Opening Minds with an Open Heart:
Multiculturalism & Diversity in the Classroom
Goals
In this workshop we will review the understanding, respect and appreciation of various cultures and how they are imperative for us to live peacefully as global citizens in and out of our classrooms.
To gain access to various lessons/ideas that will address tolerance and create a difference in the classrooms.
Introducing the speakers....
Two people I have chosen are naturally great teachers, but more than that they both have strong connections to their home and their culture. Naturally they are curious about their student’s home/culture and they naturally incorporate this into their lesson plans.
Jeremy is active in politics so he is naturally interested in people's views and opinions; especially as it relates to their culture. Amy is a leader within our school and in order for many of her programs to run well she has to inspire the community of the school, teachers and students. What both Jeremy and Amy do naturally is known as a cultural responsiveness to teaching .
Dana Lowery Ramseur,
Jeremy Hachen,
Amy Hicks,
“A truly great library has something in it to offend everyone.” ~Jo Godwin
Culturally Responsive Teaching
Cultural responsive teaching or CRT - recognizes the importance of including students' cultural references in all aspects of learning. We all carry our culture in our personality (in general). For example, I have a theory: one side of your family is louder than the other.
Examples:
My family on my father's side is much louder than my family on my mom's side, and both sides of my family sounds like a winning Panthers game compared to my husband's family gatherings. I often find myself talking with our Italian guidance counselor about our families "loudness" and have come to the conclusion that it is not "noise" but as a warmth to the room. In fact here is a short video of a grandmother talking to her granddaughter and let me know do you hear a conversation or a confrontation?
Create Warm Sounds
In your classroom you need to create a warm sound to your room.
I would never tell the students that quiet libraries actually terrify me, but they do....the silence of the olden day libraries are not welcoming to me, they still have a sound, but what I hear is: "you are not welcome here", "you cannot be yourself in here", "we would rather not have your kind get too comfortable in here".
Becoming more cultural...yes we are!
Teaching the Rainbow:
When we become more Cultural Responsive Teachers we teach the whole child, we make them feel valued which enables the student to be more respondent, while in turn makes the other students in the class room more compassionate about someone different than themselves.
Links to Lesson Plans
Here one will find downloadable lessons that focus on the issues of Cultural Responsive Teaching. These plans were written by teachers, for teachers. They support teachers who really want to bring their lessons to life and engage their students in real social issues. (Source: Connecting Cultures)
Multicultural Resources and Lesson Plans
Lesson Plans with Intercultural Dialogue
Multicultural Math: Lessons from the Mayas
We are Central Cabarrus High School Teachers
Email: dana.ramseur@cabarrus.k12.nc.us
Website: http://www.cabarrus.k12.nc.us/Domain/36
Location: 505 Highway 49, Concord, NC, United States
Phone: (704) 786-0125
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Central-Cabarrus-High-School/108073182546318
Twitter: @lumbeelibrarian