Maryland State Department of education

Equity Assurance and Compliance Branch

In-service Course Design

Course Title:  Education That Is Multicultural and Student Achievement

Contact Person: Linda Shevitz  410-767-0428

Dates of Course: Approved from September 2003 – September 2008 (Pending)

NOTE:  For all items below that have a ** marking,  related handouts are provided in a course  “Toolbox” available to local school systems teaching the course.   In addition to specific handouts for each class session, the Toolbox contains a range of supporting materials that can be used throughout the course.  The Toolbox is available from the Equity Assurance and Compliance Branch, Maryland State Department of Education  -- phone 410-767-0433; fax 410-767-0431; email   lshevitz@msde.state.md.us

Session/ Date	Session Objectives	Reflection Journal Assignments/ Resources/ Activities	Session Assessment Evidence
Session 1     Overview ETM Regulation/ Vocabulary	At the end of this session, participants will be able to…   Become aware of the vocabulary of Education That is Multicultural.         **   Become aware of background and scope of ETM Regulation, ETM Protocols, ETM Core Competencies.                           **   Describe implications of ETM by-law related to teaching and learning.	Participants will:     Review MSDE/ ETM documents to gain meaning of related vocabulary.   Complete a self assessment of their  multicultural awareness.   Reflect on the by-law and how it impacts on their responsibility related to student achievement and  cultural competence.	Participants will:   Identify areas / items on the self-awareness checklist to gain additional information during the scope of this in-service course.      **   Complete journal entry related to participants professional responsibility in implementing the ETM regulation.
Session 2     What is Culture?	At the end of this session, participants will be able to…   Define the term culture and how it impacts student learning.   Describe mainstream American culture and how it shapes teaching and learning.       Identify and reflect on key aspects of their own cultural identity.	Participants will:     Identify the nine Universals of Culture and the elements of surface, folk, and deep culture.  **   Explore the central features of mainstream American culture and describe how those features shape our daily lives in and out of schools.   Reflect upon their cultural identity using the  eight factors of diversity in the Education That Is Multicultural Regulation.	Participants will:   Complete a journal entry that indicates how the Universals of Culture can be considered in their instruction and how deep culture influences teaching and learning.   Complete a written activity in which they describe how school policies and procedures are reflective of mainstream American culture.   Write a definition of self in relationship to the factors of diversity in the Education That Is Multicultural Regulation.
Session 3   Cultural Proficiency	At the end of this session, participants will be able to…   Define cultural proficiency and describe the six phases of the cultural proficiency continuum.                                       **   Describe the essential elements of cultural proficiency at a personal level and an institutional level.   Identify barriers to cultural proficiency.   Identify specific actions individuals and school staff can take toward the development of culturally proficient classrooms, schools, and workplaces.	Participants will:   Complete a jigsaw activity to identify the essential elements of cultural proficiency at the personal and institutional levels.   Match commonly heard school phrases and common behaviors to the six phases of the cultural proficiency continuum.   Read Beyond the Tip of the Iceberg – Five Stages Towards Cultural Competence to make connections between surface and deep culture and cultural proficiency.                        **   Assess their school’s alignment with the essential elements of cultural proficiency.   Brainstorm, record, and discuss effective strategies for improving personal cultural proficiency and that of their classrooms/workplaces.	Participants will:   Self-assess their personal level of cultural proficiency and name three specific actions they will take to increase their cultural proficiency.   Using their assessment of their school’s/workplace’s alignment with the essential elements of cultural proficiency, describe three specific actions that could be taken to increase the cultural proficiency of the school/workplace.   Complete a journal entry in which they reflect on aspects of their own deep culture as it relates to their classroom/workplace situation.
Session 4   Promoting the Value of Diversity                                       Session 5   Differentiation of Instruction and Learning Styles	At the end of this session, participants will be able to…   Describe some of the cultural similarities and differences between cultures.   Define and describe youth culture and the youth cultural groups specific to their school.   Describe how the deficit model of teaching and low student expectations can arise from unrecognized gaps in students’ and teachers’ cultural backgrounds.   Use a variety of strategies to identify and explore the beliefs, values, attitudes, and patterns of behavior of cultural groups, their own cultural group and those of their students.   Identify strategies that are culturally responsive to diverse students.   At the end of this session, participants, will be able to…   Explain the importance of Differentiated Instruction for diverse learners.   Define and use terminology related to learning styles and differentiated instruction (as identified by the county) i.e., Mind Styles, modalities, Learning Styles, Multiple Intelligence, and explain their relevance to differentiation of instruction and student learning.	Participants will:     Complete the Me Too matrix that relates to the Universals of Culture introduced in session 2.                                                          ** Use the Cross-Cultural Experience and Interview Format to interview a member of another cultural group and share the cultural similarities and differences that were discovered.                                        **   Share aspects of their cultural identity through strategies such as identity circles and artifacts.   Discuss how gaps in teachers’ and students’ cultural backgrounds can put students of color, students from poverty, and English language learners at academic risk in schools.   Review the work of Wade Boykin and brainstorm instructional strategies that are reflective of his work.                      **   Participants will:   Review Carol Ann Tomlinson’s model of instruction with a focus on student learning profiles.                                              **   Complete the Teacher Differentiated Instruction Self-Reflection Check Sheet. **   Complete a teacher learning style and student learning style assessments.                  **	Participants will:     Develop a profile of their school’s cultural makeup that includes students and staff and that reports disaggregated student achievement data.    Complete a journal entry in which they describe the implications of the cultural profile in terms of cultural proficiency and closing the achievement gap.   Describe a student from a culture different from their own and describe three new instructional strategies that could be more responsive to the student’s cultural background.             Participants will:   Complete a journal entry responding to the question “How can my classroom be structured as a culturally supported environment that incorporates instruction to include my students’ learning styles.”   Design a classroom that supports, illustrates, and demonstrates a culturally supportive environment that incorporates instruction to address students’ learning styles.  (First Draft- to be refined over the next two sessions)