Accomplished Urban Teaching

Abstract

This article discusses the relevance of four dimensions of urban teaching: foci on relationships and shared authority, linking classroom content with student experience, incorporation of familiar and culturally compatible communication patterns, and development of counter narratives that challenge stereotypical conceptions of at-risk students and families. Three veteran former urban teachers and current teacher educators discuss insights from such dimensions informed by current research, the literature, and their various roles in urban schools. Outcomes of the effort reveal that the dimensions are interrelated and contribute to the discussion of whether accomplished urban teaching requires additional teacher knowledge, skills, and attributes, or one-size-effective-teaching fits all.