During my undergrad, I studied a framework called Culturally Relevant Education. In my capstone, I discuss how the framework focuses on engaging students’ cultural knowledge and background and how including purposely multicultural curricula can ignite a sense of purpose, relevancy, and therefore encourage student learning. To note, I also mention that the recent push to diversify classroom material has been beneficial in that texts that have social and cultural focuses “may serve as a means of inciting classroom discussions and activities about contemporary issues surrounding race and culture” (Luquingan, 2021).

In order to explore the benefits of CRE, its foundations and importance must first be explained.

What is cultural identity?

Cultural identity is one of the key foundations of CRE. The framework seeks to empower learners to desire to take part in knowledge acquisition and pro-social behavior by affirming identity and building cultural competency. In order to start building that competency, students must learn how their own cultural knowledge and prior experience creates the person they are and therefore how they may use their learning to further and affirm that identity. Everyone has a cultural identity, regardless of their race or ethnicity. It could include anything from generations of running the same farm or living in the same New York City borough. Or perhaps a part of someone’s cultural identity is the traditions their family observes during a holiday: making a long-gone relative’s Christmas recipe, participating in a religious ritual, or observing certain milestone celebrations in either a traditional or a non-traditional way.

why is it important?

Students are unlikely to be active learners without any buy-in. Whether consciously or subconsciously, students often ask “What’s this got to do with me?” And if they cannot connect the material back to something that is relevant to them, it is unlikely that they will have a desire to engage in the lesson material. Thus, connecting learning material to students’ cultural identity such as through the CRE framework can support students’ learning attitudes by giving them a reason to be interested in the skills.

but where do we go from here?

I now get to explain the CRE framework! Engaging in culturally relevant education requires schools to create a culturally relevant community. Ladson-Billinggs (2014) stated that CRE requires discourse with both students and fellow educators that involves specific, culturally-tied discussions that includes not only ethnic cultures but socio-political cultures as well.

One way to do this is of course to choose relevant texts. This can take place in many different ways. In English and history, this is very easy. Simply engaging in current events including events happening outside of the Western world helps students broaden their cultural awareness. This may be done through online resources such as CNN10, which details current events with student-friendly language good for grades 6 and up; and Newsela, which has several news sources and may be translated into multiple languages. Targeting certain texts to suit certain cultural groups may be another way to increase student buy-in. For example, in my classroom, for my supplementary texts as well as book talks for independent reading, I include many books written in Spanish and Arabic and/or books with Latino or Middle Eastern leads because many of the students I teach are from those backgrounds. Since I teach British literature, most of the required texts are Western-based. However, supplemental texts and independent reading are the best ways I can encourage students to engage their cultural identity through literature in particular.

Math and science may not have as many opportunities, at least as far as I know. One way to participate in CRE may be to encourage EL students to take notes in their own language. Of course, this is a very universal way to incorporate cultural relevancy, but English learners may not have been encouraged to take notes in anything but English. However, because students are always translating all the time in their heads, it may be useful to publish teacher slides to their digital classrooms so students may put the notes into a translator of their choice and keep their notes in their own language. This works best when notetaking is an individual activity.

Both teachers and students can find ways to broaden their cultural awareness outside the classroom. Participating in cultural events, celebrating holidays that aren’t normally part of your traditions, and encouraging students to do so as well is a great way to celebrate and promote diversity. For example, going to a Native American museum on Columbus/Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a great way to become more knowledgeable and show respect and support for both US history and the decimation of the Native Americans.

References

Ladson-Billings, G. (2014). Culturally Relevant Pedagogy 2.0: A.k.a. the remix. Harvard
Educational Review, 84(1), 74–84. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.84.1.p2rj131485484751

Luquingan, D. (2021). Strangers Like Me: Creating a Culturally Relevant Classroom.