These readings invited us to use place-based learning as an entry point into discovering the literacies of our students. Observing how they viewed the world around them in literacy walks helped reveal what spoke to them, what knowledge they possessed, and what curiosities they wanted to explore. It is a delicate act to explore the communities of our students without othering them, or creating spectacles of difference, but it is an important act to take. Grounding literacy in the lived experiences of our students helps them see themselves as part of a community where their voices and stories shape learning.

Critical literacy is important because it allows teachers and students to make deeper meaning with texts and build their understandings of language more. Critical literacy is important now, in the past, and for our futures. It seems like now more people are learning about critical literacy and being active in understanding different forms of language. 

Orellana and Hernandez(1999) are focused on expanding on literacy past using words. This involves using both verbal and non-verbal communication for students. They also discussed being aware of bias. There are bias that teachers come in with and it is important to be aware of this in order for students to be better communicators. 

McNamara and Andes(2016) are focused on place-based learning which is using local communities to create learning spaces for students. They are also focused on student-driven inquiry which is super important because it helps students be able to explore and learn through their experiences. 

A few years ago I read "The Body Keeps the Score" and there are points from that book that still pop into my mind on a regular basis. I think that it really transformed the way I think about healing.

Whenever I read about UDL I always remember something my MLL professor said- that “good differentiation is just good teaching.” While UDL adaptations address learners with disabilities, they benefit all learners. While UbD provides an intentional design process to curriculum, UDL ensures representation, access, and engagement for all students. 

Muhammad’s HRL framework pushes these ideas further, asking us not just to consider desired learning transfer and accessibility, but also students’ cultures, identities, and histories. She urges us to design curriculum that takes “the full measurement of our children” (2023, p. 136). Muhammad’s assessment strategies align with UbD in that they should reveal both the genius of children and the success or shortcomings of the teacher (2023, p. 138). Her curriculum design also aligns with UDL’s multiple means of representation but in a way that is deeply culturally grounded, using the “oral histories, traditions, and social context” of our students (2023, p. 135).

Using these three interconnected frameworks to design curriculum will help us foster learning that is meaningful, accessible, and affirming to student identities.

I think most of my questions have to do just with what will naturally arise with experience. Being in the classroom will bring new curiosities and questions that I will have to think about and engage with from moment to moment and lesson to lesson.

This class has helped me to become a more thoughtful, critically minded, educator and I hope to bring these new skills to the classroom!

Understanding of yourself and your students is springboard to finding pathways of connection to an otherwise impersonal curriculum. Another way to carry this forward is to see curriculum as a starting point. We can always find ways to make adjustments to make it more inclusive, more accessible, and more reflective of its students.

Muhammad's framework will definitely continue to inspire me as I plan lessons moving forward. Specifically, the pursuits outside of skills and intellect, which are more typically valued in American schools. Developing identity, criticality, and joy are so instrumental in doing what good teaching should really accomplish- developing self-aware, critical citizens of an ever-changing world.

Going forward, I want to be much more intentional about designing lessons that help students see themselves in the texts we read, ask big questions, and create work that feels purposeful. I’m especially carrying with me her emphasis on joy choosing texts that spark excitement rather than just meet standards. I also want to build more opportunities for students to develop their identities as readers and writers by centering their cultures, interests, and community knowledge.

I also believe that the historical study of the Black literary societies of the 1800s will stay with me. This is something that I feel compelled to learn more about. It feels like I have learned just the tip of the iceberg about this important American history - in fact, I feel like I am leaving this class with a long list of books and topics that I am energized to explore. It is a buoying, propelling, life-affirming feeling. I feel grateful to be in a position to learn more and more as an educator.

Muhammad also spoke to the importance of loving, accepting, and committing to yourself if you are going to work as an educator. This felt transformative as well. I slip easily into criticizing and finding fault in myself, and it was helpful to think about self-love as a calling, so that I can model it for my students, too.

So, for myself, I want to continue exploring how I can incorporate Dr. Muhmammad's pursuits into my lessons. Additionally, I want to read Dr. Brian Jones' book since I found his lecture interesting and thought provoking.

One of the most important ideas from this course is that equity and joy are not extras, they are essential. Frameworks like culturally responsive and humanizing literacy showed me that students learn best when they feel seen, safe, and valued. I also learned that differentiation is not about lowering expectations, but about providing different pathways so all students can access the same meaningful learning.

My biggest takeaway from this class is that literacy is human work. It is about connection, expression, and belonging. When students are given space to be joyful, curious, and themselves, literacy becomes more powerful and meaningful. This course has changed how I think about teaching.