“Can’t Anybody Teach These Children?” The Case for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Gloria Ladson-Billings University of Wisconsin-Madison

What is Happening to Our Children? 1 in 2 will live in a single parent family at some point in childhood; 1 in 3 is born to unmarried parents; 1 in 3 will be poor at some point in their childhood; 1 in 3 is behind a year or more in school; 2 in 5 never complete a single year of college; 1 in 7 has a worker in their family but is still poor.

What is Happening to Our Children? 1 in 8 never graduates from high school; 1 in 5 was born poor; 1 in 5 is born to a mother who did not graduate from high school; 1 in 7 has no health care; 1 in 24 lives with neither parent; 1 in 139 will die before their first birthday; 1 in 1,056 will be killed by a gun before age 20

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Academic Achievement Cultural Competence Socio-Political Consciousness

Academic Achievement Teacher presumes the educability of all children Teacher clearly delineates what achievement means in the classroom Teacher knows the content; the learner, and how to teach content to the learner (Shulman, 1987) Teacher supports a critical consciousness toward the curriculum Teacher considers academic achievement a complex notion, not amenable to a single static measurement

In a culturally relevant teacher’s classroom… Academic Achievement means… Teacher has clear goals for student learning and achievement Majority of the class time devoted to teaching and learning Teacher assesses student learning Teacher can articulate individual student progress Teacher is knowledgeable and skillful

Cultural Competence Teacher understands culture and its role in education Teacher takes responsibility for learning about students’ culture and community Teacher uses student culture as the basis for learning Teacher promotes a flexible use of students’ local, national, and global cultures

In a culturally relevant teacher’s classroom… Cultural competence means… Teacher recognizes self as a cultural beings Teacher recognizes student culture as a resource for learning Teacher links student learning to student culture Teacher avails self of opportunities to learn about and from student culture Teacher serves as “culture-broker” between school and community

Socio-political Consciousness Teacher knows the larger socio-political context of the school/community Teacher plans and implements academic experiences that connect students to the larger context Teacher believes that students’ success has consequences for his/her own futures and quality of life Teacher has an investment in the public good

In a culturally relevant teacher’s classroom… Socio-political consciousness means… Teacher understands larger socio-political context in which schooling takes place Teacher views his/her work as transcending the classroom Teacher understands that students’ cultural, ethnic, economic, language backgrounds impact their social positions Teacher links students with their broader cultural identities and sense of personhood

Some fundamental principles for teaching all students well 1. Our children are educable. 2. When students are treated as competent they are likely to demonstrate competence. 3. When teachers provide instructional “scaffolding” students can move from where they are to where they need to be. 4. The focus of the classroom must be instructional. 5. Real education is about extending students’ thinking and abilities. 6. Effective teaching involves in-depth knowledge of both the students and the subject matter