It's long been a challenge in pedagogy to find a way to meet the needs of a diverse classroom; students have always presented a range of different cultural, linguistic, social and socioeconomic needs and backgrounds. In fact, in the academic research paper, "Culturally Responsive Differentiated Instruction" by Santamaria, it was found that ultimately, "The best teaching practices are those that consider all learners in a classroom setting and pay close attention to differences inherent to academic, cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic diversity. Through a closer examination of two different, seemingly distinct, theoretical models that have rarely been linked or reconciled, educators may be able to determine what is appropriate for particular groups of students in particular classrooms in particular locales" (Santamaria, 2009). This means that engaging in proactive, culturally responsive forms of decision-making and classroom management can have a marked and profound impact on students and the overall effectiveness of teachers....
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