Friendship with Old Order Mennonite Teachers Develops Cultural Responsiveness in Preservice Special Education Teachers

Developing preservice teachers with a strong understanding of culturally relevant pedagogy should be a priority for all teacher education programs. Although much focus is placed on diversity in urban areas, diverse classrooms are found in all education settings. This paper demonstrates how a rural o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Rural special education quarterly 2016-12, Vol.35 (4), p.10-17
Main Authors: Knotts, J. Dusteen, Keesey, Susan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accreditation
Children & youth
Classrooms
Councils
Cultural Awareness
Culturally Relevant Education
Culture
Goal Orientation
Instructional Materials
Interviews
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Pedagogy
Population
Preservice Teacher Education
Preservice Teachers
Questionnaires
Rural Areas
Rural schools
Special Education
Student Needs
Students with disabilities
Study abroad
Teacher education
Teacher Education Programs
Teaching
Teaching Methods
Thinking Skills
Urban areas
Urban Schools
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Summary:Developing preservice teachers with a strong understanding of culturally relevant pedagogy should be a priority for all teacher education programs. Although much focus is placed on diversity in urban areas, diverse classrooms are found in all education settings. This paper demonstrates how a rural opportunity expanded the cultural awareness and culturally responsive teaching of four preservice special education teachers. Knowledge shared between teachers in an Old Order Mennonite community and these preservice teachers resulted in growth for all participants. Through immersion with the Mennonite community, four key themes emerged: (a) culturally relevant communication, (b) goal setting, (c) culturally sensitive curriculum materials, and (d) creation of a classroom to match the students' needs.
ISSN:8756-8705
2168-8605
DOI:10.1177/875687051603500403