1.3.2 Inclusive Teaching through Culturally Responsive
Pedagogy
Culturally responsive or culturally relevant pedagogy describes
teaching approaches in which students’ different cultural experiences
enrich the course material (Ladson-Billings, 1992; 1995). Three pillars
of this pedagogy include high expectations for all students, recognition
and appreciation of different cultural experiences of students (cultural
competence), and development of “critical perspectives that challenge
inequities that schools (and other institutions) perpetuate” (social
justice) (Ladson-Billings, 1995). As instructors, our goal is to meet
students at their level of knowledge and facilitate their learning to
get them where we need them to be. To put a culturally responsive spin
on this same idea, instructors should also seek an understanding of
students’ lived cultural experiences to get an idea of who they are and
use this knowledge to provide engaging and relevant curriculum.
Classrooms that embrace culturally responsive teaching offer a conduit
through which students can appreciate their own culture as well as the
cultures of others (Ladson-Billings, 2014). When diverse perspectives
are recognized and valued this promotes open communication, mutual
respect, and inclusion. An added focus on culturally responsive teaching
within active learning is critical to create a safe space for students
in which they can feel valued for the knowledge and lived experience
they bring into the classroom.
There is no one right way to create a culturally responsive curriculum.
A recent review of literature in the field of culturally responsive
teaching outlines some useful principles (Morrison et al, 2008). Many of
these principles aim to establish a safe, cooperative learning space for
relationship-building between instructors and students, as well as among
students. Rather than the traditional “sage on the stage” model,
instructors engaged in culturally responsive teaching share the stage
with their students, because students’ strengths, lived experiences, and
knowledge are used as starting points for instruction. Successful
implementation also involves instructors who take the time to establish
meaningful relationships with students and take a personal stake in
their students’ success.
The task of creating an environment conducive to culturally responsive
pedagogy may seem overwhelming at first, especially if one teaches
high-enrollment courses, but steps for how to build a cooperative
learning environment exist. First, instructors need to honestly assess
their biases (for example,https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html)
and determine how biases may affect their interactions with students.
Such biases may unintentionally alienate students in the classroom in
ways such as a lack of diverse curricular examples/models or presumptive
language (Tanner and Allen, 2007). Critical self-reflection on the part
of the instructor is needed. Howard (2003) provides some key questions
that instructors can use as a starting point for this reflection:1.) How frequently and what types of interactions did I have with
individuals from racial backgrounds different from my own growing up?;2.) Who were the primary persons that helped to shape my
perspectives of individuals from different racial groups? How were their
opinions formed?; 3.) Have I ever harbored prejudiced thoughts
towards people from different racial backgrounds?; 4.) If I do
harbor prejudiced thoughts, what effects do such thoughts have on
students who come from those backgrounds?; and 5.) Do I create
negative profiles of individuals who come from different racial
backgrounds? While these self-reflection questions focus only on race,
it is beneficial for instructors to think of other classifications such
as gender, religion, ability status, sexual orientation, or other axes
of minoritization that can be substituted here. Only after biases are
acknowledged can instructors begin to take on the work of creating a
more inclusive classroom.
Culturally responsive pedagogy has been a recent focus of the AAC&U
through their Teaching to Increase Diversity and Equity in STEM (TIDES),
which sought to aid institutions in developing teaching strategies that
help STEM faculty adopt culturally sensitive pedagogy (Mack, 2019). Some
principles born from this effort that were implemented in face-to-face
courses (Hughes-Darden et al, 2019) can provide a more descriptive
framework to translate cultural competence to the realm of online
teaching. These principles are: 1.) Incorporate physical and
hands on activities in instructional practices; 2.) Incorporate
more student-led discussions and teaching opportunities in class;3.) Become aware of personal biases and judgements that shape
perceptions of students and being willing to change these perceptions;4.) Have student-led teaching and learning apprenticeships that
foster empowered learning communities; and 5.) Use students’
lived experiences as a context for course content and activities. All
five of these principles can apply to the online learning environment
with perhaps a slight modification to principle one. These instructional
practices now become student-led and instructor-facilitated using one or
more of the active learning tools described in this article.