Using SEL and Intentional Read-Alouds to Promote DEI

(Grades PreK-2) / Flex Course

PDI Course Number: 146T02 / UCSD Course Number: EDUC42376

Course Description

Are you trying to find ways to holistically incorporate the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into your current teaching practices? Intentional read-alouds can be used as a conduit to bring culturally diverse students together, so that they learn to accept one another’s differences and appreciate the value of being human. This online course provides the perfect approach to combining students’ SEL skills with high-quality read-alouds to help students deal with a variety of diverse issues at the PreK-2 level. The course begins by helping teachers recognize the diversity within their own classrooms so that both academic and behavioral benefits can be acknowledged and nurtured. Teachers will learn how DEI connects to social-emotional learning, and they will explore how these two best practices work in tandem to promote equity within the classroom. Teachers will then take a deep dive into the inner workings of intentional read-alouds, and they will explore how to use this incredible tool to foster an inclusive and supportive classroom community. Throughout this course, teachers will learn how to select authentic literature for their intentional read-alouds to celebrate diversity and validate students, all while connecting to the standards and supporting students’ social-emotional skills. Thorough examples of how intentional read-alouds can be incorporated into the curriculum are provided throughout the course. By the end of this course, teachers will feel more confident and successful in their quest to build their diverse classroom libraries as a way to promote the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion through intentional read-alouds. This course is worth 3 ⅓ semester units/5 quarter units (50 hours of training) from University of California San Diego (UCSD) Division of Extended Studies. For detailed information on university credit, click here.

"The content was very well written and was worth the time to read it carefully. The list of appropriate literature for the read-alouds was beyond helpful. It will be a great resource for me in the future." - Marianne Reaves