Crossing Over to Canaan: The Journey of New Teachers in Diverse Classrooms Hardcover - 2001 - 1st Edition

First line

I began teaching early adolescent students in a K-8 school in South Philadelphia in the late 1960s.

From the rear cover

The author of the best-selling book The Dreamkeepers shows how teachers can succeed in diverse classrooms Educating teachers to work well in multicultural classrooms has become an all-important educational priority in today's schools. In Crossing Over to Canaan, Gloria Ladson-Billings details the real-life stories of eight novice teachers participating in an innovative teacher education program called Teach for Diversity. Through their experiences, she illustrates how good teachers can meet the challenges of teaching students from highly diverse backgrounds-and find a way to "cross over to Canaan." "Gloria Ladson-Billings provides a perceptive and interesting account of what is needed to prepare novice teachers to be successful with all students in our multicultural society. This book is must reading for all those entering the profession of teaching today and for those who prepare them for this important work." --Ken Zeichner, associate dean and professor of curriculum and instruction, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison "The multiple voices in Gloria Ladson-Billings's book are compelling, provocative, and insightful-they provide a powerful 'insider' perspective on what it really means to learn to teach all children well." --Marilyn Cochran-Smith, professor of education and editor, Journal of Teacher Education, Boston College, School of Education "Ladson-Billings, one of the stellar researchers and most passionate advocates for social justice, has written yet another masterpiece. By weaving the novice teachers' voices, her personal teaching journey, and language rich in compelling research and inspiring metaphors, Ladson-Billings has documented how new teachers transform schools and teach poor children of color." --Jacquline Jordan Irvine, Candler Professor of Urban Education, Emory University, Division of Educational Studies "Masterful teacher and teacher-educator Gloria Ladson-Billings has given us--in highly readable form--a brilliant vision of what teacher education might become. In Crossing over to Canaan we get a glimpse of how a carefully constructed teacher education program focused on teaching for social justice can produce excellent teaching, even by young, middle-class teachers-in-training, in diverse educational settings." --Lisa D. Delpit, Benjamin E. Mays Professor of Educational Leadership, Georgia State University

From the jacket flap

Diversity is an issue that is not going away. The number of students who are members of "minority" groups is on the rise. Yet few teachers are prepared to adequately address the needs of students from different cultural backgrounds. What can we do to better prepare the two million new teachers who are expected to enter these classrooms during the next decade? Just as the younger Joshua rather than Moses in the end led the Israelites into the Promised Land, it will be up to these new teachers to develop a different model for teaching students who are not only multi-racial and multi-ethnic, but who differ in language, religion, learning ability, and economic backgrounds. How do you teach such a diverse group of students and unlock and inspire their innate love of learning? How do you help students achieve rigorous academic goals without sacrificing their cultural identities? Crossing Over to Canaan tells the story of eight novice teachers working in urban, elementary school settings. It details their struggles and triumphs as they confront challenges in the classroom and respond with innovative strategies that turn cultural strengths into academic assets. Gloria Ladson-Billings offers a model of teaching that focuses on academic achievement, cultural competence, and socio-political consciousness. Drawing from her own experiences as a young African-American teacher working in Philadelphia, she successfully weaves together narrative, observation, and scholarship to create an inspirational and practical book that will help teachers everywhere as they work to transcend labels and categories to support excellence among all students. The Author Gloria Ladson-Billings is a professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She worked for a decade as a teacher and administrator in the Philadelphia Public Schools. She is the author of The Dreamkeepers (Jossey-Bass, 1997).

Media reviews

Citations

• Choice, 10/01/2001, Page 363
• Library Journal, 05/01/2001, Page 104