Towards a culturally responsive and place-conscious theory of history teaching

Many teachers are familiar with the characteristics of culturally responsive pedagogy, which include an ethic of care based on deep relations underlying all classroom interactions, power sharing between students and teachers, challenging deficit theories of achievement, and making students’ cultural and ethnic identities and knowledge fundamental dimensions to curriculum design. These ideas make classrooms more inclusive and challenge teaching practices and mindsets that disadvantage some learners, especially Māori and Pasifika. This article proposes that history teachers supplement the general characteristics of culturally responsive pedagogy with principles specific to the disciplinary conventions of their subject. Additionally, teachers need to draw on place-based education to respond to their students’ unique historical, cultural and ecological contexts. I propose five principles that together help history teachers enact a culturally responsive and place-conscious theory of history teaching.