Unearthing Joy: A Guide to Culturally and Historically Responsive Curriculum and Instruction

by Gholdy Muhammad

Overview

In this follow-up to Cultivating Genius, Dr. Gholdy Muhammad adds a fifth pursuit—joy—to her groundbreaking instructional model. She defines joy as more than celebration and happiness, but also as wellness, beauty, healing, and justice for oneself and across humanity. She shows how teaching from cultural and historical realities can enhance our efforts to cultivate identity, skills, intellect, criticality, and-indeed-joy for all students, giving them a powerful purpose to learn and contribute to the world. Dr. Muhammad's wise implementation advice is paired with model lessons and assessment tools that span subjects and grade levels.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338856606
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	02/01/2023
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.20(d)

About the Author

Dr. Gholnecsar (Gholdy) Muhammad is a Professor of Curriculum with a focus in literacy, language, and culture. She has served as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, school district administrator, curriculum director, and school board president. She studies Black historical excellence in education, with the goal of reframing curriculum and instruction today, and has received numerous honors and awards for that work Dr. Muhammad's scholarship has appeared in leading academic journals and books. Her HILL Model has been adopted in thousands of schools and districts.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 5

Foreword 9

Introduction: Watering the Earth With Educational Excellence 12

Revisiting Genius 14

Introducing Joy! 17

A Call for Humanizing Pedagogies 21

Part I Tilling the Soil: Preparing Ourselves for Growth 27

Chapter 1 Unearthing the Need for Genius and Joy 28

But Where Shall I Begin? 31

Defining Equity 33

A Brief History of Genius, Justice, and Joy 34

The Earth Is in Need of Water 39

A Brief History of Erasure of Genius, Justice, and Joy 40

Implications for Education Today 47

Dismantling and (Re)building: Searching for Joy in the Gardens 55

Chapter 2 Coming Into Joy 58

Strive to Feel Beauty, Wholeness, Wellness, and Happiness 61

How the Ancestors Embraced Joy 63

Toward the Pursuit of joy in Schools Today 70

Educational Pursuits With joy as the Ultimate Goal 72

The Next Generation of CRE Curriculum 74

Frequently Asked Questions About the Five Pursuits of the HILL Model 81

Interrupting for Joy 86

Chapter 3 Unearthing Self 88

Our Responsibility to Love 91

Our Responsibility to Reflect and Unlearn 94

Our Responsibility to Respond to CHRE Resistance 107

Our Responsibility to Our Children 111

Who Are You and Who Do You Belong To? 112

Part II Expanding Our Harvest: Putting Culturally and Historically Responsive Education Into Practice 115

Chapter 4 Redesigning Curriculum and Assessment 116

(Re)defining Teacher as Artist and Curriculum as Artistry 119

The Creative Design of Curriculum 124

Assessing the CHRE Pursuits 138

Curriculum as Positive Light 142

Chapter 5 Practical and Creative Uses of the HILL Model: Students, Teachers, and Staff Members 144

Creating Spaces for Genius and Joy 147

10 Creative Ways to Use the HILL Model 150

What Flowers Will You Paint? 172

Chapter 6 Practical and Creative Uses of the HILL Model: School Leaders, Community Members, and Families 174

CHRE Leadership Matters for the Harvest 177

10 Creative Ways to Use the HILL Model 179

"Art Is a Powerful Tool" 199

Chapter 7 Planting Seeds for the Future: Artistic Interpretations of the HILL Model 202

Centering Artistic Genius 205

PreK-K 206

Grades 1-2 208

Grades 3-5 210

Grades 6-8 212

Grades 9-12 214

Afterword: Joy as Magic and Infinite Possibilities 217

References 220

Index 222

Editorial Reviews

★ 05/01/2023

In this stirring follow-up to Cultivating Genius, Muhammad builds upon the framework she introduced therein, adding the pursuit of joy to the four previously identified pursuits of identity; skills; intellect; and criticality, or "developing the ability to read texts to understand power, authority, and anti-oppression." It is through these pursuits, she argues, that educators can work toward making teaching and learning truly student-centered. The author begins by providing historical context for her framework, relying on the literary and educational practices of Black ancestors. From there, she offers practical examples and applications of the framework, including suggested texts, questions for reflection, and sample lesson plans. Muhammad emphasizes the importance of school and district stakeholders undertaking this work in community with one another. The book is firmly grounded in the need for genius, justice, and joy in education, but is also an example of what that can look like; woven throughout the text are poems, artwork, coloring pages, and curated playlists that encourage joy, creativity, and deep reflection. While the author does provide some discussion of her previous work, it is recommended that readers begin with Cultivating Genius. VERDICT Practical, inspiring, and joyous all at once. Outstanding and highly recommended!—Lauren Strohecker

School Library Journal