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Using traditional teaching methods, educators may default to teaching literature by widely accepted classic authors: William Shakespeare, J.D. Salinger, and Charles Dickens, for example, adhering to widely accepted interpretations of the text. Culturally responsive teaching, on the other hand, acknowledges that there’s nothing wrong with traditional texts, Childers-McKee says, but strives to include literature from other cultures, parts of the world, and by diverse authors. It also focuses on finding a “hook and anchor” to help draw students into the content using their past experiences.

When integrated into classroom instruction, culturally responsive strategies can have important benefits such as: Strengthening students’ sense of identity  Promoting equity and inclusivity in the classroom Engaging students in the course material Supporting critical thinking

1. Activate students’ prior knowledge.

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) is a philosophical outlook towards one’s approach to teaching that informs the what, the how, and the why. CRP focuses on the academic and personal success of students as individuals and as a collective. It ensures students engage in academically rigorous curriculum and learning, feel affirmed in their identities and experiences, and develop the knowledge and skills to engage the world and others critically.  

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy equips us as teachers to provide our students with the type of education they not only deserve but are entitled to.  An education that recognizes and celebrates their identities, lived experiences and culture. An education that nurtures their inherent brilliance and infinite potential.  An education that doesn’t set them up to “fit into,” accept or replicate an inequitable system, but one that equips them with the tools to transform it. An education that cultivates strong trunks, beautiful branches, colorful leaves, and deep roots.