From Theory to Practice: Dos of Culturally Responsive Teaching in Teacher Education Programs

Abstract

The problem the study addresses is how teacher candidates acquire knowledge, skills, and techniques regarding cultural competence over time. We conducted interviews with three teachers, three teacher educators, and six university professors in Florida over a 12-month period. After coding the data, we generated 26 categories. Data indicate that teacher candidates increase their understanding of CRE when they are explicitly taught about the cultural contexts of society. The findings suggest that conducting assignments on diverse school cultures can enhance teacher candidates’ cultural responsiveness. Our study contributes to the literature by providing concrete examples of what CRE looks like in practice.