Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Tilling the Soil

Classroom vignette:?Envision a high school ELL classroom where students are engaged, persistent, and eager to participate in all aspects of the instructional process. Since the teacher utilizes a workshop–based model, students are divided into two small groups. One group utilizes instructional technology, while another group of students focuses on phonics, decoding, and fluency in a small-group setting with the teacher.?As you quietly browse student portfolios to discover quality work, you overhear the teacher calmly, earnestly, and kindly state, “it’s time to move beautiful people.”?Without nudging, pleading, or admonishing students, they quickly transition to their next station and prepare for a fresh wave of instructional events.

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To the untrained ear, the teacher's statement would probably have gone unnoticed, but my culturally responsive brain latched on to this one sentence, and after having a conversation with the teacher, observing her practices, and reviewing student work, I knew without a doubt that culturally relevant pedagogy undergirded her day-to-day teaching practices.

Culturally responsive or Culturally relevant pedagogy isn’t a new term or teaching method, but through my journey as a teacher and educational consultant, I have noticed that many educators have yet to understand, implement, or witness the phenomenal dividends this pedagogy can produce if properly applied to the instruction, curriculum, and relationship-building strategies in the classroom. It is powerful because it can transform how teachers teach and why students invest in the learning process.

A Brief History: Two Noteworthy Scholars?

The problem with embracing the American educational system is how to ensure that all students, especially racial/ethnic minority students, achieve (Jeffey & Cooper, 2011). Culturally responsive teaching or pedagogy asserts that the student's cultural knowledge and experiences should impact instructional decisions, create a classroom climate of acceptance, provide multiple opportunities to display achievement, and acknowledge students’ through the curriculum, even if that requires disrupting the traditional narrative (Siwatu, 2011).

In her book, Dreamkeepers, Gloria-Ladson Billings highlighted the work of exceptional teachers of African-American students. In her ethnographic study from 1989-1991, Ladson-Billings embarked on a journey to unveil how teachers effectively served minority students in urban classrooms. As a result of her study, the concept of culturally responsive pedagogy emerged. She discovered that all teachers in her study had a strong focus on the following: a) student learning, b) developing cultural competence, and c) cultivating sociopolitical awareness in their students (Ladson Billings, 2009).

You will also see another scholar referenced when this pedagogy is mentioned in the research or textbooks.?Geneva Gay coined the term culturally relevant pedagogy. Gay (2002) has established five essential components to consider when determining if teachers are equipped to teach students from culturally diverse backgrounds effectively. To influence the way students learn in the classroom, teachers should 1) develop a culturally diverse knowledge base, 2) design a culturally relevant curriculum, 3) demonstrate cultural caring and emphasize a learning community, 4) build effective cross-cultural communications, and 5) deliver culturally responsive instruction. Albeit different terms,?both scholars view this pedagogy as a means to enhance the learning process and outcomes for ethnically diverse students. As a result, the terms will be utilized interchangeably throughout this article. Essentially, the ultimate goal of culturally responsive teaching is to support diverse students in urban settings through cultural affiliation, academic achievement, and personal empowerment (Estrada & Warren, 2014).

When embarking on this journey, it is usually a process involving a critical analysis of one’s beliefs, biases, current teaching practices, and the traditional notion of K-12 schooling. Furthermore, the reflective stage can serve as a challenge and become somewhat uncomfortable, especially when students’ backgrounds, socioeconomic status, and/or cultures significantly differ from the teacher’s.?While reflection and critical analysis are the first steps to embrace the CRT philosophy and execute in the classroom effectively, one must also develop a deep knowledge base of CRT, factual and historical information about the various ethnicities they teach, and embody an ongoing communication style that’s caring, conscious, and promotes community.

Utilize the critical questions below to begin the reflective process and start the journey of collectively honoring students, their families, rich histories, cultural capital, and communities to transform students' educational experiences and set them on a solid track to academic excellence.

Next Steps: A Reflective Practitioner

Take some time over the next few weeks to reflect on the following elements to ensure you approach this pedagogy with an open mindset.?

First, teachers must recognize their own biased views, beliefs, and assumptions about human behavior.

1) How do you perceive your students’ abilities and why?

2) List the valuable assets your students bring to the learning environment.

3) How do you or could you capitalize on at least one of these assets each day?

Second, one must acknowledge that cultural differences are present among people. This prerequisite is not used to categorize or stereotype individuals. Instead, it is used to understand the cultural views of others to gain awareness and foster appreciation for others’ beliefs and cultural norms.

1) Consider your upbringing as a child. What are some differences and similarities between you and your students?

2)How do you respond to classroom behaviors, occurrences, or events that differ from your cultural experiences?

Finally, it is imperative for teachers to understand that schools reflect and perpetuate discriminatory practices of the larger society (Weinstein, Curran, and Clarke 2003). Take a few minutes to listen to the interview regarding the Flint Water Crisis and think deeply about recent events that mirror the outcomes in communities with sizable populations of minority and low-income families.?

1) How has racism and classism impacted education in America?

2) What are some discriminatory practices you see in your school and society consistently? How do you address them with your students or children?

Flint Faces Water Crisis Now, And For Years To Come: Dangerous lead levels in drinking water in Flint, Michigan. We’ll look at the crisis there and the country’s troubled water infrastructure

https://onpoint.wbur.org/2016/01/11/flint-water-crisis-lead-water-rick-snyder

References

Brown-Jeffy, S., & Cooper, J. E. (2011). Toward a Conceptual Framework of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: An Overview of the Conceptual and Theoretical Literature. Teacher Education Quarterly, 38(1), 65-84. (Retrieved from?https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ914924.pdf).

Estrada, B., and Warren, S.?(2014). Increasing the Writing Performance of Urban Seniors Placed at Risk??Through Goal-Setting in a Culturally Responsive and Creativity-Centered Classroom.?Journal of Urban Learning, Teaching and Research, 10, pages 50—63. (Retrieved from?https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1044204).

Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53 (2) 106-116. (Retrieved from?https://www.uwec.edu/COEHS/upload/Pattee-Article.pdf).?

Ladson-Billings, G. (2009). The dreamkeepers: Succesful teachers of African American children. San Fransico, CA: Jossey-Bass: Wiley.

Weinstein C., Tomlinson-Clarke S., & Curran M. (2004). Toward a Conception of Culturally Responsive Classroom Management. Journal of Teacher Education, 55(1), 25-38.