Reflecting Responsibly: Effective Tools to Promote Culturally Responsive Teaching in the TESOL Classroom

The gap between the academic definition of culturally responsive teaching (CRT) and its adaptation in TESOL instruction still limits the ability of educators to address English Language Learners (ELLs). Although the research base supporting CRT has expanded, most teachers have limited opportunities to engage in systematic self-analysis and rarely receive valid, student-generated feedback on classroom procedures. Such detachment usually results in perfunctory application of CRT, thus failing to accommodate the multicultural and linguistic identities of ELLs. In a bid to resolve this recurring issue, a professional development (PD) module and dual-assessment tool were constructed to support continuous teacher reflection and place the student voice on the front line of the assessment of culturally responsive practices. Using the CRT principles and the sociocultural theory, this study explored the extent to which pairing teacher self-reflection with feedback from students could encourage more responsive teaching. The two instruments of assessment, namely the Teacher Self-Reflection Rubric and the Student Voice Survey, were designed to form part of a feedback loop that enables educators to refine pedagogy in real-time. The results indicate that a systematic reflection process, combined with genuine student feedback, leads to meaningful shifts in teaching, thereby empowering teachers to better address and remain accountable for the cultural identities within their classrooms.

Grantor dc:publisher

SUNY Brockport Department of Education and Human Development

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Parker, Melysa

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Altalouli, Mahmoud

• ELLs
• culturally responsive teaching
• teacher self-reflection rubric
• student voice survey
• professional development

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12648/83196

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:soar.suny.edu:20.500.12648/83196