3.2.9 Reading Rainbow Remix: Fostering Cultural Competence of Gifted Teachers through Literature in Professional Learning Settings

Within the United States, the cultural, lingustical, economic diversity of the population has changed over the last decade. With the demographic changes, many educators and administration are working with student populations which may be unfamiliar to them, and to the school community. To this end, there is a great need to provide high quality professional learning to educators focused on multicultural topics. Learning how to be culturally responsive is critical if educators are going to reach every child, every day. The first step in being culturally responsive is self-reflection and asking questions about the unknown. Professional learning opportunities which provide a safe environment where open conversations can be guided in a way “that doesn’t make some people feel condemned” (Lopez, 2017). The benefits of using children’s literature to introduce, enrich or extend topics in the k-12 gifted classrooms are well-documented. The key to using children’s literature is to gather carefully selected pieces which are well timed and strategically inserted (Morris, 2013). Often, literature is used in the classroom as an avenue to broach a sensitive topic or provide more understanding. This same strategy is an effective way to build conversations with educators. A common read (Ferguson, 2006) provides an opportunity to enrich professional learning communities and allow teachers to build on a shared experience to foster discussion. This is highly effective in addressing areas of multiculturalism (Laufgraben, 2006; Gibson, 2012), allowing teachers to see areas of everyday racism through the eyes of children. Literature provides an avenue to explore and learn about diversity through a safe means. This can be an effective tool to open minds to various points of view and challenge preconceived ideas (Singer & Smith, 2003). Professional learning integrating literature geared to the unique needs of CLED gifted students has the potential to create a culture of change. This presentation will walk participants through the process: Stage 1: Setting the framework: what are the learning outcomes and goals for the session. Stage 2: Selection of the high quality children’s literature. Literature should be selected through a rigorous selection process as well as considering how the book will be used during the session. Stage 3: Design the activities which target the learning outcomes. Stage 4: Guiding the participants through the learning process and how to implement the new knowledge into individual teaching practices; this stage emphasizes reflection and follow up.

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