CLICK HERE to See If You Need to be Culturally Relevant

Are you someone who is responsible for being an educator, teacher, parent, researcher, early childhood advocate, program director, and/or community leaders? If so, then understanding the concept and importance of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy is crucial for you as an individual. The reason I’m discussing this topic is because it relates to our previous class discussion on this idea and our overall course content. So, how do we as future teachers incorporate Culturally Relevant Pedagogy practices in our classrooms?

To better understand what this concept centers around, I researched a scholarly article, Start with Us! Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in the Preschool Classroom . “Pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes’’ is the definition given from the article. It further explains that in order for young children to be successful throughout their education, we as teachers must start early in applying intentional, culturally relevant teaching methods. Again I ask, how do we as future educators do such a thing? The article mentions a variety of methods and practices to consider, one being the Reggio Emilia Approach to teaching. Other methods include using classroom environmental supports like culturally and linguistically diverse books, toys and puzzles and also displaying student’s family pictures. To discover more fascinating strategies to incorporate Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in your classroom, click the hyperlinked article.

As I enter my field placement this week, I will be observing any traces of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy practices within my assigned classroom. Now that I have a better understand of the concept I will be able to notice if students are being fulfilled through these specific developmental domains during their educational experience. If I observe any methods, I will note them and will use them in my future teaching as an educator. My closing question is to my peers: What fun, creative ways can you implement culture through all subjects of schooling? In other words, how are you going to teach about math, language, reading, science ANY subject while also being intentionally culturally diverse?