Embrace teaching and learning as a dynamic relational human exchange
This anchor is an interplay of heart and mind between educators and students. That means shifting our focus from academic content and skills to understanding the integrated, interwoven social, emotional, and academic aspects of learning. We must balance academic expectations with a holistic perspective of who our students are as full human beings, each with their own rich story.
Commit to knowing yourself, your students, and your content.
We recognize that our own culture and identity are both a rich presence in students’ educational experiences and a critical influence over the power dynamics in our interactions with our young people. When we come to deeply understand their strengths, interests, contexts, and cultures, then instruction focused on rich academic content takes root at the intersection of knowing self and knowing others.
Discover and leverage learners’ unique and diverse assets and ways of learning.
There is no such thing as an “average learner.” Every student learns and thinks in a way that is unique and beautiful. When learners feel seen for what they know and known for who they are, their confidence and sense of agency grow.
Learner-center, assets-based instruction:
leverages every student’s community, cultural, and linguistic capital
commits to understanding their experiences and stories
validates their competencies
recognizes and names their challenges
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