American History through American Lives

Culturally Relevant Teaching

Pertinent not only to these lessons, but across classrooms and school districts in every corner of the United States of America, Culturally Relevant Teaching and Pedagogy is an educational philosophy using the theoretical framework that teaching should be inclusive of students’ ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and engage them in a pathway toward academic success.  The National Council of Teachers of English adds that “although it certainly includes inviting in the voices of those who are generally overlooked in the texts and curricula of US schools, culturally relevant teaching also means recognizing and celebrating those students who show up to our classrooms daily, welcoming their voices, demanding their reflection, and encouraging them toward self-discovery.”⁴

Though discussions based on this topic began in 1995, more recent trending on the subject has taken over educational debates in districts everywhere.  Gloria Ladson-Billings (2009) shares that over the past ten years there has been increased interest in looking at ways to improve the academic performance of students who are culturally, ethnically, racially, and linguistically diverse.⁵

Additionally, inequities noticed in Native American education were analyzed in a recent study.  Ladson-Billings (2009) describes the differences in interactions between Native American students and their white and Native American teachers. A study revealed that the teachers who were most effective in communicating with the students used an interactional style that the authors termed “culturally congruent.” This notion of cultural congruence is meant to signify the ways in which the teachers altered their speech patterns, communication styles, and participation structures to resemble more closely those of the students’ own culture.⁶

When analyzing the classroom stylings of three different teachers, Ladson-Billings discussed what she viewed as five tenets of implementing Culturally Responsive Teaching authentically and responsibly, in a manner that embraces students that have been traditionally excluded from educational formatting and delivery.  These tenets are a guide to successfully including, celebrating and engaging the students of all ages.

1. Students whose educational, economic, social, political, and cultural futures are most tenuous are helped to become intellectual leaders in the classroom.
2. Students are apprenticed in a learning community rather than taught in an isolated and unrelated way.
3. Students’ real-life experiences are legitimized as they become part of the “official” curriculum.
4. Teachers and students participate in a broad conception of literacy that incorporates both literature and oratory.
5. Teachers and students engage in a collective struggle against the status quo.⁷

In this way, children experience a quality learning experience that is inclusive of who they really are!  Students can take ownership and feel proud of their accomplishments.  Furthermore, the children can partake in healthier relationships with teachers, classmates and curriculum in order to achieve a level of learning that otherwise was not in reach for everyone.  Native American educator Cornel Pewewardy (1993) asserts that one of the reasons Indian children experience difficulty in schools is that educators traditionally have attempted to insert culture into the education, instead of inserting education into the culture.⁸

The importance of including the cultural background of all children when planning and implementing lessons is imperative to a healthy learning environment in which all students feel that they are relevant and represented.  According to Ladson-Billings (1995) Culturally relevant teaching requires that students maintain some cultural integrity as well as academic excellence.  Culturally relevant teachers utilize students culture as a vehicle for learning.  Ladson Billings continues to share the significance of the development of a “broader sociopolitical consciousness,” which is helpful in allowing the students to tap into critical thinking and teaches them to critique the cultural norms, values, mores and institutions that produce and maintain social inequities.⁹ 

So many times, in the past, attempts have been made to control the narrative of various races’ lived experiences throughout history.  This is evident in textbooks and other educational sources.  Whether it was left out as a whole or grossly distorted in its inclusion, the injustice created seems unconquerable. Implementing a culturally relevant and fully inclusive curricula allows students to develop the ability to think critically as they immerse themselves in the text.  Richard Milner, (2010) states that educators who create culturally relevant learning contexts are those who see students’ culture as an asset, not a detriment to their success. Teachers actually use student culture in their curriculum planning and implementation, and they allow students to develop the skills to question how power structures are created and maintained in US society.¹⁰

Despite positive changes in the way Native Americans are represented in the media and in historical texts, students still have a limited understanding of the diversity and complexity of Native American cultures (Fleming 2006; Meek 2006).¹¹ Even today, many students' perceptions of Native Americans are derived from traditional western movies that depict plains "Indians" as the antagonists of civilization and progress (Meek 2006).¹² Another common misconception among students is a view analogous to Jean Jacques Rousseau's concept of the noble savage. In this perspective, Native Americans are viewed as peoples who have a relatively simple wandering-and-gathering lifestyle (Fleming 2006). Both of these perspectives are inaccurate and simplistic caricatures and generalizations.¹³