Introducing Culturally Responsive and Relevant Pedagogy in Health and Physical Education

Meaningful CRRP approaches call for a willingness on the part of educators to understand and unpack the ways in which their own personal background, identity, and experiences affect their teaching practices. Compassionately examining their approaches allows educators to reflect on the ways in which their experiences of power/marginalization and privilege/oppression have influenced their understanding of the world and shaped their actions as school community members. 

In 1994, Gloria Ladson-Billings defined three terms describing the essential themes of what she termed “Culturally Relevant Pedagogy”: academic achievement, cultural competence, and sociopolitical awareness.² Ladson-Billings’ work provided a foundation from which CRRP principles emerged, and today her concepts help outline what educators can seek to foster through their adoption of CRRP practices. 

Academic achievement refers to the belief that every student can achieve academic success. By accepting that all learners are highly capable of meeting and exceeding curricular expectations and individual learning goals, CRRP principles invert approaches to assessment and evaluation that frame student success as an individual issue. Improving learning outcomes becomes an exercise in identifying which aspects of the learning environment failed to provide students with the tools for success and working with the student to determine how best to provide them in future. 

Cultural competence refers to the ability of an educator to identify connection points between diverse backgrounds that celebrate, rather than the stifle, the differences that make each student unique. All experiences are respected, met with curiosity and a desire to understand without judgement. Students who see their authentic selves reflected and celebrated within their learning environments alongside those of their peers learn to value diversity, which supports their development into respectful global citizens. Culturally competent educators act on their knowledge of cultural differences to provide meaningful and relevant learning experiences. 

Sociopolitical awareness is an awareness of the social frameworks shaping the world that, in turn, shape the learners in our classrooms. It refers to the understanding of how one’s position within the broader historical, social, and political context might influence their attitudes, behaviours, and experiences. The diverse experiences of students and their families will vary; CRRP approaches can support educators in honouring these truths and ensuring that students are feel respected and understood in their learning environments. Students with experiences of marginalization can benefit from a CRRP lens that understands and contextualizes the history of their community and rejects and seeks to dismantle any stereotypical beliefs and preconceptions that might represent barriers to well-being or success.  

Fundamentally, CRRP can be understood as a way of being in relationship with the learners in your classroom. When educators commit to understanding the individuals that make up their class, they can co-create deep mutual respect between all classroom members. CRRP provides a lens through which the learning process can be leveraged to enable opportunities for every student to thrive.