Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Ingredients for Critical Teacher Reflection

I have been reading a wonderful article about the use of critical reflection for teachers, written by Tyrone C. Howard, the following are the key points I have noted, a lot of which is actually key to my workshops, especially if they are to role out to schools in London.

"Critical reflection has been recommended as a means of incorporating issues of equity and social justice into teaching thinking and practice.  This article offers critical reflection as a prelude to creating culturally relevant teaching strategies."

Teachers come into contact with students whose cultural, ethnic, linguistic, racial and social backgrounds differ greatly from their own, currently most of the teaching population is white, middle class and female.  Teachers need to reconsider the manner in which they effectively educate a diverse student population.  They need more meaningful knowledge and skills to engage with these students and to critically analyse the importance of race, ethnicity and culture, and recognise how these elements can shape the individuals learning experience.  Students need lessons that are relevant and meaningful to their social and cultural realities.

Gay (2000) asserts that culturally relevant pedagogy uses 'the cultural knowledge prior experiences, frames of reference, and performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning more relevant to and effective for students.' This can help increase the academic achievements of these students.


Why does race matter? And what does it have to do with teaching?
Teachers need to understand that racially diverse students frequently bring capital to the classroom that can drastically differ from mainstream norms, cultural capital embodies the norms, social practices, ideologies, language, and behaviour that are part of a given context (Bourdieu, 1973). 

Race will continue to matter in an increasingly diverse society, classes need to be culturally relevant, racially affirming and socially meaningful for the whole class. 

Critical Reflection and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
Dewey (1933): reflection gives attention to one's experiences and behaviour, and meanings are made and interpreted from them to inform future decision-making.  The term critical reflection attempts to look at reflection within moral, political, and ethical contexts of teaching.  Once cognitive processing is complete, reflective action can be a more useful tool for addressing social and emotional issues, namely those issues pertaining to race and culture. 


The difficulty of critical reflection
It can be an arduous task, it really forces individuals to ask challenging questions about racial, ethical and cultural issues.  One must answer these honestly, which in itself can be a bigger hurdle. 

"Some of the questions that teachers should consider in this reflective process could include the following:

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 person that helped to shape my perspectives of individuals from difference racial group? How were their opinions formed?
3. Have I ever harbored prejudiced thoughts towards people from different racial backgrounds?
4. If I do harbour prejudiced thoughts, what effects do such thoughts have on students who come from those backgrounds?
5. Do I create negative profiles of individuals who come from different racial backgrounds?"

Neito (1999): 2the way students are thought about and treated by society and consequently by the schools they attend and the educators who teach them is fundamental in creating academic success or failure" (p.167)