Culture is music, literature, visual arts, dance, architecture and language.
This course incorporated expansive topics like ethnocentrism, the danger of a single narrative, the principles of culturally responsive teaching, ethics and racial diversity, stages of cultural continuum, essential elements of cultural proficiency, gender and sexual orientation and religion.
One of the most impactful takeaways came from the 7 Principles of Culturally Responsive Teaching. It was the importance of reinforcing students in their academic development by “catching kids being smart”, having high expectations, having genuine respect for cultural ways of knowing and making kids feel smarter than they even think they are. This is especially important in marginalized/underserved communities.
From the Discussions:
Explain the importance of “Funds of Knowledge”.
Funds of knowledge is getting to know your students and using that knowledge to plane lessons that incorporate the interests, backgrounds and abilities of those you will be teaching.
How does knowing our students help us design curriculum that is culturally responsive?
Knowing the students helps the teacher to identify and overcome cultural obstacles that may impede a student’s learning. For instance, while discussing the short stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald with my adult ESL book club, I discovered that the “Roaring 20’s” never made its way to Iran (most of the learners I engage with are Persian). This realization prompted me to learn more about Iran in the 20’s and to incorporate history and vocabulary to provide context to help them better understand the stories.
Mabelette Adams Bermack 