Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

Lisa Scherff is associate professor of secondary English language arts education at the University of Alabama. A former high school English and reading teacher, Lisa's research focuses on opportunity to learn and teacher preparation, induction, and mentoring.Karen Spector is assistant professor of secondary English education and literacy at the University of Alabama. Her research and teaching involves critical literacies across disciplines.

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Clashes and Confrontations reveals many unexpected difficulties educators may face when attempting to create a culturally relevant classroom and curriculum. As educators, the importance of addressing cultural needs in our classrooms is often emphasized , but oftentimes it doesn't seem to work quite like we expect. Through the sharing of personal experiences and reflections of educators testing the theories behind culturally relevant pedagogy, this book provokes reflection on the process of creating and implementing more culturally relevant classrooms.

• Chapter 1 Foreword: Looking for a Little InspirationChapter 2 Introduction: Clashes and Confrontations with Culturally Relevant PedagogyChapter 3 Opening Vignette: Recognizing Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Then and NowChapter 4 1. Unpacking the Critical in Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: An Illustration Involving African Americans and Asian AmericansChapter 5 2. Race, Identity, and the Shredding of a District Survey: Following Children into Relevance in an Urban Elementary ClassroomChapter 6 3. The Central Paradox of Critical Pedagogy: Learning from Practice in an Urban "Last Chance" High SchoolChapter 7 4. From Understanding to Application: The Difficulty of Culturally Responsive Teaching as a Beginning English TeacherChapter 8 Vignette: Lotus: A Pedagogy of ListeningChapter 9 5. Reading Romeo and Juliet and Talking Sex: Critical Ideological Consciousness as Ethical PracticeChapter 10 6. "'Proper' Spanish is a Waste of Time": Mexican-origin Student Resistance to Learning their Heritage LanguageChapter 11 7. Bodies Before MeChapter 12 Closing Vignette: The Distance of Formality: Working Within (and through) Propriety