Brilliant Teaching (Using Culture and Artful Thinking to Close Equity Gaps)

Think like an artist and design a classroom that works—well—for everyone

In Brilliant Teaching, you will come to understand that equity—when we view it from an informed, multi-layered, and artistic perspective—is the essential purpose of teaching. As education thought leader Dr. Adeyemi Stembridge argues, true equity does not need to defend or justify itself against detractors. Teaching for equity means creating student-centered opportunities that match the social, political, and economic context of the learning environment. Informed by both theory and extensive collaboration with K-12 teachers, Brilliant Teaching will help you develop a deep understanding of culture, one that you can leverage in order to be responsive to students.

This book draws from a range of disciplines, including but going well beyond the post-modern and critical-theory-based discourse that dominate conversations today. Brilliant Teaching also pulls from art theory, cultural psychology, cognitive science, and learning theory, as well as classic historical texts within education. With this broad foundation, Dr. Stembridge offers an empowering, engaging approach that educators can use to help learners reach their own goals, and to move society onward and upward.

• Discover practices that you can use to provide vulnerable students with high quality, effective, and meaningful learning opportunities
• Learn to empathize with and respond to your students in a way that will engage and empower them in rigorous learning experiences
• Embrace artful thinking and an integrated understanding of culture in your approach to equity in the classroom
• View the K-12 classroom with a more expansive mindset and fresh ideas from an expert educator

For K-12 educators, preservice teachers, parents, school board members, and policymakers, this book is a breath of fresh air and inspiration in a world where culturally responsive teaching is increasingly recognized as a must.