Overview

An approach to teaching that honors and sustains the cultures and ways of being of all children-and fosters learning success Children have disparate experiences in early childhood education: Racial, cultural, gender, and ability differences are apparent in how children are othered, disciplined, and excluded. Culturally responsive practices help teachers change such inequities by centering children's cultures-including their knowledge, experience, and languages-to build relationships and teach in ways that instill a sense of belonging and boost learning. Implementing these practices begins with teachers examining and understanding their own identities, cultures, and perspectives. This book supports teachers on this journey, helping them identify how their own cultures affect the way they view children and how cultural disconnects can lead to inequitable teaching practices. It offers teachers practical strategies for shifting their thinking and the way they interact with children to be most successful with each child. Both novice and experienced teachers will find guidance in this book to Examine their own cultural selves and how this affects their practice Understand what it means to be culturally responsive and why it is critical to children's sense of identity and learning Apply seven principles of culturally responsive teaching that help them build culturally sustaining relationships and environments and make a difference in children's lives. The principles include creating culturally inviting classrooms, focusing on strengths, accommodating unique cultural styles.

Full Product Details

9781952331442

Table of Contents

Reviews

Allen and Shapland Rodríguez have compiled years of developmental theory and educational research into a gem of knowledge that can help teachers grow in their daily practices with children. Not only do the authors ask educators to do their own self-reflection, they share their personal stories of vulnerability with bias and cultural exclusion. Our field has seen books on similar topics before, but this book provides updated research and a fresh, contemporary look at the importance of considering culture as part of the learning pedagogy. The book is an ideal tool for college courses, professional development training and workshops, and book studies within communities of practice. It should be a staple of our NAEYC canon! —Stephanie M. Curenton, Professor and Executive Director, Center on the Ecology of Early Development, Boston University, and Coauthor of Look Away: Embracing Anti-Bias Classrooms Becoming a Culturally Responsive Teacher is an important and timely contribution to the field of early childhood education. Rooted in reflection, humility, and a deep understanding of culture, the book provides educators with a framework for teaching that honors and sustains the diverse experiences of all children and families. The authors go beyond theoretical concepts to offer practical pathways for educators who want to critically examine their own identities and practices. This work will be an essential resource for teacher preparation programs and early learning professionals dedicated to equity, belonging, and justice-centered education. —Brian L. Wright, Professor, Integrated Early Childhood/Early Childhood Education, University of Memphis, and Author of The Brilliance of Black Boys: Cultivating School Success in the Early Grades This book accomplishes the urgent and complex task of translating powerful findings from research on culturally sustaining and anti-racist pedagogy into a practical guide for early childhood educators. It centers identity, humility, and relationships, all while confronting the exclusionary history of schooling in the United States. —Molly McManus, Associate Professor, Department of Child and Adolescent Development, San Francisco State University Drawn from decades of teaching experience and research, this powerful guide frames culturally responsive teaching as an act of becoming rather than a trendy quick fix. With vibrant real-world examples, clear definitions, thought-provoking reflection questions, and action steps, this book is an invaluable resource for future and current early childhood educators. —Noreen Naseem Rodríguez, Associate Professor, Elementary Education and Educational Justice, Michigan State University Becoming a Culturally Responsive Teacher is a transformative guide that pushes us to rethink how we see children, how we see ourselves, and how culture shapes every part of the learning environment. The authors honor the brilliance of children and the cultural knowledge they bring with them, encouraging us to build learning spaces where every child’s identity is seen as an asset. Reflective, practical, honest, and deeply aligned with what inclusive and culturally sustaining education should be, this resource will stay with you, challenge you, and elevate the work we all do with children and families every day. It is exactly what our field needs right now. —Chandele Morris, Inclusive Educational Consultant, Coach, and Author I am recognized in my district as having a culturally responsive classroom, and I thought I was doing well in this area. But reading this book made me evaluate my teaching practices and identify places where I could make changes. What would our classrooms, schools, and centers look like if teachers and administrators looked through another lens besides their own? This book needs to be read by anyone teaching, no matter what grade level. Don’t wait to add this book to your library! —Connie Hall, Kindergarten Teacher, 2023 Nevada State Teacher of the Year

Author Information

Rosemarie Allen,EdD Dr. Allen is founder, president, and CEO of the Center for Equity and Excellence, which provides professional development and consultant services to early childhood professionals for creating inclusive learning environments and ensuring equity and social justice An educational leader for over 40 years, Dr. Allen's work is centered on ensuring all children have access to high-quality early childhood programs that are developmentally appropriate and culturally sustaining. A professor in the School of Education at Metropolitan State University of Denver, her classes are focused on ensuring teachers are aware of how issues of equity, power, and justice impact teaching practices. Dr. Allen has served in directorship roles with the Colorado Department of Human Services and assisted in the creation of Colorado's early learning guidelines Dr. Allen serves as the president and CEO for the Institute for Racial Equity Excellence (IREE), the lead agency for ensuring equity in organizations throughout the nation and internationally. In this capacity she has worked with the United States Department of Education as well as numerous police departments, school districts, and other organizations to provide training on implicit bias, microaggressions, anti-racism, trauma healing practices, and racial equity. Dr. Allen resides in Lone Tree, Colorado Dorothy Shapland Rodriguez, EdD Dr. Shapland Rodriguez is associate professor in the Special Education, Early Childhood, and Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Education Department at Metropolitan State University of Denver's School of Education. She has more than 35 years of experience teaching preschool and elementary in public, private, and charter schools in Colorado and New Jersey. She has been a teacher leader and professional development provider and instructional coach for schools, centers, directors, and teachers throughout Colorado for the past 20 years. Dr. Shapland Rodriguez's areas of expertise includeeffective, intentional, antibiased, culturally responsive, and traumainformed teaching and learning in earlyeducation, and traumainformed equity leadership forschools and centers. Dr. Shapland Rodriguez resides in Denver, Colorado.

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