Using Student-Centered Engagement in the Classroom to Develop Cultural Intelligence

Culturally responsive teaching provides a framework for which we can aspire to better serve all students in our classrooms. Engaging students in conversations on difficult social justice topics can be extremely challenging but very important in our global society. The authors offer several strategies for first establishing student engagement, then implementing course content to develop cultural intelligence to have these conversations. Using the lens of cultural intelligence, the authors explore effective tools for creating a welcoming environment and ways to communicate effectively with cultural humility. Then, the authors explore anti-deficit strategies needed to engage students in learning about diversity and inclusion and to facilitate constructive dialogue about current issues of discrimination, bias, and prejudice. Finally, the authors offer several case vignettes based on the experience of using the problem of practice and provide example assignments used to develop and enhance cultural intelligence.