Teaching Revelations Part 2

While teaching at Emafini Primary School I had the opportunity to observe and teach in English class. One lesson involved reading an advertisement/article and answering questions about what was read. The advertisement was for a vacation on a cruise ship. Needless to say, the students did not have any prior knowledge about cruise vacations. And it is very likely they will never go on a cruise. I began to wonder how much of the material they were using had any cultural relevance.

I looked through the text book and found most of the material was from the perspective of white middle class. Even the illustrations were far removed from the life of a black student in South Africa. As I thought about the learning experience of the students at Emafini, it was evident that their instruction lacked any cultural relevance.  The day is spent copying form the board, choral reading, and completing assignments in the textbook. Not only is this poor pedagogy, it fails to incorporate the students' cultural strengths into the learning process.

We were impressed on more than one occasion with the musical ability of the students. One classroom sang the South African National Anthem for us and we moved by how beautifully the students sang. The school has 3 award winning choruses and we were taken aback by their talent when they performed for us. The teachers also loved to sing and would sing whenever given the opportunity. The staff meeting we attended began with a song. Our good-bye celebration was filled with the teachers singing, dancing and clapping. One teacher told us the reason they loved to sing and dance is because they were a people of rhythm.

Imagine how the learning environment could change for the students and teachers if they integrated this integral part of their culture into their teaching.  Teachers could use music to bridge the students' culture with the classroom culture. They could further engage and motivate students if students' were exposed to material that reflect their own life experiences. For example, instead of reading an advertisement for cruise ships they could read one for a grocery store, a soccer game, or clothing.

So the teaching revelation for me is cultural relevance is more than having books in my classroom library and using ethnic names in word problems. It is having an understanding and knowledge of my students' lives outside of the classroom and using that information to make learning more meaningful.