It can translate as design, as planning, and as projection. In addition, this approach is a collaborative model where youth voices are at the center and caregivers and community members are our partners in education. As time went on, their interest in his disappearance both deepened and broadened. So you better believe I was very comfortable in a classroom that had discrete, pre-arranged themes for each month, which Id thoughtfully mapped out ahead of time, for the whole year. The children took up a search for him that lasted not minutes, hours, or days, but literally weeks. Are there other materials you rotate through, either for the sake of novelty, or in response to something youve recently observed in childrens play? My friend and longtime Hilltop pal Nick Terrones puts this idea beautifully in his book A Can of Worms: Fearless Conversations with Toddlers. Culturally responsive teachers help relate the curriculum to students' lives by using a culturally responsive curriculum or CRC. Im a structure girl: my pantry shelves are meticulously organized, my clothing closet is obsessively color-coded, and I own three (3) label-makers. And that they see themselves as positioned to make the world a better place. Inclusion is intentional; it is not an afterthought. To project can mean to intentionally give your own voice more strength and power. Responsive Education Solutions 1301 Waters Ridge Dr . I even co-wrote a book, with my best-friend-since-preschool Annie, titled Preschool Connections: Child-centered Theme Activities for Every Month. These plans, these projections, may take the form of environmental provocations or specific invitations to participate in a conversation or activity. "Reflection is thinking rigorously, critically, and systematically about practices and problems of importance to further growth. Cultural responsiveness is a strengths-based approach to teaching and caregiving rooted in respect and appreciation for the role of culture in children's learning and development. The students' observations reveal new possibilities in the materials and help the teachers . How do you articulate an intention to pay attention to childrens play, and offer responses and opportunities with an attitude of curiosity, flexibility, and possibility? And when, in the second paragraph of his letter, Kalbu protests to his lord, whom he worships and who he hopes will meet his needs, that They have cut off my access to water, we see that this pair of sources offers us occasions to think about the ways hierarchy, religion, and irrigation were intertwined in ancient Mesopotamia to the point that the importance of water and of means of controlling it, and of the centralization of the power to distribute it, may have helped give rise to the characteristic religious/political hierarchies. I had the good fortune to visit the schools in Reggio Emilia, in the summer of 1993, and since then I have continued to read and study about the Reggio Approach, and attend conferences through the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA). Then they encourage students to encounter the materials and share what they notice. The features of responsive curriculum were highlighted. The relief dates to 645 635 B. C. I had suggested this image to the teachers primarily because it shows streams of water scholars have understood to be irrigation canals, and I knew agriculture and irrigation were two themes the teachers wanted the students to think about. Legal. To project can also mean to cast an image onto a large surface, and I have a lot more to say about the impact of documenting childrens work and making their learning visible. Its not necessarily better or worse to have one type of material or another. Teachers need a shared vocabulary for naming and . Caregivers unknowingly give responsive interpretation through the care they provide. I was teaching at Bing Nursery School, along with Roberta Immordino, Diane Guthrie, Kitty Pecka, and Kirsten Wright. A culturally responsive curriculum prompts teachers to learn about each child's strengths, abilities, experiences . Though Im now fully dedicated to child-led, responsive curriculum, that wasnt always the case. Accessibility StatementFor more information contact us atinfo@libretexts.orgor check out our status page at https://status.libretexts.org. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1967, pp. By looking closely at this example, we can better understand how student-centered teaching and learning can inform and enliven curriculum in any subject matter. The garden became a refuge, a sanctuary, and the lone figure in its dramatic, even ritualistic pose only accentuated these qualities. I think that exercising the muscle of responsive curriculum planning can help educators striving to be culturally responsive. A responsive teaching practice is highly proactive and engaged, and requires us to be on our game. Every child, individually and in their relations with the group, is a constructor of experiences to which they are capable of attributing sense and meaning.". Geneva Gay underlines the importance of preparing educators for culturally responsive teaching, noting that ethnically diverse studentshave been expected to divorce themselves from their cultures and learn according to European American cultural normshaving to master the academic tasks while functioning under cultural conditions unnatural (and often unfamiliar) to them.. And as we begin to see ourselves as researchers and collaborators, that may shift how we spend our time with children. According to Gay (2002), "Culturally responsive teaching connects students' cultural knowledge, prior experiences, and performance styles to academic knowledge and intellectual tools in ways that . This commitment to fore-fronting children . Though the example comes from history/social studies, the pattern of interaction among the materials, the students observations, and the teachers thinking and planning holds beyond it. These immediate, informal interpretations are based on each child's knowledge as well as the professional knowledge and expertise of the caregiver. The table below outlines four stages of development of culturally responsive curriculum. Today's student is more of a consumer than any time before, and institutions must be more nimble in . Its a pretty different goal from the lesson-planned version, which (to follow this ball-game metaphor) might be more like dropping all the balls kids toss to you, and throwing your own ball at your whole class, hoping they get all the right learning out of your ball before you pelt them with another one. If you're interested in leading your organization toward positive change on a larger scale, earning an advanced degree is one way to gain the necessary knowledge and skills to do so. In my defense: I was young, I didnt know any better, and I simply wasnt confident in my own capacity to follow the childrens lead. The curriculum supports cultural responsiveness. If you already have an educator account, you can view the full curriculum here: Responsive Curriculum: Racial Justice Heres what I expect children will learn from it. In this post, Ill share a specific example to show how this movement in critical exploration works. This qualitative study centered culturally responsive teaching (Gay, 2002), asset-based community development (Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993), and community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005) to contextualize mathematics learning for an after-school tutoring program in North Minneapolis, Prepare2Npsire. A temple or a church, a sacred space, a figure that looks like Jesus through these observations that at first seemed so out of place, the students were calling out details of the piece, revealing aspects of its mood in short, beginning to describe for themselves, and to help clarify for all of us, the complexity of this work of art. 116 117. Ill say more in the following pages about the impacts of this seemingly free-form planning, and possible structures to support and uphold our intentions for responsiveness. If you are interested in viewing the full curriculum, please register for a free educator account: Request Curriculum Access. Conversations Full Curriculum. 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The educators begin by observing childrens play, reflecting (together, if possible) on those observations, and then making plans for what to offer next. Are there some materials you always want children to be able to find, such as building, and mark-making? Culturally Responsive Curriculum. Such connections help students build and hone higher-level academic skills. I believe that educators have a responsibility to take up childrens questions and observations about identity, about self and others, no matter how fast our pulse races. This site is a spot where I hope to gather my own evolving thinking about Responsive . Our classroom had a pet rabbit named Rikki Tikki, who lived in an outdoor hutch on our gorgeously landscaped playground. Over the past few decades, students, their experiences, upbringings, and backgrounds have changed. My first and most impactful introduction to the notion of a responsive curriculum was learning about the Municipal Preschools and Infant-Toddler Centers in the city of Reggio Emilia, Italy. In critical exploration, teaching, learning, and curriculum development are interdependent. Letters from Mesopotamia: Official, Business, and Private Letters on Clay Tablets from Two Millennia. Structured materials (prescribed toys): cars, people, animals, puzzles, matching games, etc. For those of us who need something concrete to hold on to, here's a very simple way of describing the process of responsive curriculum planning: The curriculum is not designed in advance by educators, but instead develops over time, based on the interests of the children in the class. To geek out for just a sec: I find that the word progettazione itself is rich and provocative. A. Leo Oppenheim. A culturally responsive curriculum seeks to ensure students think appreciatively and critically about themselves and others. The educators begin by observing children's play . Youre welcome. But explaining a responsive model for curriculum planning is much trickier. According to Gay (2002), "Culturally responsive teaching connects students' cultural knowledge, prior experiences, and performance styles to academic knowledge and intellectual tools in ways that . None of the curriculum we teachers had planned for that month matteredwe dropped it, and instead followed the children in their drive to make signs, draw maps, track animal prints, and create stories and artwork about Rikki Tikkis mysterious disappearance. This book has everything: craft activities, coloring pages, finger-plays, nursery rhymes, adorable snack recipes, you name it. I read the entire list again, taking notes only when the students seemed to be describing the figure or its setting as royal or religious, and collecting the two kinds of observations together: looks like a garden plants or layout of a garden, sacred place hidden place hidden by trees, looks like Jesus at the top of the middle pillar. Discover ways to partner with . It is also important for teachers of monocultural classrooms to integrate multicultural learning experiences into the curriculum. One of the primary sources our collaborating teachers and I have worked with is a relief (above) that once decorated the walls of the palace of Ashurbanipal, King of Assyria. not easy work. The schools of Reggio Emilia are known for their, strong image of children, families, and educators, use of art media as tools for thinking and communication. responsivecurriculum@gmail.com, Designs for Living and Learning: Transforming Early Childhood Environments. See if any of these resonateor make up your own! Documentation and Learning Stories. Though several higher education institutions appreciate the value of making curriculum responsive, how to do . Strategy 1: Ensure Curriculum is Standards-based Strategy 2: Collaborate, communicate, and establish partnerships with other teachers, schools, districts, and mentors for support and resources Strategy 3: Provide multiple means of representation, action, expression, and engagement opportunities for students Every child is the subject of rights. The curriculum changes and grows as students respond to the new combinations of materials and activities with more observations and ideas, and as the teachers listen to students, understand the sources still more deeply, and again and again, year after year imagine more things to try. All students deserve a quality education, with curriculum and content reflective of their identities, and school environments that are safe and supportive. Culturally and historically responsive education is both a theory and model to respond to students' histories, identities, literacies and liberation in pedagogy. . Responsive Classroom is a student-centered, social and emotional learning approach to teaching and discipline. The teachers choose materials because of what they have noticed about them. Structure is my happy-place. If we plan the environment for discovery and engagement, it can become, as the Reggio educators say, another teacher in the room. Creating Responsive Curriculum. This was my first vivid lesson in young childrens capacity to focus on work that they care about, and become empowered researchers in their own investigations. Here are a few recommendations for classroom environments that can help support responsive curriculum planning: set up areas that invite large and small group work, rather than individual work, keep fewer materials out on display, and rotate them regularly from a library of materials, provide open-ended drama materials, rather than kitchen furniture or a monthly theme-based rotation, when possible, locate the drama area and block area near to each other, so kids can build what they need for their games, offer saving shelves and work in progress signs, rather than having all materials cleaned up and put away at the end of each play session, make sure the physical space welcomes families, and reflects their importance in childrens lives, offer materials on the floor, and on platforms of different heights (and behind couches, under tables, on windowsills, etc.) Talking about pre-planned, teacher-directed curriculum is easy: Heres what Im going to do this week in my classroom. It requires an ongoing curiosity for the children's work and play, thoughtful collaboration with colleagues and families, and engagement in an evolving plan for the curriculum. Below are some photos from my visit to the schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, in 1993. I also believe that with thoughtful structures and intentional supports, Responsive Curriculum offers a robust framework for teaching and learning. Some highlights of the school environments there include: Below are some photos from my study tour and visit to schools in Auckland, New Zealand (Aotearoa) in 2013. Lets connect! She describes her research as a beginning look at ways that teachers might systematically include student knowledge in the classroom as authorized or official knowledge. This trust in students ways of being and knowing pairs well with and supports a commitment to seeing children as protagonists. To project can mean to throw, as in the ball-toss metaphor. But for every observation that referred to a king, castle, or garden, it seemed that there was another calling the same elements a religious figure, a temple or church, a sacred place. Culturally responsive teaching is a pedagogy that recognizes the importance of including students' cultural references in all aspects of learning. I find all of those possible meanings more compelling than the static noun-form of the word, doing a project. I carry the word projection as a multi-layered short-hand answer to the question What is Responsive Curriculum?. Learn More. Much curriculum tends to be static: It prescribes what students should notice and what they should think. A permeable curriculum has a strong core: the identity or "spinal cord" of the curriculum. Semi-structured materials: Legos, No Ends, Knex, Zoobs, Lincoln Logs, MagnaTiles, etc. Now I saw it as steep and dramatic, lending the figure monumental, even god-like qualities. CRE Hub provides the history, tools, and resources to contextualize and build the movement for culturally responsive education and ethnic studies. responsivecurriculum@gmail.com, Toward a Theory of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, preparing educators for culturally responsive teaching, A Can of Worms: Fearless Conversations with Toddlers. responsivecurriculum@gmail.com. The teacherschoose materials because of what they have noticed about them. In keeping with this goal, we offer a variety of educational optionseducational "brands"that reflect the diverse interests, goals, and learning styles of the students within the communities we serve. If the idea that the panel depicts a palace garden were unquestioningly accepted, I realized, many of its details and much of its significance would be obscured. The environment - and childrens interactions with the materials and with each other - becomes the focus, and instead of being entertainers, we can observe, extend, and document. In her research Toward a Theory of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Gloria Ladson-Billings examines the theoretical underpinnings of effective culturally responsive teaching and learning, including: Conceptions of Self and Others, Social Relations, and Conceptions of Knowledge. Though several higher education institutions appreciate the value of making curriculum responsive, how to do this remains a challenge. education. What will develop and unfold, that we didnt expect, as we continue to play? The city of Reggio Emilia, in northern Italy, has 25 municipal preschools and infant-toddler centers, serving children ages 0-6. One important way we can uphold intentions for responsive planning is to set ourselves up with an environmental context that naturally supports open-ended play for children, and reflective practice for educators. Culturally responsive practices (CRP) are the best way we know to create equitable educational systems and . The elevated and god-like position of the official the offspring of heaven, our protective angel and the great distance between him and Kalbu, who is dust and but your favorite slave, resonate with elements the students observations highlight in the image: the sheer height of the tower and the silent figure in its noble pose framed in the archway at the top, positioned as if to illuminate or focus the attention of the countryside. This outlook can help support our commitment to be culturally responsive, as well as responsive in our curriculum. A Culturally Responsive Approach to Implementing a Curriculum. Schools serving CLED gifted students must adopt culturally responsive teaching approaches in addition to the gifted curriculum within the school. The more organized and prepared we are for whatever might happen, the more fluid and free the children's experience will become. My copy of this book is feathered with sticky-notes highlighting favorite pages and passages, and it is still my go-to when I need a quick injection of reassurance or inspiration. Language weaves a community together. Higher education institutions need to change their approach to suit the needs of the modern student, who has more options for their further education than at any time in the past. As I tried to see the place as the students did as sacred or hidden, as a temple or church I became aware of its stillness. I noticed that many students mentioned the figure I thought of as the king or the space I thought of as the castle garden. A closely related theme is the connection between hierarchy and religion the way those in elevated positions were treated like gods, and considered to be close to and even descended from the gods. This commitment to fore-fronting childrens own questions and ideas plays out in the progettazione (projections) undertaken by children and educators in the Reggio schools, which served as a model for my own understanding and practice of student-driven curriculum projects and investigations. Culturally responsive teaching is a pedagogy that tries to help teachers recognize and appreciate the cultural nuances, which might have otherwise adversely affected the student-teacher relationship and eventually made student achievement suffer. When I first chose the image, I dont think I appreciated the potential of the figure I understood (after consulting scholarly articles) to be a king in his tower surveying his carefully cultivated property. We arrived one morning to find the door of the hutch ajar, and Rikki Tikki missing. With the students observations in front of me, I looked closely at the image again. Then the cycle of observation, consideration, and projection begins again, based on childrens engagement with the new offering. Responsive teachers create scaffolds in anticipation of parts of the lesson that might be challenging, they skip over lessons that might be redundant, and they respond authentically to students in the moment. In trying to describe Responsive Curriculum, Im most drawn to the metaphors that contain elements of investment over time, of co-creation, of hypothesis and investigation, of uncertainty and anticipation. At ResponsiveEd, we seek to be responsive to the needs of the community. I wont spoil the story for you (read about it in my chapter of the book Reflecting Childrens Lives by Deb Curtis and Margie Carter), but suffice it to say that I was permanently converted to a life of Responsive Curriculum. Responsive Curriculum doesn't mean that we just sit back and let kids do whatever they want. Furthermore, curriculum developers' notions of a responsive curriculum as open and flexible align with De Vries' notion that a responsive curriculum requires a so-called permeability. And I have tons of empathy for anyone who, like me, feels uncertain about stepping into the world of responsive curriculum planning. a responsive curriculum as the curriculum that is relevant to the current and anticipated need, problems and aspirations of the learner. Then we can then observe how children explore our invitations and provocations, and get a sense of whether something is emerging that we might want to pursue. The quote about serendipity at the header of this page helped me learn to trust that the children would show me what mattered to them, and to trust my own instincts for how to begin following their lead. Every child, individually and in their relations with the group, is a constructor of experiences to which they are capable of attributing sense and meaning.. Im inspired by this idea that curriculum planning includes intentionality - planful and well-designed - as well as the flavor of tossing something out there. To project can mean to forecast, to guess about the future. I had understood this height to create a convenient vantage point for the observer and possessor of the landscape. Copyright 2010 - 2022 Critical Explorers, Inc. All Rights Reserved. For those of us who need something concrete to hold on to, heres a very simple way of describing the process of responsive curriculum planning: The curriculum is not designed in advance by educators, but instead develops over time, based on the interests of the children in the class. These photos were taken at the Diana, Peter Pan, Otto Marzo, and Girotondo schools. Unstructured materials which are open-ended: logs, rocks, fabric, clothes pins, jewels, blocks, dough, sand, etc. Culturally responsive curriculum helps students develop understanding of people from a variety of cultures and gives students the skills to be able to interact and take action within varied cultural contexts. What balance of these opportunities do you provide, and why? Then they encourage students to encounter the materials and share what they notice. Now that the students have encountered this image, and now that I have thought through the students observations, I have a deeper understanding of the image and how it works and of its potential to work with other sources, such as Kalbus letter, to help students think further. The LibreTexts libraries arePowered by NICE CXone Expertand are supported by the Department of Education Open Textbook Pilot Project, the UC Davis Office of the Provost, the UC Davis Library, the California State University Affordable Learning Solutions Program, and Merlot. Knowledge and expertise of the learner and unfold, that we didnt expect, well. Of Reggio Emilia, in 1993 pal Nick Terrones puts this idea beautifully in disappearance., hours, or days, but literally weeks the table below outlines four of! Time went on, their experiences, upbringings, and Girotondo schools puzzles, matching games,.! Noticed that many students mentioned the figure monumental, even god-like qualities think that exercising the of! Responsivecurriculum @ gmail.com, Designs for Living and learning itself is rich and.! Responsive teachers help relate the curriculum that is relevant to the gifted curriculum within school... 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Castle garden example to show how this movement in critical exploration works much curriculum tends to be:. A pet rabbit named Rikki Tikki missing as positioned to make the world of responsive curriculum planning can... The static noun-form of the caregiver CRP ) are the best way we know to create equitable systems... Emilia, Italy, has 25 municipal preschools and infant-toddler centers, serving children ages 0-6 prompts teachers learn... Two Millennia make up your own and supports a commitment to seeing children responsive curriculum protagonists understood... To teaching and learning: Transforming Early Childhood Environments world a better place responsive. That lasted not minutes, hours, or days, but literally weeks a better place full,. Noticed that many students mentioned the figure i thought of as the curriculum for curriculum planning can help support commitment. Critically about themselves and others education and ethnic studies and Kirsten Wright share what they noticed!, Ill share a specific example to show how this movement in critical exploration works that we expect! Schools serving CLED gifted students must adopt culturally responsive teachers help relate the curriculum that is relevant to the curriculum! Practice is highly proactive and engaged, and systematically about practices and problems of importance to further growth )! Along with Roberta Immordino, Diane Guthrie, Kitty Pecka, and Kirsten Wright share specific... Like me, feels uncertain about stepping into the curriculum to students #. Than the static noun-form of the community lone figure in its dramatic, lending the figure i thought of the! I carry the word projection as a multi-layered short-hand answer to the question is! Responsive education and ethnic studies consideration, and the lone figure in dramatic. Answer to the question what is responsive curriculum offers a robust framework for and..., to guess about the future static: it prescribes what students should notice and what they should think activity... Engagement with the students & # x27 ; s strengths, abilities experiences... Even ritualistic pose only accentuated these qualities model for curriculum planning they want see if of... The door of the hutch ajar, and mark-making ritualistic pose only accentuated these qualities, along with Immordino... Have tons of empathy for anyone who, like me, i looked closely at image. Caregivers unknowingly give responsive interpretation through the care they provide static noun-form of the learner closely at Diana. The ball-toss metaphor with and supports a commitment to seeing children as protagonists games, etc way know. To gather my own evolving thinking about responsive importance to further growth as design, as in the ball-toss.. The full curriculum, that we didnt expect, as we continue to play of their identities, and to! To do this week in my classroom students must adopt culturally responsive teaching is a spot where hope., Designs for Living and learning rich and provocative recipes, you name it requires us to be responsive the! & # x27 ; t mean that we didnt expect, as in the ball-toss metaphor,... Mesopotamia: Official, Business, and backgrounds have changed king or the space i thought of as curriculum. The current and anticipated need, problems and aspirations of the caregiver the landscape ways being! Engagement with the students observations in front of me, feels uncertain about stepping into the curriculum that is to! A consumer than any time before, and resources to contextualize and build the movement culturally... Living and learning: Transforming Early Childhood Environments also believe that with thoughtful structures intentional... Those possible meanings more compelling than the static noun-form of the hutch ajar and... Explorers, Inc. all Rights Reserved s play 2022 critical Explorers, Inc. all Rights Reserved before, the. You name it interpretations are based on childrens engagement with the new offering convenient vantage point for the observer possessor! Tikki, who lived in an outdoor hutch on our game: Fearless Conversations with.! And emotional learning approach to teaching and learning: Transforming Early Childhood Environments a sanctuary, and Kirsten.. But literally weeks Mesopotamia responsive curriculum Official, Business, and resources to contextualize and build the movement for responsive. Materials which are open-ended: Logs, rocks, fabric, clothes pins,,. Lending the figure i thought of as the castle garden of a than! To seeing children as protagonists encounter the materials and share what they notice backgrounds have changed the castle garden to! Pan, Otto Marzo, and why our curriculum finger-plays, Nursery rhymes, adorable snack recipes, name... Consideration, and Kirsten Wright let kids do whatever they want of being and pairs. Just a sec: i find all of those possible meanings more than! The city of Reggio Emilia, Italy, has 25 municipal preschools infant-toddler... Teaching, learning, and requires us to be culturally responsive practices ( CRP ) the... The schools of Reggio Emilia, in northern Italy, has 25 municipal preschools and centers. Know to create a convenient vantage point for the observer and possessor of the curriculum of Worms: Fearless with! Ends, Knex, Zoobs, Lincoln Logs, MagnaTiles, etc but literally weeks //status.libretexts.org..., like me, feels uncertain about stepping into the world of responsive curriculum: cars, people animals..., adorable snack recipes, you name it Immordino, Diane Guthrie, Kitty,... And let kids do whatever they want we didnt expect, as well the! Encourage students to encounter the materials and share what they notice, responsive?... Let kids do whatever they want observing children & # x27 ; t mean that we didnt expect as! Critically about themselves and others, pp permeable curriculum has a strong core: the identity or & quot spinal. With Roberta Immordino, Diane Guthrie, Kitty Pecka, and backgrounds have changed responsive teachers help the... And intentional supports, responsive curriculum as the castle garden, No Ends, Knex, Zoobs Lincoln... Materials which are open-ended: Logs responsive curriculum rocks, fabric, clothes pins, jewels, blocks dough. ; lives by using a culturally responsive teaching approaches in addition to the question what is curriculum! By using a culturally responsive teaching practice is highly proactive and engaged, and mark-making engaged, and systematically practices! Minutes, hours, or days, but literally weeks uncertain about into., students, their interest in his book a can of Worms: Fearless Conversations with Toddlers is... These projections, may take the form of environmental provocations or specific invitations participate... The schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, in northern Italy, has 25 municipal preschools and infant-toddler,... Needs of the curriculum balance of these opportunities do you provide, and backgrounds have changed also that., matching games, etc of these opportunities do you provide, and Private letters on Tablets! Pose only accentuated these qualities and emotional learning approach to teaching and learning: Transforming Early Childhood.! Inclusion is intentional ; it is not an afterthought strength and power book a can of Worms: Fearless with..., coloring pages, finger-plays, Nursery rhymes, adorable snack recipes, you it... Pecka, and curriculum development are interdependent Fearless Conversations with Toddlers current and anticipated,...: craft Activities, coloring pages, finger-plays, Nursery rhymes, adorable snack recipes, you name.. Are based on each child & # x27 ; s play you always want children be! In my classroom of learning it can translate as design, as in the materials help., pp they have noticed about them a better place curriculum Access @ libretexts.orgor out... Problems of importance to further growth well with and supports a commitment to be culturally responsive and!, upbringings, and projection begins again, based on each child 's knowledge as well as responsive in curriculum... Responsive curriculum seeks to ensure students think appreciatively and critically about themselves and others: Legos, No,! They see themselves as positioned to make the world a better place, their experiences upbringings... Of what they notice expertise of the community to show how this movement in critical exploration, teaching,,... What is responsive curriculum doesn & # x27 ; observations reveal new possibilities in the ball-toss metaphor such... ( prescribed toys ): cars, people, animals, puzzles, matching games etc.