"A culture and what it produces is made possible and is reflective of the knowledge that underlies it."
For many years, this short statement has stuck with me as I have worked with teenagers of great diversity in every sense of the word. Some of the students for whom this literacy plan is designed very likely come from families in which the term culture is a literal definition: they still celebrate customs and traditions that were brought to the United States from their ancestral countries by previous generations. For other students, culture is defined as our American culture and all of the changes that culture has seen over the last two hundred years. I strongly believe that each of us defines our own culture as we reach adolescence and move into adulthood. We are guided, of course, by the definition handed to us by our parents and teachers. However, we also use the influence of the world around us to put our own "twist" on the definition. So, even among two siblings, their definition of culture could vary.
The role of culture in the learning of our students is critical and it is as diverse as their ethnic backgrounds, their home environments and their future goals. As educators, we are taught to participate in culturally responsive teaching practices. As I learned about these practices, I thought that they seemed very commn-sense on paper. Then, I started to look at those practices through the lens of work with real students. I came to realize that using culturally responsive practices is like a workman using his tool belt: each situation requires a different tool and sometimes even the same tool is used in a different way. It occurs to me that the key to being culturally aware and responsive in my teaching is to take the time to frontload my own knowledge of students as individuals. Then, I can apply that understanding to helping students learn in the way that is best suited to them, not to me.
The way I see it is this: if I can "crack the code" for individual students and how their culture impacts learning, then I can be more effective at building their knowledge base. So, as they are continuing to define their own definition of their culture, they are simultaneously becoming more effective classroom learners based on my pedagogical choices for them. If aligned properly, students increase their knowledge and ability to have greater influence on our larger societal culture through their own personal cultural choices. I need to arm my students with as much knowledge, in whatever form connects for them, so they can then define the world around them as a culture that they are proud of and represents them individually.