Discussion Post #2 Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy
Implementing Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP), Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP) and Culturally Revitalizing Pedagogy (CrevP) in higher education involves a series of practical steps and actions that can be taken to create an inclusive and accepting learning environment. Here are five actions that have been taken at our college:
1. Curriculum Development
The development of the curriculum to ensure that it reflects a diverse range of perspectives and experiences. This might involve integrating literature, case studies, and examples from various cultures and backgrounds. For example, I include case studies of culturally adapted business practices and social entrepreneurs in my courses to demonstrate how a business needs to be culturally sensitive.
2. Professional Development for Faculty:
Faculty members need to receive training on CRP and CSP, as defined by Ladson-Billings (2014), and CrevP, as defined by McCarty and Lee (2014), to understand how to integrate these approaches into their teaching practices. Our college has a high demographic of international students, and these approaches are relevant to how we approach learning delivery. Our Learning and Development team offers workshops on inclusive teaching strategies that help instructors learn how to facilitate discussions on cultural diversity and social justice.
3. Student-Centered Teaching Methods and Assessment Practices
Adopting teaching and assessment methods responsive to student-centric learning, such as collaborative and project-based assignments that allow students to draw on their cultural knowledge and learn from each other. As well as the development of assessment methods that are fair and considerate of the diverse ways in which students may demonstrate their understanding and skills. This can be challenging as we need to consider how international students adapt to Western academic approaches versus home academic studies. To address this, we offer various assessment options, such as oral presentations, written papers, or creative projects, to accommodate different learning styles using scaffolding methods as one approach.
4. Support Services
Providing support services that meet the needs of students, most likely away from home for the first time, missing family, adjusting to Western academics and assimilating into a new cultural dynamic requires counselling, mentoring, and academic advising services. The college has a robust Student Success Team and Care team assigned to each program, staffed by professionals who can respond to individual student needs. In addition, more recently, on campus, in-person medical and mental health support can be accessed.
5. Campus Climate and Activities
To foster a campus climate that celebrates cultural diversity and promotes respect and inclusion through events, clubs, and dialogues, such as recognizing culturally relevant festivals and holidays. The college will sponsor and/or coordinate events for students to engage them in activities that will allow them to connect with each other as an alternate support group of peers.
By taking these steps, higher education institutions can work towards creating an environment where all students feel valued and empowered to learn and succeed. Implementing CRP and CSP is an ongoing process that requires commitment and collaboration among all stakeholders in the educational community.
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.
