Culturally Responsive Practices

What is Culturally Responsive Education?

"Culturally responsive education (closely related to the terms 'culturally relevant' and 'culturally sustaining' education) refers to the combination of teaching, pedagogy, curriculum, theories, attitudes, practices, and instructional materials that center students' culture, identities, and contexts throughout educational systems.  Gloria Ladson-Billings and Geneva Gay's scholarships is foundational to culturally responsive education.  Some key principles of culturally responsive education (CRE) include (1) validating students' experiences and values, (2) disrupting power dynamics that privilege dominant groups, and (3) empowering students."

- J. Bryan-Gooden, M.Hester, & L. Q. Peoples. (2023). Culturally Responsive ELA Curriculum  Scorecard. NewYork: Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools, New York University.

Look at Your Curriculum Through a Multicultural Lens

Consider:

• Is there a way to connect this content-area topic to my students’ cultures?

• Will I need to include different texts or resources to represent this multicultural perspective?

• What cultural ‘funds of knowledge’ are present in the community that I can draw upon?  Could I have a bilingual student’s family member come in to talk with the class?

Cultural Contexts and Communication Styles

North American English-speaking societies tend to favour direct verbal interaction and get straight to the point, regardless of the status carried by the person we are interacting with.  Minimal time is spent on courteous formalities in order to get straight to the point.

"For people from many other cultures, however, this kind of direct, to-the-point approach is considered inappropriate and rude.  Their approaches to communication, even when the problem is urgent, may appear to be extremely formal, very indirect and even vague" (p.102).

While it is also acceptable in North American English-speaking cultures to try to persuade someone to adopt our point of view, many cultural groups may view this with a great deal of suspicion.  In the classroom, teachers use persuasive tactics to get students to try something or to intervene in a conflict, but students may not comprehend these approaches or find them inappropriate.

In many cultures, a form of go-between is used when dealing with others.  If meeting with someone of higher status, the less likely they will be to consent to meet face-to-face. The norm of parent-teacher conferences in Canada, however, is face-to-face interaction, so we need to be aware that this direct approach may cause discomfort for many parents and guardians. 

 - Helmer, S., & Eddy, C. (2012). In Look at me when I talk to you: EAL learners in non-EAL classrooms (pp. 101–104). Pippin.