Cultural Aesthetics and Teacher Improvisation: An Epistemology of Providing Culturally Responsive Service by African American Professors

Abstract

This research documents and analyzes the nature and content of the knowledge that enables professors to foster learning for Black students. Specifically, it suggests that knowledge of the discourses of a students’ community of origin, discourses often based on collective experience, are a valuable resource to professors in their efforts to promote educational equity. Data were drawn from interviews, observations, focus groups, and follow-up interviews with professors who have shown a particular interest in serving Black students for this study. The resulting conception of teacher knowledge has specific implications for teacher education practice and policy concerning targeted hiring practices, professional development for all teachers, and higher education policy makers in general.

Confronting the Marginalization of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

“…Such studies may be based on interviews with minoritized students (e.g., Garza, 2009), interviews with exemplary teachers of minoritized students (e.g., Brown, 2004), or classroom observations along with interviews (e.g., Duncan-Andrade 2007; Ladson-Billings, 1994; Milner, 2011; Sleeter & Stillman, 2007; Ware, 2006). For example, Mitchell (2010) analyzes the teaching practice of three African American professors to illustrate key dimensions of culturally responsive pedagogy, noting that culturally responsive teachers are “students of their pupils’ communities” (p. 626). All three situated Black life in the United States within a history of White supremacy that has ongoing effects that must be named and challenged.…”

Incorporating Culturally Relevant Education (CRE) in STEM Gateway Courses

“…Faculty must also develop meaningful relationships with students, getting to know them as individuals, and what their goals are (Han et al, 2014). A crucial part of developing relationships with students is to understand their cultural and discourse backgrounds (Mitchell, 2010) and how closely connected students are with their cultural backgrounds. Using this knowledge, faculty can then understand how students learn and implement appropriate strategies into their teaching methodology.…”

“…This practice enables faculty to understand their own beliefs, assumptions, and actions and how they relate to their own culturally relevant practice. Finally, faculty must learn to be flexible in their teaching and develop their ability to improvise in the classroom (Mitchell, 2010). Flexibility and supportive relationships with students help build meaningful relationships, creates safe learning environments (Han et al, 2014), connect with traditional cultural values (Mitchell, 2010), and are adaptable and supportive of the wide variety of cultures and backgrounds of the globalizing world.…”

Constructing a Collaborative Critique-Learning Environment for Exploring Science Through Improvisational Performance

“…A third core design principle for this study was the welcoming of students’ community- an/or home-based intellectual and linguistic resources into the science-learning environment. Using this kind of strength-based orientation (Bang & Medin, 2010) asks teachers to explore ways to effectively develop understandings of their students’ resources and intentionally creating opportunities for celebrating and building upon these resources (Bohn, 2003; Hudicourt-Barnes & Ballenger, 2008; Mitchell, 2010). Building upon this principle, the current study “reimagined” the young men’s linguistic and sense-making practices as resources for engaging in productive rounds of critique rather than as forms of verbal aggression or sources of potential social difficulty as often happens in school (Katz et al, 2004).…”