What is CRT?
“Teaching is the act of a teacher deposits, and a student withdraws, and I think instead what we want to do at BAE, when we mean decolonize, is recognize that students come to the classroom with experiences, intelligences, passions, thoughts, and creativity and work with that instead of against it.” - Tracia Banuelos, Program Manager.
Take a closer look at our approach to decolonizing the classroom. You may have heard us talk about culturally responsive teaching, but what does it really mean? Here’s a hot take from our Professional Development Coordinator, Dr. Chris:
What we know
Equity is reducing the predictability of who succeeds and who fails, interrupting systemic practices that negatively impact struggling students of color, and cultivating the unique gifts and talents of every student in a way that celebrates their cultural background and context.
Students learn best when they feel welcomed in the house of learning, especially those students for whom the systems perpetuated by the Department of Education have traditionally not worked (i.e. students from non-dominant narratives).
Cutting edge instructional strategies are not enough! We need to build learning communities that focus on who we are teaching just as much as what we are teaching
Making an Important Distinction
What are the key differences between Multicultural Education, Social Justice Education, and Culturally Responsive Teaching?
How we show up: Affirming Students In Their Cultural Connections
“Kids get that we get them.” -G. Howard, author of We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know.
Affirmation looks like showing our students that we have some notion of who they are through content inclusion, creating an environment where students are safe to be themselves and where students are honored, recognized, and seen in their cultural connections through content.
Presentation by Dr. Christopher Sierra
Dr. Sierra is the Professional Development Coordinator at Broadway for Arts Education. He also teaches at Harvard University, Tufts University, SUNY Potsdam, and Longy School of Music of Bard College where they also instruct courses in the Masters of Music Education Program. Dr. Sierra holds a doctorate of musical arts degree in voice performance from Rutgers University, a master of education degree in music education from Columbia University, a master of music degree in classical voice performance from Manhattan School of Music, and bachelor of music degrees in music education and voice performance from Westminster Choir College.
