Professional Development
CIMA offers a wide array of professional development opportunities to help teachers explore the biopsychosocial realities of their learners. These sessions can be done with the entire district, specific schools within the district, and with administrators. Through our focus on culturally sustaining pedagogy and biography-driven teaching, we help participants understand ways to capitalize on their learner’s potential, thereby, equalizing access and promoting engagement. A cornerstone of these sessions focuses on our BDI Power 6 strategies that can be used by teachers to enhance instructional practices and support student learning within diverse settings.
Biography-Driven Culturally Responsive Teaching
Biography Driven Instruction (BDI) is an instructional framework that guides teachers to maximize each learner’s linguistic, cognitive, and academic potential. This is achieved by capitalizing on individual’s biopsychosocial reality by helping teachers create a culturally and linguistically rich ecology. The BDI strategies provide a canvas for teachers to
- Reflect on standards of effective pedagogy
- Promote linguistic and cognitive resiliencies through engagement and motivation
- Understand and recognize students’ biographies as a way to active, connect, and affirm student learning
For more information on professional development opportunities, see the Biography-Driven, Culturally Responsive Professional Development web page.