Shawn Tolley

Shawn Tolley will travel to the Marshall Islands for an immersive experience that will provide her with a deeper insight into the culture and music of the largest English Language Learner (ELL) community in her district. The primary learning goal of this trip is to gather resources about Marshallese dance and music to use in her classroom and throughout her district. Shawn has observed that when she has made efforts to celebrate and teach through a culturally responsive lens, her ELL students have become more engaged, involved, and excited about music and school. She has also observed that her non-ELL students have become more excited and interested in learning about and interacting with cultures that are not their own and that they become more accepting of musical styles and techniques that do not directly reflect those to which they are accustomed.