Cultural Competence in Education by

Education and Socioeconomic Status Factsheet

raycebea — 2025-07-18 19:46:42 UTC

This factsheet, provided by the American Psychological Association, highlights the disparities between high- and low-socioeconomic households and their influences on a child's health, education, and career prospects.

(Social Impact) What is the most important influence on child development | Tom Weisner | TEDxUCLA (8:42)

raycebea — 2025-07-18 22:19:16 UTC

Although this video is somewhat lengthy, it covers some of the most critical factors affecting a child's development worldwide. It contains great points about the social distribution of care and how the context in which the child lives is of the utmost importance.

Parental Impact on Creativity

raycebea — 2025-07-18 22:30:48 UTC

This infographic illustrates simple ways in which adults can spur creativity in a developing child. As someone who feels they've lost their sense of creativity, this infographic was a great reminder that it is not an innate trait, but rather is formed when a child has the opportunity to explore creative spaces, something even adults can do too.

Gender Identity and School Inclusion

raycebea — 2025-07-18 22:41:03 UTC

This is a longer research paper aimed at identifying scholastic factors that impact the well-being of transgender or nonbinary (TNB) youths. In its conclusion, the paper identifies openness, validation, and support of gender diversity as key drivers of the healthy well-being of TNB youths, while also discussing some of the ways to implement these strategies.

My Reflection on this Research

raycebea — 2025-07-18 22:50:40 UTC

I've understood some of the impacts that can affect a child during development, mostly factors such as parenting or economic conditions. However, this research has opened my eyes to many other factors that play a role in development, some of which are minor and others that are significant. I would have never guessed how much a small factor, such as sitting alone or with someone at lunch, can influence the well-being of a child in the present, and as they develop into adults. I think these resources highlight some of the most critical aspects to keep in mind when creating a classroom environment that encourages respect, freedom of creativity, and even a sense of community.

Implicit vs Explicit Bias

raycebea — 2025-07-18 23:00:00 UTC

I used this article when researching for a discussion post. While it is brief and straightforward, it really helped me understand the distinction between implicit and explicit bias, as well as the role implicit bias plays in all levels of education. I found this very enlightening for such a short piece.

Cultural Competence as a Teacher (1:41)

raycebea — 2025-07-18 23:17:15 UTC

While this video does not exactly define cultural competence, it brings forward great points about what cultural competence entails for a teacher. The point John Hattie makes, which really resonated with me, is that it's not about what the children can or can't do; it's how they think. To help students achieve academic success, first, you must build a relationship with them. However, before you can do that, you must understand the context in which the student exists and what they bring to the classroom.

Factors of Cultural Competence

raycebea — 2025-07-18 23:23:46 UTC

I thought this was a great and useful infographic covering some of the aspects needed for culturally competent teaching. This is great for referencing if, in the future, an instance arises in which I may not see what I'm missing, or what more I can do to be culturally responsive in my teaching.

Cultural Competence Definitions

raycebea — 2025-07-18 23:31:00 UTC

This article is a lot, I know. While it does give concrete definitions to what culturally competent teaching is and has been, I selected it for a different reason. By giving so many definitions for cultural competence, this article gives you the idea that cultural competence does not have a single definition; instead, it takes so many different forms! This helped me realize that there are important ways to implement culturally responsive teaching, but at the basis of all of that lies the desire to help students become the best version of themselves. Not the best reader, the best mathematician, or the best at science, just the best version of that child.

Professional Learning - Cultural Competence

raycebea — 2025-07-18 23:38:07 UTC

I would consider this the groundwork for this section. This article outlines what cultural competence and implicit bias are, what constitutes a culturally competent teacher, and methods for implementing culturally competent teaching. While it is a rather bland article, I think it has a lot to offer for someone who wishes to continue on the path of self-improvement and understanding.

Culturally Competent Pedagogy

raycebea — 2025-07-19 16:24:14 UTC

While this article provides solid definitions for cultural competence, I selected it for its points about a culturally responsive pedagogy. This article provides some details on where previous culturally affirming pedagogies fell short and covers the direction in which culturally affirming pedagogies are headed. This article lacks a solid conceptual framework, but consists of smaller, easier-to-implement, culturally respectful ideologies.

Diversity Iceberg (Implicit Bias Aspect of Culture Competence)

raycebea — 2025-07-19 16:31:30 UTC

This is a simple yet powerful infographic that I would like to use to illustrate how implicit bias influences the development of cultural competence and understanding. While, as educators, we must explore our own biases, we must also make an effort to see the student for who they are, regardless of our biases. This requires an active willingness to challenge our preconceptions about students, staff, and people in general. I thought this infographic was a great representation of just how little we know about someone, and how much there is to a human being, as well as the different biases we must challenge.

Student Teacher Relationships

raycebea — 2025-07-19 16:41:30 UTC

This video not only explains cultural competence but also provides examples of how this school has implemented a culture-affirming curriculum and the benefits that result. I selected this video because it highlights how cultural competence can help develop strong relationships with students, which in turn leads to increased student achievement.

Cultural Competence Example Scenarios (Implementation through Practice)

raycebea — 2025-07-19 17:18:50 UTC

These exercises are great for challenging your own implicit biases and offer a lot of information that I may not be aware of until I am in that situation. For instance, the first scenario involves a young girl who returns to school after break wearing a traditional Muslim headscarf. Other girls in the class make negative comments about her headscarf, and the scenario asks how you, the reader, would handle this situation. It raises excellent points, such as how one can't tell if someone is practicing their religion solely by the presence of a headscarf, and how this is likely a significant step for the young girl to wear this headscarf for the first time. These exercises are great for identifying the ways we perceive others and their interactions, while providing substantive answers to these questions.

Harvard's Implicit Bias Assessment Tool

raycebea — 2025-07-19 18:03:39 UTC

Self-assessment is critical in developing cultural competence, and this resource is the best I have found for assessing implicit biases. After completing a couple of these assessments, I feel more assured of my biases; however, there are numerous types of bias assessments available through this resource, all of which can have a significant impact on students, especially as the student body becomes increasingly diverse.

Harvard Race IAT Results Reflection

raycebea — 2025-07-20 21:47:26 UTC

In the previous section, I provided an implicit bias test from Harvard. While I did want to include that in this section, I thought it was a better tool for developing cultural competence rather than how it impacts teacher perceptions. However, I'd like to reflect on my test scores from Harvard's Race IAT (Implicit Association Test). My results indicate that I have no automatic preference between African Americans and European Americans. It felt good to receive these results; however, it helped me realize that tests like these cannot always detect implicit biases. As I study to become a teacher, I understand that I must consistently stay aware of my actions and decisions, especially in those situations where biases may take hold. I think that even with a test like this, some may take it and assume they are free of biases, assumptions, or stereotypes, but that's not the case. This can be even more problematic, causing instructors to act with full confidence that they are not influenced by bias, when really, constant self-reflection is the only way to maintain a check on our biases.

Awareness of Implicit Bias

raycebea — 2025-07-21 13:51:56 UTC

I selected this article for two reasons: it discusses addressing implicit bias through awareness and maintaining that awareness through practices such as journaling or practicing mindfulness, like meditation. Becoming aware of our biases is the first step and is crucial for getting our foot in the door when it comes to refuting them. Additionally, the article discusses several ways to develop consistent reflection, which I believe is essential for being a culturally competent educator.

Gender Biases in Math Assessments

raycebea — 2025-07-21 14:05:19 UTC

I selected this research paper because of its intriguing results. In this paper, they measure implicit biases among white and non-white educators and students, and their ability to solve mathematical problems. While there were signs of implicit bias against race, the results showed greater disparities among boys and girls, a type of bias I had not done much research on until this point. The study found that both male and female, white and non-white teachers, were more likely to rate a boy student's mathematical abilities higher than those of their female peers. This opened my eyes to a gender bias that I had not been aware of previously.

History and Data of Biases Impact on Education

raycebea — 2025-07-21 14:15:17 UTC

I selected this article because it discusses the history of how implicit bias has become one of the most significant issues we face in education since Brown v. Board of Education. It provides detailed information about some of the measured biases among educators and students, as well as the ways those biases directly impact students' lives. Finally, the article suggests ways we can help students overcome these biases while addressing our own.

Implicit Bias Impact on Pre-Service Educators

raycebea — 2025-07-21 15:29:37 UTC

In this study, researchers discovered not only increased biases against asian American, African American, and low SES (socioeconomic status) students, but that the observed pre-service educators had no desire to change potentially biased perceptions. They found that most of these biases had developed through 'lived experience', and that some of the pre-service educators measured had intertwined implicit and explicit biases, being tested to reveal implicit biases and then reinforcing those beliefs with explicit bias. This was a strange study, not in the research but in the results. Most of the preservice educators had both implicit biases that they would vehemently deny, as well as admitting they had never attempted to challenge their biases until directly exposed to diversity or a problem-solving issue that included a factor of bias. This study has made me grateful that I am able to educate myself on such a complex and conflicting topic, and that I am challenged to observe and reflect on my own biases before they may affect my teaching.