Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Essay

Addressing the need of culturally responsive pedagogy in India
Minakshi Rana,
Research Scholar,
Department of Sociology
Panjab University, Chandigarh
Abstract: As more and more students from diverse background populate 21st century classrooms, and efforts mount to identify effective methods to teach these students, the need for pedagogical approaches that are culturally responsive intensifies. Today’s classrooms require teachers to educate students varying in culture, languages, economic status, abilities and many other characteristics (Gollick & Chinn, 2002). The objective of this paper is to emphasize that to meet the challenge of diversities in classrooms; teacher must employ not only theoretically sound but also culturally responsive pedagogy. The paper stresses upon the need that the teacher must create a classroom culture where all students regardless of their cultural, social, economics & linguistic background are welcomed and supported, and provided with the best opportunity to learn.
Introduction:
Teachers have a
In a culturally responsive classroom, effective teaching and learning occur in a culturally supported, learner-centered content, whereby the strengths students bring to school are identified, nurtured and utilized to promote student achievement. Culturally responsive pedagogy comprises three dimensions: (a) institutional, (b) personal and (c) instructional. The institutional dimension reflects the administration and its policies and values. The personal dimension refers to that cognitive and emotional processes teachers must engage in to become culturally responsive. The instructional dimension includes material, strategies, and activities that form the basis of intstruction. All three dimensions significantly interact in the teaching learning process and are critical to understanding the effectiveness of culturally responsive