Culturally Responsive Policy and Pedagogy Building on the work of Gloria Ladson-Billings’ culturally relevant pedagogy, Django Paris developed a theory of culturally sustaining pedagogy that “seeks to perpetuate and foster—to sustain linguistic, literate, and cultural pluralism,” for students in schools (Paris, 2012). In this course we examine how teachers might sustain and support students in classrooms and how educational policy might better address and respond to the rich diversity in our schools and communities. This is a required course for all students seeking a Vermont teaching licensure.

Make Room: Teaching August Wilson August Wilson has been hailed as “Theater's Poet of Black America,” yet many students have little exposure to this theatrical and literary giant. In this course we will explore Wilson’s "Century Cycle" a collection of 10 plays-each set in a distinct decade- that portray African American experiences in the twentieth century. We will take an interdisciplinary approach to reading, analyzing, staging (where possible), and understanding Wilson’s work. We will explore key influences on Wilson’s work including the blues, The Black Arts Movement, visual artist Romare Bearden, essayist and fiction writer Jorge Luis Borges, and playwright/poet Amiri Baraka among others. We also will engage with visiting artists, scholars, teachers, and community members as we consider Wilson's impact and the importance of teaching and studying his work. 3 hr. lect.

Licensure students need to enroll in this section and the discussion.

Education in the USA What are schools for? What makes education in a democracy unique? What counts as evidence of that uniqueness? What roles do schools play in educating citizens in a democracy for a democracy? In this course, we will engage these questions while investigating education as a social, cultural, political, and economic process. We will develop new understandings of current policy disputes regarding a broad range of educational issues by examining the familiar through different ideological and disciplinary lenses.

Models of Inclusive Education In K-12 education, the term "inclusion" is often reduced to where students with apparent disabilities learn within schools. In this course, we will challenge the segregation of students with disabilities in schools while expanding notions of inclusion such that students' multiple identities are incorporated into learning. Students will be introduced and provided opportunities to design lessons using a Universal Design for Learning framework. We will utilize DisCrit (Disability Studies and Critical Race Theory) as a theoretical tool to explore how ableism and racism stand in the way of equitable education for many students while exploring theories, methods, and approaches to disrupt such marginalization and lead to inclusive antiracist educational practices.  (EDST 0115 or SOAN 0215 or SOCI 0215 or AMST 0105).

Teaching ‘The 1619 Project’: Battling Miseducation, Engaging Freedom Dreaming, and Regaining Hope In August of 2019 The New York Times launched the 1619 Project, created by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Nikole Hannah-Jones, explores the history of slavery in the United States.  In this course we will explore various ways to approach teaching The 1619 Project and examine how the project pushes against miseducation within the U.S. education system.  We will also delve into various states' bans against teaching the 1619 Project and scrutinize how Critical Race Theory became wrapped in these bans.

Education in the USA What are schools for? What makes education in a democracy unique? What counts as evidence of that uniqueness? What roles do schools play in educating citizens in a democracy for a democracy? In this course, we will engage these questions while investigating education as a social, cultural, political, and economic process. We will develop new understandings of current policy disputes regarding a broad range or educational issues by examining the familiar through different ideological and disciplinary lenses.

Tara Affolter

Reviews and ratings for Tara Affolter at Middlebury College.Tara Affolter teaches Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Teaching August Wilson, Culturally Relevant Pedagogies and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Tara Affolter good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

This course is so so interesting and Tara is a really great professor. She is clearly very interested in the content and is one of the best professors I have had in terms of connecting with students on a real human level and engaging them deeply. The contect is very relevant too especially at a place like Middlebury. 

This course was really interesting for me however structurally it was difficult for it to give enough time to and explore all the topics it touched upon. Readings were often heavy on theory and because there was so much to cover it felt as though we were just scratching the surface at times. Tara is a really captivating teacher and I think this class as it takes form will become more and more valuable. 

Tara is one of the best prof at midd. She is very passionate about the material and is very emphatic, understanding, and accomdationg. She goes over alot during her lecture and doing the readings are important to understand whats going on in class. There is quite a few projects and assignments but all are interesting and interactive if you stay on top of your work.