Instructions
Standards that guide teachers’ preparation and professional development today require teachers to use their knowledge of cultural diversity. In Chapter 2, you learned about national teaching standards that guide your growth as a teacher and multicultural educator. Standards specific to social justice education have also been developed for educators. In particular, the Social Justice Standards: The Teaching Tolerance Anti-bias Framework (2018) developed by Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance) provides strategies for antibias education for K-12 instruction. However, sometimes, the requirement that teachers use knowledge of cultural diversity results in a somewhat superficial treatment of culture in the teaching and learning process. Teachers must deeply understand various aspects of culture to educate all students effectively.
Imagine visiting a school in a state with which you are unfamiliar.
What would you like to know about the students’ cultures in that school so you could get a deep understanding of the teaching and learning processes in that school?
Now, describe a plan for what should be included in an effective teacher preparation program that supports you and others in learning about culture and its impact on teaching and learning.
Work to use the national teaching standards and the social justice standards in your plan.