Equitable+and+Excellent+Teaching

What is Equity Consciousness?

//Equity consciousness// refers to how //aware// or //mindful// people are as to whether others around them are receiving fair and equitable treatment, how well they understand the phenomenon of inequality, and how willing they are to become involved in situations. There are four beliefs: If you want things in your classroom to change significantly for the better, you will have to be open to making significant changes to what goes on in your classroom. Check out these research based recommendations for high quality teaching skills. After reviewing the recommended teaching skills, these are the top nine that are the most important for all teachers to possess. These skills are:
 * 1) All children (except only a very small percentage) are capable of high levels of academic success.
 * 2) That all children means all, regardless of a child's race, social class, gender, sexual orientation, learning difference, culture, language, religion, and so on.
 * 3) That the adults in the school are primarily responsible for student learning
 * 4) That traditional school practices may work for some students but are not working for all children. Therefore, if we are going to eliminate the achievement gap, it requires a change in our practices.
 * using consistent and reliable classroom procedures and routines;
 * clearly communicating expectations for learning;
 * stimulating students with high level and complex tasks;
 * ensuring students are actively, cognitively engaged;
 * extending students learning through teacher to student and student to student discussion;
 * frequently assessing individual student learning;
 * differentiating instruction to meet individual student needs and capitalize on individual assets;
 * using an asset model to respond to students' varying cultures; and demonstrating respect and care in all interactions with all students and students' families.