Creating Equitable Spaces Toward Academic Success Through the Transformation of Middle School Teachers’ Actions

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 4:55 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Reflective Practices in Support of Student Learning in the Middle Grades (Table 8)

Abstract

Despite many middle school teachers’ recognition of the positive impact of culturally responsive/sustaining practices on culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students, they struggle to find concrete guidance on how to mitigate the tension between students’ needs and curriculum. Biography-driven instruction (BDI) (Herrera, 2010, 2016, 2022) is an instructional framework designed to translate asset-based theory into practice. This qualitative case study investigated 10 middle school teachers’ perspectives about BDI and explored their pedagogical applications of BDI among CLD learners. Through inductive thematic analysis of participants’ semi-structured interviews, written reflections, and classroom experiences, two broad themes emerged: 1) voices, care, and hope, and 2) prepare, reflect, and transform. The findings demonstrated the applicability of BDI to promote equitable and inclusive learning.

Authors

• Jinhua Wang, Kansas State University

• Socorro Herrera, Kansas State University

• Melissa Ann Holmes, Kansas State University

• Kendra Herrera, Kansas State University