Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Cultural Competence

Gloria Ladson Billings says Culturally Relevant Pedagogy rests on three propositions: academic achievement, cultural competence, and socio-political consciousness. Cultural competence, however--says Billings, is the most misunderstood. (1)The root of this misunderstanding is the simplistic notions many teachers have about culture. Teachers often reduce culturally relevant pedagogy to a set of techniques: If I hang a Mexican flag up, talk about my trip to Japan, or “did or read something black” (1), then I must be leveraging culture. There is a quick-fix, give-me-the-remedy for these kinds of students approach that generalizes “static, naive notions of culture that serve to further distance professionals from the people they serve.” (1)Culture--of course-- is dynamic, constantly-changing, and complex--and “No teacher education course can ever cover every potential cultural conflict...Learning these nuances of cultures takes deliberate study.” (1) An example of a cultural misunderstanding for Billings is this:“A young ‘progressive’ teacher with a more informal demeanor entering an urban classroom serving African American students suggesting that students call him or her ‘Wendy’ or ‘Phil’ may be unwittingly setting up a cultural conflict. In communities where I grew up and later worked, all adults, regardless of official status, were spoken to and about with a title--Miss, Mrs, Mr., Auntie, Uncle, Rev. Doc., or some form of differentiated status. This is considered a form of respect, and ‘children’ are not permitted to violate that norm...Telling children they can call you by your first name lowered their respect for you, and I have seen many a classroom devolve into chaos in part because it was not clear who was the adult and with what authority people operated.” (1) Both Billings and Hollie describe the different interaction styles and worship methods of church as a tool for understanding how home culture and behaviors may be contrary to those expected in the school setting. Hollie says, Imagine that you are attending a spiritual service of any type. You are a visitor and not a subscriber to the faith. As the service begins, you immediately notice the differences in your usual spiritual service and the service you are attending. Your home service starts with a boisterous praise and worship. People are on their feet, singing and clapping. This service starts with a silent prayer and a calming hymn. Your home service allows for expected interactions with the pulpit through a process known as call and response. This service does not. In fact, you have the accurate feeling that if you shout out “Amen,” you might be asked to leave. Now, as an observer to this experience, the question becomes Would it be wrong or simply inappropriate culturally if you were to shout “amen” during the sermon in the context of this service? The answer to that question is the understanding of how to infuse culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy into any classroom management system. (2) Billings also uses differences in worship styles to demonstrate to her student-teachers how behavior from one cultural context can be misinterpreted as misbehavior in another. “The traditional two-hour Black service is always an eye-opening experience for my students. Those not socialized in these cultural spaces are often shocked by the degree of responsibility that children (even very young children) have. Some are ushers, others may be choir members, and still others may be in charge of making church announcements. The very children that many school personnel argue have ADHD or some other emotional malady can be seen sitting for long stretches of time and participating appropriately in the service. In those instances I ask students to think about the nature of the service and how it might contrast with the school setting. Typically the students point out the interactive nature of the church service. Traditional Black preaching is a dialogue where congregants are not expected to sit silently and listen. No, a good sermon is one where the congregation talks back.” (1) To be culturally relevant teachers must “take the initiative to learn about the communities they work.” (1) Billings recommends that teachers visit grocery stores, health facilities, after school programs, and especially churches. (1) Self-reflection and openness to new experiences and ideas are essential for culturally relevant teachers not only to leverage a student’s home culture, but to stave off the instinct to see differences as a deficit. This “mindshift change” as Hollie says, is important for embodying positivity in the classroom. (2) Being positive--for Hollie--means (2) 1. Gloria Ladson Billings: The (R)Evolution will be not be standardized: Teacher Education, Hip Hop Pedagogy, and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy 2.0 2. Sharroky Hollie: https://amzn.to/2ODw9AC