Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Chapter Eight

As I read chapter eight of Zaretta Hammond's book (shown above), I turned the notes into a number of mini posters to guide my learning experience design as well as to help me relay the information from the chapter to students as a way of teaching them how to manage/maximize their brain power and potential:

Learning to Learn is the Key to Academic Success Review the task Map out a strategy Follow your plan

Effective Learning: The Journey from Dependence to Independence Create a welcoming learning environment Listen to your students Know your students Partner with students Be a “warm demander”

What is information processing? Take information in with the intent of understanding Relate that information to what you already know Store it in a way that is easily retrievable

Three stages of information processing: Input: brain zeroes in on what is important--something relevant, something that stimulates curiosity, something that elicits a strong emotional response. Elaboration: makes material memorable and meaningful, moving information from the clipboard of short term memory (input) to working memory. Culturally responsive processing tools: movement, repetition, story, metaphor, music to help the brain process--fire and wire making a permanent association in the brain. A cycle of active processing (12-20 minutes) and consolidation occurs (~10 minutes). Application: Opportunities to apply the new information--”use it or lose it” stage to make permanent learning pathways.

Instructional Strategies for Effective Learning: Culturally Grounded Information Processing

IGNITE: strategies: storytelling, call and response, music, provocation (quote, outrageous statement, powerful images), puzzle--wake students up, stimulate the senses, be expressive/emotional with rhythm, music, orality.

CHUNK: “Right sized” chunks of information for apt learning.

CHEW(PROCESSING): Begin with unstructured think time via drawing, writing, or talking (time for consolidation after the lesson Ignite/Chunk). Next focus on cognitive routines (habits of mind)--give students the framework for effective learning: How does this new learning connect to what I already know? What are the natural relationships and patterns in the material? How does it fit together? What larger system does the information belong to? Whose point of view does it represent? Focus on thinking dispositions when providing students with these cognitive routines: Similarities and differences Whole to part: How things are organized in a system Relationships Perspectives Strategies that can be employed during the chew: Talk to learn: dialogic talk--World Cafe, Four on a Pencil, Give One Get One Create songs, poems, raps, theater dialogue, spoken word, poetry slam Storify the content Visual imagery: graphic organizers, infographics, signs,  Metaphors and analogies Word play, humor: cogens, verbal battles, jokes, riddles

REVIEW: Practice within 24 hours by playing a game, solving a mystery or real life problem, working on a project, making something.