Last week I had the pleasure of discussing equity in adult education with educators from Illinois. We talked about culturally relevant instruction as a tool for working toward educational equity. I explained what culturally relevant instruction means and gave some examples of how to achieve it. I took a lesson on the Constitution and the Articles of Confederation and showed how a few minor tweaks can turn almost any lesson into a more inclusive, culturally relevant lesson. It really just takes a little research to include the perspectives of more people.
One great way for instructors to increase the perspectives represented in their lessons is by asking students to help. Each student can select a social identity group, and research how they may have contributed to, been excluded from, or were impacted by a historical event. This helps students practice information literacy and literacy skills, yields more results than an instructor searching alone, and identifies new resources. It also allows students to be self-directed in their learning, and to take some responsibility for the learning that occurs in the adult education classroom.