Expert on Pegagogy Blog: Analysis of "Power and Pedagogy" by: Gay, G.

By: Jennifer Nosakowski

I found this article about incorporating multicultural concepts into daily coursework very informative. At first, I found it hard to see how this approach applied to me since my experiences in the classroom as a substitute was limited and my clinical instruction is composed of predominantly middle-class Caucasion students. However, I now see that including cultural content, even when small differences arise amongst students will help to make their learning experience more meaningful by giving them a sense of importance and recognition. Implementing this approach will not be easy or immediate, but small changes can be made daily to develop to a larger sense of community and cultural awareness that will positively impact all students despite their origins. In my article review, I take a broad look at how to apply this pedagogy and why its challenges should and can be overcome.

Culturally Responsive Teaching pedagogy is defined in “Power Pedagogy Through Cultural Responsiveness”, by Gay, as filtering curriculum content and teaching strategies through cultural frames of reference in order to make the content more personally meaningful and easier to master by students of varied ethnic groups. This approach challenges educators to incorporate diversity into the classroom using a new perspective. As a result, teaching and learning experiences will become contextualized and students’ achievement potential will become maximized (Gay, p23). Amongst further analysis of Culturally Responsive Teaching pedagogy, many questions arise about its feasibility and application. For instance, how can one move from the traditional classroom etiquette that simply acknowledges cultural differences to a learning experience that teaches students to become knowledgeable about each difference? Also, how can teachers prepare themselves with information on various cultural backgrounds and include this knowledge into all aspects of their curriculum? Despite these questions, the practical application of Culturally Responsive Teaching pedagogy is achievable and the incorporation of multicultural context into all subject areas is necessary to afford all students a meaningful and world-wide academic experience.


There is much need for instructional reform in regards to creating a positive learning experience for students of various ethnic groups. Unfortunately, many classrooms still operate under Eurocentric frameworks that fail to incorporate other culturally meaningful content into their lessons. This practice makes it difficult for students of non-European American descent to feel validated and find relevance in their school experience in relation to their lives. In order to enhance the academic experience for all students, new pedagogies such as Culturally Responsive Teaching should be employed in order to improve interest, motivation, and establish authentic learning experiences that link school to students' homes, local and global communities (Gay, p28). Making this change will provide a necessary shift from basic recognition of student differences to in depth acquisition of knowledge about those differences in terms of heritage, values, and the social and political aspects of each culture. To implement this change, teachers must begin to deliberately create cultural continuity in educating ethnically diverse students by altering curriculum to incorporate a variety of cultural frames of reference (Gay, p24). This will create individual learning experiences that set positive examples of multicultural contributions in society are more meaningful to students because they can relate them to their own lives. It will instill confidence by building off what students are already able to achieve in the use of terms or skills that are familiar to their cultures. Including ethnic diversity into lessons will also allow students to become more knowledgeable and accepting of each others’ differences, helping to create community and eliminate stereotypes and discrimination amongst peers. In addition, a newfound appreciation and understanding of various cultures will cause students to become increasingly proud of their ethnic identities, increase attitudes of success, and help them to meet and exceed their potential, both academically and socially, in and out of the classroom.

Culturally Responsive Teaching pedagogy is an innovative approach to solving the problems that arise from unintentionally neglecting to engage ethnically diverse students. Often the effort to treat everyone equally causes educators to ignore students' defining characteristics. This can lead into a vicious trend of decontextualization of lesson material and resulting lack of student interest, self-esteem, and the ability to succeed (Gay, p24). This new pedagogical theory has the potential to reverse these trends, but is not void of its own questions and potential problems. First, what type of preparation will be required for educators to become knowledgeable about the many cultures their students will bring into the classroom? To begin, educators must first assess their own cultural attitudes, assumptions, and established classroom rules and regulations that may hinder the ability to effectively teach in a culturally diverse way (Gay, p26). This will give educators a better idea of areas in need of improvement both structurally and intellectually in their classrooms. For instance, teachable moments will arise in various subject areas, such as mathematics to share multicultural languages or in writings that show examples of various cultural norms. Deliberately adding ethnic content such as that found in music, dress, food, religion, dance, and education will help create teachable moments within existing lesson plans. (McLaren, p76). Within the Culturally Responsive Teaching pedagogy, educators help to foster intelligent discussion amongst their students via the attainment of educational information on current socially and politically relevant issues that concern various ethnicities. Thoughtful discussions that inspire students to think of subjects based on cultural similarities and differences and encourage student inquiry, analysis, and critique are also major educational resources for teachers. The observation of cross-cultural interactions in terms of language, mannerisms, and thought processes will help educators to uncover distinct and unique cultural traits that can guide their own instruction (Sheets, p9). For example, becoming aware of how students assert themselves in conversations can provide insight into how to communicate more effectively with individual and possibly other members of the same ethnicity. What some may think are behavioral norms may not be in other societies, American teachers interpret direct eye contact as being attentive, but for some Native Americans it is interpreted as staring which is taboo in their culture (Gay, p22). In effect, an environment that is meaningful and most beneficial to students of all ethnicities will be created.


Secondly, how can a teacher develop lesson plans that cover all cultures present in the classroom? The incorporation of culture must be intentional, but can flow naturally within class discussions. In order for educators to integrate cultural topics with ease, they must change their attitudes and begin to perceive diversity as the norm (Sheets, p1). Becoming conscious of culturally relevant issues pertaining to diverse students will help teachers to incorporate ethnically important elements to lessons and inspire students to make a connection between academic material and what is familiar to them. This type of thinking will automatically cause instructors to relate academic subject matter to different ethnic groups. Teachers will facilitate this process as they become more knowledgeable about how to provide assistance and build upon certain cultural practices and experiences observed in the classroom. For example, when discussing a particular topic, the teacher will ask the group questions that promote students to share their ideas on how it affects their communities, thus creating a dialogue that flows as varied cultural views are compared, contrasted, and reflected upon.


Lastly, is it feasible to include various cultural perspectives in addition to an already extensive curriculum centered towards meeting government or district testing standards? Culturally Responsive Teaching pedagogy should help to strengthen academic performance by creating more meaningful educational experiences. Students who are often alienated will begin to participate and understand material within the standard curriculum. Additional cultural aspects will act to provide the important connection that authenticates student learning experiences, sparks interest, and increases understanding of government and district requirements in relation to a culturally dynamic world. Educators may need to invest additional planning time to reorganize their classrooms, but efforts to include additional information is feasible, especially with cooperation from other faculty and a newfound awareness of the value of cultural inclusion and its benefits. Acknowledging and including cultural ideas into daily practices will help to create the most productive and enriching learning environment and is vital to all students’ academic achievement.


Culturally Responsive Teaching pedagogy provides a method for teachers to create authentic learning experiences for all students. In order to implement this pedagogy, educators must revise the mindset that treating all students the same will create an equal learning environment. They must become aware that this does not create equality and often negates cultural differences in the classroom. Instead, educators must change their view and strive to treat all students fairly which will validate ethnically diverse individuals (Sheets, p8). This is done by building off strengths and using individual and culturally appropriate scaffolding to address weaknesses. With conscious effort to acquire thorough knowledge of cultural values, learning styles, historical legacy, contributions, and achievements of different ethnic groups, educators will be able to begin to maximize student achievement potential (Gay, p44). This knowledge, when shared in lessons, in the form of ethnic content and cultural forms will translate into acceptance and facilitate deeper relationships between teachers and multicultural students. Through this cultural affirmation, student self-worth will increase followed by an increase in motivation, desire to learn, and academic accomplishments. Encouraging student participation in open discussions that incorporate cultural aspects into existing curriculum will help to make traditional lesson plans become more meaningful and better understood through each students’ cultural perspective and personal connection (Gay, p43). Critical analyses, questions, and reflective classroom dialogue will lead to the acceptance of various cross-cultural groups and translate into greater success and less discrimination in all settings. Incorporating the culture and communication styles of different ethnic groups into the classroom affords additional knowledge which cultivates cooperation and collaboration between students and transforms a predominantly Eurocentric learning environment into a multicultural experience where the opportunity for academic success is available for all.



References:
Gay, G. 2000. Power and Pedagogy. In Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice. Teachers College Press: NY.
McLaren, P. 2003. Critical Pedagogy. In The Critical Pedagogy Reader. NY: Routeledge-Falmer.
Sheets, R.H. 2006. What Is Diversity Pedagogy Theory? Texas Tech University.