Week 4: Teach Out Project Proposal

The problem I would like to focus on specifically is the lack of incorporation of culturally responsive teaching within the K-12 environment. Specifically, I would like to look at ways in which teachers could include culturally relevant pedagogy within their classroom. Additionally, many students experience discomfort within the classroom where there is a lack of culturally relevant teaching and I would like to explore this more in depth.

I will address the issue via a workshop series to touch upon several of the important aspects of culturally responsive teaching. More specifically, I would like this workshop to be tailored to other educators who are having trouble cultivating lessons that are culturally relevant or those who want to know more about culturally responsive teaching. These educators would be first year teachers and these sessions would look similar to a professional development session. 

Two Articles:

1) Mackay, H., & Strickland, M. J. (2018). Exploring Culturally Responsive Teaching and Student-Created Videos in an At-Risk Middle School Classroom. Middle Grades Review, 4(1).-       This article looks at a specific middle school teacher and how his incorporation of culturally responsive teaching an incorporation of technology affected his relationship building with his students.

2) Walter, J. S. (2018). Global Perspectives: Making the Shift from Multiculturalism to CulturallyResponsive Teaching. General Music Today, 31(2), 24–28.-       This article looks at the change between multiculturalism education to one where it is based in culturally relevant pedagogy. Specifically, it looks at music education and how the approaches have changed causing many teachers to take a step back and look at new ways to incorporate this new pedagogy in their classrooms.

3) Our discussion about Finn and his article Literacy with an Attitude: Educating Working-Class Children in Their Own Self-Interest also relates to this concept and idea that in order to create a conducive learning environment, it is important to make it relevant to each and every student, as well.

4) The article we read in class by Delpit, "The Silences Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People's Children"was one that I found very helpful in understanding the topic. It will help in the discussion I will be having about culturally relevant teaching.