Hope, Wendy P.

Dr. Wendy P. Hope is an Assistant Professor in the Child Study Department at St. Joseph's College. Dr. Hope was born in Barbados, West Indies where she received her formal elementary and secondary education. She completed her Bachelors at the University of the West Indies and worked as an elementary teacher. Dr Hope completed her Masters and Ph.D. at New York University, while working as a teacher and assistant principal in New York City Schools.

Impact of Teachers’ Perceptions and Pedagogical Practices on the Educational Experiences of Immigrant Students From the Commonwealth Caribbean

2005 0-7734-6250-3
This book is significant to the work of educators who work with diverse student populations. For many educators including administrators, principals, and teachers the greatest challenge is that of meeting the educational goals of society while responding to the needs of the growing numbers of diverse students within the classroom. As a result, the current emphasis on meeting the needs of all students in the multicultural inclusive classroom require the extension of the conversation beyond multiculturalism, multiple intelligences and learning styles to include the social and political realities that influence students' learning and success. This book offers educators who are increasingly faced with diverse, multi-cultural inclusive classrooms an opportunity to find a place to start the process of revisionary pedagogical practices that validate and affirm the experiences of their students.

To this end, teacher education programs provide a relevant context for revision and rethinking of both the content and processes of teaching to benefit all students in a diverse, multicultural, inclusive classroom, as possibilities are inherent to prepare and equip prospective teachers with the knowledge that will shape and develop their philosophy of teaching and learning to include reflective practices in addressing the needs of diverse learners. As a result, this book calls attention to the central role of culture on the work of teachers; the development of methods by which culture and ethnicity are made vital components of the classroom experience; an examination of the best practices of teachers who work with students from diverse backgrounds; an understanding of the social, linguistic and cultural backgrounds of the communities they serve; and exploration of the ways in which collaboration with the communities they serve can be fostered The inclusion of these focused areas in teacher preparation programs as well as ongoing professional development will engage teachers in reflective teaching, through an examination of their assumptions, perceptions, beliefs and instructional practices that influence the pedagogical decisions and practices they employ when working with diverse students.