Authentic Lessons for 21st Century Learning

Making Learning Meaningful for All Students

Alonna Smith, Brandy Hackett | Published: August 17th, 2021 by K20 Center

Essential Questions

  • How do we help students make meaningful connections to learning?

Learning Goals

  • In this session, participants will identify components of culturally proficient education and anti-racism education.   

     

  • Participants will also apply culturally proficient and anti-racism strategies and incorporate them into their existing lessons.

Materials List

  • Internet Connection

  • Lesson Slides (attached)

Engage

10 Minute(s)

Display slide 3 to briefly go over session goals with participants. Display slide 4 to share the question that participants will reflect on while watching Windows and Mirrors: Learning About Difference—and Belonging—Through Books. Ask participants to think about the following question while they watch the video; How are the students' lives, cultures, and experiences reflected in the environments, curriculum, and instruction? After the video, ask participants to share their responses.

Explore

20 Minute(s)

Display slide 5. Instruct participants to do a self-assessment of culturally responsive classroom practices to see what areas they could work on in their classroom. Self-assessment can be given through Mentimeter or other similar tech tools. Responses should be anonymous to protect the participant’s privacy. While participants are taking the assessment, presenters might go over the indicators individually to help participants understand the intent behind each indicator. Assessment statements come from the Delta Teacher Efficacy Campaign. Briefly go over the results to indicate areas that the group might improve on and highlight these areas in the Explain and Extend.

Explain

10 Minute(s)

Display slide 6. Play Introduction to Culturally Responsive Pedagogy which further explains what culturally responsive teaching looks like and why it is important. After the video, go to slide 7 to provide a definition for culturally responsive teaching and the purpose. Ask participants to think about specific examples of invisible and visible culture and how those might be incorporated into everyday learning experiences.

Extend

15 Minute(s)

Display slide 8. Describe how to get started and go over explicit indicators from the self-assessment in the Explore section. Slides 8-12 provide specific practices and strategies that are culturally responsive. This is a good time to highlight those areas that participants indicated on the self-assessment as awareness or planning.

Evaluate

5 Minute(s)

Display slide 13. End the session with a participant share-out using the Point of Most Significance strategy followed by a session evaluation. If time permits, answer any questions that participants still have.

Resources