Learner groups differ from one another along multiple dimensions, such as class size, students’ personal cultural backgrounds, language and reading abilities, students’ prior knowledge and experience, the degree of access to information resources, and classroom culture as shaped by school-level conceptions and existing curricula. In addition to these differences between groups, there is heterogeneity among individuals within any given group. Therefore, meaningful learning requires adapting the learning activity to the local context in which it takes place.
Learning activities do not occur in the same way across all contexts. At times, learning activities or instructional units are used that were developed for instructional contexts different from those in which they will later be implemented (e.g., learners’ age, subject matter, a unique program, unforeseen events, classroom culture, or learners’ personal culture). Therefore, in order to maximize the value of such activities, it is necessary to adapt the general structure of the activity to the characteristics of the classroom and cultural context in which it is implemented. To support this process, alongside the overall design of the activity, it is beneficial to provide scaffolds (supporting tools) that enable thoughtful adaptation of the general design to the local context.
An example of this principle can be seen in the citizen science project “In the footprints of small mammals” in which one of the participating students was interested in wildlife photography during their leisure time. The student approached a project scientist, and a research plan was developed that was tailored to the areas in which the student was interested. Another example of this principle can be seen in the project “Sleep – A Third of Life,” in which students specialize in data analysis. The local context of the students’ specialization led education scientists and science education researchers to adapt the project activities in ways that invited students to engage with skills related to data analysis in the context of big data.
Deepening and Expansion ▼
Developing curriculum in alignment with classroom culture
The article by Barab and Luehmann (2003) follows four teachers who implemented a technology-rich, project-based learning curriculum in environmental science classrooms. The analysis of findings and the discussion focus on two central issues: how the project question was defined in accordance with local needs, and how the cultural context was manifested in the implementation of the curriculum. The goal was to understand how innovative curricula can be developed that are easy for teachers to implement and that integrate well into existing classroom culture, while at the same time providing teachers and students with opportunities for meaningful learning. It is suggested that curriculum context is a local phenomenon that emerges as a result of multiple factors, including students’ needs, students’ goals, teachers’ goals, local constraints, and teachers’ pedagogical values. School and classroom culture play a significant role in the learning process. Accordingly, curriculum designers should recognize that the curriculum they have designed is not an autonomous entity, but rather one that is adapted during its implementation to the cultural system in which the activity takes place.
The article by Haas et al. (2021) seeks to address a need arising from the standards defined by the NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) for the development of high-quality science instructional materials that are appropriate for diverse student populations. The authors present the conceptual approach and development process used by curriculum designers for fifth-grade students who are not native English speakers. Throughout this process, attention was given to local phenomena rooted in students’ homes and communities, as well as to students’ use of the English language to describe impressions and interactions. Each instructional unit that was developed focused on a question related to a phenomenon that students investigated during the unit. Local and relevant phenomena were selected for all students in order to leverage place-based learning and project-based learning. In addition, the phenomena were universal, such that the instructional materials could be implemented across different states and districts. For each selected phenomenon, the researchers examined how students’ cultural and historical knowledge could be leveraged in relation to the phenomenon. The discussion presents implementations of the developed instructional materials and explains how challenges that arose during the writing process were addressed. In addition, the authors note the importance of reciprocal collaboration between curriculum developers and teachers who agreed to participate in the development process.
Personal culture, school culture, and disciplinary culture
Hod and Sagy (2019) refer in their article to three cultural worlds that intersect in the educational process: the personal culture that students bring with them, school culture, and the culture of the discipline being learned. Teachers often design their instructional practices in ways that align with the authentic culture of students’ everyday lives. Similarly, when planning a learning sequence, it is important to simultaneously consider the authentic culture of the discipline, the culture that emerges through the design of the learning environment, and students’ personal everyday culture. The article focuses on making the authentic culture of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) accessible, with the aim of advancing understanding of the relevant cultures that operate in the design of such learning environments and that enable access to the authentic culture. In addition, the article presents different approaches adopted in the design of CSCL environments, through analysis of variations in socio-cultural activities, settings, participants, time, and culture.
Additional Resources:
Education and pedagogy in a multicultural reality, Branco Weiss Institute website
References ▼
Barab, S. A., & Luehmann, A. L. (2003). Building sustainable science curriculum: Acknowledging and accommodating local adaptation. Science Education, 87(4), 454–467.
Haas, A., Januszyk, R., Grapin, S. E., Goggins, M., Llosa, L., & Lee, O. (2021). Developing instructional materials aligned to the next generation science standards for all students, including English learners. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 32(7), 735–756.
Hod, Y., & Sagy, O. (2019). Conceptualizing the designs of authentic computer-supported collaborative learning environments in schools. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 14(2), 143–164.