Each of us has unique inner gifts to share with the world. I want to:
- inspire educators, parents and other caregivers
- celebrate inner resources, and
- share the journey of learning and living the Nurtured Heart Approach®.
I am working to publish regular newsletters, each with a specific focus group or topic in mind. This issue addresses NHA and Culturally Responsive Teaching. Thank you for attending to your heart and all you do to SHINE!
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Included below are nuggets and resources useful to any NHA® practitioner. This is NOT a substitute for NHA training. Subscribe now!
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Nurtured Heart Approach
and
Culturally Responsive Teaching
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The Nurtured Heart Approach and Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) are ways of seeing the world that are highly aligned in large part because they involve a personal investment that urges us to dig deep.
We struggle if we simply "use" our NHA strategies on kids to make them behave. We can also mistakenly rush to adopt "quick-fix" culturally responsive tools and techniques with the hope that students will engage. Instead both practices require us to attend to our personal energy and influence as well as our history, culture, and the sociopolitical complexities surrounding the school community. Sharing the nurtured heart and culturally responsive journey with a focus on incremental change serves us well.
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Relationship. Relationship. Relationship.
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NHA and CRT are supported by neuroscience. Learning can occur only when the brain and body are relaxed and alert.
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Zarretta Hammond clearly explains the neuroscience available to inform our ability to guide dependent learners as they build intellectual capacity and become increasingly independent. She outlines how to be more culturally responsive in her 4 part framework featuring: Awareness, Learning Partnerships, Information Processing, and Community of Learning and Learning Environment. She explains how the brain interprets culture, emphasizing the importance of minimizing threat and maximizing well-being for students.
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Hammond challenges culturally responsive teachers to create environments that the brain perceives "as safe and nurturing so it can relax, let go of any stress, and turn its attention to learning." She elaborates on the following 6 principles as keys to addressing this challenge:
- The brain seeks to minimize social threats and maximize opportunities to connect with others in community.
- Positive relationships keep our safety-threat detection system in check.
- Culture guides how we process information.
- Attention drives learning.
- All new information must be coupled with existing funds of knowledge in order to be learned.
- The brain physically grows through challenge and stretch, expanding its ability to do more complex thinking and learning.
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“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Expect greatness from students, give them evidence of their brilliance, and help them to reach their potential with clarity, structure, and high expectations.
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Several learning opportunities for parents and teachers are quickly approaching.
Notching Up the Nurtured Heart Approach® offerings:
Coaching and Collaboration - Including Classroom Visits
Friday, February 2, 2018, 4:30-7:00 AND Saturday, March 3, 2018, 8:30-12:00.
Conversation and Activities to Support Your NHA Practice
90-minute sectional at Verona Area School District Staff Development Day
Friday, February 23, 2018
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Upcoming NHA Introductory Workshops
Learn the basics of the Nurtured Heart Approach over a 4-week period.
Fitchburg Community Center
Wednesdays January 31, February 7, February 21 and February 28
Verona Area School District
Tuesdays, February 13, 20, 27 and March 6
Next VASD Nurturing Hearts Heroes Monthly Parent Meetings
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Monday, February 26, 2018
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"Every child is one caring adult away from being a success story."
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The Nurtured Heart Approach is copyrighted material belonging to Howard Glasser and the Children's Success Foundation.
As stated above, the material in this newsletter is not a substitute for NHA training.
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