In the Hammond book, we started to read and learn about Culturally Responsive Teaching and also how the brain plays a part in that. In the first 2 chapters we are introduced to the idea of CRT and culture in general. We learned about dependent and independent learners, culture, and so many other things. The book is not about how CRT is like in an ELA classroom, and today I would like to make an attempt at connecting the two. What would it look like in terms of ELA.
Some key components of the first 2 chapters that can be important for an ELA classroom is the iceberg of culture. There is the surface level, shallow level, and the deep level. It is very important for all teachers, not just ELA teachers, to try and get to the deeper level. In the deep level it is about how people from two different background react to certain events or topics. As a teacher it is important to understand how your students will feel and react to certain things. In order to do this you just have to spend time with your students, feel them out and figure out how they work. Once you are able to do that, then you can create a classroom environment that positively reflects your students. For ELA some ways you can create that understanding is through writing. Having your students write narrative pieces about themselves, or have them write about imagined scenarios and how they feel about them. Sharing these writing pieces with the other students can help the students make connections between each other too. Another key point is about how poverty is not a culture, and should not be included in how we see our students. Poor students act or have certain rituals as a way to survive poverty, it is not a culture. So being aware of this will help you also know your students.
