“Many times we read or hear an amazing idea or strategy to use in the classroom but the lingering question becomes: How do I use this in my classroom?” -Ashley Causey-Golden

Ashley Causey-Golden THENCE contributor and co-founder of Gather forest school in Atlanta, Georgia directed us to read and delve into the work of Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, the author of Cultivating Genius. This textbook presents the Historically Responsive Literacy Model.

In this model Dr. Muhammad names five essential ideas. They are identify, skills, intellect, criticality and joy. She uses these ideas to form guiding questions that help anchor us in our reflective thinking. To paraphrase some of the questions proposed by Dr. Muhammad, we may ask ourselves questions such as: “Why are we teaching this?” Related to this question is: “Why are we choosing this material, book, or lesson plan?” Also, crucially we may consider asking “Why might this be relevant to students receiving this lesson?” In other words to get to the “How” it is first important to answer the “Why” of teaching any given material in the classroom.

Ashley further explains in the video clip below that the classroom is a place where identity is formed, and thus positive identity development should be a key learning objective for students during Black History Month and beyond. For African American children, Black History Month is a time for identity development to enjoy a guaranteed phase of being seen; but perhaps for many students, the classroom is the place to experience the stirrings of seeing oneself as a person with a pathway to possibility, opportunity and achievement. Of course, if this sense of being seen only happens during the month of February, the negative message is that Black history is seasonal.

Perhaps it goes without saying that having confidence in one’s future self not only supports a child’s cognitive development, but it also frames social and emotional development. Take this excerpt from our conversation as we began to ask one another about the importance of identity development during AND beyond Black History Month.

Note that the first part of this clip is archival footage from NASA in which Astronaut Jeanette Epps speaks about the importance of being visible to African American girls in particular, and the meaning for her visibility for the identity development of African American girls as she embarks on ground breaking space missions and scientific research. Dr. Jeanette Epps has been preparing for a mission to space that is scheduled to take place later in 2024, so we can expect to see her in the news in coming months!

Watch our clip and contribute your thoughts and questions in the discussion space below.