Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading: The Magnitude of Us

*** ISBE Microcredential, 42-50 PDH ***

This is an Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) approved microcredential designed for K–12 educators. The Magnitude of Us Learning Series is a self-paced, asynchronous professional development experience designed for educators, pre-service teachers, administrators, and leaders seeking to strengthen culturally responsive teaching and leadership.

Course Details

Across four required modules and one optional eight-hour extension, you'll build foundational knowledge, apply the five principles of the un/HUSH Framework, examine positionality and systemic inequities, and create or revise curriculum, instructional resources, lesson plans, or a leadership walkthrough tool aligned with the Illinois State Board of Education Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards.

Each module combines multimedia resources, reflection, inquiry, and practical application, with The Magnitude of Us serving as the anchoring text. Modules are designed to be completed in sequence so that each stage of learning builds upon the last.

Program Information

Instructor: Marlee Bunch, Rod Wyatt, Chrissy Kim, Yoon Pak

Department and College: Education Policy, Organization and Leadership, College of Education, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Specific Course Topics

1. Build Foundational Knowledge of Culturally Responsive Teaching
   Build a working understanding of culturally responsive teaching, what it entails, and how it can benefit students and educators. Through short videos, podcasts, graphics, readings, and reflective activities, you'll examine the principles that support culturally responsive learning environments and begin considering how they appear in your teaching or leadership practice. You'll use The Magnitude of Us as a grounding text and move through clearly labeled read, listen, and view activities at your own pace.
2. Apply the un/HUSH Framework to Curriculum and Instruction
   Explore the un/HUSH Framework and the five principles that guide its use in culturally responsive teaching and leadership. Through graphics, a short documentary film, a podcast, and reflective activities, you'll examine each principle and begin using the framework to evaluate lesson plans, texts, curricula, and classroom materials or revise existing learning experiences. Additional graphics and sample lesson plans in The Magnitude of Us will support you as you apply the framework in your professional context.
3. Examine Positionality and Systemic Inequities
   Reflect on your positionality and the experiences, identities, and perspectives you bring into classrooms and leadership spaces. You'll examine how historical and systemic inequities continue to shape education and consider how culturally responsive practice can provide students with both windows into the lives of others and mirrors that reflect their own experiences. Through two positionality exercises, guided graphics, and self-reflection questions, you'll examine how your beliefs and experiences influence your pedagogy, curricular decisions, and leadership practice.
4. Design and Implement Culturally Responsive Instruction
   Create or revise instructional tools, resources, and lesson plans aligned with the Illinois State Board of Education Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards. Educators and pre-service teachers will use guided graphics and examples to review curriculum, set goals, and develop materials for classroom implementation, while administrators and leaders will create a walkthrough assessment tool. You'll leave the module with a concrete resource designed to strengthen the equity, inclusivity, and responsiveness of your classroom, school, or leadership practice.
5. Sustain Practice Through the Arts and Social-Emotional Learning (Optional Extension)
   Extend and sustain your culturally responsive practice through this optional module, which offers eight additional professional development hours. In Part I, you'll explore how art and poetry can help students learn about cultures and communities while providing multiple ways to express understanding and demonstrate mastery. In Part II, you'll examine how social-emotional learning supports relationships, healing, and the holistic needs of students, including experiences of grief, trauma, and racial inequity. You'll draw on previous assignments, reflections, and notes to identify practices you can carry forward.

Questions: onlineprograms@education.illinois.edu

Enroll today to earn your microcredential!