Standard 2: Respectful Educational Environments
Teacher leaders model leadership by establishing a positive and productive environment for a diverse population of students, their families, and the community. Teachers are knowledgeable about cultures and global issues and how they are contextualized locally. Teachers help colleagues develop effective strategies for students with special needs. They encourage positive, constructive relations among colleagues and students. Indicators are:
- Facilitate the development of inviting, respectful, supportive, inclusive, and flexible educational communities.
- Create collaborative partnerships with families, schools and communities to promote a positive school culture.
- Facilitate and model caring and respectful treatment of individuals within the learning community.
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of diverse world cultures and global issues.
- Encourage high expectations for all students.
- Collaboratively design and implement curriculum and instruction that is responsive to learner differences.
1. RE 5140 Multicultural Book Summaries
Context:
This artifact was created for RE 5140, Advanced Study of Children's Literature, under the instruction of Dr. Robin Groce. Throughout this course I read many children's books that discussed various cultures and backgrounds. These summaries and reflections demonstrate my knowledge of an array of books covering many backgrounds and how I plan to incorporate them into my classroom in order to expose my students to various cultures.
Rationale:
These summaries and reflections allowed me to explore many children's books of different reading levels that I had not yet read or heard of. Reading and reflecting on each one has provided me with a wealth of new books that I can integrate into my classroom in order to teach about new cultures and topics of diversity. All of these books have won an award for their contribution to children's literature and would offer great opportunities to expose students to quality reading material.
2. SPE 5045 Book/Movie Reflections
Context:
This artifact was created for SPE 5040, Advanced Topics in Diversity, under the direction of Dr. Michael Marlowe. This course required me to read books and watch movies about topics related to diversity. These reflections illustrate what I have learned from each and how my knowledge of diverse backgrounds and needs has grown.
Rationale:
These reflections were created after I read each book or watched each movie related to a topic of diversity. From these books and movies, I learned how teachers handeled behavior issues and adjusted their teaching methods to best suit the needs of their students. I was also exposed to students from a diverse set of backgrounds and cultures and how their education is often influenced by their upbringings. All of these books and movies have broadened my knowledge and made me aware of the diversity among students. From these I have learned the importance of being flexible, reflective of my teaching approaches, and compassionate to all students.