Knowledge Bases Needed for Teaching in Diverse Classrooms

Various researchers have discussed the knowledge bases that teachers need to know in order to improve the academic performance of culturally and linguistically diverse students in the United States.

Smith (1998) describes 13 knowledge bases that are needed by all teachers working with diverse populations:

• "Foundations of multicultural education."
• "Sociocultural contexts of human growth and psychological development in marginalized ethnic and racial cultures."

• "Cultural and cognitive learning style theory and research."

• "Language, communication, and interactional styles of marginalized cultures."

• "Essential elements of cultures."

• "Principles of culturally responsive teaching and culturally responsive curriculum development."

• "Effective strategies for teaching minority students."

• "Foundations of racism."

• "Effects of policy and practice on culture, race, gender, and other categories of diversity."

• "Culturally responsive diagnosis, measurement, and assessment."

• "Sociocultural influences on subject-specific learning."

• "Gender and sexual orientation."

• "Experiential knowledge." (pp. 132-135)

Haberman and Post (1998) list the knowledge bases they believe teachers need for effective teaching in classrooms with culturally and linguistically diverse learners:

• "Self-knowledge--a thorough understanding of one's own cultural roots and group affiliations."

• "Self-acceptance--a high level of self-esteem derived from knowing one's roots."

• "Relationship skills--the ability to work with diverse children and adults who are different from oneself in ways that these others perceive as respectful and caring."

• "Community knowledge--a knowledge of the cultural heritages of the children and their families."

• "Empathy--a deep and abiding sensitivity and appreciation to the ways in which children and their families perceive, understand, and explain their world."

• "Cultural human development--an understanding of how the local community influences development."

• "Cultural conflicts--an understanding of the discrepancies between the values of the local community groups and the traditional American values espoused in schools."

• "Relevant curriculum--a knowledge of connections that can be made between general societal values and those of the culture groups in the community, and the skills needed to implement this knowledge."

• "Generating sustained effort--a knowledge and set of implementation skills that will engage youngsters from this community to persist with schoolwork."

• "Coping with violence--skills for preventing and de-escalating violence and the potential for violence."

• "Self-analysis--a capacity for reflection and change."

• "Functioning in chaos--an ability to understand and the skills to cope with a disorganized environment." (pp. 98-99)

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