Balancing Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Historical Literacy in Urban High School Classrooms: Exploring the Tensions

• In Event: 25.065 - Narratives, Counternarratives, and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Investigating Students, Teachers, and Texts

Abstract

The paper examines how three teachers in an urban high school managed the tensions of teaching historical literacy and culturally responsive approaches to U. S. and global history. In theory, culturally responsive pedagogy and historical literacy can be considered as complementary: teaching historical literacy skills can be conducted within the contexts of historical discourses or texts which relate to student cultures and enable them to develop a critical consciousness. In this study, however, each teacher had a difficult time systematically integrating culturally responsive discourses texts and historical literacy skills and each dealt with the difficulty in a distinct way. The paper concludes with a discussion of the limitations of imposing increasing instructional demands on teachers without adequate organizational supports.

Authors

• Maria Tope Akinyele, The Graduate Center - CUNY

• Terrie Epstein, Hunter College - CUNY