Module 3: Taking (Evidence-Based) Action
Deeper Dive
Optional Texts: aligned content
Hammond, Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain: Part 2
In the second section of the Hammond text, Building Learning Partnerships, we move from analyzing interpersonal relationships to employing then as the foundation for equitable learning environments. Hammond offers this equation: rapport + alliance = cognitive insight. As you read about the research around these elements, consider a Deeper Dive into Michelle Pacansky-Brock’s work around Humanizing Your Course and Mary-Ann Winkelmes’s Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) research project. How are these approaches similar? What elements might be an effective approach in your own teaching?
Hogan and Sathy, Inclusive Teaching Strategies: Chapters 4 & 5
Chapter 4, “Launching Your Course,” pairs nicely with the Michelle Pacansky-Brock’s work around Humanizing Your Course. Sathy and Hogan explain the importance of establishing trust even before the first day of class, developing those relationships (remember the 3Rs?) that are so crucial to effective learning environments. But it’s not just about the instructor-to-student relationship; it’s also about the student-to-student relationship, and approaches that may seem welcoming and fun to us may be fraught with “danger” for many students. Chapter 4 offers specific suggestions for how to avoid these potential pitfalls, but it doesn’t neglect the academic value of the first day, either; rather, readers are given ideas for aligning first day activities to course outcomes in low-pressure, transparent ways that demystify both you and your course for students.
Chapter 5, “Classroom Environment and Interactions,” follows up on the elements in Chapter 4 that help us consider relationships and rigor simultaneously, with a heavy emphasis on active learning strategies. Rather than “winging it” during live class time, Hogan and Sathy advocate for using a consistent pattern for each class period, ensuring that the timeline, instructions for students, and physical space are incorporated into the plan for live learning. Further, they cover considerations for ensuring that live class periods are fully accessible and inclusive, offering specific guidance for visual and auditory inclusiveness, multiple means of participation, and dealing with microaggressions.
Evidence-Based Resource Repository
This Deeper Dive hosts a huge number of resources. Rather than organize by “Readings” and “Media and Other Resources,” it made more sense to share by type of resource. We do not expect you to explore every single item! Rather, depending on where you plan to go with your Action Plan, you can choose to explore the content pages that may enhance your understanding, offer frameworks/decision-making tools, or even provide materials you can directly use in your classes. These resources are also stored in their own section below the rest of our modules: Evidence-Based Teaching Resources