Teacher Behaviors That Support a Positive
Self-Concept Among Minority Students

Check "-" if you need to strengthen your knowledge and skills and demonstrate appropriate behaviors consistently.

Creating a Multicultural Environment

As a teacher, how do you rate yourself on:	+	-
1. reviewing reading materials and school tests to identify culturally sensitive materials and taking steps to minimize their impact on students?
2. identifying and bringing to the attention of school officials policies or procedures that inadvertently penalize certain races, cultures, sexes or disabilities?
3. providing support for students to learn more African-American, Latino, Asian, and Native American history and culture?
4. developing classroom activities that foster an understanding and appreciation of the struggle of various groups for equality and recognition?
5. providing opportunities for students of different racial and ethnic groups to interact?
6. identifying and discussing in class contemporary examples of overt racism (e.g., South Africa)?
7. integrating appreciation for cultural diversity into all of your classroom activities?
8. recognizing and pointing out to students values that strengthen cultural bonds?
9. distinguishing between equality and equity and knowing when to treat students the same or different on the basis of their race, ethnic group, disability, culture, sex or level of academic achievement?

As a teacher, how do you rate yourself on:	+	-
1. constructing and using heterogeneous groups?
2. identifying students strengths and weaknesses in how they learn?
3. using instructional strategies that allow students to build on their strengths and overcome their weaknesses?
4. explaining how class content is related to the students' experiences?
5. encouraging more student grouping and interaction that lead to greater student achievement and appreciation of diversity?
6. developing rapport with each of your students?
7. conducting classroom activities that allow for the emotional and physical involvement of students of all races and cultures?
8. using positive slogans and inspirational messages all over the classroom?
9. making use of the buddy system?
10. using eye contact in a supportive way?
11. organizing curricula around central ideas and themes?
12. organizing math instruction around major mathematical processes of abstracting, inventing, proving and applying?
13. using alternative instructional strategies, e.g. cooperative learning and peer coaching?

As a teacher, how do you rate yourself on:	+	-
1. avoiding seating arrangements which keep lower achieving students farthest from you?
2. providing more "wait-time" for lower achieving students to respond?
3. balancing classroom interaction so that all students receive their fair share of time and attention?
4. providing better verbal and nonverbal support when communicating (e.g., head nodding, smiling, frequent use of praise)?
5. providing academic challenges for students of all backgrounds?
6. writing students encouraging notes letting them know of your high expectations for and good feelings about them?
7. maintaining a bright, colorful and cheerful classroom?
8. displaying each student's work at some time during the year?
9. showing empathy, sensitivity and compassion in all dealings with students?
10. using active listening?
11. setting weekly and monthly goals with students and monitoring their progress through one-on-one interaction?

As a teacher, how do you rate yourself on:	+	-
1. using heterogeneous grouping rather than ability grouping and tracking?
2. using more diagnostic pre-testing to enhance the heterogeneous grouping process?
3. providing more opportunities for teacher-student interaction?
4. employing some forms of cooperative learning groups?
5. setting up and using a peer tutoring or coaching system?
6. using a greater variety of learning materials and activities?
7. providing more frequent use of high quality feedback?
8. re-grouping students at regular intervals?

As a teacher, how do you rate yourself on:	+	-
1. using open-ended and essay questions that foster active involvement and reflection?
2. providing opportunities for critical thinking through open-ended questions?
3. providing opportunities for divergent thinking by asking students to compare and contrast?
4. providing opportunities for inductive thinking by specifically asking students to reason from the specific to the general?
5. providing opportunities for deductive thinking by specifically asking students to reason from the general to the specific?
6. using one-on-one cajoling, probing, delving and inspiring to get children to develop their thinking powers?
7. allowing students to differentiate, integrate and reintegrate so as to develop representational competence?
8. providing opportunities for higher level distancing and metacognitive activities?
9. providing opportunities for more role plays, simulation planning and evaluations?
10. providing regular opportunities for problem-solving?

As a teacher, how do you rate yourself on:	+	-
1. identifying students' unique talents and non-academic strengths and building on those in order to foster confidence and overcome academic weaknesses?
2. using peers positively to identify strengths and encourage success through group activities?
3. using the buddy system?
4. developing a positive and cooperative relationship with the parent or guardian?
5. celebrating individual student accomplishments throughout the school year?
6. helping students set short- and long-range goals?
7. allowing for weekly reviews of famous Americans of different racial and ethnic heritages who have set goals and achieved them?
8. setting monthly academic achievement goals for each child which can be shared with parents or guardians?
9. attributing poor performance to factors that the student has control over rather than judging a lack of ability?

As a teacher, how do you rate yourself on:	+	-
1. letting students know that you are aware of and interested in them as individuals?
2. conveying your expectations and confidence that each student can meet well defined standards of values and demands for competence and follow guidance toward solutions to problems?
3. enhancing the academic expectations and evaluations which parents or guardians hold of their children's ability?
4. serving as a model of sensitivity and high ideals for each student?
5. taking every opportunity to establish effective private (one-on-one) or semi-private communication with students?
6. encouraging students to express their opinions and ideas?
7. conveying to students concern and interest for their needs?
8. making certain the classroom climate is inviting physically and emotionally?
9. exhibiting enthusiasm for learning tasks and for the students?
10. providing humor in the classroom?
11. making a concerted effort to interact with each student?
12. encouraging students to praise their peers?
13. setting realistic but challenging expectations for students?
14. showing a desire to learn more about the various cultures represented in your classroom?
15. providing opportunities for all students to "shine"?
16. working with each student to establish goals, develop strengths and overcome weaknesses?

The checklists above are modified excerpts from C. Kuykendall's Improving Black Student Achievement, published by The Mid-Atlantic Center.