Culturally Responsive Teaching

ABOUT US

TwistEd Teaching is an educational consultancy company with the goal of helping teachers and school districts “twist” their approach to pedagogy and student engagement. We provide professional development guidance in creating culturally responsive learning environments, curriculum development, and coaching. Our goal is to help educators and administrators create learning environments that are equitable, culturally relevant, and responsive, engaging, and attentive to student needs. By “twisting” our approach to teaching, we can develop educational practices that support all students and lead to a brighter future for everyone.

How We Can Assist
School Districts &
Educators

We provide consultations for both individual teachers and school districts. Our design services and resources can be tailored to meet the specific needs of any department and campus.

Services we provide:

 

  • Training in Culturally Relevant, Responsive, and Reality Pedagogy and empowering equity and diversity in the classroom through instruction.
  • Professional development opportunities focused on social-emotional learning and hands-on strategies that enhance student engagement and retention of content knowledge.
  • Curriculum development, aligned with the state and College Board standards.
  • Support and consultation for educators in implementing equity-based practices and Culturally Relevant, Responsive, and Reality Pedagogy in their learning environments.
  • Mentoring and classroom support for teachers in lesson design, technology integration, and building student rapport.
  • Development of community partnerships to create equal education opportunities for individual schools and campuses.
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Why It Matters

When I think about the kind of teacher that I want to be, I always reflect back to the kind of teacher that I needed when I was in my youth. While questioning what it will take to make students successful, I think about what was given to me as a student, which made me successful. I was no conventional student. What student is? Coming from a troubled family, rough environment, and limited role models, I did not care about what a teacher was teaching or what was happening in the classroom. To reach me, my teachers had to be very creative and often used unconventional means to connect to me as a learner. On many occasions, they had to add a special “twist” to their subject matter  and classroom environment just for me to catch on. Their priority was ALWAYS connecting to me as a human being who was in need of love. Their twisted methods and their motivation is what inspired me to become a TwistEd Teacher.  Because of them, I am driven to support other educators with twisting instruction in their classroom, their methods to connecting with students, and becoming a TwistED Teacher that will change the world for all students. – Alexes M. Terry, Founder

How We Can Assist Parents

TwistED Teaching is committed to partnering with and supporting parents in advocating for the social, emotional, cultural, and academic needs of all students. To equip parents with the knowledge and resources necessary to effectively advocate for their students, TwistED Teaching provides support in:

 

  • Developing relationships with schools to create a community that is invested in student success.
  • Designing educational resources to support your student’s learning needs in a digital space.
  • Understanding the latest technology applications and programs and how they can be used to extend learning opportunities at home.
  • Exploring college, career, and military options with your student to ensure that they are ready to take on the post-secondary world.

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela

Meet Our Team

Alexes M. Terry

Alexes has over a decade of experience in Education at the secondary and collegiate level. She uses her educational background and professional experiences to support educators in creating unique learning environments and opportunities for student engagement that are equitable, culturally responsive, student-centered, relevant, and standards-based. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History from Grambling State University, in 2008, and a Masters of Arts in History, from Louisiana Tech University in 2010. In 2019, she received her Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction in Urban Education, from Texas A&M University, in 2019 and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction in Urban Education.

Elissa Frazier

Elissa is Education Consultant and specializes in professional & organizational learning in the areas of culturally responsive teaching, technology integration, instructional design, and continuous improvement through coaching. She draws from extensive knowledge as an educator having served in several capacities, as an English teacher, Reading Specialist, Instructional Coach, Edtech Integrationist, Researcher, and Evaluator. Her ability to understand the needs of intersecting communities of practice is an asset as well as her professional and personal knowledge of the challenges teachers face when creating learning environments that are designed for all kids to thrive. Her current research focuses on culturally responsive teaching with technology & digital equity in K12 schools. Elissa lives with her wonderful husband and fantastic kids. She is also a proud Autism advocate.

Tiffany Smith

Tiffany, Instructional Consultant of Leverage Pedagogy, commits to collaborate with schools to provide a systemic approach to professional development in the areas of teacher growth, data-analysis, instructional strategies, and assessment to increase student achievement.

Salandra Grice

Salandra has a decade of experience in the elementary classroom and her experiences as a student, an educator, and a parent have helped shape her approaches in helping educators create high quality, caring, positive, and equitable school experiences for EVERY student. She is an educator, author, and advocate for equity in schools. She is the founder and lead consultant for Conscious Education Consulting, LLC. She is dedicated to preparing teachers and schools to provide more positive, culturally relevant, and equitable learning experiences for every student. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with Teacher Certification from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2006. She received her Masters of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction in Urban Education from Texas A&M University in 2019. She is currently obtaining a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction in Multicultural Education at Texas A&M.

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