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Teaching & Learning: Cultural Responsiveness, Literacy & Mathematics

Commitment to Cultural Responsiveness

We are committed to being culturally responsive. As a system, we will provide relevant and authentic learning experiences for students every day in inclusive environments. To this end, educators throughout CCRCE will work to improve their understanding and application of those classroom practices that are culturally responsive.

Creating Culturally Responsive Environments

  • Collaboratively create culturally responsive learning environments where relational and restorative approaches are practiced

  • Engage students' in learning opportunities that are relevant to their lived experiences

  • Ensure that learning environments are social, collaborative, provide opportunities for intentional movement, and are flexible in nature; therefore, are responsive to student needs

  • Share clear learning targets with their students and co-create criteria for success

  • Students actively participate in inquiry, make decisions about their own learning, construct their own knowledge, engage in reflective thinking and writing and are inspired to learn at high levels

Literacy Goal

To develop skilled, critical independent readers and writers who acquire, create, connect, and communicate meaning through listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Effective and Equitible Practices in Literacy

  • Use a collaborative approach to literacy instruction and assessment to meet student needs

  • Instruction and assessment practices are based on curriculum outcomes and learners' strengths/needs

  • Educators of all grade levels use impactful, high-leverage instruction and assessment practices, such as:

    1. Small group instruction (which incorporates guided reading and writing)

    2. Conferring

    3. Co-constructing learning environments to support literacy learning (i.e. learning environments are varied and flexible)

    4. Explicit instruction

    5. Attending to multiple literacies

    6. Reading/Writing Workshop model

  • Instruction and classroom activities are creative, innovative and consider global competencies, such as communication, technological fluency, citizenship and critical thinking

  • Feedback is provided in a timely and meaningful manner

  • Educators will be able to identify learners who need additional support provided using a collaborative team approach

  • Educators know where each learner is and plans/creates responsive instruction to address student needs

Mathematics Goal

Students will develop a deep understanding of mathematical concepts from which they will develop procedural fluency, strategic competence, and adaptive reasoning.

Effective and Equitible Practices in Mathematics

  • Through a culturally responsive and social justice lens, educators develop lessons using the three part lesson framework (preparing for, engaging in and reflecting on the learning)

  • Educators understand and implement the eight effective teaching practices from Principles to

  • Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success For All as developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics:

    1. Establish mathematics goals to focus learning.

    2. Implement tasks that promote reasoning and problem solving.

    3. Use and connect mathematical representations.

    4. Facilitate meaningful mathematical discourse.

    5. Pose purposeful questions.

    6. Build procedural fluency from conceptual understanding.

    7. Support productive struggle in learning mathematics.

    8. Elicit and use evidence of student thinking.