STLinSTL 2018

Often we considered the work of culturally responsiveness in the classroom as another layer of work that educators need to figure out on top of instruction, content, assessment, feedback, and student engagement. The goal of the workshop is to re-frame the work targeted to students of diverse backgrounds and experiences as methodology for overall student engagement that should be embedded in our lessons and class routines. Together, we will explore the ways in which culturally responsive teaching actually implements some of the best practices for providing a safe and engaging classroom environment that benefits every single student. To do this work, we will reinforce an understanding for the parts of the brain involved in learning and how emotional responses affect how students engage with new information.By exploring strategies for community building and personal rapport between educator and student, we will design robust cognitive routines and lessons that will foster a culture of learning. The activities we will do in our workshop will serve as models to adapt to your own design and purposes that work your students.