Class

March Updates

  • Encouragement for reaching March, a sign of progress through the semester.

  • Acknowledgment of upcoming midterm assessments.

Interactive Check-in

  • Quick chat blast encourages sharing of positive personal experiences from the past week.

    • Examples shared include:

    • Victoria: Received donuts and watched movies.

    • Marsha: Performance with the violin on Friday.

    • Makira: Birthday celebrations.

    • Isaiah: Girlfriend accepted into veterinary school.

Announcements and Assignments

  • Everyday Life Reflections:

    • Known as the Lemonhead and Whoppers activity.

    • Requirement to reflect on daily interactions and experiences with people.

    • Focus on personal insights, changes desired, and any surprises.

    • Submission can be:

    • Written reflection (1-2 pages)

    • Video reflection (4-6 minutes), following specific prompts.

    • Due date: End of Sunday.

  • Midterm Check-in:

    • Email check-in with specific questions:

    • How is your semester going?

    • Key lessons from the course?

    • How can support be provided?

    • Deadline for email: End of the next week (end of midterm week).

Culturally Responsive Teaching Overview

  • Reference to Zaretta Hammond's work, focusing on understanding culture:

    • Surface Culture:

    • Observable aspects like food, dress, and holidays.

    • Emphasis on festive celebrations in schools, but not impactful on academic achievement.

    • Shallow Culture:

    • Underlying social norms and unspoken rules of interaction.

    • Example: Respect for elders in different cultures.

    • Deep Culture:

    • Implicit knowledge shaping worldviews, ethics, learning processes, and health.

    • Understanding schema is essential for educators to support diverse learners.

    • Visual metaphor of a tree:

      • Surface culture = branches and leaves

      • Shallow culture = trunk

      • Deep culture = roots.

Importance of Cultural Understanding in Education

  • Need for classrooms to reflect students' home cultures in materials and practices.

  • Addressing the typical focus on white-centric narratives in education.

  • Importance of integrating diverse materials and affirming practices into lessons.

    • Example practices:

    • Promoting reading of books that reflect students' home stories and storytelling traditions.

Concepts of Windows and Mirrors

  • Conceptual importance of representation

    • Windows: Students see others who are different from themselves.

    • Mirrors: Students see themselves reflected in the curriculum and materials.

  • Teachers should be proactive when choosing new curriculum to ensure both windows and mirrors.

  • Viewing diversity as an essential element in learning environments.

Video Discussion on Windows and Mirrors

  • Video aimed to provide insights into representation in education:

    • Students share impact of finding characters similar to themselves in literature.

    • Importance of teachers who recognize and address diverse student backgrounds.

    • Educators promoting use of home languages in classrooms enhances comfort and learning.

  • Summary of video observations:

    • Building alliances across cultural differences is vital for fostering community.

    • Addressing the deficit lens commonly observed in education, encouraging an assets-based approach.

Individualistic vs. Collectivist Perspectives

  • Explanation of the two cultural frameworks:

    • Individualistic:

    • Focus in Western contexts, emphasizing personal autonomy and achievement.

    • Notable example countries: USA, Australia, UK, Netherlands, New Zealand.

    • Collectivist:

    • Focus on group unity, relationships, modesty, and shared achievements.

    • Common in African, Latin American, Southern European, and East Asian cultures.

  • Challenges for educators working with diverse families:

    • Contrasting expectations can create disconnects between home and school.

    • Students from collectivist backgrounds may struggle in primarily individualistic classrooms.

Classroom Practices for Inclusivity

  • Importance of understanding student backgrounds.

  • Discussions on adapting assessments and lessons to cultural backgrounds.

  • Encouragement for educators to prioritize inclusivity through learning materials and practices.

Conclusion and Next Steps

  • Reminder to complete reading for next week.

  • Reiteration of assignment deadlines (Everyday Life Reflection, Midterm Check-in).

  • Motivational ending, encouraging students to stay positive during midterm.