When students can make personal connections to their learning, and when they feel secure in their learning environment, their true capacity will be reflected in their achievement. (page 6)
So, a sense of security sets the foundation for true possibilities to unfold, in terms of student learning, success in school, and life-long achievement?
Why, then, was I struggling recently with designing a problem about a camping trip (pretty much 0% of my students camp), when over a quarter of my students are Chinese, and I could just as easily have constructed a problem about visiting grandma to celebrate Chinese new year?!
Why? Well, because I am not Chinese, I guess, and because as much as I like to think I am culturally proficient, such oversights illustrate how we are all affected by our own schema!
Becoming more aware of how I can integrate the cultures of the students into the problems I want them to solve might just make a positive impact, in terms of engagement. And that might make achievement of the concepts I hope they'll learn, well, more... achievable!