The relevance and significance of Culturally Appropriate practices

Why 'culturally appropriate' elder care matters http://www.cbc.ca/listen/shows/out-in-the-open/segment/15589471 - shared from the CBC Radio App

This is a very interesting podcast to listen to.  It reminded me a lot of the term "Culturally Relevant Teaching" that Gloria Ladson-Billings first coined back in 1994.  The form of elder care you will hear about takes into account the background of the residents and the communities they come from to create an environment where they see themselves and feel valued.

In the field of Education, the term "Culturally Responsive Pedagogy," or CRP, is more likely to be used instead of the one used to describe the care in this podcast.  I am going to briefly reference an article I read from the Capacity Building Series on CRP to highlight why I believe it is important and something all schools should be doing.

According to the article, there are three dimensions to CRP:

1. Institutional:  This is where school leaders consider if certain things that are happening in school reproduce forms of marginalization.  Are the majority of students being suspended Black and Male?  Are Gifted Programs overwhelmingly represented by one of 2 Ethnicities and certain socio-economic communities? 

2. Personal:  Educators need to be "self-aware...[and] have a deep knowledge of their students and how they learn best."  This dimension is two-fold, I believe.  If I am self-aware, say, of my middle-class upbringing, I can be mindful of the references I may want to comfortably default to when I am speaking with my class.  This does not mean I can't speak from my life experiences, but I need to be aware of the students in front of me and the varied experiences they have which may be different than my own.  I sometimes feel that teachers can make students feel that their lives are less than when a teacher is constantly using references from their own experiences.   

 I think the second portion is self-explanatory.  Teachers get to know their classes and will have a sense of what engages the class to and promote and encourage learning.  

3. Instructional:  Heavy consideration is placed into what classroom practices are being used.  A teacher engaged in CRP is probably one who differentiate his or her instruction.

 http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/CBS_ResponsivePedagogy.pdf

The following YouTube video takes in dimension number 2 the most.  There is not a lot of talk on the potential for the curriculum to marginalize certain groups of students nor is there a lot of talk on pedagogical approaches but it is a start.  It comes from the Halifax Regional Centre for Education.

So, now we can return to the original story on the care for the Elderly.  It would seem that the institutional dimension has been considered because there are culturally specific spaces for some racialized populations.  The instructional dimension seems to be working with the diverse programming available at the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care*.  It also sounds like the personal dimension is being met by the staff who work at the home.

*The Hellenic Home is another example of a culturally specific home for the Aged: http://www.hellenichome.org/ 

Fostering Allies to combat Anti-Black Racism **UPDATED**

https://www.todaysparent.com/family/parenting/heres-my-challenge-to-white-parents-this-school-year/

This is an excellent article and I felt it was important to add a definition of what Anti-Black Racism is:

Anti-Black Racism:  Anti-Black Racism is defined here as policies and practices rooted in Canadian institutions such as, education, health care, and justice that mirror and reinforce beliefs, attitudes, prejudice, stereotyping and/or discrimination towards people of Black-African descent. (Black Health Alliance http://blackhealthalliance.ca/home/antiblack-racism/)

Ignorance, Predjudice and School lunches ** UPDATED**

There is a link to a short segment from CBC's Out in Open podcast in the second part of this post. If certain culturally specific lunches are shunned and leave people ashamed, it means others are held up in high regard and can make some students feel entitled because what they eat is "normal" (the opposite of different). This form of shunning is a microaggression and sends the subtle and overt message that YOU DO NOT BELONG; that's messed up.  I do not like the use of the word "ethnic food" because EVERYONE has an ethnicity but the word is often used incorrectly to refer to people who are not White.

https://www.thestar.com/life/food_wine/2018/08/29/tossing-hiding-or-being-shunned-for-stinky-school-lunches-8-canadians-on-the-ethnic-food-they-were-embarassed-to-eat-in-class.html

Another aspect of this story comes from the CBC:

This story can be found on:  https://www.cbc.ca/radio/outintheopen/public-shaming-1.4132574/how-bringing-culturally-specific-lunches-to-school-can-leave-kids-feeling-ashamed-and-different-1.4132813

Doug Ford's message and one of the key concepts of Media Literacy

"We expect our teachers, principals and school board officials to fulfil their obligations to parents and children when it comes to what our students learn in the classroom," the premier said in the news release.

"We will not tolerate anybody using our children as pawns for grandstanding and political games. And, make no mistake, if we find somebody failing to do their job, we will act."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-sex-ed-curriculum-1.4794889

I took issue with this quotation from Premier Ford. If I was to ever meet him, I would ask what he means by grandstanding and political games.  The mere fact that there have been shifts to the curriculum in the areas of Health, and eventually Math, is political.  To suggest that the position and actions of the Progressive Conservative government are neutral and only FOR THE PEOPLE is disingenuous. 

I am glad that the Medial Literacy strand of the Language Arts program is not being touched.  The skills and thinking taught in that strand can help readers and viewers see that all media, including this blog, have social and political implications.  For more information on Media Literacy, check out:  http://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/general-information/digital-media-literacy-fundamentals/media-literacy-fundamentals

Although this is probably not my final post before the new school year, I wish everyone a great start.

Positive news: Talisha Ramsaroop, change-maker

https://locallove.ca/changemakers/talisha-ramsaroop-sets-high-expectations-for-jane-and-finch-kids/

As the days roll by, and the realities of September set in a great mass of students across the Toronto and the GTA will be going back to school.  So many wonderful things can happen in school, which is a place where the imagination can be sparked and students begin to understand themselves, peers, and the world in a more engaged manner.  Unfortunately, the "violence of low expectations," something Talisha talks about in this article, can afflict a number of students, particularly those who are marginalized and discriminated against.  This article presents Talisha's vision for a community she grew up in and a lot of inspirational energy, which I am grateful for.