Teaching and Mentoring toward Culturally Responsive Practices

Abstract

With the ever-growing diversity of students in our schools, so too are the cultures and experiences that our students bring with them into the classroom. Yet many teachers feel ill-equipped to teach their students in a culturally responsive way. This article includes strategies for music mentors to successfully mentor beginning teachers toward becoming more culturally responsive, even as they themselves are also striving toward that same goal. Strategies include shared reflections, using targeted “conversation starters” to foster beginning teachers’ self-reflection, and harnessing the characteristics associated with beginning teachers’ developmental stages. Recommendations for reframing beginning teachers’ expectations for culturally responsive pedagogy are offered.