Culturally Responsive Pedagogy is an educational approach that empowers students to utilize critical thinking skills through cultural diversity, equity, and social justice in teaching and learning practices (Ladson-Billings, 2014). It works hand-in hand with Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, which aims to actively sustain inclusion and diversity in educational settings, by addressing inequities within education and promoting educational success for all students (McCarty & Lee, 2014).
An event that my school organizes is a Multicultural Week. The event is led by teachers, an administrator, and co-planned with a group of students. This event has been a great success and I believe that is owed to the collaboration between all school members. Anyone who wants to take part in leading Multicultural Week is encouraged to, and our students take great pride in both the planning and execution process. During the week, we hold events such as coming to school dressed in traditional cultural clothing, games, food, and cultural dance sessions. It is a wonderful opportunity to share one’s culture while respectfully learning about others. Music gets involved by taking care of the soundtrack of the event. We have not been able to yet perform any of the music live (it is tricky when you only have a music class for one semester and it is not a year-long continuous course), but that would be a future goal for the program.
Throughout the year, our Multicultural club holds fundraisers including bake sales, cultural art competitions (Kolam) and henna booths. This ongoing effort reminds our school that recognizing culture and diversity is not just a once a year event, but promotes culturally sustaining pedagogy year round. The event is a highlight for students and staff and it is always so great to see everyone participating and celebrating diversity together.
A topic that came up a lot in my teaching practicum days with my host teacher was, what if I get it wrong? What if I overstep and end up crossing the line of appropriation? These days, as I reflect upon this question in my own classroom, I remember what I told my host teacher at the time, who was very hesitant to incorporate CRP. You are doing a disservice to your students by not trying at all. We are bound to make mistakes along the way but we need to be open to learning.
References
Ladson-Billings, G. (2014). Culturally relevant pedagogy 2.0: a.k.a. the remix. Harvard Educational Review, 84(1), 74-84.
McCarty, T., & Lee, T. (2014). Critical culturally sustaining/revitalizing pedagogy and Indigenous education sovereignty. Harvard Educational Review, 84(1), 101-124.
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