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James A. Banks explains how multicultural education goes beyond adding cultural celebrations—it must be integrated into curriculum and pedagogy to promote equity.
Reference:
Banks, J. A. (2019). An introduction to multicultural education (6th ed.). Pearson. https://ucarecdn.com/d82827b2-9e39-40fe-a717-a1aca81ce4a9/

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James Albert Banks is an educator who has been called the "father of multicultural education," a discipline that seeks to develop awareness and skills in teachers and students for living in a culturally diverse United States and world. Growing up as an African-American youth in the Arkansas Delta during the Jim Crow years, Banks developed a commitment to social justice. Banks became the first black professor in the College of Education at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle and was also founding director of UW's Center for Multicultural Education, which was renamed the Banks Center for Educational Justice when Banks retired from UW in 2019.

James Banks was born on September 24, 1941, near Marianna (Lee County) to Matthew Banks and Lula Holt Banks, both farmers. His formal education began at the McCullough Union School, which he walked five miles to attend. During his second year of schooling, rural schools consolidated, and he was bused to the Newsome Training School in Aubrey (Lee County), where he attended elementary and junior high school between 1948 and 1957. He graduated in 1960 from the Robert Russa Moton High School in Marianna, located about ten miles from his home.

Banks obtained his associate of arts degree with high scholastic honors from Chicago City Junior College in 1963. The following year, he received his bachelor's degree in elementary education and social science with honors from Chicago Teachers College (now Chicago State University), and between 1966 and 1969, he received his master's and PhD degrees in these fields from Michigan State University. Banks taught at Forrest Park School in Joliet, Illinois, and at the Francis W. Parker School in Chicago between 1965 and 1966.

Banks married Cherry A. McGee, a college professor and author, on February 15, 1969; the two have written several books and articles together. They had two daughters, Angela Banks and Patricia Banks, who both became college professors.

Banks joined the faculty of the UW College of Education in 1969. He served as assistant professor and associate professor until 1971 and 1973, respectively, becoming a full professor in 1973. In 1992, Banks founded the Center for Multicultural Education at the university and became its director. Banks was named Russell F. Stark University Professor in 2000 and then Kerry and Linda Killinger Professor of Diversity Studies in 2006.

During his childhood, Banks felt that the images of happy slaves in his social studies textbooks were a contradiction to the stark reality of racial segregation that he and his community experienced, and he began asking who created the images of happy slaves, and who develops curriculum. These became crucial social justice research questions. In time, they have taken newer forms. Through his teaching, research, and writings, Banks has continually tried to explain issues in black studies, ethnic studies, multiethnic studies, multicultural education, and citizenship education.

The demographics of the United States and its schools have been rapidly changing. This being the case, in more than four decades of research, Banks has created a fund of knowledge-dimensions, approaches, paradigms, principles of curriculum, teaching, and assessment-for curriculum developers and educators, all aimed at helping students from diverse ethnic, language, and other cultural groups to develop knowledge, attitudes, and skills to become effective citizens in a multicultural nation and a diverse world. Stated simply, Banks has provided teachers with detailed answers as to what to teach, how to teach, and how to assess students from different ethnic groups such as Native American, African American, European American, Hispanic American, Asian American, and Arab American, and other cultural categories such as gender. Banks has emphasized that textbooks must not merely describe concepts from the perspective of the dominant culture. Rather, they must also include viewpoints of different cultural groups. For example, in explaining westward expansion, it is imperative that textbooks include the perspectives of Native Americans. Teachers have a responsibility to reduce prejudice and empower "all" students with the goal of creating a just society.

Banks has authored or edited more than twenty books, as well as over sixty book chapters and written about 100 journal articles. Banks is editor of two landmark publications: Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education (1995, second edition 2004) and Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education (2012). He also edits a multicultural education book series published by Teachers College Press at Columbia University.

In 1971, Banks was appointed a member of the Task Force to Reevaluate Social Science Textbooks in California. He visited Hawaii, Mexico, Puerto Rico, France, and Great Britain to examine multiethnic education during the 1976-77 school year. In 2000, he was elected a member of the National Academy of Education. Banks was president of the National Council for the Social Studies (1982) and the American Educational Research Association (1997-1998). He has received honorary doctorates from six colleges and universities, as well as the UCLA Medal.

Banks was the twenty-ninth annual faculty lecturer at the University of Washington in 2004-05, the university's highest honor for a faculty member. In 2004, the American Educational Research Association (AERA) awarded its first Social Justice in Education Award to Banks for a career of research that advances social justice through education research. In the fall of 2007, he was the Tisch Distinguished Visiting Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, in New York. In January 2019, he retired from the University of Washington.

For additional information:
Banks, James A. Diversity, Transformative Knowledge, and Civic Education: Selected Essays. New York and London: Routledge, 2020.

Brown, Quinn Russell. "Thanks, Professor Banks: 'The Father of Multicultural Education' Is Retiring after 50 Years at UW." Columns: The University of Washington Alumni Magazine. Online at https://magazine.washington.edu/feature/james-banks-uw-retires-multicultural-education/ (accessed September 7, 2023).

"Professor James A. Banks." University of Washington, Seattle. https://education.uw.edu/people/faculty/jbanks (accessed September 7, 2023).
Anita Rao Mysore
University of Arkansas Libraries

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James Albert Banks (1941-) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas

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James Albert Banks is an educator who has been called the "father of multicultural education," a discipline that seeks to develop awareness and skills in ...

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Geneva Gay emphasizes the importance of culturally responsive teaching, showing how teachers can use students’ cultural knowledge and experiences to improve learning.
Reference:
Gay, G. (2018). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice (3rd ed.). Teachers College Press. . https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED581130

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Geneva Gay is Professor of Education at the University of Washington-Seattle where she teaches multicultural education and general curriculum theory. She is the recipient of the Distinguished Scholar Award, presented by the Committee on the Role and Status of Minorities in Educational Research and Development of the American Educational Research Association; the first Multicultural Educator Award presented by the National Association of Multicultural Education; the 2004 W.E.B.

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Zaretta Hammond highlights the connection between culture, brain science, and learning, offering practical strategies to engage diverse learners authentically.
Reference:
Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain: Promoting authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Corwin. https://ia600600.us.archive.org/2/items/culturally-responsive-teaching-zaretta-l.-hammond/Culturally%20Responsive%20Teaching%20-%20Zaretta%20L.%20Hammond.pdf

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Gloria Ladson-Billings reframes culturally relevant pedagogy as a way of asking different questions about equity, justice, and the role of teachers in diverse classrooms.
Reference:
Ladson-Billings, G. (2021). Culturally relevant pedagogy: Asking a different question. Teachers College Press. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED614975

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Gloria Ladson-Billings didn't grow up a dreamer.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" wasn't a question kids in her Philadelphia neighborhood were asked. The goals for children were pretty simple: Graduate from high school and stay out of trouble. Maybe, just maybe, go to community college.

"Black working-class residents of West Philadelphia did not have the luxury of dreams," Ladson-Billings says.

And yet, she has become a renowned scholar who has helped change the way teachers teach with her groundbreaking 1994 book "The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children." She was the first black woman to become a tenured professor in UW-Madison's School of Education in 1995.

This was never her dream. She didn't even think to dream it. Not only does she dare to dream in public now, but she encourages, practically insists, others do as well.

Ladson-Billings formally retired from her position as the Kellner Family Distinguished Chair in Urban Education in 2018 after being on the UW-Madison faculty for more than 26 years. She had hoped to retire without giving a speech but that just isn't possible when you've impacted so many - and when you're the kind of speaker who takes the stage to "Hypnotize" by The Notorious B.I.G. as she did at a recent reception honoring her at Gordon Dining and Event Center.

Her talk, "Dreaming in Public: Renewing the Commitment to Education for Democracy," walked the audience through her scholarship and the less likely road where it all began.

Dreams came at a cost. They made you vulnerable, to the laughter of others and the disappointment of wanting more than seemed possible.

"We were reluctant to share dreams because we saw so much disappointment," she says.

It wasn't that she and her friends weren't smart; they were realists. They saw the common path of those around them, entering the work force, often in the same place their parents worked, rather than continuing their education. Many others joined the military. But a four-year college? That was for the children of parents who had gone to college, not the children of those with parents who may not have graduated from high school.

"New" clothes came from pawn shops or siblings and cousins who had outgrown them. Dreams were a nice idea, but the more immediate realities of paying rent and having food on the table were immediate and constant.

Her brother joined the Air Force. Ladson-Billings wasn't sure what she should do but she knew she wanted something more than what was expected. She considered being a medical technician, mainly because it sounded "fancy" and you didn't have to go to medical school. But she knew she loved writing.

"I couldn't figure out how to get paid to do it, and my family could not afford the luxury of me finding my writing voice," she says.

Being a writer seemed like fiction. So she set out to become a teacher, earning her bachelor's degree in education from Morgan State University in Baltimore in 1968 and master's in curriculum and instruction from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1972.

While teaching wasn't what she thought she'd end up doing, something changed after walking into a classroom and meeting students.

"It helped me understand that one of the most effective ways to affect democracy was through the classroom," she says.

After a decade teaching in Philadelphia public schools and several years in California, she wondered why black students were not successful in school.

"I knew too many smart black people and their school outcomes just didn't make sense," she said.

For so long, the question was: What's wrong with black children? Did their parents not read to them enough? Was it their community? Their culture?

She went back to school, pursuing a Ph.D. in curriculum and teacher education from Stanford University, earning her degree in 1984.

In her research, she saw black children viewed as deficient and deviant. They weren't seen as children with problems. They were the problem.

None of this made sense to her and it wasn't helping improve learning outcomes.

So she decided to flip the question. Instead of asking what is wrong with black children, she began to ask what is right.

That meant asking questions about their teachers and their classrooms. It meant taking a hard look at how children were taught. What could be done to help teachers succeed and help their students?

"I had two hunches. One was that black students in classrooms with skilled teachers could be academically, culturally, socially and civically successful," she says. "My second hunch was that African American teachers, whose numbers were dwindling, were key to black student success."

In 1989, she was giving a talk in New York on culturally relevant teaching and effective instruction for black students. It was a chance meeting after her talk that brought her to UW-Madison, as told in an issue of the School of Education's Learning Connections.

"When I first heard Gloria speak, I could tell she had absolute clarity and a heightened consciousness about the problems and challenges facing students of color, and I believed that UW-Madison would be the ideal place for her to do this work," said Carl Grant, who today is UW-Madison's Hoefs-Bascom Professor of Teacher Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

When the talk was nearly over, Grant ran out of the room. And as Ladson-Billings was wrapping up with a Q & A, he was standing in the hall, gesturing to her. The two met a few moments later and Grant told Ladson-Billings she needed to come work at UW-Madison.

"I'm not going to Wisconsin," Ladson-Billings replied.

Grant was able to persuade Ladson-Billings to take a campus visit and deliver a presentation as part of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research's Minority Visiting Scholars Program. After a long day on the UW-Madison campus - meeting School of Education faculty members, dropping in on classes and giving presentations - Grant took Ladson-Billings to a dinner at then-Chancellor Donna Shalala's residence. Upon arrival, Shalala asked Ladson-Billings: "What do we have to do to get you here?" "I was caught so off guard," says Ladson-Billings. "I said, awkwardly, 'I already have a job.'

"And she said, 'That's not the question I asked you.' I'm like, 'Oh my God, who is this little lady?'"

She came to campus as an assistant professor specializing in social studies and multicultural education in the fall of 1991. She remembers fondly her time under Shalala's tutelage, referring to herself and a group of black women faculty members at UW-Madison as "the Class of Shalala."

The winters haven't exactly grown on her, but the community has.

She has helped the Madison Metropolitan School District with various projects while constantly traveling the country, and the world, speaking to rapt audiences about applying critical race theory to the field of education.

You don't have to stay if you don't like it, she kept telling herself. And she certainly had opportunities to leave.

Harvard and Vanderbilt tried to lure her away for faculty positions, while Stanford and Michigan State considered her for dean posts.

"I never went out job hunting but got offers and calls," Ladson-Billings says. "Every once in a while, if I'm down, I'll pull out the letters Harvard was sending me and think, 'They liked me. They really liked me!'"

For School of Education Dean Diana Hess, it's hard to imagine campus without her.

"This institution would have been a very different place if she hadn't been part of it," Hess says. "She's mentored and supported faculty, and worked to make school and campus more inclusive, more welcoming and more diverse."

Her many efforts have led to new models for examining ways to reduce academic disparity between mainstream and minority students. Research linked to culturally relevant pedagogy has been used by scholars around the world as a framework, with her work cited more than 40,000 times, according to Google Scholar.

During her time at UW-Madison, she has edited 12 books, published 49 journal articles and 65 book chapters. She has served as an advisor for 53 doctoral students, including 21 African American women.

Many of her former students have gone on to become professors or teachers, passing her lessons on. Hess thinks about the students who are impacted by Ladson-Billings even though they've never met her or maybe don't even know her name.

"I think we all hope to leave some kind of legacy, whether it's through our work, or our family or our activism or relationship with others. We want to have an impact that lasts," Hess says.

"Very few of us can match Gloria's legacy. We are different, we are better because of Gloria and that is part of her legacy."

Appreciative words were shared on a screen before her recent campus talk, illustrating how she has inspired:
"While in undergrad at Morehouse College, all these aspiring black men were given a copy of 'Dreamkeepers' by Dr. Billings. Her book reshaped our vision of education and ignited a drive for using education to build bridges into the American dream. Now as a judge, her leadership continues to ignite my passion and believe in every child's endless capacity for learning the need for cultural innovation so systems can meet the diverse educational dreams of our now generation. She is truly a divine light." "Gloria: Your voice of reason, inclusiveness and humanity resonates in my mind and hopefully has been passed on to my own students." "We need more Gloria Ladson-Billings in our lives. In our state and nation today, there are some toxic forces at work persuading us to position our schools as broken, our teachers as incompetent, our families as neglectful, and our children as criminals. GLB has provided us with perspectives that dismiss those fallacies and effective strategies for addressing those areas in desperate need of growth. Our children need to feel love, belonging, and recognition of their individual and collective gifts in order for them to thrive. We can do this better in our schools and communities. Let's get to work ya'll." "As the first African-American woman to be tenured in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at UW-Madison, Gloria has taught me that hard work and dedication pays off." "She has changed my life. Her love, friendship and support are immeasurable." "I want to be just like you when I grow up!"
Even though she's officially retired, her work isn't stopping. In November, Ladson-Billings began serving a four-year term as president of the National Academy of Education, which supports research for the advancement of education policy and practice in the United States. Its members are a select group of education experts from around the world.

Her accolades are numerous. In 2018, she was ranked No. 3 in Education Week blogger Rick Hess' annual ratings of the most influential education scholars in the U.S. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences elected Ladson-Billings to its 2018 class of members.

It's not the books or awards that she thinks about.

"They mean nothing to the everyday realities of black children who are abused and violated in our schools," Ladson-Billings says.

It's about the students. And it's about all of the people who will continue asking what is right with black children instead of what is wrong.

"They all represent my real legacy," she says. "They are the dream I had in public and they are our best hope for a true democracy."
This story is part of the UW Women at 150 series marking the 150th anniversary of the first women receiving undergraduate degrees at the university. Over the course of this academic year, University Communications will feature stories that celebrate the accomplishments of women at UW-Madison through the decades and recognize the challenges that remain, as well as the ways our views of gender have evolved and expanded.

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Gloria Ladson-Billings: Daring to dream in public

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The renowned scholar, who has helped change the way teachers teach African American children, was the first black woman to become a tenured professor in UW-Madison's School of Education.

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Multicultural Literature in Language Arts

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Multicultural Literature in Language Arts

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Use texts from authors of varied cultural backgrounds (e.g., The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe) to compare universal themes across cultural contexts.

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Verifying you are human. This may take a few seconds.

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Present events like WWII or the Civil Rights Movement through diverse voices (e.g., Navajo Code Talkers, Japanese American internees, women leaders in freedom movements).

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Question

What is multiperspectivity in history?

Answer

Exploring multiple perspectives (which is known as "multiperspectivity" in parts of Europe) requires incorporating source materials that reflect different views of a historical event. In recent decades scholars and educators have begun to question the validity of singular (one-sided) historical narratives. Instead of just focusing on dominant groups and communities, they recommend employing multiple perspectives. One reason for this stems from increasing diversity and cultural pluralism, since many groups-women, the poor, ethnic minorities, etc.-have been ignored in traditional historical narratives.

. . . many groups-women, the poor, ethnic minorities, etc.-have been ignored in traditional historical narratives.

Another reason is disciplinary. After all, good historians don't just settle for one perspective on a historical issue-they piece together many (sometimes competing) versions of a story to construct an accurate interpretation. As Ann Low-Beer explains, "In history, multiple perspectives are usual and have to be tested against evidence, and accounted for in judgments and conclusions."

Here's an instance of using multiple perspectives: When studying the voyages of discovery, students would not only learn about explorers like Columbus, but about the peoples who had been "discovered." Historian Jon Wiener, writing in American History 101 in Slate magazine, offers the following example:

In the case of Reconstruction. . . I focus [on] the three most significant [perspectives]: the Northern Radicals, who shaped federal policy and who wanted to bring the former slaves into the economy of the free market, as wage earners, and into the political system, as voters; the Southern planter elite, who wanted to preserve as much of the old plantation labor system as possible; and the former slaves themselves. Their understanding of freedom was, as Eric Foner has written, "shaped by their experiences as slaves." Freedom for them meant freedom to work for themselves-economic autonomy and access to land. This argument shows the freedmen defining their own interests, in conflict with the federal government, which claimed to represent them. Thus, instead of giving students a list of facts and dates to memorize, I would ask them to conceive of what's happening as a three-sided conflict over the meaning of freedom.

. . . instead of giving students a list of facts and dates to memorize, I would ask them to conceive of what's happening as a three-sided conflict over the meaning of freedom.

Consequently, for Wiener, "students end up learning not just about what happened during Reconstruction, but about how history itself gets reconstructed."

If not yet universal, this approach is widely accepted. In its most recent Position Statement, the National Council for the Social Studies in the United States recommended students learn to "think critically, and make personal and civic decisions based on information from multiple perspectives."

So what can a classroom teacher do? Try incorporating primary sources that represent a range of views on a historical issue. Then, ask students to spend some time thinking about why different groups may see the same event in different ways. Oftentimes a different story emerges when those multiple perspectives are put together. The result is enriched historical understanding.

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Question What is multiperspectivity in history? Answer Exploring multiple perspectives (which is known as "multiperspectivity" in parts of Europe) requires incorporating source materials that reflect different views of a historical event. In recent decades scholars and educators have begun to question the validity of singular (one-sided) historical narratives.

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Highlight algebra from Islamic mathematicians, Indigenous ecological practices, and Chinese innovations in engineering alongside Western achievements.

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Design thematic units (e.g., Migration) combining literature (immigrant stories), social studies (migration patterns), science (environmental impact), and art (cultural expression).

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Project-Based Learning (PBL)

One school used a PBL unit that combined science, math, and cooking dumplings to explore the many cultures that make up their community.

Like many educators, we hold ourselves to high expectations for engaging our students in projects that are culturally relevant, build community, and apply their learning in a real-world context. Last year, we had students work on a single project that aspired to all three of these goals.

Over the course of eight weeks, our students used hydroponics to grow herbs that were used to make dumplings. Why dumplings? When defined broadly as "dough that encases a filling" or "dough that sits on top of a filling," this food is found and loved in cultures around the world. As such, our project celebrated the diversity of our students and opened the door for cross-cultural exchange.

Our school is located in Winooski, Vermont, a city with only 8,000 residents, but it's the most densely populated and most culturally diverse city in northern New England. The district hosts students from 25 nationalities representing 19 languages, which include, but are not limited to, English, Nepali, Swahili, Vietnamese, Karen, Somali, Mai Mai, and Arabic. Most of these cultures and languages were represented among our 40 sixth graders last year.

The project was supported by a grant from the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont and involved close collaboration with three faculty members: Dr. Eric Roy, Dr. Leon Walls, and Tricia Brown.

Project Features

We started by asking students to notice and wonder about a " heat map " of projected global food production in 2050. Students' noticings helped to frame the hydroponics project as a local solution that was part of a global puzzle. But why grow food? What could we use it for? How about dumplings?! Hence began our challenge for students to grow herbs for the Great International Dumpling Challenge, a friendly competition in which students used rates and ratios to develop the tastiest dumplings with cilantro, basil, and parsley.

From students' naming and then caring for their plants to choosing their own dumpling recipe, student ownership was a through line of the project.

Students measured the heights of their plants each week, and they stopped in during lunch and passing periods to show friends their herbs. The plants were a highlight of family conferences, and several students gave their seedlings to friends who weren't in our science class.

Student ownership was also a feature of the cooking process in math. Students chose a dumpling recipe, and many selected one from their family's culture: samosas, momos, potstickers, perogies, and empanadas. One student called her Bosnian grandmother for a family recipe.

Students designed experiments that investigated how manipulating light impacted the growth of parsley, basil, and cilantro.

An incidental benefit was changing the ambience of the learning environment from the purple lights, gigantic herbs, and sinuous root systems. Students got their hands dirty when planting seeds, measuring plant growth, and carefully cutting the plants.

Our rooms were filled with the smells of herbs as they grew and when students chopped them to prepare for cooking. And of course, we enjoyed the delicious aromas and flavors of dumplings.

A Celebration of Diversity and Community

Author and journalist Michael Pollan once said, " Food is not just fuel. Food is about community, food is about identity. And we nourish all those things when we eat well." Pollan's words beautifully capture our experiences in this project. Family members came in to help cook. Our students learned about and enjoyed foods from each other's cultures, which enabled the deepening and extension of connections among students and adults.

Even if schools don't have a great deal of cultural diversity, foods (especially dumplings!) can be an entry point for learning about different cultures and building community.

Further enhancing the connections among our community members, our school district's cultural liaisons were judges and taste testers at a culminating event where we also sampled all of the dumplings.

The winning group made vegetarian Nepali momos and received a cabbage as the winning trophy. When a chant of "Eat it! Eat it!" ensued, a beloved student took a bite out of the raw vegetable on behalf of the winning team, causing the whole crowd to erupt into fits of laughter.

All of our dumplings were vegetarian, but we made sure the "meat" of standards-aligned math and science content and skills were centered in the project, which meshes with author and national education consultant Zaretta Hammond's conceptualization of culturally responsive teaching. Specifically, we sought to (in Hammond's words) "improv[e] the learning capacity of diverse students who have been marginalized educationally."

With each week, students improved their analytical skills and developed greater independence as scientists, mathematicians, and chefs. Dumpling recipes were reviewed for ratios to produce the best flavors. Costs for ingredients were calculated using unit rates, and each dumpling had a unit price.

Reflection

To finish the project, our students completed a reflection similar to KQED's Engineering for Good curriculum. Zulie wrote that the project was "soooooo cool. It inspired me to be an environmentalist."

Whatever students' feelings about the Great International Dumpling Challenge, we doubt they will forget the towering fragrant herbs, the delicious multicultural food, and the sense of community and connection. We look forward to improving the project this year and extending the integration of disciplinary perspectives to English and social studies.

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Using Culturally Responsive Project-Based Learning to Teach Core Skills

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Project-Based Learning (PBL) One school used a PBL unit that combined science, math, and cooking dumplings to explore the many cultures that make up their community. Like many educators, we hold ourselves to high expectations for engaging our students in projects that are culturally relevant, build community, and apply their learning in a real-world context.

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Incorporate students’ personal and family narratives into lessons to validate their lived experiences.

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In this K-2 lesson, students will examine how illustrations contribute to the telling of a story. Through picture books (without words), students will discuss and interpret details about the characters, setting, and plot. Students will create illustrations to accompany a text and then write text to…

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Use multiple modalities (visuals, oral traditions, cooperative learning) to match diverse learning styles and cultural traditions of knowledge sharing.

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What is Adaptive Teaching and Why is it so Important?

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In this blog, Dr Katy Bloom explains what adaptive teaching is, why it is beneficial, and gives examples of what it looks like in practice.

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Draw on students’ home and community knowledge (e.g., cooking, farming, music traditions) to enrich classroom learning.

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Implement restorative circles for conflict resolution and community building, fostering empathy and accountability.

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Decorate with multicultural posters, multilingual labels, and books from diverse authors to create visual representation.

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All children, regardless of ability or circumstances, should feel welcome in their classrooms. Inclusive classrooms allow children with disabilities to learn alongside their non-disabled peers. They also present an opportunity for all children to learn from each other and to develop a more compassionate attitude toward people with disabilities.

Understanding what an inclusive classroom looks like and how to create one is essential for educators who want to provide the best possible education for all children. This guide will give an overview of inclusive classrooms and offer practical tips for creating an inclusive classroom environment.

What is an inclusive classroom?

An inclusive classroom is where children with disabilities learn alongside children without disabilities in the same space. It provides a setting in which all children feel welcome, supported, and valued.

Inclusive classrooms provide an environment where all preschoolers can learn and succeed. They are based on the belief that all children have the right to quality education and promote values of equality, respect, and belonging. All children should feel that they are an equal part of the class and that their individual needs are being considered and met.

Why is an inclusive classroom important?

Creating an inclusive classroom requires everyone to be open-minded and respectful of others. It takes effort and commitment from both educators and children. However, the rewards are well worth the effort. Inclusive classrooms:

Meet the needs of all learners

All children learn in different ways and at different paces, and in an inclusive classroom, teachers tailor their teaching approach to meet the unique needs of each child. Teachers may introduce strategies specifically designed to help children who need extra support in the classroom, but those additional resources and support can benefit all children. Teachers might incorporate different tools, materials, or visual aids to engage all learners, or utilize small group instruction to address each child's learning style.

Promote diversity

Inclusive classrooms promote values of diversity, equity and inclusion. Children get the opportunity to learn about what they have in common with one another and celebrate each other's differences. Exposure to an environment that respects and accepts different abilities helps fight bias and stereotypes and teaches children to value what makes us all unique.

Foster social-emotional skills

When children interact with each other in an inclusive classroom, they develop essential social and emotional skills, including communication, cooperation, and conflict resolution. Learning alongside their peers who are different from them allows children to learn important social skills to support and help others who may be differently abled. Teachers can use an inclusive classroom as a way to reinforce concepts such as empathy, compassion, and treating others with respect.

How to create an inclusive classroom

An inclusive classroom places the needs of all children at the forefront. To create a truly inclusive environment, educators must be aware of their own biases and assumptions and the potential barriers that can exclude certain groups of children.

Here are strategies for creating an inclusive classroom:

Be intentional with your classroom design

A classroom's layout should be adapted to create a more inclusive physical space. Classrooms should be organized in a way that reflects the various activities throughout the day so children know what is expected of them in each area. For example, furniture arranged in groups can encourage collaboration and communication, and smaller, quiet areas can be used for individual work. Provide a variety of seating options in the classroom to accommodate different needs. For example, use bean bag chairs in the calm down corner, or floor cushions or mats for circle time.

All children should be able to clearly see the teacher and learning materials. Those children with additional needs might need to sit closer to the teacher to ensure they are receiving the proper support throughout the lesson.

Set clear classroom rules and routines

Establish a daily routine for your classroom so children know what to expect each day. A predictable preschool schedule can reduce challenging behavior, creating a better learning environment for all. Make clear, concise, and age-appropriate classroom rules and review them with children regularly so they know what behavior is expected of them. Guidelines like "Be respectful and kind" reinforce important, prosocial behaviors.

Consider your group sizes

Consider changing up your group size for different lessons. Have children complete work in pairs, small groups, or independently. Smaller group sizes can allow you to tailor instruction to the individual needs of each preschooler.

Use developmentally appropriate materials

Use a variety of manipulatives and hands-on materials in your activities to support all children's learning styles and various levels of development. The hands-on supplies will encourage active participation and best support those children that learn through doing and moving.

Support child development with a tool like brightwheel's Experience Curriculum. This easy-to-implement curriculum system includes digital lessons you can access directly in the app, assessments, and hands-on learning materials that are mailed to you. Teachers can easily adapt each learning experience to match the ages and abilities of all children in your program.

Adapt your teaching methods

An inclusive classroom will also challenge educators to incorporate different ways of teaching a lesson to reach all children. For example, use books, music, props, posters, videos, and charts. You can also find ways to modify or adjust your activities to engage all children. For example, if a child is having trouble sitting still during story time, you could give the student a story-related coloring page to work on as they listen to the story.

Include visual learning aids

Visual learning aids such as visual schedules, charts, posters, and flash cards will help those children who are visual learners. Visuals can help children understand concepts better and improve engagement in the learning process. Visual cues, such as placing pictures of children performing their end-of-day routine by the classroom door, can help with smooth transitions.

Implement assistive technology

Take advantage of assistive technology and tools available that can help support children as they master essential skills. These can be simple tools such as pencil grips, laminated picture boards, or high-contrast colored paper and pens, or technology based tools such as apps for devices that "speak" words a child selects on the screen, or software that makes books more interactive.

Model inclusive behavior
Young children tend to mirror the behavior and attitudes they witness so model respect and empathy to instill values of inclusion. Use inclusive language and display curiosity and a willingness to learn about different cultures and abilities.

Examples of inclusion in the classroom

Here are some scenarios that might arise in a preschool classroom, along with some possible solutions to make your classroom more inclusive:

A child with a hearing impairment is having difficulty following along in class.

Solution:

Seat the child near the front of the classroom, where they can see the teacher's face.

Use visual aids, such as posters or hand gestures, to supplement verbal instructions.

A preschooler with autism struggles with transitioning from one activity to the next.

Solution:

Use a visual schedule to help the child know what's coming next.

Add auditory cues such as a bell or alarm to signal that it's time for a new activity.

A child has difficulty participating in fine motor activities.

Solution:

Add grips to crayons or markers or provide larger sized writing instruments.

Use larger-lined paper.

A child is struggling to verbally communicate their needs.

Solution:

Use picture cards or other visual aids to help the child express themselves.

Encourage the use of sign language or assistive communication devices or apps.

A preschooler is having trouble sitting still during circle time.

Solution:

Allow the child to stand or turn the pages of the book as you read.

Provide fidget toys or other objects to help the preschooler stay focused.

A child feels overwhelmed by all the noise and commotion in the classroom.

Solution:

Designate a quiet area in the classroom for children to go if they need a break.

Suggest noise blocking headphones that can help mute a noisy environment.

Help them identify coping strategies when they feel overwhelmed, such as deep breathing exercises.

Conclusion

Inclusive classrooms not only benefit children with disabilities, they also offer valuable learning experiences to those without disabilities. When educators create inclusive classrooms, they adapt lessons and materials to suit all ways of learning, set a positive example of compassion and acceptance, and provide opportunities for all children to learn and grow.

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A Guide to Creating Inclusive Classrooms

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An inclusive classroom makes all children feel valued, safe, welcome, and supported in their learning environments. Here's how you can create one.

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Engage students in setting respect, empathy, and listening agreements that reflect shared values.

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Norm Co-creation | Greater Good In Education

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Students collaborate on the development of classroom norms while exploring the role of norms from multiple perspectives.

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Model correct pronunciation of names and encourage students to share preferred pronouns and identity markers.

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Recognize diverse holidays, languages, and traditions throughout the school year to promote cultural appreciation.

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11 Creative Ways To Celebrate Cultural Diversity In The Classroom

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Celebrating cultural diversity in the classroom helps students feel confident, accepted, and understanding of the world around them.

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Host events where families share food, music, and traditions, fostering mutual understanding.

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Partner with local organizations or cultural centers for service-learning projects tied to curriculum themes.

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Integrating service into the curriculum is an opportunity for students to learn about environmental and social issues in a real-life context. A successful service-learning project is more than just volunteering-it involves students applying knowledge and skills to make a difference in their communities.

While your project may have many goals, and lots of steps in between, in my experience there are six key considerations that contribute to successful service learning:

1. Meaningful service: Make sure your project addresses a community need.

2. Curriculum connections: Apply academic content to practical tasks so students learn by doing.

3. Student leadership: Help students take ownership of the project.

4. Reflection: Make meaning of the experience.

5. Community involvement: Engage community members throughout.

6. Demonstrate and celebrate: Share the experience with others.

Here's how we applied these concepts to a service-learning project at my school, funded in part by a GreenWorks! grant from Project Learning Tree.

1. Meaningful Service

Meaningful service addresses a community need. Our community has experienced a steady stream of growth over the past ten years. To accommodate the growth in student enrollment, our Texas school district decided to make some major physical additions to our elementary and middle school campuses. As a result of the construction, much of the natural habitat surrounding our school was destroyed, and soil erosion (compounded by our naturally windy West Texas climate) was a big concern.

With encouragement from our school administration, my gifted and talented fourth and fifth graders surveyed their peers, parents, faculty, and community members to find a solution. They came up with a plan to plant trees and other native vegetation on campus to combat soil erosion, create wind breaks, and provide habitat for wildlife and shade for citizens.

2. Curriculum Connections

As Edutopia blogger Maurice Elias says, "For educators, a plain distinction needs to be made between community service and service learning. When youth engage in service learning, it involves more than arriving at a soup kitchen or a park and serving food or cleaning up. It begins with preparation and learning about the particular problem area or context the service experience will address and, ideally, is linked to academic subject matter being studied."

Combining service and academic learning was a new concept for my students-and some faculty-and differentiating between "community service" and "service learning" took some effort. My students were encouraged to be responsible for their own learning based on their unique learning styles and interests, and seeing my students learn to apply science, math, language arts and creative problem solving skills to real-life situations was very rewarding for them, and me! They were able to apply academic content in practical situations. Their hands-on experiences reinforced their learning with greater impact than if they had simply completed a worksheet after reading a chapter in a textbook.

3. Student Leadership

Give students leadership opportunities from the beginning and let them participate in (almost) all aspects of the project. For example, my students searched for funds, planted seeds, and made presentations. They learned to work together, along with school leaders and community partners, to make a difference in their community. They learned communication skills, work ethics, and how to use their resources wisely.

Not only did student teams plan the specifics of the planting projects, but they also "branched out" and worked with the local zoo educator to become junior docents on Earth Day each year. Our school's partnership with the Abilene Zoo provided our students an array of leadership opportunities in presenting their work to the public.

4. Reflection

It is widely agreed reflection is the hallmark of high-quality service learning. "At a minimum," Elias says, "reflection is guided, can occur in a range of modalities, typically is shared, and involves recalling elements of the service experience. It should also relate those experiences to prior situations, beliefs, and learning, asking questions, and coming up with solutions to problems, as well as considering the meaning of involvement."

Students who take time to reflect on their service-learning experiences will get more from those experiences. I recommend providing structured opportunities for students to critically assess and understand what they are doing and evaluate where they are in meeting project objectives.

Throughout our project, students acquired, evaluated, organized, interpreted, and communicated information in different formats. They used active problem-solving, reasoning, and decision making to explore and communicate knowledge. They also learned how to use reflection as an organizational tool.

5. Community Involvement

Involving your local community and collaborating with them directly not only engages community members to help with the project, but ensures the end result responds to actual community needs.

Our community partners and volunteers played the role of advisors, facilitators, and educators. Some facilitated workshops with our student leadership teams. Some mentored student groups doing the planning, planting, caretaking, and projects for the zoo. A local recycling plant donated mulch. The Texas A & M Extension Office and Master Gardeners taught faculty and students about xeriscaping, and helped students identify and select appropriate trees and plants based on pros and cons for each type. Greenbelt Nursery showed students what to look for when choosing a healthy plant, donated plants, and discounted trees. The zoo was also a great partner, from helping us organize Earth Day activities, to answering students' emails.

No matter their role, all partners worked side by side with our faculty and students throughout the project. These partnerships were so successful that we continue to collaborate on new projects to "green" the school's campus.

6. Demonstrate and Celebrate

I believe service learning should always include demonstration and celebration to enable those engaged in service learning to share their experience with others. "When students prepare for sharing with others, their learning is also deepened," notes Elias.

My students created learning centers at the nearby zoo to present what they learned to the community and created their own interactive, hands-on activities to teach zoo visitors during an Earth Day event. They learned to talk to learners of all ages and became "experts" on different topics. They taught kids and adults how to make a compost pile, how to plant a butterfly garden, about xeriscaping, choosing proper plants, how to become a Master Gardener, wildlife and bird watching in your own backyard, and more. Students not only learned how to share their knowledge but also communicate it in different ways based on their audience.

Seeing the Results

Service-learning projects "live-on" even after the initial work is complete. Excitement filled the air when butterflies came to our garden! We also had a white wing dove make a nest in one of our oak trees. She laid three eggs and students took great care in observing them.

My students see the results of their work every day. They have pride and ownership in their garden and trees, and are protective of them, too. Students "named" their trees. They developed relationships with their plants and continue to care for them. Although the project is complete, the product is prominent in the school community and continues to be an integral part of curriculum programs.

Participating in a service-learning project has brought about noticeable positive change and growth in my students. Before our project, my students did not have strong observation skills. After getting their hands dirty planting seeds in our garden, my students' eyes have been trained to see small changes. They now notice bird species, insects, and other wildlife and natural wonders that previously didn't exist at our school site. These strengthened observation skills will surely help my students succeed in the classroom and beyond.

Have an idea for your own service-learning project? Need funds to implement it? Apply for a GreenWorks! grant from Project Learning Tree.

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Six Steps for Successful Service Learning

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Integrating service into the curriculum is an opportunity for students to learn about environmental and social issues in a real-life context. A successful service-learning project is more than just volunteering-it involves students applying knowledge and skills to make a difference in their communities.

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Offer sessions on navigating the school system, bilingual education, or culturally relevant pedagogy.

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Invite families to contribute stories, artifacts, or oral histories that can be integrated into class projects.

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Circle of Stories . Lesson 3: Record and Preserve Your Family Stories | PBS

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Lesson 3: Record and Preserve Your Family Stories