Urban Education Pedagogy
In 1994, Gloria Ladson-Billings created the term “culturally relevant teaching”, which refers to pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially and emotionally (Coffey, 2008). Ladson-Billings created this term based on research and observations of teachers who are successful with low performing students and students of color. Culturally relevant teaching involves using culture as a tool to provide students’ with knowledge and skills. In general, it is a theory that allows teachers to build connections between students’ home and school lives and activate their prior knowledge (Coffey, 2008).
The three principles for implementing culturally relevant pedagogy are:
1. Students must experience academic success
2. Students must develop and/or maintain cultural competence
3. Students must develop a critical consciousness through which they challenge the status quo of the current social order (Coffey, 2008).
These principles guide teachers to teach students about their culture to encourage them to embrace and maintain their “cultural integrity” (Coffey, 2008). Cultural integrity is important to instill in children of color because it allows them to see the value and pride in their culture. Lastly, students should be
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Moreover, without knowing their students’ strengths and weaknesses, teachers could not effectively teach their students. Pedro Noguera (2003) came to a similar conclusion that to engage urban students, teachers should change their teaching to fit the learning style and needs of their students. He further explained that in order for teachers to do that, they need to connect the content to the students’ culture and interest and use that as a teaching tool (Noguera,