Publications
The Educator's Role in Creating a Classroom Culture of Belonging: Reimagining Diversity, Equity, Inclusion for the Multidiverse Classroom.
This chapter offers a framework for educators to create belonging in multi-diverse setters. This framework begins with self-reflection, (cultural) humility, curiosity, recognition, and then acceptance.
Troublesome Transformation: One for One or One for All? Moving from the Individual to Considering the Collective in Qualifying Good Transformation.
Transformative Learning Theory has been criticized for its lack of clarity regarding both the type and objects of transformation. This paper draws inspiration from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the Blackfoot Indians to propose two practices to qualify transformative learning practices, helping to ensure cultural perpetuity and that no harm is done.
Global Transformative Learning and its Effects: An Interview with Debbie Kramlich.
“This interview was with Debbie Kramlich, a skilled education consultant, educator, and transformative learning/listening force. Kramlich is skilled in global educating and transformative learning practices, and has used these to her own, and others’, advantages. She has applied these ideas and practices in all areas of her life, from personal to work-related.
The Language Classroom as Transformative Response to the Unique Needs of Refugees and Migrants (Chapter 16 in Transforming Language Learning and Teaching)
In 2017, the number of international migrants reached 258 million, including 25.4 million refugees (Vidal & Tjaden, 2018). Moving to, living in, and working in a different country is a transformative act reflecting both positive and negative aspects of the cross-cultural experience. All immigrants learning the local language face unique challenges in the world languages classroom setting. Teachers and their instructional styles can confirm the immigrant’s sense of stigma and insecurities or they can positively support this adjustment phase. Transformative learning theory assists those seeking to make meaning of their new lives as they cross cultures (Taylor, 2008).
Our global learning community in the clouds: Adaptive ecological elements and practices.
Research around learning community models often shows a structured and defined model to follow with the underlying assumption being if the steps are followed, the results will come. The model we offer in this paper is rather counter-cultural as it was not a specific process or practice we followed; rather, we found ourselves in a highly engaging, safe, kind, and productive learning community unlike most we have encountered in academia. We asked ourselves, “Why?” and engaged in reflection, questions, and research to define our unique community. Six themes emerged that form our ecological learning community; these temes are in motion, intertwined, and co-dependent on one another.
Leveraging (the potential of) the multiethnic classroom: Using the constructs of cultural humility and safety to provide belonging to Cross Cultural Kid (CCK) refugees.
In today’s age of globalization and mobility, children are impacted as they cross cultures, languages, and school systems. For the privileged this can be seen as a glamorous lifestyle; for the refugee and displaced person this move has more negative consequences. This article offers a brief overview of the concept of Cross Culture Kids and research from studies conducted with this unique group of children. Educational practices and methods of interventions are considered in light of the particular needs of CCK refugees in the Italian context in order to facilitate cultural humility and inclusive processes in multiethnic and multicultural schools.