Examining Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain Together

We are just mere hours away from the start of my first Virtual Book Club and I cannot wait to expand my practice with you. In order to get the most out of our time together and have focused discussions centered on Zaretta Hammond’s book Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students we will use the following schedule:

Week 1

• Focus: Examining Our Current Landscape- Achievement and the Role Culture Plays in Our Work

• Required Reading: Introduction, Chapters 1 and 2

Week 2

• Focus: Preparing to be a Culturally Responsive Leader

• Required Reading: Chapters 3 and 4

Week 3

• Focus: Creating and Leveraging Meaningful Relationships to Support Culturally Responsive Teaching

• Required Reading: Chapters 5 and 6

Week 4

• Focus: Building an Academic Mindset in a Culturally Responsive Learning Environment

• Required Reading: Chapter 7

Week 5

• Focus: Building Students’ Intellective Capacity in Socially and Intellectually Safe Classroom Communities

• Required Reading: Chapters 8 and 9

Week 6

• Focus: Leading with a Lens for Equity

• Required Reading: Epilogue

In order to get the most out of what we will be learning, join the Chalon Creates! Virtual Book Club Group on Facebook and sign up to receive updates from me here if you have not done so already to access our weekly discussion questions and access to our live discussions.

Let’s get started!

Getting ready for book club?

Thrilled, elated, delighted…

And most of all incredibly thankful to all the people have signed up to discuss my first book club selection, Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students by Zaretta Hammond! Before we officially get started, I have 3 ways for you to prepare in order to get the most of our discussions.

1. Get familiar with the book. Make sure to purchase a copy of the book through your favorite bookseller or borrow a copy from your library.

2. Join the book club community. We will have an online discussion forum and weekly live discussions that you do not want to miss. Sign up for my weekly updates and a frame for discussion here and go to the Chalon Creates! Virtual Book Club Group on Facebook and click to join.

3. Invite your teacher friends and colleagues to join you. Learning and growing is more meaningful when you have someone to check in with and keep you accountable. Everyone is welcome!

Chalon Creates! First Virtual Book Club Selection Announced

“Language is powerful. when you are able to name a thing, it moves out of the realm of mystery into concreteness”

-Zaretta Hammond

I am so excited to announce my first virtual book club selection - Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students by Zaretta Hammond!

Are you ready to dig into our first selection?

Starting June 30, we will have an opportunity to discuss Hammond’s work, assess our knowledge of learning, and discuss implications for our work. I invite you to join me as we expand our knowledge and create structures for our classrooms in the Fall. Click here to get access to our weekly discussion prompts, reading guide, and more!

Chalon Creates! Virtual Book Club Launching June 30

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for, We are the change that we seek.”

-President Barack Obama

What are you doing to build your ability to create lasting change?

This question has been at the forefront of my mind now more than ever. As an educator and coach, I often think about how to build the capacity of others using techniques that have worked for me in the past. Little did I know some of those practices were based on upholding white supremacist learning environments that did not adequately serve all of the needs of my students. As I re-evaluate how I am making an impact based on anti-racist practices, I invite you to join me! I will be hosting a free virtual book club starting on June 30 that allows us to analyze culturally relevant texts, discuss strategies we can use to promote inclusive learning environments, and develop a plan to combat practices that no longer serve us or our students. Click here to sign up and learn about our first book club selection!