of challenge, students are willing to do
the hard work that is the hallmark of
excellence. These teachers scaffold each
student as he or she takes the next step
toward excellence.
For example, a high school teacher
began a study of Romeo and Juliet by
having students think of instances in
books, movies, TV shows, or their own
lives when people’s perceptions of others made it difficult to have certain
friends, be in love with a particular person, or feel supported in their marriage.
In this culturally diverse class, every
student offered examples. They were
fascinated with how often this theme
played out across cultures, and they
eagerly talked about what the examples
had in common. As the teacher continued to guide them in relating the play
to their own examples, the students
remained highly engaged with a classic that might otherwise have seemed
remote to them. When students make
cultural and linguistic connections with
content, they display more sophisticated
thinking about essential learning goals
(Gibbons, 2002).
5. Understand that students come to the
classroom with varied points of entry into
a curriculum and move through it at different rates. For intellectual risk-taking
to occur, classrooms need to feel safe to
students from a full range of cultural,
racial, and economic backgrounds.
Teachers who teach up understand
that some students may feel racially
and culturally isolated in their classes.
Therefore, they find multiple ways for
students to display their insights for the
group. These teachers understand that
every student needs “peacock” moments
of success so classmates accept them as
intellectual contributors.
© GALE ZUCKER
For instance, a teacher might observe
a student in a small-group setting who
is questioning his peers about the solu-
tion to a math problem they are pursu-
ing because it does not seem correct
to him. A teacher who overhears the
exchange might simply say to the group,
“It seems important to me that Anthony
raised the question he posed to you.
His thinking brought to your attention
the need to think further about your
solution. The ability to ask a challeng-
ing question at the right time is a good
talent to have.” Elizabeth Cohen (1994)
calls that attribution of status.
