Sarah Bickens, Frances Bittman, David J. Connor
Publication Date: September 22, 2023
Pages: 256
Series: Visions of Practice Series
Embracing Diversity is about the craft of teaching, with a particular focus on celebrating the myriad of human identities through classic, contemporary, and unconventional texts. Secondary English language arts educators narrate their own experiences and provide insights by reflecting on aspects of everyday pedagogy. Featuring a rich array of texts designed to be both familiar and unfamiliar to the reader, the authors explore complex issues raised by a diverse body of writers, while simultaneously sharing methods that engage students to think critically. Topics include how students’ learning is influenced by their identities; the importance of building relationships; creating a balanced curriculum; developing cultural responsivity and cultural sustainability; confronting (dis)comfort zonesadapting to different educational contexts; and considering how the COVID-19 pandemic changed teaching. This teacher-friendly resource illustrates how reflective practitioners are assisted in their goal of teaching literacy skills while encompassing issues of social justice.
Book Features:
Sarah Bickens is an English teacher at Talent Unlimited High School, New York, NY. Frances Bittman is an English teacher at Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT. David J. Connor is professor emeritus at Hunter College and The Graduate Center, City University of New York.
“Embracing Diversity: Teachers’ Everyday Practices in Secondary English Language Arts Classrooms is a must-read for all teacher education programs and secondary language arts teachers committed to creating and implementing inclusive curriculum and instruction, particularly in this divisive era. The authors, with their combined 75 years of experience as educators, have written a refreshingly accessible and critically important guide to designing student-centered, culturally sustaining, and critically reflective literature classrooms. Though this book imagines ELA teachers as its intended audience, all educators will benefit from learning more about how to center diversity by meaningfully considering and incorporating strategies for teacher self-examination, navigating (dis)comfort zones in the classroom, and responding to shifting educational landscapes.”
—Keisha L. Green, associate professor, University of Massachusetts
“In this engaging book, authors Sarah Bickens, Frances Bittman, and David J. Connor offer their reflections as white teachers on addressing the increasing diversity among their students. They also provide extensive resources for building relations with students and colleagues, centering diversity through culturally responsive instruction, taking risks, attending to discomforts, and reflecting on instruction.”
—Richard Beach, professor emeritus of literacy education, University of Minnesota
“Written by teachers, for teachers, Embracing Diversity explores the personal, professional, and political complexities of teaching English language arts today. Grounded in theories of social justice, the authors offer practical classroom strategies and critical personal reflections that will inspire and empower teachers to develop an English language arts pedagogy that, first and foremost, centers students’ diverse identities and experiences.”
—Amanda Haertling Thein, dean of the Graduate College and professor, University of Iowa
Contents
Foreword Sonia Nieto xi
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction 1
Who Is This Book For? 2
Why Did We Write This Book? 2
Theoretical Grounding in Social Justice 5
Why Is It Important for Teachers to Critically Reflect? 8
Critical Self-Reflection and Whiteness 10
Structure and Content of Chapters 20
A Note on How We Developed Text 23
1. Assessing How Students’ Identities and Communities Influence Their Learning and Our Teaching 25
Why Contemplating Student Communities and Identities Matters 28
Selected Practices 29
Reflection and Risk-Taking 42
Summary 43
Questions for Further Reflection 44
2. Building Relationships With Students 45
Why Relationships Matter 47
Selected Practices 47
Summary 68
Questions for Further Reflection 68
3. Creating a Balanced Curriculum 71
Why a Balanced Curriculum Matters 72
Selected Practices 77
Coda 89
Summary 92
Questions for Further Reflection 92
4. Developing Cultural Responsivity and Culturally Sustaining Practices 95
Why Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Pedagogies Matter 97
Selected Practices 99
Summary 110
Questions for Further Reflection 111
5. Confronting (Dis)comfort Zones 113
Why Confronting (Dis)comfort Matters 113
The Pedagogy of Discomfort and the Importance of (Dis)Comfort Zones 115
Selected Practices 124
Embracing Diversity 131
Reflecting on Morality 133
Summary 135
Questions for Further Reflection 136
6. Adapting to Different Educational Contexts 137
Why Adapting to Educational Contexts Matters 137
Selected Practices 140
Considerations and Implications for Embracing Diversity in Your New Position 153
Summary 155
Questions for Further Reflection 156
7. Considering What the Pandemic Has Taught Us About Teaching 157
Why Considering What the Pandemic Has Taught Us About Teaching Matters 158
Some Benefits of Online Teaching 161
Some Cautions About Online Teaching 165
Selected Practices 169
Things We Wonder About 176
Summary 177
Questions for Further Reflection 177
8. Reflecting Upon What Teaching Has Taught Us 179
Notes 203
References 205
Index 223
About the Authors 237
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