Culturally Responsive Classroom Management (CRCM) is an approach to running classrooms with all children, [not simply for racial/ethnic minority children] in a culturally responsive way. More than a set of strategies or practices, CRCM is a pedagogical approach that guides the management decisions that teachers make. It is a natural extension of culturally responsive teaching which uses students’ backgrounds, rendering of social experiences, prior knowledge, and learning styles in daily lessons.
Teachers, as culturally responsive classroom managers, recognize their biases and values and reflect on how these influence their expectations for behavior and their interactions with students as well as what learning looks like. They recognize that the goal of classroom management is not to achieve compliance or control but to provide all students with equitable opportunities for learning and they understand that CRCM is “classroom management in the service of social justice”.
Weinstein, Tomlinson-Clarke and Curran (2004) developed a five-part concept of CRCM derived from the literature on culturally responsible pedagogy, multicultural counseling and caring: recognition of one’s own cultural lens and biases, knowledge of students’ cultural backgrounds, awareness of the broader social, economic and political context, ability and willingness to use culturally appropriate management strategies, and commitment to building caring classroom communities.
Essential Elements of CRCM:
- Recognition of One’s Own Cultural Lens and Biases
- Knowledge of Students’ Cultural Backgrounds
- Awareness of the Broader, Social, Economic and Political Contexts
- Ability and Willingness to Use Culturally Appropriate Management Strategies
- Commitment to Building Caring Classroom Communities
In turn, the goal of classroom management is to create an environment in which students behave appropriately from a sense of personal responsibility, not from a fear of punishment or desire for a reward. As such the environment must acknowledge and be responsive to who are the students (cognitively, socially and emotionally), and create a safety net that equitably responds to what teachers know about their students.
Cultural Competence ToolBox 