What Makes Teaching Truly Culturally Responsive?

 

Insights from a Cross-Cultural Research Journey

As an educator of multilingual learners in Denver, I’m constantly searching for ways to make my classroom, and my school, a more inclusive and affirming place. This post is based on my research matrix assignment for the course Cross-Cultural Studies for Teaching Second Language Learners. I reviewed five academic articles on culturally responsive instruction (CRI) to understand what really makes teaching meaningful across cultures.

What I discovered is that CRI is not just about good intentions or occasional activities that recognize cultural holidays. It’s about justice, structure, and identity. Real CRI requires a deep commitment to understanding who our students are and what they bring with them, linguistically, culturally, and emotionally. That includes the books we choose, the questions we ask, and the voices we center in our classrooms.

What the Research Says

Through my research, I found several key patterns:

1. Culturally responsive teaching needs structural support.
   Comstock (2025) showed that even the most motivated teachers can’t fully implement CRI if their schools don’t provide policies, leadership, and professional development aligned with those goals. This really spoke to my role as a mentor, I want to not only help individual teachers but also advocate for broader changes in our school systems.
2. Teachers need confidence and training.
   According to Shubbar (2024), teachers with higher self-efficacy are more likely to implement CRI strategies successfully. This confirmed what I see at school: new teachers often want to be responsive, but feel unsure how. Building their confidence through mentoring, modeling, and supportive conversations is essential.
3. Student-centered is not always culturally responsive.
   Tanase (2020) reminded me that even progressive strategies like group work or inquiry-based learning fall short if they’re not grounded in students’ cultural backgrounds. CRI goes deeper. It means weaving student identity into the core of instruction, not just adding it as an afterthought.
4. Representation in literature matters.
   The “mirrors and windows” concept from Levine and Tamburrino (2024) reinforced my belief in choosing texts that reflect students’ lived experiences. I’m already thinking about how to integrate these ideas more intentionally in my Spanish Language Arts units.
5. Future educators need critical reflection.
   Díaz (2023) emphasized that teacher educators must prepare future teachers to question dominant narratives and reflect on race, power, and identity. This made me rethink how I support new colleagues in developing a deeper, more critical lens—not just strategies, but mindset.

How This Impacts My Work

This project helped me connect the dots between research and my everyday practice. As a team leader and mentor at my school, I want to do more than “talk about equity.” I want to help build the structures that make culturally responsive education possible. That means pushing for professional development focused on identity, creating curriculum that reflects our multilingual community, and encouraging colleagues to see culture as an asset, not a barrier.

I also feel more prepared to support teachers through their growth. Newcomer students need teachers who understand them not just academically, but culturally. And teachers need leaders who walk alongside them, offering both theory and practical support.

In the end, the most powerful message from this research is that CRI is not a checklist. It’s a mindset. It’s about listening, adapting, and co-creating learning spaces where all students, especially those from marginalized communities, can thrive with dignity.

Sources Referenced:

Comstock, M. (2025). A justice-oriented system. Teachers College Record.

Díaz, C. C. (2023). Culturally sustaining practices for middle level teacher educators. Middle School Journal.

Shubbar, A. M. (2024). Self-efficacy in the management of culturally responsive classroom.

Tanase, M. (2020). Is good teaching culturally responsive? Journal of Pedagogical Research.

Levine, E., & Tamburrino, M. (2024). Culturally responsive literature. Journal of Organizational Psychology.