Student Centered Environment

After observing a 4th Grade classroom I was able to pinpoint 3 key strategies the teacher used that embraced the tenants of Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning.

1) Questioning: The teacher skillfully asked questions that evoked student thinking, and engagement. She also held eye contact with the students which in turn, encouraged the other students to turn, look and listen to the student who was speaking.

2) Choice: The teacher had a level of choice that included what students were reading, where they read, and make a plan to show their learning to their partners. Providing guided choice allows for the students to have ownership in the classroom.

3) Student Talk: The teachers stopped intermittently during her focus lesson to allow for the students to turn and process with their neighbor what they were thinking and learning. During these brief conversations, the teacher attended to students to listen and guide their thinking as necessary.

While none of these strategies are new, when pulled together, they flip the environment from teacher centered to student centered.