C-CUEs

Useful links and thoughts for school leaders and teachers curated from the web by Harriet Potoka.

Check123 is a new video encyclopedia site for kids. All videos are validated and ranked by Check123 professionals, are 1-3 minutes in light and are curated on just about any subject you can think of. With video being the preferred learning method of many students it is a good way for teachers to introduce students to a topic or for students to begin research on a topic. Check123 is free for teachers.

Digital Portfolios in the Classroom

ASCD - Matt Renwick

Tuesday, August 8, 3:00 pm (EDT)

Get Your School Data Out of the Silos and into the Light

edWeb - Bobby Touran

Tuesday, August 8, 3:00 pm (EDT)

Rethinking Math Culture: Proven Ways to Develop a School-WIde Math Mindset

edWeb - David Woods

Wednesday, August 9, 3:00 pm (EDT)

Building a Community of Readers - Driving Student Engagement Through Collective Impact

Education Week - Donald, J. Boyd and Noelle Ellerson Ng

Thursday, August 10, 2:00 pm (EDT)

Cultural Responsiveness has become a buzz word in education as schools seek to educate a student body that is becoming increasingly more diverse. School leaders hire consultants to help their school community understand what cultural responsiveness means and coach teachers as they work to create culturally responsive classrooms and engage students using culturally responsible pedagogy. Becoming culturally responsive is a journey that requires consistent and thoughtful attention. Being culturally responsive is certainly a worthy goal for urban Christian schools. i will periodically be sharing links to podcasts, videos, articles and books to encourage, support and assist school leaders and teachers as they become culturally responsive educators. In this issue you will find links to the work of Zaretta Hammond and her focus on the relationship between cognition and culture.

Book: Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students by Zaretta Hammond

For teachers who seek to be more effective in working with culturally diverse students, this is a must read. In this book Zaretta Hammond examines the relationship between cognition and culture and outlines classroom practices and environments that will engage students in their learning. It is clearly written and serves as a practical guide of classroom applications for teachers.

In this blog post, Jennifer Gonzales shares why you need this book if you teach diverse students.

Podcasts:

Culturally Responsive Teaching with Zaretta Hammond

In this podcast interview with Jethro Jones, Zaretta Hammond explains the difference between culturally responsive teaching and multicultural education and shares how leaders can create the conditions for becoming a culturally diverse school, the first phase for becoming a culturally responsive school.

Kids Can’t Learn When They Don’t Trust with Zaretta Hammond

In this second podcast, Zaretta Hammond discusses the necessity of teachers building "learning partnerships" with students and parents, the importance of building trust, the use of trust generators, i.e. selective vulnerability, and the role of a collectiveness atmosphere and collectiveness practices in cultural responsive teaching.

Archived Webinar:

Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain Webinar by Zaretta Hammond

In this webinar, Zaretta explains the differences between multicultural education, social justice education, and culturally responsive teaching. She emphasizes the importance of learning partnerships as a prerequisite for increasing students’ information processing skills and their cognitive development. Zaretta concludes the webinar with a discussion about the four common cultural learning tools.

Blog Posts:

Cultural Responsiveness Starts with Real Caring

The foundation of culturally responsive instruction is not technical, but relational. It’s about authentic caring. Without this foundation the use of CR tools will be ineffective.

Building Trust

Building trust during the first six weeks of school is essential to creating a platform for in depth cultural responsive teaching throughout the year.

Five Common Myths About Culturally Responsive Teaching

Understanding the common myths about culturally responsive teaching is key to understanding what it is.

The Neuroscience of Call and Response

In this blog post Zaretta Hammond explains Call and Response which is the first tool she suggests for teachers’ CR instructional tool kit.

Using Call and Response to Deepen Thinking

Discover ways that call and response can be used effectively and how it helps students process information.

A Map to More Engaged Students is a 4 part video series created by Tim Elmore, President of Growing Leaders. In the first two videos he discusses the disconnect that often exits between today’s students and the adults in their lives and shares practical ways to connect better. The last two videos focus on raising resiliency in students and instilling in them an ownership mentality. Middle school and high school teachers would benefit from viewing these videos especially if viewed and discussed in a group setting.

This article by Bethany Rayl is packed with ideas for accessing open educational resources (OER). Use it to differentiate by flipping its ideas and showing students how they can revise, remix, and redistribute content, sharing their voice with a public audience. Use the wealth of materials to personalize activities for individuals or groups in order to meet the needs of your learners.

If you’re an early childhood educator looking for resources to help you enhance your classroom, look no further than these 10 must read early childhood education blogs. These blogs offer creative, actionable ideas that you can implement in your classroom right now.

Jack Gilbert, a scientist who studies microbial ecosystems at the University of Chicago, studied what actually known about the risks involved when children come in contact with germs. He is now the co-author of a new book called Dirt is Good: The Advantage of Germs for Your Child’s Developing Immune System. Read these interview highlights to learn more.

Providing teachers with feedback is an essential and valuable role of school leaders. In this blog post, Jessica Johnson, gives practical advice on using a coaching approach and being a second pair of eyes in the classroom. She suggests four key areas to address in a written narrative to give teachers feedback that focuses on improvement of learning for students.

This book by Persia and William Himmel is a great tool for classroom teachers looking for practical ways to improve their teaching and increase student engagement and learning, It outlines "51 easy-to-use classroom tested alternatives to the stand-and-deliver teaching technique.” It provides ways for teachers to actively and cognitively engage all students in the learning process.

The Center for Christian Urban Educators seeks to encourage, equip, and empower Christian educators as they impact the lives of the children entrusted to their educational care.

Email: hpotoka@ccuechicago.org
Website: ccuechicago.org
Location: Chicago, IL, United States
Phone: 312-310-5617
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CCUE-Chicago-567881706592903/?fref=photo
Twitter: @HJPotoka