1. After reading The Dreamkeepers and participating in class discussions, I believe that culture is central to learning. It plays a role not only in communicating and receiving information; it also shapes the thinking process of individuals. Teaching practices that acknowledges, responds to, and celebrates diverse cultures have the potential to provide an equitable education for every student. In other words, culturally responsive teaching is a pedagogy that recognizes the importance of including students cultural references in ALL aspects of learning. As a teacher, I try to incorporate students home cultural experiences as a foundation to build their knowledge and skills in the classroom. I believe that content learned in this way is more significant to my students as they will be able to transfer what is learned in the classroom to real-life situations.
2. In many ways I have reframed my perspectives on diversity by instilling the word, "fairness" in regard to teaching diverse learners. Unfortunately, "cultural norms" are ingrained in much of the curriculum that I have worked with and should be altered to teach and manage a classroom of diverse learners. I will continue to practice being socioculturally conscious, recognize that students come from diverse backgrounds, and I will continue to design instruction that will build on what my students already know while at the same time stretching them and myself beyond "the familiar."
The Dreamkeepers "Education, like electricity, needs a conduit, a teacher, through which to transmit its power- i.e., the discovery and continuity of information, knowledge, wisdom, experience, and culture. Through the stories and experiences of eight successful teacher-transmitters, The DreamKeepers keeps hope alive for educating young African Americans."
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