CULTURALLY RELEVANT INSTRUCTION
While driving home the other day I heard a news report on State Superintendent of Education, Jack O’Connell’s, State of
http://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/se/yr08stateofed.asp and gave it quick read. Here is what Mr. O’Connell had to say about culturally relevant instruction: (bold face added by this writer)
“Clearly, it is time to move past the discomfort of talking about culture and race. It's time to move past the harmful illusion that we live in a color-blind society. Whether we know it or not, an attempt to be color-blind can feel to a student of color like a rejection of that student's culture and experience.
Our schools cannot create a climate that is supportive of all students unless they first understand the perceptions, impressions, beliefs, and expectations of a school's students, teachers, and staff.
We are all, to some extent, trapped in the perspectives, assumptions, and experiences of our own culture. We conduct our relationships and build our institutions on the basis of those perspectives, assumptions, and experiences. If we expect all our students to learn to their full capacity, we must make them feel safe, encouraged, and empowered to learn. They must feel that their culture and the experiences they bring into the school are not only tolerated but understood and respected. Are we truly doing all we can to understand the culture and respect the experiences of every student? Without a conscious effort to do so, our actions might unconsciously reflect the historical, institutionalized habits that have disadvantaged our students of color. Unconsciously, we may be conveying that differences are deficits our students bring to school.
It's not easy to engage in self-reflection about race, for me or for anyone else. I've struggled and stumbled at times over the past year when talking about race. But until we begin the discussion, until we understand our own cultural perspectives and biases, we can't begin to correct any institutional biases that we might have: biases such as those that allow for lower expectations, culturally ineffective instruction, or fewer resources at schools serving students of color. It is time we have the discussion. It is past time”
This is a rather startling pronouncement. After years of teaching multi-cultural, multi-racial, ethnically diverse classes of students while trying to show no bias based on race, creed, color or ethnicity, I now read that “an attempt to be color-blind can feel to a student of color like a rejection of that student's culture and experience.” In my 35 years of teaching I have never heard this as either a comment or complaint from any parent or student. Is there really verifiable research to back up this claim?
Now being somewhat agitated I continued to “Google” for more information. Was there a clear definition of “culturally relevant instruction? I found one at:
http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/multicultural/hanley2.htm
A Culturally Relevant Lesson for African American Students
At the center of culturally relevant instruction is the culture of the learner. To develop an instructional program that is relevant to student’s educators need to understand the core beliefs and experiences of their culture. The National Commission on Teaching and American's Future (1996) proposes that Teachers must understand students and their many pathways to learning as deeply as they comprehend subjects and teaching methods. It means that teachers need to understand how students of different language backgrounds and cultures can be supported in learning academic content and how those with a range of approaches to learning can be met with a variety of teaching strategies (p. 13)
This abstract proposes that educators utilize a variety of teaching strategies to reach all learners. We know that good teaching employs a variety of methods not limited to: direct instruction, visual and aural learning, hands on activities, presentation modifications or any approach that opens the “pathways to learning”. However; this article is not about teaching strategies but about developing “an instructional program that is relevant to students’ educators need to understand the core beliefs and experiences of their culture.” This proposal seems to be more appropriate for Peace Corps volunteers going to serve in a third world country rather than for this country’s public school teachers. In some cases “core beliefs and experiences of their culture” may be in opposition to the core beliefs and behaviors of our culture, especially the cultures and beliefs in countries where theocracies dominate the landscape.
Additional web exploring turned up another abstract:
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-8251(199712)28%3A6%3C709%3ACRMTIA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-1
Culturally Relevant Mathematics Teaching in a Mexican American Context
Eric Gutstein, Pauline Lipman, Patricia Hernandez, Rebeca de los Reyes
Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Vol. 28, No. 6, Equity, Mathematics Reform, and Research: Crossing Boundaries in Search of Understanding (Dec., 1997), pp. 709-737
Abstract
This article examines mathematics instruction and its intersection with culturally relevant teaching in an elementary/middle school in a Mexican American community. The findings are based on a collaborative-research and school-change project involving university researchers, teachers, and the school's principal. On the basis of ethnographic data and an interdisciplinary theoretical framework, we propose a three-part model of culturally relevant mathematics instruction. The 3 components are (a) building on students' informal mathematical knowledge and building on students' cultural and experiential knowledge, (b) developing tools of critical mathematical thinking and critical thinking about knowledge in general, and (c) orientations to students' culture and experience.
It appears that even mathematics must be taught in a culturally relevant m
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dailymath/language.html
We read that: “Mathematics is the only language shared by all human beings regardless of culture, religion, or gender. Pi is still 3.14159 regardless of what country you are in. Adding up the cost of a basket full of groceries involves the same math process regardless of whether the total is expressed in dollars, rubles, or yen. With this universal language, all of us, no matter what our unit of exchange, are likely to arrive at math results the same way.
Very few people, if any, are literate in all the world's tongues—English, Chinese, Arabic, Bengali, and so on. But virtually all of us possess the ability to be "literate" in the shared language of math. This math literacy is called numeracy, and it is this shared language of numbers that connects us with people across continents and through time. It is what links ancient scholars and medieval merchants, astronauts and artists, peasants and presidents.”
Therefore, if mathematics is truly our universal language in that “virtually all of us possess the ability to be ‘literate’ in the shared language of math“, then what is the relevance in “teaching in the Mexican American Context?
Of course it seems not every one agrees that culturally relevant instruction has to be culturally specific. Consider the apparent one size (approach) will fit all comment of Congressman Augustus Hawkins (Retired):
"Black children are the proxy for what ails American education in general.
And so, as we fashion solutions which help black children,
we fashion solutions which help all children."
Congressman Augustus Hawkins (Retired)
Former Chairman of Committee on Education and
Culturally relevant instruction also has an extreme side and this radical approach can be seen in the La Raza Public Charter School in Los Angles.
Take a look at La Academia Semillas del Pueblo, a public charter school in LA.
Check out the school's purpose: (bold face added by this writer)
Academia Semillas del Pueblo Charter School is a kindergarten through eighth grade public school dedicated to providing urban children of immigrant native families an excellent education founded upon their own language, cultural values and global realities.
. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academia_Semillas_del_Pueblo
Do you think these students begin each day with the Pledge of Allegiance? Visit the web sites to see culturally relevant instruction that seems to thumb its nose not only at American values; but at American education.
Over the years (decades) I have watched education shift from an emphasis and concern on what we teach (content) to and ever growing preoccupation on how we teach (strategies) and whom we teach (clients). Additionally, I have seen our special education classes change from classes for students with true educational handicaps to dumping grounds for behavioral problems. The very successful Mainstream Program has been bastardized to the absurd practice now known as Full Inclusion. Tracking, a concept and practice always uncomfortable for some, is now more palatable under its new name of Differentiated Instruction. What is the genesis of Culturally Relevant Instruction and where will it take education? If its element of global consideration does to education what “global” did for the
No doubt everyone is concerned about the inability of some students to achieve. Current testing statistical data identifies under achieving students by their ethnicity. Using data provided by the State Dept. of Education it is easy to see that a school like Hopkins Junior High School’s proficient and highly proficient Asian population (now at almost 80%) will always secure excellent test score results. Conversely,
The rest of FUSD’s attendance areas are not as well off as
When the Ardenwood students left Walters and went to Thornton the pseudo superintendent at that time directed us to work harder to attract more and better students to Walters. Are we to hear that same challenge again? Now as we cope with all the demands placed on us to achieve and compete with the other junior high schools, what will culturally relevant instruction demand of us?
What new hoops and hurdles will Walters students and staff be expected to navigate to compete in the on going educational version of “Survivor”? At the risk of offending some and stepping on the toes of others it seems that we teach at Walters with one specific deficiency that sets us apart from the other schools. It becomes more and more obvious that we have far too many parents who do not have a clue as to how to parent their children through the junior high school years. We have far too many parents who tolerate inappropriate behavior at home and then excuse that same behavior at school. These same parents have no or low expectations of their children for academic success. We have far too many students who seem to “run” the house and have no limits on television, computer and cell phone use and accountability of their time, activities and friends. Far too many of our parents can not even get their children to attend school on a regular basis. Does Walters still have the worst attendance record of all the junior high schools?
Maybe it is time for more parent directed trainings, in-services and evenings with the “experts” that delight in telling us how to teach. There must be parenting experts less nauseating than Dr. Phil. Maybe our parents should spend a day with Clay. To continue to expect more from staff and to tolerate the status quo of parent involvement and responsibility is not a formula for success.
Teachers may be forced to become culturally relevant in their instructional practices; but until more parents become relevant in their own children’s lives we are spinning our wheels. Any ideas?
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