Hello Faculty Members of Union Institute and University,
It is my pleasure to have the opportunity to connect with you over the upcoming weeks.
There are two articles I’d like you to read ahead of the presentation. The first is an article by Dr. Geneva Gay, “Preparing for Culturally Responsive Teaching”. In this article, Dr. Gay discusses a variety of pedagogical topics designed to help teachers build a culturally responsive practice. Although some of her references are specific to the K-12 environment, many if not all, can be tied into the practice of teaching at the university level. I’ll talk during the session about how to extrapolate some of these ideas and use them in the online environment. Feel free to jot down notes and ask any questions that may arise in the CampusWeb discussion forum here.
The second is a white paper written by Dr. Michele DePietro, “Checklist of Assumptions that Can Impact Motivation, Learning and Performance”. In this white paper, Dr. DePietro delineates a set of questions designed to get faculty to explore their own assumptions about experiences, knowledge, identity, viewpoint, and influencing attributions. He asserts that examining said assumptions prior to engaging students can help faculty to create a culturally responsive practice. It would be a great idea if you could take a few minutes to respond to some of the questions. There is no need to do this in the public discussion forum in CampusWeb but you can jot down your responses so that you can review them again after the presentation. When reviewing the questions, look at the ways in which your classrooms are designed (both on-ground and online). Examine your syllabi and assignments. Explore the language that you use when writing introductions, overviews and the content in the on-line course modules. Review each of these things within the context of the questions asked in the white paper.
During our time together, I will address as many of your questions as possible. Those that I cannot get to during the presentation will be answered off line. I look forward to an engaging dialog on May 28.
Best,
Tuesday L. Cooper, J.D., Ed.D.
Gay, G. (March/April 2002). Preparing for Culturally Responsive in Teaching in Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 53, No. 2. pp. 106-116. Dr. Gay is a Professor of Education at the University of Washington-Seattle.
DiPietro, M. (2007). Checklist of assumptions that can impact motivation, learning and performance. Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence, Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. DiPietro is the Executive Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Kennesaw State University).