Connecting to Our Learners: Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy in the Ontario Social Studies and History Curriculum

The purpose of this study is to understand strategies and barriers teachers have when implementing culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy within the Ontario social studies and history curriculum to promote student engagement. In particular, the study provides examples of how teachers deliver a culturally relevant and responsive curriculum to accommodate the cultural diversity within their classrooms, and ways in which educators connect the content to all students through critically analyzing what they teach, and how they teach it. Through the study, the teachers also highlight strategies they use to identify culture in their classroom, and how they use this knowledge to ensure learners are reflected in the classroom. Beyond students seeing themselves in the classroom, the study works towards how teachers encourage and engage the students to critically analyze content, and move towards becoming agents of social change