Aligning Learning With Learners Guide
Overview of Environment and Culture
For the purposes of the Aligning Learning with Learners (ALL) Guide, we recognize that accommodating cultural diversity and a safe and productive classroom environment are inextricably connected to each other and to student success. For this reason, we have grouped culture and environment together for the purposes of the self-assessment and general overview sections. However, we separated these sections in the Getting Started and Moving Forward sections to maximize the opportunity to provide strategies for the classroom. 
Environment
The term environment refers to the physical and emotional atmosphere of the classroom, including elements such as room set-up and systems of communication. The ideas and strategies set forth within the environment section of the ALL Guide are designed to assist the teacher with setting up a safe and productive environment where all students can learn. The creation of this environment involves:
- Establishing classroom norms and procedures;
- Ensuring that all students understand the norms and procedures; and
- Requiring classroom members to demonstrate respect for one another.
These elements have been linked to a positive impact on student behavior and learning (Marzano, Marzano, & Pickering, 2003, p.16).
To succeed in creating such an environment, teachers must be knowledgeable about each student’s culture, learning style, interests, and readiness, and use this information to make decisions about their teaching. It is important to provide an environment where:
- Students can express their creativity;
- Exercise some element of choice; and
- Work on meaningful tasks geared toward their learning styles, interests, and culture.
Providing such an environment contributes to student motivation and improves classroom management, which increases students’ academic success. For more information on student motivation within the classroom, see Marzano (2003), and Ginsberg (2005), in the resource section.
After completing the self-assessment, you will be directed to some specific tips and strategies for creating a safe and productive environment. You may also view the expert panel tips regarding productive and destructive actions with regard to environment, by clicking here 
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Culture
Culturally responsive teaching is closely linked to the concepts of establishing a safe and productive environment. As stated in Jones (2005), “to enhance academic success, teachers can use information about cultural identity to create learning environments that recognize the cultural contributions of students” (p. 150).
Within the ALL Guide, we are looking at the term “culture” with a very broad lens. Culture can be defined in a multitude of ways, and often carries different meanings for each individual. According to the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the term “culture” refers to “the shared values, traditions, norms, customs, arts, history, institutions, and experience of a group of people. The group may be identified by race, age, ethnicity, language, national origin, religion, or other social categories or groupings.” When the expert panel was asked to define what the term culture meant to them, we received a very diverse set of answers, all with personal meaning and importance to the individual. These definitions can be viewed here .
Providing a classroom that is culturally responsive is linked to student motivation and therefore, increased student academic success. According to Ginsberg (2005), “designing lessons that help elicit students’ stories, opinions, values, and interests as a catalyst for learning is fundamental to encouraging intrinsic motivation across student groups” (p. 220). As well, “what is culturally and emotionally significant to a person evokes intrinsic motivation (p. 221). Therefore, teachers need to be committed to “acquiring detailed factual information about the cultural particularities of specific ethnic groups [represented within their classroom]…to make schooling more interesting and stimulating for, representative of, and responsive to ethnically diverse students” (Gay, 2002, p. 107).
Our aim is to provide resources and information that crosses racial and ethnic lines, socio-economic levels, gender and identity association, religious affiliation, learning abilities and styles, as well as the boundaries of any other group that one may associate with. We recognize that students from various backgrounds may have special needs when it comes to learning in the classroom. Based upon research and input from the expert panel, we have compiled lists of strategies and thoughts to consider for meeting the needs of all students in general, as well as those identifying with the following diverse groups:
- Students with learning disabilities,
- Students with mental retardation or similar disabilities,
- Advanced learners,
- Students with behavior problems,
- Students with persistent underachievement,
- Students with hearing impairment/visual impairment
- Second language learners,
- Ethnically diverse learners,
- Students living in poverty,
- Religiously diverse learners,
- Gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender, and questioning (GLBTQ) youth.
For more information on working with students from particular groups, please see the resource page.
After completing the self-assessment, you will be directed to some specific information regarding tips and strategies regarding culturally responsive teaching.