Biography-Driven Culturally Responsive Teaching

Socorro G. Herrera is professor of curriculum and instruction at The Kansas State University and executive director of the Center for Intercultural and Multilingual Advocacy (CIMA). Her books include Equity in School-Parent Partnerships, Accelerating Literacy for Diverse Learners, and Crossing the Vocabulary Bridge. She received the 2022 AERA Division K Legacy Award.

Contents Foreword Geneva Gay vii Preface: My Life, My Work ix Acknowledgments xv Introduction 1 1 The Foundations of Biography-Driven Instruction 4 The Influence of Politics on CLD Student Education 5 Access Denied: Limiting Programs for CLD Learners 6 What's Love Got to Do With It? Everything 8 The Foundations of Biography-Driven Instruction 9 Charting the Course Toward Liberatory Practices 9 I Need You, and You Need Me: Learning as a Social Practice 12 Teaching and Learning in the Third Space 14 Research Into How the Brain Learns 14 Making It Happen! How This Book Can Guide Next Steps 17 2 Biography-Driven Instruction 18 Biopsychosocial History 19 Confronting Our Reality: Invisible External and Internal Forces 20 The CLD Student Biography 27 The Sociocultural Dimension 27 Reflections on the Sociocultural Dimension 33 3 Language of the Heart 35 The Linguistic Dimension 35 Reflections on the Linguistic Dimension 46 4 Culture-Driven Thought and Learning 47 The Cognitive Dimension 47 Reflections on the Cognitive Dimension 59 5 Academics: More Than a Test Score or Grade 60 The Academic Dimension 60 Reflections on the Academic Dimension 67 6 Biography-Driven Planning, Teaching, and Assessing 72 Contextual and Situational Processes 72 Contextual and Situational Teaching 75 Biography-Driven Instruction: A Culturally Responsive Method 78 Reflections on Valuing the Student in Teaching 92 7 Activation: A Canvas of Opportunity 93 Socioculturally Speaking 94 Transparency in Teaching 95 Linguistically Speaking: How Vocabulary Fits Into the Picture 99 Cognitively Speaking: Creating a Canvas of Opportunity for Disclosure 106 Reflections on Activating What Students Know 110 8 Connection: Navigating From the Known to the Unknown 112 Transformative Comprehensible Input 113 Activities Versus Strategies 117 Navigating Socioemotional States of Mind 121 Scaffolding From Student Words/Thoughts to New Learning 129 Students Negotiate Meaning 133 Reflections on Connecting Lessons to Our Students' Lives 136 9 Affirmation: Evidence-Based Celebration of Linguistic and Academic Learning 137 Emotion, Cognition, and Assessment 137 Formative Assessment 140 Learning Strategies as a Bridge to Summative Assessment 146 Review, Rehearsal, and Retrieval 147 Reflections on Affirming Student Learning Through Assessment 151 10 Biography-Driven Pedagogical Action: Voices of Care, Hope, and Academic Achievement 153 A Different Type of Agenda 154 BDI and Research-Based Standards 154 Action and Transformation: The Schoolwide Impact of BDI 158 Voices From the Field 161 Through the Eyes of a Student 167 Final Reflections 168 Glossary 177 Appendices 181 Appendix A: Critical Reflection Using the Reflection Wheel Journal 182 Appendix B: CLD Student Biography Card: Template 184 Appendix C: DOTS Strategy (Determine, Observe, Talk, Summarize) 185 Appendix D: Mind Map 186 Appendix E: Vocabulary Quilt 187 Appendix F: Ignite, Discover, Extend, Affirm (IDEA) 188 Appendix G: Thumb Challenge 189 Appendix H: Uncover, Concentrate, Monitor, Evaluate (U-C-ME) 190 Appendix I: Quick Guide to Biography-Driven Instructional Concepts 191 List of Instructional Aids Available Online (tcpress.com) : Discussion Guide, Templates, Rubrics, and Checklist 192 References 193 Index 201 About the Author 208