My group in class focused our attention on Standard A of the Alaska Culturally Responsive Curriculum. Although our poster may have been less intricate than some, that was part of the beauty of it. We focused a lot on our conversation in class– and really, our poster was perfect for our Standard A; in many cultural traditions, a beautiful aspect is the deepness- rather than amount- of content and a ‘less is more’ attitude around words, actions and time.
“Culturally Responsive Curriculum Standard A: A culturally-responsive curriculum reinforces the integrity of the cultural knowledge that students bring with them.
- recognizes that all knowledge is embedded in a larger system of cultural beliefs, values and practices, each with its own integrity and interconnectedness;
- insures that students acquire not only the surface knowledge of their culture, but are also well grounded in the deeper aspects of the associated beliefs and practices;
- incorporates contemporary adaptations along with the historical and traditional aspects of the local culture;
- respects and validates knowledge that has been derived from a variety of cultural traditions;
- provides opportunities for students to study all subjects starting from a base in the local knowledge system.”
As a Social Studies teacher, and this seemingly being the most broad of Standards, its’ implementation would come through allowing students space, in any lesson, for reflection, processing and also giving options for different methods of participation. A lesson that is place-based, such as the Math-map class that we performed on campus last week,would be a good example. As a Social Studies teacher, I would create some sort of History-geography map activity for my class to get to know first the school and then branch out into the larger community.
Erin – Thanks for the reminder about taking time to reflect. That is an aspect of teaching that I think is so critical and yet so often forgotten. I also think that your idea to do a Social Studies Map would be really fun and engaging!
Yeah I wish my education through high school and my undergrad allowed for reflection. We need to keep that in mind as we teach to allow our students time for reflection. We should also remember to look at these standards every once and a while you never know what in them will inspire us to teach in a more culturally responsive manner.
How about the good ole fashioned “show and tell” as a way to find different culturally relevant material. Also parent/teacher conferences could be good for finding fodder. BTW I like your poster.