HOW TEACHERS CAN INCORPORATE LEARNERS’ BACKGROUNDS INTO LESSONS

Introduction

In the 21^st century, classrooms are becoming more diverse (Forghani-Arani, Cerna, & Bannon, 2019), with students from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Teachers must acknowledge and respect this diversity and use it to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment. One of the ways to achieve this is by integrating students' backgrounds into lessons. This paper will discuss how teachers can integrate students' backgrounds into their lessons effectively, as well as explore the benefits of incorporating students’ backgrounds into their lessons.

Effective ways to incorporate students' backgrounds into lessons

There are several effective ways that teachers can integrate students' backgrounds into lessons. Firstly, they can use culturally responsive teaching strategies that incorporate students' cultural and ethnic backgrounds into the curriculum (Tanase, 2020). This could involve using culturally relevant texts, stories, and examples that resonate with students' experiences and identities (Ladson-Billings, 1995).

Moreover, teachers can create opportunities for students to share their cultural experiences and perspectives in class. This could involve assigning projects or presentations that allow students to showcase their cultural heritage and share their experiences with their classmates (Gorski, 2016). For example, when teaching a topic like Tourism, students could be made to make presentations on the tourist sites in their area and share with their colleagues, how those sceneries contribute to the socioeconomic development in their area. There should not be a case where all students are forced to talk about particular tourist sites, perhaps, which they may not be conversant about. All students must be allowed to express themselves from their frame of reference. This promotes learning, which is the goal of education.

Finally, teachers can also incorporate multicultural perspectives into the classroom by using diverse instructional materials, such as books, videos, and music, that expose students to different cultures and ways of life (Banks, 2001). Research shows that when diverse learning materials are used to explain concepts in the classroom, students are more likely to understand the concept better (Ragoonaden, Sivia, & Baxan, 2015). This means that if concepts are explained from different perspectives, where different worldviews are debated in the classroom and a consensus is built to promote learning, students would have a better understanding of curriculum issues, helping them to create their own meaning.

Benefits of integrating students' backgrounds into lessons

Integrating students' backgrounds into lessons has several benefits.

• Creates a sense of belongingness: It helps to foster a sense of belonging and inclusion for students. When teachers incorporate aspects of students' cultural and ethnic backgrounds into lessons, it validates their identities and promotes a positive self-image. This, in turn, enhances students' motivation and engagement, leading to improved academic outcomes (Gibson, 2020). It could be concluded that students feel loved if they feel that their identities are represented in the teacher’s instruction. This is a good way of creating a safe environment for all students. They respect one another’s views, a good recipe for class management.  
• It creates cultural awareness among students: It helps to promote cultural awareness and appreciation among students. When teachers incorporate different cultures into lessons (cultural knowledge and practices that represent students’ backgrounds in the classroom), students learn to appreciate and respect diverse perspectives and ways of life. This is crucial in today's globalized world, where cultural competence is a vital skill for success (Henderson & Mapp, 2002).
• It bridges the achievement gap: If teachers integrate students' backgrounds into lessons it helps to bridge the achievement gap. It is an undeniable fact that schools are located in environments, which have characteristics peculiar to students’ experiences and therefore, cannot be distanced from classroom practices. Students would feel emotionally attached to the teacher’s instruction if lessons are built on what the learners already know (the experiences they have while exploring their environments). “Adolescents who feel that they are part of a school community are more likely to perform better academically and be more motivated in school” (Battistich et al., 1997; Goodenow, 1993). Therefore, by integrating students' backgrounds into lessons, teachers can create an inclusive learning environment that supports all students, regardless of their background (Gay, 2002).

In conclusion, incorporating students' backgrounds into lessons is essential for creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment. Teachers must acknowledge and respect the diversity of their students and use it to enhance their learning experiences. By incorporating culturally responsive teaching strategies, creating opportunities for students to share their cultural experiences, and using diverse instructional materials, teachers can promote cultural awareness and appreciation, bridge the achievement gap, and create a positive and inclusive classroom environment.

References

Banks, J. A. (2001). Multicultural education: Historical development, dimensions, and practice. Phi Delta Kappan, 83(3), 196-203.

Battistich, V., Solomon, D., Watson, M. & Schaps, E. (1997) Caring School Communities. Educational Psychologist, 32(3), 137-151. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep3203_1

Forghani-Arani, N., Cerna, L., & Bannon, M. (2019). The lives of teachers in diverse classrooms. OECD Education Working Paper No. 198, pp 1-49. https://one.oecd.org/document/EDU/WKP(2019)6/En/pdf

Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2), 106-116.

Gibson, A. (2020). Culturally Responsive Teaching: Strategies for Success. Education Digest, 85(7), 4-10.

Goodenow, C. (1993), “Classroom belonging among early adolescent students: relationships to motivation and achievement”, The Journal of Early Adolescence, Vol. 13/1, pp. 21-43, http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0272431693013001002.

Gorski, P. (2016). Equity literacy for all. Educational leadership, 73(1), 34-40. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1062914

Henderson, A. T., & Mapp, K. L. (2002). A new wave of evidence: The impact of school, family, and community connections on student achievement. National Center for Family & Community Connections with Schools. 18-239. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED474521.pdf

Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). But that's just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy. Theory into Practice, 34(3), 159-165.

Ragoonaden, O. K., Sivia, A., & Baxan, V. (2015). Teaching for diversity in teacher education: Transformative frameworks. The Journal for the Scholarship Teaching and Learning, 6(3), 1-16. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1084620.pdf  

Tanase, M. (2020). Is good teaching culturally responsive? Journal of Pedagogical Research, 4(3), 187-202. http://dx.doi.org/10.33902/JPR.2020063333

 

By:

Bright Damankah