Zaretta Hammond: How Teachers Can Become Personal Trainers of Cognitive Development

Today we continue our conversation with Zaretta Hammond.

In part one, Zaretta explained what it means to be a culturally responsive teacher – and why it’s necessary not only to stimulate intellectual curiosity, but also move beyond cognitive redlining and transition students to cognitive independence.

In part two, Zaretta extends the analysis, outlining practical steps for teachers to become, ideally, personal trainers of cognitive development. And we discuss whether educators should be worried about so-called “learning loss” during the  Covid-19 pandemic or focus instead on what students may have learned away from school?

Some background: Hammond is the author of “Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain” and founder of the “Ready 4 Rigor” blog. She is a former English teacher and, for nearly two decades, has worked at the crux of instructional design, professional development, and achieving equity. She is particularly interested in the work teachers must do to help students become the drivers of their own learning.

For more information, go to www.turnaroundusa.org/podcast.