Culturally Relevant Inspiration
Chardinique Wells
Inspiring Learning Through Incentives Program
Walter Bracken STEAM academy located in Las Vegas, Nevada offers a program titled inspiring learning through incentives program. Demographics consists of 54% Hispanic, 18% White, and 12% black. What makes this program so unique is that it consists of many different layers of incentive, not just you do something and receive something type of program. They place huge emphasis on reading and by using the incentive program to inspire the children 93% of their kids have met or exceeded benchmark assessments (edutopia, 2016). This program promotes creativity because it nurtures the confidence to try, it encourages generative thought, free from immediate criticism and it promotes willingness to make a mistake and try again knowing you can still be rewarded and encouraged along the way (Wardle, 2013). http://www.edutopia.org/blog/inspiring-learning-through-incentives-kathleen-decker
"Tell me and I forget, Teach me and I remember, Involve me and I learn" -Benjamin Franklin
Series Reading Program: Creating a Culture of Reading
This program which is also located at Walter Bracken STEAM academy focuses on reading and inspiring children to become excited about reading. Demographics consist of 54% Hispanic, 18% white and 12% black. What makes this program so powerful is that it focuses on book series to gradually increase a child's comprehension and continue to build on that comprehension for higher fluency. The student pick their favorite book series, they use AR to see if the student comprehends and is able to answer the question, then the student is acknowledged for the hard work and then encouraged to continue reading the next book (edutopia, 2016). I absolutely loved this program! This program promotes creativity because it helps learners find their creative strengths, conveys an understanding of phases and the need of time, and it facilitates critical thinking (Wardle, 2013). http://www.edutopia.org/practice/series-reading-program-creating-culture-reading
"What we learn with pleasure we never forget" -Alfred Mercier
"I Wonder" Questions: Harnessing the Power of Inquiry
"I Wonder" Questions: Harnessing the Power of Inquiry is a program offered at Crellin Elementary School located in Oakland, MD. The demographics for this school consists of 99% white, and .9% Asian. What makes this program so unique is that it uses students "I Wonder" questions to drive instruction. "By encouraging students' wonder and recording their I wonder questions, teachers can view those questions holistically and use them to develop lessons and projects that will harness student curiosity" (edutopia, 2016). I love this program because it leaves questions unanswered, but it always goes back and addresses those same questions but more in depth with more extensive reasoning. This program promotes creativity because it facilitates critical evaluation of ideas, encourages students to play with ideas and conjecture about possibilities, and it promotes experiment, inquiry and a willingness to make mistakes (Wardle, 2013). http://www.edutopia.org/practice/i-wonder-questions-harnessing-power-inquiry
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world"-Nelson Mandela
References
Warde, F. (2013). Human Relationships and Learning in the Multicultural Environment.
Retrieved from Constellation
Edutopia. (2016). What Works In Education. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/schools-that-work