Who's In My Classroom?: Building Developmentally and Culturally Responsive School Communities

by Gess LeBlanc, Tim Fredrick

You Can't Teach Who You Don't Know is a practical guide to helping educators become more developmentally and culturally responsive in their work. The book interweaves true stories by the diverse teens in Youth Communication's award-winning writing program with the best educational research. This resource links theories of adolescent development and identity formation to practices in real-world classrooms where teachers strive to form supportive relationships with their students.

Professor Gess LeBlanc's narrative, plus the examples from true stories by teens at Youth Communication, helps teachers to see each student as not just a learner, but as an individual who is figuring out who they are within the context of complex experiences, families, cultures, and communities. This kind of whole-child thinking will help educators make the deep connections with students that are at the heart of effective teaching and a school culture that supports achievement for all students. Each chapter will

narrative and explanation of the best research in the areas of educational psychology, developmental psychology, and cultural competence; excerpts of stories by students in Youth Communication's writing program and specifically written and edited with social and emotional learning competencies in mind; a "What Teachers Can Do" section, with specific instructional strategies; a "What Schools Can Do" section with suggestions for administrators. LeBlanc's review of research on youth development and cultural competence will remind teachers of the strong research-based foundations of best practices in education. Including true stories in which teens reveal the complexities of their lives, will remind teachers that building strong relationships with their students--based on understanding students' lived experiences--is the foundation of student motivation and achievement.

Genres: Nonfiction, Education

303 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 11, 2021

Reviews

[Miss Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took a class where Dr.LeBlanc was the professor. My first thought when I saw this book on the textbook for the class was "this dude is gonna have a massive ego". You hear crappy stories of professors who push their own literature as the required text.
But, i misjudged him. The class was my favorite. Reading this book wasn't taxing on my brain. Instead it was insightful. I find that the information in this book os useful and i plan to incorporate some of the ideas into my classroom. Gess taught me so much, through this book and in class. If you are a teacher and want to connect to your students read this book.

[Alicia Terrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this for school. It was fine, but pretty basic. My biggest takeaway was just how important it was for us to make connections to our students and help them feel valued and safe. It was a good reminder, but didn't have anything in it that will help me a lot as a teacher. It may be more helpful though for someone who hasn't read a lot of other anti-racism and social justice-related texts before.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Serviceable, a good introduction. I wish the *community* discussed was a little broader and more inclusive of families, but that's because families are what is relevant to me

[Dave Moyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very solid resource that both provokes thought and provides exceptional practical examples of how to ensure that equity is at the forefront of professional practice.