Date Approved
4-2021
Graduate Degree Type
Project
Degree Name
Education-Higher Education (M.Ed.)
Degree Program
College of Education
First Advisor
Erica Hamilton
Academic Year
2020/2021
Abstract
In recent years, education initiatives have aimed to link school and teacher effectiveness to secondary students’ performance on standardized testing. Consequently, many schools have adapted curriculum to prepare students for the test. As a result, many publishers have filled a need by providing packaged or scripted curriculum seeking to streamline the education process. This project explores the ways in which English Language Arts (ELA) standardized curriculum influences secondary students’ motivation and teachers’ autonomy. An effective ELA curriculum must meet the diverse needs of all students and allow for teacher autonomy to modify curriculum when and where needed. To meet adolescent students’ needs, this project demonstrates how secondary ELA teachers can utilize Culturally Responsive Teaching (Gay, 2002) when required to use a standardized curriculum. In doing so, secondary ELA teachers are empowered to address students’ learning needs while meeting pre-determined curricular requirements. As a result, they can make necessary adjustments and craft lessons that are engaging and meaningful for all students. Thus, this project provides secondary ELA teachers who are required to use a standardized curriculum a tool to using required curriculum while utilizing a culturally and historically responsive framework (Muhammad, 2020) to support and engage all learners.
ScholarWorks Citation
McKellar, Angela, "One Size Does Not Fit All: Addressing Adolescents’ Needs for Historically and Culturally Responsive English Language Arts Curriculum" (2021). Culminating Experience Projects. 26.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/gradprojects/26
