Culturally Responsive Curriculum
I am Maryam, an Iranian Muslim woman shaped by Iran’s gender-segregated schools. Iran, a civilized nation with a rich, millennia-old culture, brims with diverse ethnicities, religions, races, dialects, and accents a vibrant tapestry of identities. Yet, its education system buries this diversity. I cherish hijab as my choice, but the mandatory “maghnaeh” felt oppressive, a…
Culturally Responsive Teaching Embracing Diversity for Inclusive Learning My life in Kazakhstan has been strongly intertwined in cultural depth and devotion to my traditions. As a Kazakh woman and educator, family values, respect for elders, richness of our language were all integral to my existence. Kazakhstan is a multi-ethnic state with more than 106 nationalities, which serves…
Growing up in Jos, Nigeria, a city that perfectly captures the beauty and conflicts of cultural diversity. Both Indigenous populations and settler groups call Jos home, and their histories sometimes coexist peacefully and other times in conflict. I’ve lived through three significant crises, but the one in 2001 was the most devastating. Properties were destroyed,…
In my journey as both a student and an English teacher in Vietnam, a country consisting of 54 ethnic minorities, I have witnessed firsthand the power of culturally responsive pedagogy. As a student, I experienced a national curriculum enriched with ethnic culture through subjects in schools such as Ede’s epic in literature, Hmong’s traditional music,…