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Clint Smith encourages students to critically examine works of literature in an effort to better understand their own story. This understanding is crucial to recognizing the validity of other experiences, which builds cultural awareness and, ultimately, inspires positive change in society. He discourages students from submitting to degrading stereotypes by adopting a strength-based perspective in the classroom, and valuing student voice and experiences. This learning experience will empower students to define and shape their own identity. -Anita D'Angelo

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Mr. Smith has created an environment of questioning. He avoids the traditional way of teaching in lecturing and instead provokes an intensive critical thinking environment. Learn through questioning, communication and collaboration. Mr. Smith instead of acting like a knowledge transferer, he acs as a guide instead for his students. The Students are the centre, they think, act and learn on their terms, with MR. Smith providing them a path to go along.

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Gnan Logeswaran

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Mr Smith is more question oriented, and focuses more on relating information to the students. He believes to rather teach through discussions and opinions of his students. He encourages his students to question everything, anything they know anything they have been taught. He strongly feels that the only way there will be an educating experience is if they students can express them selves whether it is verbally or through writing. An inclusive accepting environment is what all teachers strive to establish, by allowing freedom of speech and creating an atmosphere where students feel like they are valued it creates a more memorable environment.

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Mr.Smith describes how his approach to teaching does not involve lecturing to students about the history of English literature, but rather allowing for their voices, opinions and perspectives to be clearly and effectively communicated on a global scale. He strongly enforces a critical pedagogy that challenges his students to ask questions, raise their voice and project their concern for cultural, social and global issues in regards to their race, sex, gender, class, or ability. He encourages active participation and social advocacy through spoken and written words in order to change the minds and common misconceptions of marginalized perspectives. Mr. Smith wishes to invoke social change whereby all voices and opinions can be heard and explored through a safe, collaborative learning environment. -Christina Chiarelli

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Mr. Smith's approach to teaching through an approach that is relevant to students by actively engaging with them displays how effective this type of teaching can connect to students via current cultural issues in order to learn about classical literature and philosophy. Thus Mr. Smith is an example of responsible teaching in that the role of the learner is not just solely delegated to students but rather to both the teacher and student.  This ultimately creates a supportive learning environment that allows for critical thinking to occur for the student and the teacher that is participatory and inclusive in nature. As a teacher, my goal is to support a similar type of learning environment where students are encouraged to challenge about their worldview and critically think about societal pressures through the use of student relevant interests. - Wilson Halder

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Clint Smith incorporates critically relevant and responsive pedagogy in his class by helping his students use their voice and their story to confront racial and socioeconomic stereotypes that are prevalent in and beyond their community. He sets high expectations for his students, and as a result they have embraced the opportunity to challenge the way others may think of them and to create positive change. -Emily Black

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Clint Smith made his lessons relevant by integrating student’s background experience to his teachings. He recognizes each student’s background experiences as strengths, fostering a learning environment which promotes equity and equivalence. Through poetry he empowers his students to not only find success in the outside world, but also change it.
-Chrisnoel Lumang

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- Saya Szparlo

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Clint Smith provided critically relevant material in his course by bringing in issues of race and culture in the classroom. He made the material personal by tapping into the injustices that his students face which demonstrated the responsive pedagogy. By allowing them to become more aware of the injustices that they will endure he fuelled their powerful poetry projects. These tasks required critical thinking and causing a response.

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Mr. Smith, as an educator presents himself as a superb role model, ensuring he is not the knowledge of all, but in fact a keen motivator to encourage student's confidence inside the classroom as they delve into literature. He ensures it is culturally relevant, using literature as a form of avocation to issues student's are currently addressing within their community. It empowers them, giving them a sense of belonging and incentive to improve the livelyhood of themselves and the community around them. -Adrienne Porter

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Clint Smith engaged his students by demonstrating how important his student narratives are in his classroom. He included culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy by ensuring his students that their culture should not be dictated based on dominant societal narratives from mainstream media. Evidently, his teaching is encouraging and he continues to foster an inclusive and creative classroom environment. - Bianca Pittiglio

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Clint Smith engaged his students by having a different take on teaching and learning.  He taught course material by connecting older texts to current, real-life situations in which some of his students find themselves. He encouraged them to make more connections to their lives in order to see how their experiences are relevant.  He also allowed them to tell their stories, inspire, and advocate through creating and reciting poetry, which made his students feel empowered and valued. -Alyssa Nucifora

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Clint Smith showed how important his student narratives are in his classroom. In every topic they discuss, he encourages them to make connections to their own lives. He asks questions that spark a classroom discussion, causing students to question how the stories they are reading are similar or different to their own life stories. His students seem passionate to learn, and excited to share their ideas in the classroom. I think that Mr. Smith creates this enriched environment by talking about social issues that are important to the students - they feel like they are learning things that can be applied to their every day life. - Deanna LeFort

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I believe one of the most important ideas that Mr. Smith presented in terms of being a culturally responsible educator was the fact that he showed his students that he himself was still a learner. What this shows his students is that learning never stops. In understanding that their teacher is also searching for answers, the students themselves can feel more comfortable with their lack of knowledge on topics such as culture. This then can create a more comfortable environment for students to participate and ask questions rather than feel they should already know the answers. Jasvir R

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The teacher Mr. Smith is an exemplar to how we should approach teaching our students in our class. We need to reassess and re-evaluate how we are incorporating the whole child perspective when teaching our students. It is important to be relevant to the demographics of your class and know your students’ narratives and that’s what Mr. Smith did. He admitted that he is also learning with them, gaining new perspectives and trying to “save himself.” This learning is just as much of a journey to him as to his students. He has shown that through his critical relevant and responsive pedagogy of his class. - Simmy Kang

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Mr. Smith included culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy by ensuring his students that their culture should not be dictated based on dominant societal narratives from other people or the mainstream media, but rather from those who have knowledge of their culture and who practice it on a regular basis. Additionally, he encourages his students to learn about different cultures from reputable sources and have a voice in tackling many social issues that plague people's lives every day because of negative perceptions of them.                                                                                                                                    -Kim Huo

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I enjoyed watching this video as it is evident that Clint Smith wants students to embrace their own narrative in order to incorporate the student's voice and values. He strives for students to be critical when thinking about the literature in their poetry. In addition, it is apparent he maintains high expectations for everyone. He discusses the importance of empowerment and encouraging students to help build their knowledge. He is a true model on how teachers can implement a culturally relevant curriculum. -Victoria Ubriaco

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In the video, Clint Smith incorporated a lot of relevant information that is beneficial for students and educators by forming connections that are a reflection in the lives of students. Forming real life connections is a critical component in examining how to engage the learning environment that critics may say is  a missing aspect in today's educational climate.His expectations and body of work demonstrates the much needed work that needs to be done through literature and how it can promote inclusivity and creativity. -Samuel Tawiah

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Mr. Smith has incorporated Critically Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy into his class because he uses literature to help empower the students. He uses stories and narratives to help students better understand their own story and to see the world from different perspectives and backgrounds. Poetry and stories help the students recognize that they do have a voice and that they can communicate their story to change society’s dominant views. Stories enable the students to challenge societal beliefs that reproduce injustices and helps them understand the factors that shape who they are. Mr. Smith maintains high expectations for his students and helps them value the talents and strengths that they bring into the classroom. He transforms the students’ learning by encouraging them to create positive change,  to share and express their thoughts and feelings in their own stories, and to defy society’s commonly-held assumptions and biases.

-Daniela Priore

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Mr. Smith sets high expectations for this students. He asks them to use their communication skills to advocate for what they believe in.
He sets a good example of advocating himself outside of class and school.
He connects classical literature and philosophy to current issues. He is not simply informing his students about the past and present, he is lending them a lense to see all humanity, past and present, to be connected. The lense is a powerful tool for the students to be culturally critical.
He does not impose himself as the knowledgeable of all and lets the student know that their own learning starts from them and because of them (part of the poem about a student named Kevin).
-Rawan Ibrahem

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Clint Smith has incorporated a Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy into his classes by incorporating students' personal experiences into the curriculum. As a result, he and all students get to know each other better, and he is fully aware of his students' unique backgrounds, needs and any disadvantages they might face.
- Jina Park

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Clint Smith incorporated both critically relevant and responsive pedagogy into his class by creating a strong community with his students. Clint encourages his students to participate and caters his lessons so the students can see themselves in their learning. - Jason Hill

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Clint Smith displays both critically relevant and responsive pedagogy in his classroom because he addresses cultural issues through literature that are relevant to his students’ lives. Smith gives students a voice in his classroom by getting them to share their narratives in order to understand who his students are, while getting students to critically think about their experiences. In doing so, Smith empowers students by setting high expectations for his students who he believes have the power to take action and create change. Smith recognizes his role as a teacher is not to sculpt his students, but to give them the tools to sculpt themselves and sculpt a better world. Smith views himself as a fellow learner working through the same biases, attitudes and struggles as students, creating a collaborative and inclusive classroom to work towards a common goal.
- Connie Santos

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Clint Smith has incorporated both Critically Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy into his class through the study and discussion of narratives that allow students an opportunity to then share their own stories. He connects literacy to the unique lives of his students and not only acknowledges them for their diversity, but nurtures their differences. Through poetry in particular, the students tell their stories. By sharing their stories in this way, their words are imbued with power and the stories themselves become a testament to their strength as individuals. Thus his students are able to critique the institutional norms that maintain inequalities by being aware of how others perceive them. - Joanne Roitman

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Clint Smith is an educator who uses his words to make meaning and tell his story. He then evidently demands his students to do the same. Mr Smith can be seen as an advocate for both a relevant and responsive pedagogy based on the videos I have seen him in. He demands his students to set the highest of expectations for themselves and gives them the necessary tools to achieve those expectations. He offers praise and positive criticisms towards his students showing them that they can have the same power and impact as iconic figures like Aristotle and Socrates .He demands his students to speak truth and meaning when telling their stories and allow their writing to connect them with important factors that are present and relevant in their lives. He urges his student to find the difference they have from other students and use this difference as an advantage and opportunity to achieve  their own success and help other achieve success.

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Clint Smith has presented himself as what seems to be, a profound educator in all of the videos that I have seen him in. He incorporates culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy by presenting issues to the students that they can relate to. Smith makes the work and readings done in class meaningful to the students by presenting a relationship between the issues and ideas being presented in the text and their association to how they are either relevant in today's society or to the students' lives. By creating such correlation, the students become engaged because they begin to find meaning in the work that they are doing. The concepts are no longer abstract and unrelatable, but are transformed into ideas that they can build upon based on their own personal experiences, to work towards the betterment of society. - Angela Mansoor

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Clint Smith has incorporated both Critically Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy by incorporating the students' perspectives into the lessons. He demonstrates to the students that their voices are relevant and heard, and gives them the platform and space to express themselves. This encourages them to be a part of the lesson, and learn from each other. This also shows how Clint Smith is able to make the classroom relevant, as these students are hearing about current topics and issues that they are experiencing. I especially admire how Smith was able to show his students how older texts they learn are still relevant today, as the messages learned are still applied to reality. - Natalie Malka

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Clint Smith allowed all individuals to empower themselves through their voices, as the words they said were able to encapsulate various meanings and challenging numerous systems. Through nurturing their diversity and creating an open space that was judgment-free, he was able to build a greater student-teacher relationship, putting trust in them as they put trust in him. Through this he was not only able to see their stories but how truly diverse his students were. He used this teaching pedagogy, to not hinder his students but to embrace who they are and who they can be. - Jessica c

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Clint Smith not only recognized individual student realities but empowered their voices, encouraging students to look introspectively, to challenge systems, to challenge everything, to challenge him, to think critically, to take their voice as power, to take their education as empowerment, to build their knowledge and take strength from their ability to turn their lives, their culture, their experiences into work, into art. Taking from their own identity and cultural experiences to develop their own stories, their own literature, and to express freely, Clint Smith seems pretty amazing!

- Lucas Anastacio

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Clint Smith encourages and nurtures a safe and openminded space where student express there own stories through poetry and spoken word. In doing so he is building a better understanding of each individual student and acknowledging their cultural uniqueness. By putting himself into his own work and sharing it with the class, we see an exchange between teacher and student that fosters a strong sense of community. With spoken word especially, there is a certain amount of trust you are putting into your audience when putting yourself out there. It is evident that Clint has incorporated a Culturally Responsive Pedagogy by encouraging students to see their diversity as a strength, and to own their narratives. - Brendon Polley

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he allows students to express themselves in ways they are most comfortable and as everyone learns differently. he acknowledges that his classroom is filled with students from diverse backgrounds and he not only teaches them equally with the same determination but he also learns from them and changes thoughts/biases he may have held in the past.-KS

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Clint Smith seems to be a great example of how to effectively engage in Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. It is evident that Clint Smith has high expectations for all of his students, and invites them to hone rather than hide their uniqueness in their writing. One can definitely tell that he has instilled a strong sense of community in his students, particularly in the scenes where the students are sharing their own poetry. As has been hitherto observed of Clint in this course, he views diversity through the lens of strength and opportunity rather than deficit, which enables him to connect with his students and to nurture their identities. I love that in addressing current societal problems, he links history and traditional texts to demonstrate that human beings have faced similar problems throughout the past. In linking past and present and providing meaningful connections to his students, as well as operating through a strength rather than deficit-based model, I am reminded once more that Clint Smith is the type of teacher that I aspire to be. - Amanda Hébert

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Clint Smith was able to incorporate critically relevant and responsive pedagogy in his classroom by basing linking the material to the students experiences. He also acknowledged the student's struggles and their realities (like how the social world might perceive them as less capable or less intelligent because of their race or socioeconomic status).
- Keri Thompson

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Clint Smith incorporated both culturally relevant pedagogy and culturally responsive pedagogy by offering the resources that explore culturally related issues through literature, as well as encouraging students to reflect on their own cultures and experiences to create their own literature and make a difference.
Chelsea McPolland

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Reflection on CRRP: Clint incorporates CRRP by enabling students to have cultural awareness or competency; he does so by helping students critically think about the literature, by opening up the floor to discuss literature that addresses cultural-based issues, by facilitating for them an opportunity to explore different perspectives, by reminding students to not let society define them but rather to use the narratives to create or bring about change in society and to do so while embracing and being proud of their own personal journey/narrative. -Sandra Mina (Tech Ed)

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He applies a critical lens to traditional texts of western culture and relates them to modern media perspectives and issues to engage conversation about differing perspectives and common humanity, to ignite empathy. But most importantly, to my mind, he values his students' voices, gives them a platform and medium to express their personal narratives and learns from them, with them. That's the kind of teaching I aspire to. - SM

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Reflecting on the video, Clint Smith incorporates Critically Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy by having a community culture in the classroom. Clint uses poetry as a medium for his students to be able to tell their own stories, and you can tell how meaningful this has been for the students. One student describes how he didn't realize how powerful words are, and this is powerful to me- awakening a curiosity and giving students a platform for their voices is at the heart of being a great educator and including Critically Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy. - Allison Panizales

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Clint Smith is the guy in all the TED Talk videos that seem to make up the bulk of this course. He is definitely the greatest poet of all time. One instance of Clint incorporating culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy in his classroom is his poetry club, where he encourages students to practice creative literacy skills while telling their own stories. By doing this, he's transforming his teaching practice by respecting and building off of the experiences his students have outside of school. His connection between Shakespeare and undocumented immigration is another example of culturally responsive pedagogy. Here, he enhances curriculum content by connecting to relevant social issues that might already be affecting students and their communities outside of school. -Thomas Adamson

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Susan

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What was really powerful for me was the poster in the classroom, saying "Students will learn how to use reading, writing and speaking to advocate for the things they believe in". I like that Clint empowers the students to be able to express their thoughts in writing or speaking. He shows his students that he cares, and gives them the opportunity to speak up for themselves and to challenge their perceptions of what society may have told these students who they are. He sees that teaching the younger generation, showing that he believes in them, Clint puts high expectations on the students while supporting them on their journey .

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Clint has incorporated a Culturally Relevant Pedagogy by helping students become more culturally competent by discussing literature that deals with culturally rooted issues throughout history. He also ensures that his students are critically thinking about the literature in their poetry. Clint has incorporated a Culturally Responsive Pedagogy by encouraging students to embrace their narratives and to use their narratives to evoke change in society. He allows students to realize their unique situation and experiences with the world and to use it to produce their own meaningful pieces of expressive literature. He encourages students to not let society around them define themselves and to take charge and pride in their personal stories. - Adriana Risa