Culturally Responsive Curriculum Standard B: A culturally-responsive curriculum recognizes cultural knowledge as part of a living and constantly adapting system that is grounded in the past, but continues to grow through the present and into the future.
1. recognizes the contemporary validity of much of the traditional cultural knowledge, values and beliefs, and grounds students learning in the principles and practices associated with that knowledge;
2. provides students with an understanding of the dynamics of cultural systems as they change over time, and as they are impacted by external forces;
Our group (Tyson, Tim, Chris, & myself) related this cultural standard to many disciplines outside of our own chosen path, which was predominantly Social Studies. Utilizing traditional knowledge in the classroom could be done in a multitude of ways. First we thought of studying flora and fauna and how we still utilize “traditional” knowledge of those uses today. My idea for a lesson plan within Social studies was studying traditional indigenous impact on the environment and synthesizing practices that we could use today to minimize long term damages. There are many different ways one can approach this standard.
Shivani,
I believe we can learn a lot about the indigenous people in our place. Technologies that are not impactful to the environment has helped people coexist with the environment for thousands of years in Alaska. I believe it starts with a change in mindset, but utilizing traditional knowledge to aid a present cause would be a great lesson.
-Lindsay
I like that your group went beyond your own individual content area…I used this standard for my lesson on contemporary Athabascan Fiddle…I think this will be an easier standard to meet, because of the technological resources we have today!!
I like that you identified the value placed on environment then and now. It would be fantastic if our modern society would reduce its footprint to preserve what we have not yet ruined.