Overview
In this course, we have explored theoretical perspectives and practical applications related to creating and facilitating culturally inclusive learning experiences for students. As we conclude this course, in this unit you will reflect on the intersections of cultural identity, inclusivity, and teaching.
When facilitators and students enter a learning space, whether in a classroom, an online environment, or some other learning space, they engage in a potentially transformational experience. This is no easy task – and yet it is vitally important. In your role as a teacher, you have the potential power to inform – and transform – lives. The experience of teaching and learning is deeply personal, for both students and teachers, as together we encounter, explore, and create new ideas, new information, new connections, and new perspectives.
This unit provides the space and time for you to reflect on cultural identity, the power of inclusive learning environments, and your role as a teacher.
Topics
In this final unit, we will explore the following topic:
- Intersections of Identity, Inclusivity, and Teaching
Unit Learning Outcomes
When you have completed this unit you should be able to:
- Discuss the intersections if identity, inclusivity, and teaching.
- Analyze how cultural identity influences teaching practice.
Activity Checklist
Here is a checklist of learning activities you will benefit from in completing this unit. You may find it useful for planning your work.
Assessment
- Culturally Inclusive Lesson Plan (25%)** Complete and submit this assignment.
10.1 Intersections of Identity, Inclusivity, and Teaching
As we culminate our learning in this course, this unit focuses on reflective practice in which you synthesize and analyze your learning related to cultural identity, cultural competence, racism and privilege, and inclusivity in the classroom.
When we enter a classroom as teachers, we often focus on what we are expecting to teach, instead of who we are expecting to teach. In this course, we have shifted the focus from the content of teaching to who we teach – as well as who is teaching. We take our identities into the classroom as teachers – and our students, likewise, bring their identities into the classroom as well. The practice of teaching is at once both powerful and frightening. It can often go very well – and other times be an experience full of challenge and fear. Particularly when we teach cross culturally, we are both challenged and excited about the great potential of connecting with students with cultural identities that differ from our own.
As Parker Palmer writes, “I am a teacher at heart, and there are moments in the classroom when I can hardly hold the joy. When my students and I discover uncharted territory to explore, when the pathway out of a thicket opens up before us, when our experience is illumined by the lightning-life of the mind—then teaching is the finest work I know. But at other moments, the classroom is so lifeless or painful or confused—and I am so powerless to do anything about it—that my claim to be a teacher seems a transparent sham” (Palmer, 2017, pp. 1-2).
Palmer (2017) argues that it is at times like these that we must dive more deeply into the practice of teaching, to reflectively consider our own identity as teachers, and to bravely engage with the students in our classrooms.
“When you love your work that much—and many teachers do—the only way to get out of trouble is to go deeper in. We must enter, not evade, the tangles of teaching so we can understand them better and negotiate them with more grace, not only to guard our own spirits but also to serve our students well” (Palmer, 2017, p. 2).
Become a reflective practitioner, as you will explore more deeply in your Practicum, will provide you with a practice that can make this practice of teaching more sustainable, as you encounter the inevitable challenges of teaching.
Larivee (2000) provides a helpful framework for thinking about our experiences in teaching, at the heart of which are our philosophical beliefs about teaching: “core beliefs, values, life meanings, ethics” (p. 302). “Examining our core beliefs is a critical aspect of self-reflection. A core belief is a fundamental belief about human nature, development or learning. Our beliefs are adopted based on conclusions inferred from our observations and interpretations and they often remain largely untested” (pp. 302-303).
In this course, we have attempted to explore the role that cultural identity – an often unexamined “core belief” – shapes the way we approach teaching and learning. However, as Larivee (2000) suggests, much of what you have learned in this course will “remain largely untested” until you enter the teaching/learning environment and begin to put in practice the strategies you have developed. Beginning now to engage in reflective practice about your “core beliefs” and “underlying principles” (Larivee, 2000, p. 302), will prepare you well for the “daily practice” of teaching, and identification of “strategies” that Larivee (2000) also discusses.
10.1.1 Activity: Read and Reflect
Unit Summary
In this final unit, you have engaged in reflection of your learning in this course, considering the intersections of cultural identity, inclusivity and teaching. As you look forward to teaching, you can do so with a deeper understanding of how cultural identity influences the teaching/learning experience – and how you, in a teaching role, can create culturally inclusive learning experiences and environments.
Assessment
Unit 10 Discussion: Reflective Practice
To prepare for this writing activity, begin by reviewing your Reflective Journal, as well as other learning Activities you have completed in this course. As you review your learning, create a final Reflective Journal entry, in which you create a mind map, bulleted list, chart, or other model that captures the key areas and key elements of your learning. After engaging in this reflection on your learning in this course, consider your thoughts and feelings as you look forward to teaching practice. Building on this writing and thinking, write a 750 word reflection on your learning in this class, in which you in which you discuss the intersections of cultural identity, inclusivity and teaching, and analyze how cultural identity (both yours and your students) will influence your practice of teaching.
Grading Criteria
Before submitting your short reflective paper, be sure to review the rubric.
Rubric
Assignment 5: Design a Culturally Inclusive Lesson Plan (25%)
Building on your learning related to Understanding by Design, your Lesson Plan will include three key elements: 1) Student Learning Outcome, 2) Learning Activity, and 3) Learning Assessment. Your Learning Plan will also incorporate principles related to cultural competency, cultural awareness, and culturally inclusive teaching strategies. You will also incorporate Indigenous ways of knowing.
Using the Lesson Plan Template, design a Lesson Plan for a course in which anticipate teaching. Begin by writing a Student Learning Outcome according to the criteria listed in the template. Then, consider how you will assess achievement of the Student Learning Outcome. Finally, create a learning activity or experience designed to ensure students achieve the Student Learning Outcome. This learning activity should include both culturally inclusive teaching strategies, as well as Indigenous Ways of Knowing. Your learning activity could include a lecture portion, an in-class active learning activity, and out of class learning experience, group work, experiential learning, etc.
Be sure to incorporate the scholarly readings throughout, including citations as appropriate. In the last two rows, provide an explanation of how you have incorporated culturally inclusive teaching strategies, cultural awareness, external sources, Indigenous Ways of Knowing, etc.
Lesson Plan Template
| Lesson Topic | Include a Lesson Topic here, as well as the course in which this Lesson will likely be taught. |
|---|---|
| Student Learning Outcome | Include a Student Learning Outcome for this unit that aligns with the overall course/program you are teaching. Begin with: “Students will be able to…”. Include one learning verb (apply, analyze, etc.) and one noun (what students will learn). |
| Learning Activity | Building on your prior learning and scholarly readings, design a learning activity that will ensure students meet the Student Learning Outcome for this lesson. |
| Learning Assessment | Design a Learning Assessment that effectively measures student achievement of the Student Learning Outcome(s) for this Unit. |
| Culturally Inclusive Learning Design | Your lesson plan should demonstrate your learning in this course, incorporate culturally competent teaching strategies, and demonstrate your awareness of the culture in which you anticipate teaching. The lesson plan should also demonstrate your learning related to creating inclusive learning environments. Be sure it is clear to the reader what elements of the lesson plan relate to Culturally Inclusive Learning Strategies. |
| Indigenous Ways of Knowing | The lesson plan should integrate Indigenous Ways of Knowing, including the four traditional values in the “Circle of Courage.” Be sure it is clear to the reader what elements of the lesson plan incorporate Indigenous Ways of Knowing. |
Grading Criteria
Before submitting your Culturally Inclusive Lesson Plan, review the Lesson Plan Rubric. Your instructor will use this rubric to assess your learning. (Note: A similar rubric will be used to assess the Lessons you design in your Practicum).
Lesson Plan Rubric