There is a growing body of research arguing that, alongside education in climate science literacy, our education systems need a deeper, broader, and more interdisciplinary education in climate literacy. Specifically, the push is to reframe climate literacy from a narrow competence taught in science classes to a broad socioscientific and cultural…

A sense of homeplace has always carried a "radical political dimension," as "one's homeplace was the one site where one could freely confront the issue of humanization, where one could resist" the greater society's efforts to Other and alienate. Such homeplaces, however tenuous and fragile, have often been created and kept by…

On a February morning, Ms. Nelson (all names pseudonyms) was preparing her eleventh-grade class for a new unit with the goal of crafting arguments about the people and issues present in the classic novel "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe. As, teacher educators Eileen Shanahan and Min-Young Kim were observing in the classroom, it was…

Referencing Freire, Ladson-Billings's approach to "culturally relevant pedagogies," and Moje et al.'s "third space," this memoir details an American English educator's transformation from inexperienced instructor to lifelong student.

According to the author, as our abilities to combine image and text become more sophisticated and ubiquitous, digital storytelling is a powerful means for sharing those stories. Digital storytelling is a perfect way to remix stories. To present American literature as relevant to students' lives, the author rewrote their curriculum using backwards…

In this article, the author discusses that there is an abundance of quality LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) literature for young adults, filled with complexly rendered and experiences that mirror the often difficult and often exciting lives that young LGBT people live today. English language arts teachers work in a genuinely new and…

Multicultural education and a multicultural curriculum are vital components of contemporary education. While most educators recognize the value of multicultural education in attempting to create a more just world, some lament that they do not have time to incorporate multiculturalism into their classrooms in light of all the content that must be…

Working with English language learners (ELLs) in the English classroom brings a new layer to the teaching process for many teachers. Frequently they have had little coursework on effective practices for ELLs, and--without proper support--they can find themselves in a situation similar to some ELLs: sink or swim. Some English teachers mistakenly…

Yu Ren Dong presents several activities that can give teachers confidence to explore the cultural differences in diverse texts and provide ways to help their students discuss these differences and enhance cross-cultural understanding. The use of cultural-response approach is highlighted.

Explains how to use the novels of Toni Morrison to teach high school students about life and literature. (JL)

Literary experiences were provided to students to help them connect with characters whose lives and experiences differed vastly from theirs and to see the way in which their own race, class and gender shaped their understanding of the world. However, the findings indicate that a focus on critically reading multicultural literature students helped…

Explains why cultural literacy, the shared information literate people take for granted, should be an educational aim. (EL)

Pays tribute to Charlotte Brooks for her contribution to teaching. Applauds her innovative teaching approaches that emphasize the importance of listening to the students. Reviews her concern with teacher attitude, expectation, and honesty. (TB)

Suggests teaching comparative languages and literature to minorities in ways which encourage cultural diversity and create a less Western ethnocentric world view. (MM)

Lists the recommendations and rationales by 14 teachers for film/book combinations successfully included in the classroom. (KEH)