Week 7: Culturally Relevant Pedagogy & Sense of Place
[Culturally relevant pedagogy and critical literacy in diverse English classrooms: A case study of a secondary English teacher’s activism and agency]: What will culturally relevant pedagogy look like, sound like, and feel like in your future classroom? [Placing elementary music education: a case study of a Canadian rural music program]: how will you, as a teacher, contribute to the sense of place for your future students?
Ann E. Lopez in Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Critical Literacy in Diverse English Classroom, states that “culturally relevant pedagogy builds on the understanding of how people are expected to go about learning may differ across cultures, and in order to maximize learning opportunities, teachers must gain knowledge of the cultures represented in their classroom” (Lopez, 2001, p. 77). In my future classroom, culturally relevant pedagogy will look, sound and feel different every year, based on who my students are. By getting to know students and their cultures, I will be able to better incorporate their culture into my classroom environment and activities, empower students and celebrate the diversity in my classroom. In the article, Lopez states, “for students to experience academic susses, their learning must be relevant to their lives and experiences” (Lopez, 2011, p. 78). I completely agree with this, allowing student to incorporate their cultures, interests, talents, and choose certain forms of assessment (art projects, dances, short stories, songs, etc.) will excite and engage students to deepen their knowledge and understanding.
For me, creating a sense of place for my students within my future classroom is very important. Being able to create a sense of place starts by ensuring that all my students feel welcomed, included, celebrated, wanted and valued; all within a safe environment. By ensuring all students feel included and safe, you can then incorporate different cultures, landscapes, settings, and local community heritage into the classroom that speaks specifically to your students. Overall, for creating a sense of place for my students and incorporating culturally approached pedagogy into my future classroom, it starts with teacher-student-relationships. If students do feel comfortable or safe with you they will likely not be as vulnerable and/or openly discuss their cultures, religions, traditions, interests and needs with you.