4 creating space for cultural relevancy, student agency, and diverse learning styles

Alex Boswell 12/5/2012 Category: Appreciation of Human Diversity Creating Space for Cultural Relevancy, Student Agency and Diverse Learning Styles The artifacts below are a collection of materials for a unit on The Epic of Gilgamesh from a 10 th grade class that I taught while student teaching. It includes the following: Sample 1: A homework assignment to watch a movie and identify steps from The Hero’s Journey within the movie (This was meant to prepare students for being able to understand and identify The Hero’s Journey within The Epic of Gilgamesh.) Sample 2: Two examples of what students produced for their Hero’s Journey assignment Sample 3: An inclass assignment to create collages, in groups, to represent the stages of grief that Gilgamesh experiences when he grieves the death of his best friend Sample 4: An assignment to compare a passage from The Epic of Gilgamesh to “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan Sample 5: An assignment to compose a rap or rhyming poem that includes the wisdom Gilgamesh gains through meeting three wisdomkeepers Sample 6: Three examples of what students produced for their rap or rhyming poem assignment These samples are meant to document my appreciation of human diversity through my ability to develop curricula that will engage students with culturally relevant materials, an emphasis on student agency, and the use of various learning styles. Sample 1 encourages students to practice and apply literary knowledge with a contemporary film of their choosing. Sample 3 helps students to construct knowledge and make connections to one particular aspect of Gilgamesh’s story in visual, as well as, tactile ways. Samples 4 and 6 allow students to translate ancient texts into a more contemporary and culturally relevant context. Samples 4 and 6 also allow the incorporation of music to be present in the classroom. All of the samples permit students to have a certain amount of agency in their learning process and to apply contemporary and culturally relevant materials to understand The Epic of Gilgamesh. My appreciation for human diversity is revealed through these samples because they demonstrate my confidence in being able to find ways for students of varying backgrounds to use culturally relevant knowledge in a classroom setting, and to make connections or construct meaningful understandings of ancient texts through various learning styles. Acknowledging diversity, as well as creating space for student agency and different modes of learning, greatly contributed to my ability to facilitate a respectful and engaged classroom culture for effective learning to happen in a class composed of unique individuals.

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Alex Boswell12/5/2012Category: Appreciation of Human Diversity

Creating Space for Cultural Relevancy, Student Agency and Diverse Learning Styles

The artifacts below are a collection of materials for a unit on The Epic of Gilgamesh from a 10thgrade class that I taught while student teaching. It includes the following:

Sample 1: A homework assignment to watch a movie and identify steps from TheHero’s Journey within the movie(This was meant to prepare students for being able to understand and identify The Hero’sJourney within The Epic of Gilgamesh.)Sample 2: Two examples of what students produced for their Hero’s Journey assignmentSample 3: An inclass assignment to create collages, in groups, to represent the stages ofgrief that Gilgamesh experiences when he grieves the death of his best friendSample 4: An assignment to compare a passage from The Epic of Gilgamesh to“Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob DylanSample 5: An assignment to compose a rap or rhyming poem that includes the wisdomGilgamesh gains through meeting three wisdomkeepersSample 6: Three examples of what students produced for their rap or rhyming poemassignment

These samples are meant to document my appreciation of human diversity through my ability todevelop curricula that will engage students with culturally relevant materials, an emphasis on studentagency, and the use of various learning styles. Sample 1 encourages students to practice and apply literaryknowledge with a contemporary film of their choosing. Sample 3 helps students to construct knowledgeand make connections to one particular aspect of Gilgamesh’s story in visual, as well as, tactile ways.Samples 4 and 6 allow students to translate ancient texts into a more contemporary and culturally relevantcontext. Samples 4 and 6 also allow the incorporation of music to be present in the classroom. All of thesamples permit students to have a certain amount of agency in their learning process and to applycontemporary and culturally relevant materials to understand The Epic of Gilgamesh.

My appreciation for human diversity is revealed through these samples because they demonstratemy confidence in being able to find ways for students of varying backgrounds to use culturally relevantknowledge in a classroom setting, and to make connections or construct meaningful understandings ofancient texts through various learning styles. Acknowledging diversity, as well as creating space forstudent agency and different modes of learning, greatly contributed to my ability to facilitate a respectfuland engaged classroom culture for effective learning to happen in a class composed of unique individuals.