books are students reading? Do they have a voice in what they read, where they sit, how they interact with each other?

Encourage students to make a social media campaign that champions their favorite cause, and have them bring evidence of their results to class to discuss the role social media plays in social change.

Use current songs that students might love to analyze the use of literary techniques and imagery in music videos. Taylor Swift's "Wildest Dreams" is a great one. Better yet, instead of assigning a song, ask students for their suggestions.

Watch and discuss documentaries like Race: The Power of an Illusion.

Zaretta Hammond shared three simple strategies you can use to make lessons in any subject more culturally responsive.

Empowering students to take ownership of not just their learning but the environment itself is another critical component of CRT. One strategy for fostering a student-centered environment is having students create a classroom agreement that answers the question: "How will we be together?" Allowing students to answer this question will give you a window into how their cultures dictate the ways in which they want to feel respected, heard, safe, and included in the classroom and in their interactions with one another and with you. This reinforces the idea not only that they belong but that the way they show up at school every day, with all of their outside experiences in tow, has value.

Finally, put some thought into your lesson planning. You have taken the time to reflect and really look into your own biases that may have been getting in your way. You have revamped your classroom environment to reflect your students' voices, their various cultural needs, and their choice. Now let's have some fun. For example:

Our students need us now more than ever, and we have to roll up our sleeves and do what we must to close the achievement gap. Culturally responsive teaching is one step in the right direction. The outcome is a student body that loves learning, excels academically, and has teachers who respond to their needs.

Being culturally responsive encourages students to feel a sense of belonging and helps create a safe space where they feel safe, respected, heard, and challenged.

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Getting Started With Culturally Responsive Teaching

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Understanding students' lives can help teachers foster a sense of belonging and ensure that all students feel respected and challenged.

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This inquiry has raised important questions: How can I better use data to identify and address inequities in my classroom? How do I build authentic partnerships with students and families whose voices have been historically silenced? Moving forward, I want to explore how to work and plan with colleagues to integrate anti-oppressive teaching across disciplines. My new learning goals include researching the impact of de-streaming initiatives in Ontario, analyzing local data related to race and special education placement, and building my capacity to use culturally responsive assessment tools. I will continue to seek out professional learning communities, literature, and student voice to ensure that I am equipping all learners with equitable opportunities to succeed, especially those who have been most marginalized by current systems.

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From film kits and lesson plans to the building blocks of a customized Learning Plan-texts, student tasks and teaching strategies-our resources will help you bring relevance, rigor and social emotional learning into your classroom-all for FREE.

Not sure where to begin? Get to know our Social Justice Standards, anchor standards and age-appropriate learning outcomes divided into four domains-Identity, Diversity, Justice and Action. The Standards provide a common language and a road map for anti-bias education at every grade level.

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From film kits and lesson plans to the building blocks of a customized Learning Plan-texts, student tasks and teaching strategies-our resources will help you bring relevance, rigor and social emotional learning into your classroom-all for FREE.