WoLakota Project
Where Culturally Responsive Teaching & Native American Essential Understandings Meet
Culturally Responsive Teaching
What fences might we need to become aware of?
Do we NEED them??
What categories of learners might my school community tend to "expect less" from?
What lived experiences or home cultures might my school community tend to see as "barriers to learning" rather than strengths?
What learners or groups of learners might have difficulty "seeing themselves" within my school's curriculum or learning environment?
What parent or community knowledge and experiences have been "valued less" as key elements for the learning of ALL students?
http://wolakotaproject.org
- Seven Understandings
- Written by Native Elders of SD
- Collective agreement across the state
- Structure for alignment of lessons
- Seven Understandings
- Written by Native Elders of ND
- Collective agreement across the state
- Structure for alignment of lessons
The Mindset of Culturally Responsive Educators
Characteristic 1:
Socio-Cultural Consciousness
Characteristic 2:
High Expectations
An awareness of how socio-cultural structures impact individual experiences and opportunities.
Characteristic 6:
Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices
Hold positive and affirming views of all students of all backgrounds
Design and build instruction on students' prior knowledge in order to stretch students in their thinking and learning.
Characteristic 3:
Desire to Make a Difference
Characteristic 5:
Deep Knowledge of their Students
See themselves as change agents working towards more equity.
Characteristic 4:
Constructivist Approach
Know about the lives of students and their families; know how students learn best and where they are in their learning.
Understand that learners construct their own knowledge.
1. Institutional
2. Personal
3. Instructional
"All three dimensions are foundational to the establishment of an inclusive school culture." (Richards, Brown & Forde, 2006).
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/cbs_responsivepedagogy.pdf
- 500+ interview clips
- Elders from ALL SD & ND Nations
- Multiple perspectives
- Multiple stories
- Local identification