From her research into 19th-century Black literary societies, Dr. Gholdy Muhammad noticed key elements missing from today’s literacy instruction that had proven successful in the past. Wishing to create a more dynamic learning environment, she systematically compared the two instructional models and then adapted key historical practices into today’s instruction. Her book, Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally Historically Responsive Literacy, links these historical practices to today’s instruction and guides teachers through her framework. Her holistic approach lays out a fundamental groundwork for pushing literature development for all students higher, while specifically addressing the needs of youth of color.

Her HRL framework contains four academic pursuits: (1) Identity Development, (2) Skill Development, (3) Intellectual Development, and (4) Criticality. Dr. Muhammad shows how all four academic pursuits are essential for providing the environment, skills, and purpose for students to be successful, and for them to cultivate literature at a higher level.

Educators taking this course, through reading and research, will explore how to implement Dr. Muhammad’s HRL strategies as part of their literacy program. Educators will also investigate special topics and integrate new learning into their teaching environment.

This course is equivalent to 3 semester hours or 4.5 quarter hours. It is a graduate level course and intended for K-12 educators who have completed a bachelor’s degree. It is recommended that you receive board or district approval before registering with TPAI.

See reviews of the book at Amazon.com.

*You are responsible for purchasing your own course book.