Ep 02: Why ALL Teaching Should be Culturally Responsive Teaching with Zaretta Hammond
March 22, 2022 | 38 mins
Welcome back to Teaching Stem #4Real! Today, we are absolutely thrilled to be chatting with the one and only Zaretta Hammond. Zaretta, M.A. is author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. She is a former high school and community college expository writing instructor and, for the past 20 years, has supported schools and other institutions in deepening their understanding and application of culturally responsive practices. Zaretta currently runs the Culturally Responsive Education by Design Online PLC, a 6-month intensive, inquiry-based professional learning experience to build instructional capacity to use culturally responsive tools and practices effectively. In addition to all of this, she is a strong literacy advocate who sits on the Board of Trustees for the Center for the Collaborative Classroom and is also a member of the advisory board for the Consortium for Reading Education (CORE).
In this episode, Zaretta will open up about her journey including what shaped her into the educator she is today. Besides this, we’ll talk about how teachers can create a safe space in their classrooms for students, how important it is for educators to understand what belonging means by building their own capacity, and the importance of language. In addition, we’ll discuss how STEM teachers can create this safe environment within a less-advanced system, how harmful it can be to allow a pedagogy of compliance in our schools rather than helping students better process information, and so much more. Keep listening to hear how culturally responsive teaching is more than race, diversity, and social justice.
Teaching STEM #4Real is a podcast dedicated to for real conversations on educational equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education hosted by Dr. Leena Bakshi. If you’re interested in exploring what anti-racism and socially just instruction look like in our classrooms, schools, and beyond, you are in the right place. Dr. Bakshi is also the founder of the non-profit, STEM4Real. Please visit our website for information on how to partner with us. Thank you for helping us make STEM for real.
Books mentioned by Zaretta:
1. Black, Brown, Bruised: How Racialized STEM Education Stifles Innovation by Ebony O. McGee
2. Science in the City: Culturally Relevant STEM Education by Bryan A. Brown
In this episode, Zaretta will open up about her journey including what shaped her into the educator she is today. Besides this, we’ll talk about how teachers can create a safe space in their classrooms for students, how important it is for educators to understand what belonging means by building their own capacity, and the importance of language. In addition, we’ll discuss how STEM teachers can create this safe environment within a less-advanced system, how harmful it can be to allow a pedagogy of compliance in our schools rather than helping students better process information, and so much more. Keep listening to hear how culturally responsive teaching is more than race, diversity, and social justice.
Teaching STEM #4Real is a podcast dedicated to for real conversations on educational equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education hosted by Dr. Leena Bakshi. If you’re interested in exploring what anti-racism and socially just instruction look like in our classrooms, schools, and beyond, you are in the right place. Dr. Bakshi is also the founder of the non-profit, STEM4Real. Please visit our website for information on how to partner with us. Thank you for helping us make STEM for real.
Books mentioned by Zaretta:
1. Black, Brown, Bruised: How Racialized STEM Education Stifles Innovation by Ebony O. McGee
2. Science in the City: Culturally Relevant STEM Education by Bryan A. Brown