In Retrospect: Navigating Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in Teacher Education

In lieu of an abstract, here is the chapter\u27s first paragraph: This chapter discusses my attempt to implement culturally relevant teaching in a graduate literacy course to increase my teaching effectiveness and to better my relationship with my students. The discourse on culturally responsive teaching (CRT) has centered on preparing mostly White, middle-class teachers to teach in highly diverse urban classrooms (Cochran-Smith, Davis, & Fries, 2004; Gay, 2010). However, what has not been addressed in the research literature is how foreign-born teacher educators negotiate culturally responsive teaching, especially in predominately White teaching colleges. Foreign-born scholars of color may add the needed enrichment and learning opportunities necessary for novice and in-service teachers to adopt culturally responsive teaching because of their diverse life experiences and global knowledge perspective, which may help bring to the fore salient issues pertaining to cultural education (Amobi, 2004; Florence, 2010; Skerrett, 2006). However, they also face some challenges. Difference in educational backgrounds, as well as cultural and linguistic disparities can create environments fraught with misunderstanding and conflict (Amobi, 2004; Florence, 2010; Gay, 2010; Ifedi, 2009; Obiakor & Gordon, 2003. Worse still, teacher candidates might view foreign-born professors from a deficit perspective (Amobi, 2004; Florence, 2010)