The Academic Commons

This episode features Kati Fosselius, MS, RDN, LDN, and a discussion around using culturally responsive teaching practices in the classroom to create a more welcoming classroom and build authentic relationships with students.

Transcript Episode 5: Culturally Responsive Teaching with Kati Fosselius

Guest: Kati Fosselius, MS, RDN, LDN

• Role: Director, MS in Nutrition & Dietetic Practice Program, Thomas Jefferson University
• Expertise: Nutrition & Dietetic Practice and diversity, equity, and inclusion in health professions education

Quote from the Episode:

Getting Started:

• Build authentic relationships with students by understanding their individual strengths, goals, and cultural backgrounds.
• Incorporate student voices into the curriculum by allowing them to share their cultural experiences and choose topics relevant to their lives.
• Provide specific, actionable, and wise feedback to support each student's growth and development.
• Create a safe and brave learning environment where students feel comfortable taking risks and making mistakes as part of their growth process.

Terms to Know:

The terms below are mentioned in the episode, and for context and clarity, we've provided brief definitions of potentially unfamiliar terms you may hear.

• Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT): The process of using familiar cultural information and processes to scaffold learning. Emphasizes communal orientation. Focused on relationships, cognitive scaffolding, and critical social awareness.
• Deep Culture: Part of Zaretta Hammon's "cultural tree," this level, the roots in the tree analogy, refers to the collective unconscious; the beliefs and norms that provide the foundation for culture. This includes concepts such as fairness, self, and spirituality.
• Wise Feedback: A way of giving feedback that reassures the student that they are not viewed in the light of a negative stereotype. We assume rather than doubt their intellectual abilities. Wise feedback conveys faith in the potential of the student while being honest about where they are right now.

Selected Resources:

The Learning Curve team curated this list based on university resources or guest recommendations.

1. Academic Commons: Universal Design for Learning
2. Why We Need a Framework for Culturally Responsive Teaching
3. Hammond, Z., & Jackson, Y. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain: promoting authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students (1st ed.). Corwin.
4. Kieran, L., & Anderson, C. (2019). Connecting Universal Design for Learning With Culturally Responsive Teaching. Education and Urban Society, 51(9), 1202–1216. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124518785012
5. Extending "Beyond Diversity": Culturally Responsive Universal Design Principles for Medical Education
6. Academic Commons Upcoming Workshops and Events