On October 22-24, 2019, I, and three colleagues from VU’s Graduate Programs in Education, Dr. Terrelle Sales, Dr. Jennifer Jagerson, and Dr. Rebecca Spady, attended the California Council on Teacher Education (CCTE) conference in San Diego, California.
The CCTE’s focus of the conference was to address a growing need in the field of teacher education programs as we address the California Teaching Performance Expectations (TPEs) related to Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).
The TPE’s are the SLOs for VU’s teacher preparation program and this conference aligned well with our pedagogical practices. The conference provided, not only, a sound theoretical and practical understanding of SEL and CRT, but also an exploration of their interdependence. In addition, we discussed the overwhelming need for teacher educators to emerge as social agents of change.
One exciting encounter I had was the opportunity to meet Zaretta Hammond, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain. I was first introduced to Hammond’s research through the Inclusive Teaching online course that I had the opportunity to participate in this past summer, offered by VU’s Institute for Faculty Development (IFD). Hammond’s book offers a wealth of brain-based strategies to support culturally response pedagogy.
I believe my knowledge base has grown tremendously as I made significant connections with Hammond’s book, the Inclusive Teaching course, my instruction with teacher candidates in the teacher credential program here at VU, and my work with the IFD concerning culturally responsive pedagogy.
The call went out to, “Let it Begin With Us.” This call was for teacher educators to help interrupt systemic racism and actualizing equity. Some questions proposed, which I believe are relevant for all educators are, “How are we noticing and fighting our own biases?” “How are we providing support with rigor for our students from underserved schools?”
After the conference, CCTE members shared valuable resources for incorporating SEL and CRT into our practice as teacher educators that can offer insights into humane classroom management that is grounded in trust and respect. I would suggest that these resources are not only relevant for teacher educators, but all educators, including those of us who serve students in higher education.
I have included these resources for your reference:
Aguilar, E. ((2018). Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators. John Wiley & Sons.
Alexander, M. (2012). The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. The New Press
Desmond, M. (2017). Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. Broadway Books.
DiAngelo, R. (2018). White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism. Beacon Press.
Eberhardt, J.L. (2019). Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do. Viking.
Gay, G. (2018). Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice (Multicultural Education Series). Teachers College Press.
Hammond, Z. (2014). Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Corwin.
Kendi, I.X. (2019). How to Be an Antiracist. One World.
Stevenson, B. (2015). Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. Spiegel & Grau.
Tatum, B.D. ((2017). Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race. Basic Books.
