Blogs: Diane Demee-Benoit
Culturally Responsive Education: Cultural Awareness Through Expeditionary Learning
By Diane Demee-Benoit
12/14/06
I remember that my third-grade teacher was very fond of inviting guest speakers to our social studies classes. Sometimes it was a senior citizen from the Chinese Cultural Center, or a volunteer from the Russian Immigrants Center, or a shaman from a Native American tribe. Our visitors often came in traditional costume and bearing unusual treats and artifacts.
At first, we were either startled or outrageously amused by our strange visitors. However, by the middle of the school year, our guests didn't seem so unusual. We had come to accept people who looked and spoke differently from ourselves. We ate food we never imagined we would. And hearing from a firsthand source was also more interesting than reading the social studies book!
In this short video excerpt, you'll see a special visitor to a Seattle K-8 alternative school that focuses on experiential, adventure-based learning. Do you invite outside experts to speak to your students? Where do you find these guest speakers, and how do you incorporate them into your curriculum? Please share.
See the full video.
Comments
I just spoke to 23 first grade teachers in a little inservice locally. I found that they all have found it a little harder these days to invite in a speaker, given the work schedules and demands on people's time. They love the media such as this one you showed. Two of them are writing a little grant to get their own videocam and do their own archive. That way if the pastry chef can't come next year, they can use their own media. I know this is really related to the cultural aspect of the video, but it sure seemed like a good idea to me.