December is often seen as a time of “Ho! Ho! Ho! Happiness” in early learning, which includes stories, activities, treats, and even gift-giving. One of the BIGGEST and ENDURING gifts that early learning educators can give their learners (and families) is to commit to culturally responsive teaching as a daily practice! Zaretta Hammond, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain defines culturally responsive teaching as “An educator’s ability to recognize students’ cultural display of learning and meaning-making and respond positively and constructively with teaching moves that use cultural knowledge as a scaffold to connect what the student knows to new concepts and content in order to promote effective information processing. All the while, the educator understands the importance of being in a relationship and having a social-emotional connection to the student in order to create a safe space for learning.” (p. 15)
Let’s look at how The Framework for Teaching focuses on this critical aspect of teaching through the use of Common Themes. The Framework’s Common Themes and Implications are essential to supporting each child’s early learning success. (Note: For each theme, click on the link to watch a video that shows teachers putting the theme in action.)
FIRST THEME: EQUITY
Equity is the primary Common Theme and is supported by the others. Teachers strive for excellence, but “a commitment to excellence is not complete without a commitment to equity.” Each student deserves access to world-class teaching and learning environments that promote joyful inquiry, intellectual rigor, and reflection.
- Theme of Equity In Action can be seen through the classroom’s environment and learning activities that are all student-developed and facilitated through a literacy-rich, thematic-based approach.