Transforming Educator Practice Through a Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Pedagogies Rubric

Abstract

While the value of culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies in education is largely accepted, how to equip educators to integrate these pedagogies in their practice is far less understood. In this chapter, the authors discuss how teacher education faculty's understanding and implementation of culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies were strengthened through an iterative and co-constructed process of tenet and rubric development, scaffolded implementation, peer feedback, and collaborative reflection. Drawing from four years of faculty inquiry group work in ongoing professional learning settings, the authors discuss the importance of a localized, evolving central framework which both informed practice and was grounded in praxis. The authors argue for the importance of systematic approaches, including both self-work and engagement with structural inequities, using shared understandings to affect enduring, multi-layered transformation across a large and diverse set of teacher education programs.

Implementing the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction in Culturally Responsive Ways

“…By providing connections to the broader community, students seek to apply math skills to solve real-world problems (Abdulrahim & Orosco, 2020). In addition, teachers can use this as an opportunity to celebrate students' sociocultural identities as well as actively engage students as leaders in advancing social justice (Hsieh et al, 2021).…”

“…Educators can strengthen relationships with students and families by centering students’ voices and setting high expectations for their self-determined learning (Farinde-Wu et al, 2017). Finally, educators can establish a support system within their classrooms to ensure students can succeed and collaborate with other students, their families, and communities, removing barriers students might encounter as they set and work toward their goals (Abdulrahim & Orosco, 2020; Hsieh et al, 2021). Educators also can further connect with families, as well as consider the class as a unit where everyone in the class can provide support for all students to ensure community and shared goals (Farinde-Wu et al, 2017).…”

“…Given prior research suggesting limited educational opportunities in inclusive settings for racially and ethnically marginalized youth with intellectual disability, it is important for educators to ensure all students, including students like Omar, are provided with culturally responsive opportunities to learn and practice abilities and skills associated with self-determination (e.g., self-advocacy, problem-solving) with their peers. Educators implement the SDLMI by using strength-based approaches situating racially and ethnically marginalized students with disabilities, and their communities as essential instructional resources (Hsieh et al, 2021). This can advance equitable educational opportunities as students engage in creating and implementing their action plans to work toward their goals together.…”