The article Relevant: Beyond the Basics

          The article Relevant: Beyond the Basics, was an article that I enjoyed reading and can identify with. This articles ties into Curr 509 because until now we have been focusing on the students socioeconomic levels, and how a teacher must sympathize and adapt based on the hardship this might be causing the student’s educational level. But, culture is another factor that can greatly impact a student, and how they view and absorb the content that is being presented to them. Culture, in a way, makes you who you are because it impacts how you think and react to different factors. That is why I agree with the author of the article, culturally responsive teaching is important, it is a way to connect with the students on a personal and educational level. It also has the power to motivate the students because they can relate the content to everyday factors, and see how it is relevant to them. Personally, I know this because I spent most of my mathematics days saying, why do I have to learn this and when am I going to use it. I did not realize until it was shown to me in a different manner applied to something I use every day, such as stairs, that we can use these equations in an everyday setting or in a relevant setting. Knowing how it related to me because I needed to walk up and down those stairs everyday made the content more interesting and my willingness to learn it increased. 

             Culture has the same effect, culture is something that surrounds us and we live it with it every day. Teaching with culture in mind will motivate students, allow them to learn more and faster, create a connection with the teacher, encourage students to voice their opinions through class discussions more, and build respect. Being culturally responsive does not mean watering down the content, or that the teacher does not have the appropriate skills. It take more skill, time, and effort to teach this way because the teacher must try to learn more about the different cultures in the classroom that she/he might be not be familiar with. No matter what color a person is everyone has a culture, therefore cultural responsive teaching can be integrated with any student.