This week’s recommendation comes from:

Courtney Francis smiling for the camera

Courtney Francis

Director of Online Learning and Product Development

Courtney says, “Pandemic learning has been so chaotic that we need to observe and center student experiences and needs even more intentionally than we have before. Columbia University professor and best-selling author Christopher Emdin builds a three-dimensional picture of students using ‘the rights of the body,’ tenants of Buddhist tradition which he situates with an analysis of “low brow” culture in a new book. He describes these rights as fundamental to learning and they align with many of the Principles of Learning developed by the IFL, including Accountable Talk® practices.”

Seven Ways to Ensure Students Bring Their Whole Selves into the Classroom

Nimah Gobir

“Being ratchetdemic is choosing to no longer be agreeable with your discomfort or the oppression of children through pedagogies that rob them of their genius, even in its most raw and unpolished forms. Most importantly, it is the restoration of the rights of the body to those who have been positioned as undeserving of them.” – Christopher Emdin, professor and author

This article is an excerpt from Christopher Emdin’s book Ratchetdemic: Reimagining Academic Success, an educational model that can empower students to embrace themselves, their backgrounds, and their education without sacrificing their identities. Emdin explains what being rachetdemic means and breaks down the seven “rights of the body” (based on Buddhist tradition) and how they can serve as a guide to teaching and learning.