Abstract
This mixed methods case study examines the perceptions that 24 African American and Latino students at one North Carolina high school have of effective classroom instruction in their favorite teacher's class. Six teachers were also interviewed and asked to reflect on student feedback and 1,003 anonymous students were surveyed (secondary data source). Critical Race Theory (CRT) was utilized to examine the racial context of this high school, students' counter stories, the existence of deficit thinking, and the presence of bias (Marshall, C. 2010; and Yosso, T. 2006). The data from this study indicate that effective teachers of African American and Latino students create a cultural symphony in their classrooms as they lead discussions about race, racism and/or positive contributions of African American and Latino people, are dedicated to the success of students, break it down to the ground by simplifying instruction, call on everyone, are passionate about their subject matter and maintain highly structured classroom environments. Cultural Symphony is a term that emanated from this research and is introduced and defined by this researcher.
Recommended Citation
McLaughlin, Dionne V.
(2012)
"The Cultural Symphony in Schools: Effectively Teaching African American and Latino High School Students,"
Teacher Education Journal of South Carolina: Vol. 5:
No.
1, Article 14.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/tejsc/vol5/iss1/14