Lesson 3: Ladson-Billings Pedagogy
Contents
1 Who is Gloria Ladson-Billings?
2 What are teaching strategies suggested by the Ladson-Billings Pedagogy?
3 What is the goal of the Ladson-Billings Pedagogy?
4 Activity
Who is Gloria Ladson-Billings?
Gloria Ladson-Billings is an influential educator who is best known for Pedagogy on creating a culturally responsive classroom environment. She is a former professor for Urban Education in the Department of Curriculum, and also an affiliate of the Department of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin. The Pedagogy created by Ladson-Billings, examines the pedagogical practices of teachers who are successful with African American students. She has received numerous awards for her research in the field of education, such as the H.I. Romnes Faculty Fellowship and the NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship. In addition, she is also best known for her critically acclaimed books, The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children and Crossing Over to Canaan: The Journey of New Teachers in Diverse Classrooms.
What are teaching strategies suggested by the Ladson-Billings Pedagogy?
This Pedagogy created by Gloria Ladson-Billings is an approach to emphasize the importance of incorporating students' unique cultural backgrounds and perspectives into the learning process. Along with this idea, Ladson-Billings argues that traditional education frequently fails to actively engage the minds of students with diverse backgrounds because it does not validate their identities or speak up on their previous experiences.
This Pedagogy advocates for educators to consider the following teaching strategies in this classroom:
(1) Recognize and value the diversity of students
- Teachers can do this by building positive relationships with their students. They should aim to know more about their backgrounds and how their unique backgrounds influence their learning preferences and motivations in the classroom.
(2) Connect the curriculum to the students lives
- Curriculum should be seen as "meaningful" for students and relevant to their own unique lifestyles. Attempt to make connections between the academic resources you encounter in the classroom and the lived experiences of students.
(3) Promote critical thinking and empower students
- Educators should always be asking students to think critically and analyze different sources. This will ultimately assist them in applying their problem-solving skills in real-life scenarios. Empower students become agents of change in their community and let them know that they individually can make a massive difference in our society.
(4) Build positive relationships with students
- Developing positive and supportive relationships with students is crucial for creating a safe and inclusive learning environment where students feel valued and respected.
What is the goal of the Ladson-Billings Pedagogy?
The goal of the Ladson-Billings Pedagogy is create more equitable and culturally responsive classrooms where all students can thrive academically and personally.
"Gloria Ladson-Billings proposed three main components of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: (a) a focus on student learning and academic success, (b) developing students’ cultural competence to assist students in developing positive ethnic and social identities, and (c) supporting students’ critical consciousness or their ability to recognize and critique societal inequalities. All three components need to be utilized." (California Department of Education)
Keeping these 3 components in mind, Gloria Ladson-Billings hopes for the following outcomes:
- Student learning will greatly benefit. They will grow intellectually and morally. Furthermore, students will develop better problem-solving skills and increase their academic achievement.
- Students will become more culturally competent. Students will develop skills that will support them in appreciating their culture of origin while developing fluency in at least one other culture.
- Students will become more critically conscious. The they will develop the ability to identify, analyze, and solve real-world problems, especially those that result in societal inequalities.
- Educators will be able to create more inclusive environments for students that fosters a sense of belonging.
Let's do an activity!
For this activity I would like for you to create your own poster showcasing at least 3 of the teaching strategies you have learned from the Ladson-Bilings Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. The poster can be done virtually or physically with markers.
Some great resources for virtually poster making:
- Canva
- PowerPoint
- Google Slides
Here is an example of a poster that successfully employs at least 3 of the teaching strategies discussed in this lesson:
Continue to the next Unit: Unit 3: Modifications and Accommodations
References:
- California Department of Education. (n.d.). Culturally relevant pedagogy. Culturally Relevant Pedagogy - Educator Excellence. https://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ee/culturalrelevantpedagogy.asp#:~:text=Gloria%20Ladson%2DBillings%20proposed%20three,students’%20critical%20consciousness%20or%20their
- Gloria Ladson-Billings. National Academy of Education. (2022, June 2). https://naeducation.org/our-members/gloria-ladson-billings/