RUBRIC Total Possible Score: 8.00 Video Analysis Questions Total: 2.00 Distinguished - Comprehensively addresses the questions provided within the assignment instructions based on inferences and ideas about how things could have been improved in the events captured in the video. Proficient - Addresses the questions provided within the assignment instructions based on inferences and ideas about how things could have been improved in the events captured in the video. Minor details are missing. Basic - Minimally addresses the questions provided within the assignment instructions based on inferences and ideas about how things could have been improved in the events captured in the video. Relevant details are missing. Below Expectations - Attempts to address the questions provided within the assignment instructions based on inferences and ideas about how things could have been improved in the events captured in the video; however, significant details are missing. Non-Performance – The address of the questions provided within the assignment instructions is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the assignment instructions. Equity Strategies Total: 2.50 Distinguished - Comprehensively describes existing equity strategies, and suggests at least one equity strategy for each of the four categories that the teacher could have utilized: instruction, classroom environment, student grouping, and student leadership/recognition. Proficient - Describes existing equity strategies, and suggests at least one equity strategy for each of the four categories that the teacher could have utilized: instruction, classroom environment, student grouping, and student leadership/recognition. Minor details are missing. Basic - Minimally describes existing equity strategies, and suggests at least one equity strategy for each of the four categories that the teacher could have utilized: instruction, classroom environment, student grouping, and student leadership/recognition. Relevant details are missing. Below Expectations - Attempts to describe existing equity strategies and suggest at least one equity strategy for each of the four categories that the teacher could have utilized: instruction, classroom environment, student grouping, and student leadership/recognition; however, significant details are missing. Non-Performance - The description of equity strategies is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the assignment instructions. Culturally Relevant Strategies Total: 2.50 Distinguished - Comprehensively describes any evidence of culturally relevant pedagogy in action in the video, and suggests at least three strategies that could be used to create a more culturally relevant classroom. Proficient - Describes any evidence of culturally relevant pedagogy in action in the video, and suggests at least three strategies that could be used to create a more culturally relevant classroom. Minor details are missing. Basic - Minimally describes any e.

1. RUBRIC
Total Possible Score: 8.00
Video Analysis Questions
Total: 2.00
Distinguished - Comprehensively addresses the questions
provided within the assignment instructions based on inferences
and ideas about how things could have been improved in the
events captured in the video.
Proficient - Addresses the questions provided within the
assignment instructions based on inferences and ideas about
how things could have been improved in the events captured in
the video. Minor details are missing.
Basic - Minimally addresses the questions provided within the
assignment instructions based on inferences and ideas about
how things could have been improved in the events captured in
the video. Relevant details are missing.
Below Expectations - Attempts to address the questions
provided within the assignment instructions based on inferences
and ideas about how things could have been improved in the
events captured in the video; however, significant details are
missing.
Non-Performance – The address of the questions provided
within the assignment instructions is either nonexistent or lacks
the components described in the assignment instructions.
Equity Strategies
Total: 2.50
Distinguished - Comprehensively describes existing equity
strategies, and suggests at least one equity strategy for each of
the four categories that the teacher could have utilized:
instruction, classroom environment, student grouping, and
student leadership/recognition.
Proficient - Describes existing equity strategies, and suggests at
least one equity strategy for each of the four categories that the

2. teacher could have utilized: instruction, classroom environment,
student grouping, and student leadership/recognition. Minor
details are missing.
Basic - Minimally describes existing equity strategies, and
suggests at least one equity strategy for each of the four
categories that the teacher could have utilized: instruction,
classroom environment, student grouping, and student
leadership/recognition. Relevant details are missing.
Below Expectations - Attempts to describe existing equity
strategies and suggest at least one equity strategy for each of
the four categories that the teacher could have utilized:
instruction, classroom environment, student grouping, and
student leadership/recognition; however, significant details are
missing.
Non-Performance - The description of equity strategies is either
nonexistent or lacks the components described in the assignment
instructions.
Culturally Relevant Strategies
Total: 2.50
Distinguished - Comprehensively describes any evidence of
culturally relevant pedagogy in action in the video, and suggests
at least three strategies that could be used to create a more
culturally relevant classroom.
Proficient - Describes any evidence of culturally relevant
pedagogy in action in the video, and suggests at least three
strategies that could be used to create a more culturally relevant
classroom. Minor details are missing.
Basic - Minimally describes any evidence of culturally relevant
pedagogy in action in the video, and suggests at least three
strategies that could be used to create a more culturally relevant
classroom. Relevant details are missing.
Below Expectations - Attempts to describe any evidence of
culturally relevant pedagogy in action in the video and suggest
at least three strategies that could be used to create a more
culturally relevant classroom; however, significant details are

3. missing.
Non-Performance - The description of culturally relevant
strategies is either nonexistent or lacks the components
described in the assignment instructions.
Written Communication: Control of Syntax and Mechanics
Total: 0.25
Distinguished - Displays meticulous comprehension and
organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and
grammar. Written work contains no errors and is very easy to
understand.
Week 3 Discussion 1 Creating an evaluation instruments for
cultural relevance in the classroom
In this discussion, you will apply your knowledge of culturally
relevant pedagogy to examine the degree to which a specific
place-based experience implements culturally relevant
strategies. Please review this week’s Instructor Guidance for
detailed assistance on preparing for and completing this
discussion.
Initial Post: For this post, you will complete a rubric to
determine the degree to which an instructional experience
incorporates culturally relevant pedagogical principles. Based
on your knowledge about culturally relevant teaching, you will
add two more criteria to the rubric below and then use it to
evaluate one of the place-based lesson stories shared on the
Case Studies: Shared Stories on Place-Based EducationLinks to
an external site. web page. Then, using the rubric below, with
your results from your evaluation, summarize how well you
think your selected place-based experience addresses cultural
relevance.
You can copy the rubric below into a Word document, complete
the rubric, and then copy and paste it into the discussion forum
along with your summary. You can also save your Word

4. document with your completed rubric to your computer and
attach it into the discussion forum.
Culturally Relevant Practices
Basic
Proficient
Advanced
Exudes high expectations
Connected to students’ existing mental schemes, prior
knowledge, and cultural perspectives
Connected to learning standards (state or national)
Based on issues and ideas that the students find meaningful
Instructor Guidance
Week 3
Week Overview

5. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal…”
U.S. Declaration of Independence
Have you ever thought for a moment about the level of truth in
this famous line from the U.S. Declaration of Independence?
Granted, the authors did not consider gender or race as equal in
1776, but in reality all people enter this world unequal to
everybody else, identical twins notwithstanding. Gender, race,
ethnicity, social status, wealth, height, weight, intelligence,
predisposition to health-related issues, geography, and any
number of personality characteristics collectively consign each
one of us to a unique, singular, unequal life.
But so what? From an educational perspective, the fact that
every learner is unique can be seen as a real problem. Classes
would be much easier to teach if everybody possessed the exact
same previous experiences, intellectual qualities and
dispositions, and family structures. But this will never be the
case, and in fact the diversity of learners in a classroom
provides many more opportunities for dynamic interactions and
multiple perspectives. And because no two students are alike, it
is most appropriate to NOT treat them equally when it comes to
their instruction. It is best to treat students equitably, not
equally. This is an important component of culturally relevant
pedagogy and something you will learn more about this week as
you identify examples of equity versus equality in pop culture.
Last week you began considering how culturally relevant
pedagogy is realized in diverse classrooms. This week, you will
be learning more specific skills associated with the design of
culturally relevant instruction. You will describe the
characteristics of culturally relevant pedagogy in detail, and you
will analyze common elements among culturally relevant
instruction place-based educational approaches. Examining

6. specific examples of place-based instruction will help you see
how culturally relevant pedagogy can be applied in a variety of
settings, with impressive results. And you will finish the week
suggesting how culturally relevant instructional strategies might
have improve the quality of instruction for a very specific, very
public case of bad instruction captured on cell phone video.
Finally, similar to last week, the skills facilitated this week
support your ability to successfully address two key components
of the final project.
Intellectual Elaboration
Culturally relevant teachers recognize that they do not instruct
culturally homogenized, generic students in generic school
settings. Teachers armed with a repertoire of generic teaching
skills often find themselves ineffective and illprepared when
faced with a classroom of culturally diverse students…
A culturally relevant pedagogy builds on the premise that
learning may differ across cultures and teachers can enhance
students’ success by acquiring knowledge of their cultural
backgrounds and translating this knowledge into instructional
practice” (Irvine, 2009)
This quote by Irvine (2009) does an excellent job of
summarizing the nature of culturally relevant teachers and the
pedagogy that defines them.
Last week, you spent some time identifying strategies
represented in culturally relevant instruction. This week you
are going to put this knowledge together with some of the
concepts presented in the first week regarding culture to help
you learn the following important skills:
· Explain how the underlying principles of culturally relevant
instruction contribute to equity in the classroom.
· Recommend strategies for supporting students’ cultural
identity through equitable learning opportunities.
Equity v. Equality
One important characteristic of culturally relevant instruction is

7. that is contributes to an equity in the classroom, as opposed to
equality. This is in keeping with the personalized nature of the
instruction. To help you understand the difference between
efficacy and equality, you are asked to identify examples from
popular culture and media. A couple of good examples are
shown here:
Equity might be described as having enough, whether or not we
have as much as someone else. It can also be described as
thinking about how to provide enough to others.
In addition to equity in the classroom, you will be evaluating a
learning experience this week using a rubric to measure how
well the instructional program seems to adhere to culturally
relevant guidelines. This activity supports two important skill
areas. First, it helps you better understanding culturally
relevant instruction in action, which is something you will need
to apply in the final project. And second, it allows you to
identify and examine specific examples of learning experience
that pursue active connections between what goes on in the
classroom to issues grounded in the local community. Such
environments naturally support culturally relevant strategies
similar to the project-based and problem-based approaches
discussed later in the course. In fact, the “place-based”
instructional programs are a form of project-based or problem-
based learning. The distinction is simply that they use problems
that really exist in the community as the context for learning
important academic and 21st century skills.
And to help you better understand the foundation of culturally
relevant instruction that will be evaluated by the instrument you
develop this week, read the following article by Irvine (2009)
published in Tolerance.org's Teaching Tolerance magazineLinks
to an external site..
Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

8. Consider the quotes below from Irvine (2009) and Wardle
(2013) about culturally relevant pedagogy:
Culturally relevant teachers recognize that they do not instruct
culturally homogenized, generic students in generic school
settings. Teachers armed with a repertoire of generic teaching
skills often find themselves ineffective and ill-prepared when
faced with a classroom of culturally diverse students. (Irvine,
2009)
Culturally responsive [relevant] pedagogy focuses on the
learning strengths of students, including students from a variety
of backgrounds, and provides various means by which diverse
students’ cultures and learning styles can be connected to the
school’s understanding of teaching, learning, academics, and
accepted behaviors. (Wardle, 2013, Chapter 4)
Further, consider the above descriptions of culturally relevant
pedagogy in relation to the work of Gloria Ladson-Billings
(1995), who noted that...
Culturally relevant pedagogy rests on three criteria or
propositions: (a) Students must experience academic success;
(b) students must develop and/or maintain cultural competence;
and (c) students must develop a critical consciousness through
which they challenge the status quo of the current social order.
(Ladson-Billing, 1995, p. 160).
Put more succinctly, “A culturally relevant pedagogy builds on
the premise that learning may differ across cultures and teachers
can enhance students’ success by acquiring knowledge of their
cultural backgrounds and translating this knowledge into
instructional practice” (Irvine, 2009).
In addition, read Developing Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
(Chapter 4.3) and Approaches to Educational Equality that
Acknowledge Student Differences (Chapter 4.4) in the Wardle
(2013) course text, as well as the Equity Pedagogy section of
Chapter 10.1. Pay special attention to the Analyzing
Curriculum and Pedagogy for Cultural Responsiveness
suggestions presented near the end of the chapter.

9. Some of the key terms introduced and applied this week
include:
· Efficacy
· Equity
· Equality
· Place-based instruction/education
Discussion Response Expectations
Discussion 1: The first discussion this week; Creating an
Evaluation Instrument for Cultural Relevance in the Classroom
involves developing an instrument that you will use to evaluate
the quality of culturally relevant approaches observed within
place-based educational programs.
Reflect on the readings for this week, including Wardle (2013)
Chapter 4, and the Ladson-Billings (1995) article, the video
overview of culturally relevant pedagogyLinks to an external
site. (Tolerance.Org, 2010), and the Irvine (2009) Relevant:
Beyond the Basics article from this week’s required resources
list. In Wardle (2013), pay particular attention to the Analyzing
Curriculum and Pedagogy for Cultural Responsiveness
suggestions included near the end of the chapter prior to the
chapter summary. Next, recall that an effective example of
culturally relevant approaches to instructional experiences can
be found in place-based education, which is grounded in
structuring learning experiences designed to actually help
communities by using students and school staff to identify
solutions to community problems. Place-based education
recognizes that local communities are one of the primary
resources for learning. If needed, review Promise of Place’s
(n.d.) overview of place-based education.Links to an external
site.
Links to an external site.For example, one evaluation question
might address equity: “How well does the lesson implement
strategies to promote equitable experiences for a diverse

10. population of students?” Three criteria that might be used as
possible answers to this question might include the following:
· Advanced: The approach supports multiple learning styles, a
combination of cooperative group and individual activities, and
multiple means of expressing learning within the assessments.
· Proficient: The approach does allow for some individual
choices and/or means of assessment, but more could be done to
support individual learning styles.
· Basic: The approach is homogenous, expecting all students to
experience the same instructional material without personal
input in the experience from start to finish (including
assessment).
Discussion Two: The Equal versus Equitable post asks you to
locate and identify examples of equity versus equality in pop
culture. Such distinctions help develop classroom strategies
designed to meet the individual needs of diverse members of a
student population. As you will see exemplified in the
elaboration section of this Instructor Guidance, examples of
equality include any depiction of an attitude that it is only
“fair” if everybody gets the same. The same style, type, amount,
opportunity etc. Advertisements, song lyrics, and political
messages are some excellent sources of the concept of equality.
Equity is very different, and you may have to really hunt for
examples of this concept. Basically, equity refers to “fairness”
measured not by how equal the portions, but by how equal needs
are met. Since everybody has different needs, the amount and
type of resources (money, food, housing, love, support, help
etc.) available to people will differ…which is another way to
look at “fairness.” Again, examples of these ideas can be found
in popular culture.
Assignment: This week’s assignment focuses on your analysis
and evaluation of an actual problem observed in a Texas high
school social studies classroom. Video footage was captured
from a cell phone that depicts a very brief, heated interchange
between a student and his teacher. Closer examination of the

11. classroom environment and the student’s complaints reveal
quite a bit about the nature of the instructional experiences
designed. You will analyze the situation and submit a brief
evaluation for other students in the class to review.
This two-minute video Links to an external site.was recorded by
a student in a Texas high school social studies class. It depicts a
student, Jeff Bliss, being asked to leave the class because he
was apparently disruptive in some way. Watch the video several
times and carefully observe what the student is saying, how the
teacher responds, and what the other students seem to be doing
within the class. A transcript of the short video is provided
below.
Jeff Bliss: [I’m tired of] hearing this freakin’ lady go off on
kids because they don’t get this crap. If you can just get up and
teach them instead of handing them a freakin’ packet, yo. There
are kids in here who don’t learn like that, they need to learn
face-to-face. You’re just getting mad because I’m pointing out
the obvious. [Teacher says "Bye" throughout...]
Teacher Julie Phung: (mumbling) No. 'Cause you’re wasting my
time.
Jeff Bliss: I’m not wasting your time. I’m telling you what you
need to do. You want kids to come in your class, you want them
to get excited for this? You gotta' come in here and you gotta'
make 'em excited. You want a kid to change and start doing
better? You gotta' touch his freakin’ heart! Can’t expect a kid to
change if all you do is just tell him. You gotta' take this job
serious. This is the future of this nation. And when you come in
here like you did last time and make a statement about "This is
my paycheck..." indeed it is, but this is my country’s future and
my education.
Teacher Julie Phung: I respect that. Could you go outside
please?

12. Jeff Bliss: But there’s a limit. When I’m not bitching, but
simply making an observation. And now I will leave.
Teacher Julie Phung: (mumbling) OK.
Jeff Bliss: You’re welcome. And if you would like, I’ll teach
you a little more so you can learn how to teach a freakin’ class.
Because since I’ve got here I’ve done nothing but read packets.
So don’t try and take credibility for teaching me jack! [Teacher:
"Go, go, go, just go."]
It is difficult to generalize about Ms. Phung’s professional
practice based on one very short peek into her classroom. But
there is no arguing that the experience could have been used as
a teachable moment, and if Jeff Bliss’s claims about
“completing packets” and the lack of interaction are believable,
then much can be inferred about the general nature of the class
and how it is structured and facilitated. In fact, such inferences
can also be made by examining how the room is set up and how
the other students react to the conflict.
The video made national news because the student being
recorded is very articulate about his feelings regarding the
inadequacy of the instruction, and the teacher does not do a
very good job of using the experience as a teachable moment. It
is impossible to generalize about a teacher’s practice from such
a short video, but you will make some inferences based on what
is presented and analyze the manner in which you feel the
teacher addresses the issues raised by the student. You will
imagine how the situation might have been different if the
teacher incorporated more equitable, culturally relevant
practices, and you will recommend specific strategies for
improving her practice in this area. It might be useful to use
the evaluation instrument you designed this week to help
evaluate the teacher and offer suggestions for improvement.

13. As you develop a culturally relevant alternate ending to the
story of Jeff Bliss and Mrs. Phung in an assignment for the
week, you will once again apply the criteria for effective
culturally relevant instruction. This provides another
opportunity to practice skills needed to successfully complete
the final course project in Week Six.
If you are enrolled in the MAED Program, it is imperative that
you keep copies of all assignments completed in this course.
You will return to them for the portfolio that you will create in
your final MAED course. This portfolio is a culminating project
that will demonstrate that you have met program outcomes.
References
Bliss, J. (2013, May 8). Student "Jeff Bliss" mad at teacher at
Duncanville HighLinks to an external site. [Video file].
Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jsUj4DqWfU
C.K.. L. (Writer), and C.K., L. (Director). (2011, June 30).
Bummer/Blueberry [Television series episode]. In L. C.K.
(Producer), Louis. New York, NY: FX.
Irvine, J. (2009). Relevant: Beyond the basics. Teaching
Tolerance Magazine. Retrieved from
http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-36-fall-
2009/feature/relevant-beyond-basics.
Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). But that's just good teaching! The
case for culturally relevant pedagogy. Theory into Practice,
34(3), 159-195.
Promise of Place (n.d.). Principles of place-based
educationLinks to an external site.. Retrieved from:
https://www.promiseofplace.org/what-is-pbe/principles-of-
place-based-education

14. Tolerance.org (2010). Introduction to culturally relevant
pedagogy. Retrieved from
http://www.tolerance.orgblogintroduction-culturally-relevant-
pedagogy
Wardle, F. (2013). Human relationships and learning in the
multicultural environment. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint
Education, Inc.