Running head: REVIEWING A PRIMER ON CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING

Reviewing a Primer on Culturally Responsive Teaching Eric B. Wells University of Central Florida

REVIEWING A PRIMER ON CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING

Strategies and Lessons for Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Primer for K-12 Teachers sets out to provide preparing and practicing teachers with effective ways to teach every student in a way that works for them through culturally relevant practice. It purports that schools should be institutions that act according to the principles of multicultural awareness, acceptance, appreciation, and action....[and that the work of teachers] open the minds and hearts of students and inspire themto make a difference in their schools, their communities, and the world (Chartock, 2010, p. x). Chartock sees teachers as change agents working for social justice. This book is her effort to help teachers effect that change. The meat of the book is found in over 40 lessons that the author developed over her years in the classroom. These lessons all work towards developing culturally responsive teaching practice within a specific area, which include: becoming a culturally responsive teacher, building the classroom-as-community, increasing knowledge about diversity, reducing prejudice, addressing diversity and the needs of English Language Learners, and increasing global perspectives. This book is laid out in an efficient and useful organizational pattern. Following the introduction, each chapter revolves around one of the above themes on being or becoming a culturally responsive teacher. Within each chapter, Chartock highlights some of the relevant research regarding that theme, lays out principles that should guide culturally responsive teachers, and then provides between five and eight lessons and up to two units that will help teachers instruct students in those areas in a culturally responsive manner. The organizational structure is definitely one of the highlights of this book as it makes the material immediately accessible for any teacher interested in using it. Chartocks introduction provides the reader with a brief primer on the background of culturally responsive teaching and some foundational definitions for the book. She also

REVIEWING A PRIMER ON CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING discusses some principles and myths surrounding culturally responsive teaching and dispels the

misconceptionthat it is mainly the poverty in which many children live that accounts for their failure in school (Chartock, 2010, p.3). For a related resource, Chartock points us to a news article from the Washington Post that also discusses myths about diverse schools (Mathews, 2004). While most of the myths are likely commonly held, and all seem to revolve around the theme that schools with diverse populations are less than their homogenous (read: affluent, white) counterparts, in my opinion, the most interesting myth Mathews (2004) notes is that minority parents dont care about the education of their children (Myth 7). Having worked in a school that has a high percentage of Hispanic students for the past six years, it is evident to me that this is a ridiculous myth that could not stand up to anyones experience with minority parents. I found it interesting because, in a recent discussion with Zachary Walker, who is a doctoral candidate in education and is widely involved with international education (currently working for the International Bureau of Education, and has worked with education systems, students, and parents in multiple countriesincluding the very poorest), one of the core themes he has noted in his work is that all parents, regardless of demography, want their child to do well in their education (personal communication, June 11, 2011). In the chapter on becoming a culturally responsive teacher, Chartock sets the foundation for the book by offering readers a chance to explore their own beliefs and attitudes about diversity. The goal here is clear: we cannot be sensitive towards and understanding of others cultures if we are not sensitive towards and understanding of our beliefs and attitudes towards culture and, indeed, our own culture. Chartock also presents a brief history of multicultural education, as a subset of culturally responsive teaching. She interestingly noted that multicultural education began as a reflection of increasing diversity of students in classrooms

REVIEWING A PRIMER ON CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING across America, but has evolved into an effort to meet the needs of these diverse learners. I

found this an interesting parallel to the history of special education: when first being established, the goals of special education were access-oriented. Pioneer special education advocates wanted to ensure that all students with disabilities were able to receive an education. This was enshrined in law (P.L. 94-142), and since then the focus has become one of a quality education that is based on the diverse needs of students with disabilities. Likewise, Chartock indicates that multicultural education followed a similar access to quality trajectory. The lessons in this chapter were geared towards use for pre-service and in-service teachers, but could also be used with students. Given the goal of this chapter, it seems useful that the first lesson provided is a cultural autobiography and identity collage. In completing this assignment, teachers gain a better understanding of their approach to teaching through analysis of their own cultural identity and reflection on what that identity means for their teaching. It is worth mentioning a brief note on Lesson 6: Do You See What I See? as well. This lesson allows participants to examine the effect their frames of reference have on the way they see the world. Perception is of critical importance to education (and culture); how I perceive my lifes experiences forms the basis of my reality. For it to work for me, your educational approach has to mesh with my perception(s) of reality. Lessons such as Do You See What I See? allow us to challenge our perceptions and [learn] to see, albeit dimly, through the haze of [our] own cultural lenses (Delpit, 2006, p. xxv). Chartock also devotes time to advocating for classrooms that function as communities. Cooperative learning and conflict resolution are offered as two potential catalysts for developing the school as a form of community that school[s] the child for a role as a full-fledged member of a democratic society (Driscoll, 1995, as cited in Chartock, 2010, p. 57). A primary principle

REVIEWING A PRIMER ON CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING to develop classrooms able to meet that goal involvesaside from some necessary cautions regarding a small subset of overly needy parentsgetting parents involved in a meaningful way in the educational experience of their children. One resource that could be helpful in inhering meaningful cooperative learning activities into daily instructional practice is Vermettes (1998) Making Cooperative Learning Work: Student Teams in K-12 Classrooms. This would be an ideal complementary resource to Chartocks text because both focus on pragmatic, real-world application of learning theory (where Chartock focuses on cultural-responsiveness, Vermette focuses on social-constructivism). Vermettes work is an outstanding resource that is sure to help any teacher develop cooperative learning groups that work for students of all cultures. The book continues to discuss strategies used to increase knowledge about diversity, which revolves around different microcultures. These microcultures could be based on race, religion, ethnicity, class, gender (and sexual orientation), language, and exceptionality (Chartock, 2010, p. xiii). Chartocks definition of diversity confirmed for me the broad scope that diversity can include. While it is often thought of in terms of racial differences, diversity includes much more. Even with what I would have considered a broad view of diversity, I probably would not have included exceptionality. While it is perfectly logical, and I will add

that particular label to my diversity definition going forward, my emotional response to the issue of disability results in my defending the similarities between people with and without disabilities rather than emphasizing their diversity. That does not mean the differences do not exist, and I am grateful that Chartock made that point. I was also very grateful for the Pyramid of Hate that was included in Chapter Five, which dealt with ways to reduce prejudice (and, in doing so, reduce the problemslike those on the pyramidthat result). A copy of that figure (5.3) will be hanging in my classroom next year

REVIEWING A PRIMER ON CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING

to help students visualize that what they perceive as harmless (insensitive remarks, name-calling, etc.; the lower levels of the pyramid), stem from the same hatred that has led to horrible atrocitiestowards individuals and groupsthroughout history; the difference is one of scale, not scope. It would also be an excellent starting point for the inter-disciplinary unit that Chartock shares on A Comparative Study of Genocide (2010, p. 136). This is a great example of a unit that ties in the ability for student interest to drive instruction with cultural relevance and state standards (in two subjects no less!). It does this in the context of the cooperative learning groups that Chartock noted as important at the outset of the book. The final two chapters of the book clearly demonstrate the trend towards a global civilization. While chapter six deals with international students in the United States (that being students whose first language is not English), chapter seven looks at ways to expand the knowledge-base of American students beyond our borders. Chapter six goes back to the importance of perception. Chartock notes a guiding principle that a teachers perception of his or her English-Language Learners relates directly to their academic performance. She also points out that few schools have programs designed to address the language needs of ELLs (2010, p. 145). I do not have numbers that would refute this assertion, but it seems as though there are a lot of services provided on behalf of ELLs. Perhaps the fact that I teach in Florida, however where all teachers have professional development requirements to complete in this areaskews my view of this issue. One of the initiatives my school is implementing next year is collaborative, interdisciplinary units planned during the Professional Learning Community meeting times. As a leader within the school, I would use the unit plans in this book as examples of ways this could be done in a culturally responsive manner. Because a lot of professional time and effort will go

REVIEWING A PRIMER ON CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING into planning these units, and because they will impact students in multiple classes throughout their school day, it is even more imperative that the planning is done in a manner that ensures reverence for students cultural needs. Unfortunately, as there are only so many required readings that can be given for a school year, this book would probably not make it into a book

study style professional development activity. However, given the accessibility of the material, I would still likely provide each inter-disciplinary PLC with a copy of this book and ask them to review the unit plans, steal what they can, and find ways to incorporate the books principles into their final unit plans.

REVIEWING A PRIMER ON CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING References Chartock, R. K. (2009). Strategies and Lessons for Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Primer for K-12 Teachers. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Delpit, L. (2006). Other Peoples Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom. New York: The New Press. Driscoll, M.E. (1995). Thinking like a fish, the implications of the image of school community for connections between parents and schools. In P.W. Cookson, Jr. & B. Schneider (Eds.), Transforming Schools (pp. 209-236). New York: Garland Publishing. Mathews, J. (2004, August 3). Seven myths about diverse schools. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com