Inclusive Environment
Celebrating Diversity and Heritage Months
My classroom is one in which students feel respected by and connected to one another. The environment integrates an open, comfortable and energetic atmosphere. I seek to motivate my students to participate actively in our discussions and to further their desire to learn the materials in an excited way. I seek to cultivate relationships, creating an atmosphere in which students feel known, appreciated, and comfortable taking emotional and intellectual risks. Examples of creating this environment are greeting the students by name, hand shakes, fist bumps, high fives, using their language, and making them feel as if they are connected to me and the room as a safe place.
Many physical arrangements in the classroom such as seating and décor take place in creating a warm and inclusive atmosphere. Seating arrangements and collaborative assignments are strategic in that they are grouped in fours for a cohesive development of communication skills and joint production. The wall décor depicts influential artists of diverse backgrounds. We develop a social contract which each student signs to establish a sense of integrity and commitment to create a common respect and expectation in the classroom. My classroom is a supportive environment that derives an appreciation of diversity. It is pertinent that the curriculum and the classroom environment honor and reflect the lives of the students. For instance, I incorporate lessons based on many different famous artists of several diversities. These include Pablo Picasso from Spain, Frida Kahlo from Mexico, Yayoi Kusama from Japan, Leonardo Da Vinci from Italy, and many more. We discuss historical and cultural context of the arts such as its application and involvement in political and social roles. We discuss history and development of African art, Asian art, Middle Eastern art, Aboriginal art, Latin American art, and European art. In our class, cultural celebrations matter greatly because they help better explain the stories and histories of each ethnic culture. These cultural celebrations provide the opportunity to recognize the complexities and richness of each cultural identity. We participate in heritage month celebrations by playing cultural music, games, and creating art to represent the culture or heritage being celebrated. Please see examples of our heritage month celebrations below: |
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Click on the KHTS image to read all about Mrs. Richardson's class and students celebrating cultural diversity!