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Teaching_with_Purpose_Contextualized_Method_Christopher

The document discusses the importance of contextualizing education by connecting teaching to students' real-life experiences, cultures, and needs. It emphasizes that learning is enriched when it reflects students' identities, making education more meaningful and engaging. The approach encourages educators to design intentional learning experiences that foster inclusivity and motivation among students.

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Cristofer Rodriguez
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5 views2 pages

Teaching_with_Purpose_Contextualized_Method_Christopher

The document discusses the importance of contextualizing education by connecting teaching to students' real-life experiences, cultures, and needs. It emphasizes that learning is enriched when it reflects students' identities, making education more meaningful and engaging. The approach encourages educators to design intentional learning experiences that foster inclusivity and motivation among students.

Uploaded by

Cristofer Rodriguez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Power of Contextualization

The contextualized method aims to make teaching meaningful by connecting it to students’


real-life situations. It’s not just about adapting content—it’s about starting from their
experiences, their culture, their language, and their needs.

As Paulo Freire (1970) pointed out, education is not about transferring knowledge, but
about creating the conditions for students to construct their own learning based on their
context. Henry Giroux (1992) also puts it clearly: students are not empty containers. They
are critical subjects who can transform their reality when learning actually makes sense to
them.

Learning doesn’t only happen in the classroom. Family conversations, music, social media,
and everyday life are powerful sources of knowledge too. Barton and Hamilton (1998)
argue that literacy practices occur in multiple spaces, and recognizing this can help us
enrich our teaching.

For instance, when we include personal stories or local cultural expressions in class, we’re
strengthening the connection between school content and real life. James Gee (2004)
explains that language is better learned when it’s situated in meaningful contexts. So, if we
take advantage of what students already know about the world, their understanding
becomes deeper and more relevant.

As future educators, applying this method pushes us to rethink our practice. We’re not just
delivering content—we’re designing learning experiences with intention and meaning.
Fairclough (1992) reminds us that language is a social practice. That’s why our teaching
should always be in dialogue with our students’ community, culture, and social context.

Also, working from a contextualized approach leads us to diversify our strategies.


Vygotsky’s (1978) theory of the zone of proximal development teaches us that every
student needs a different kind of support depending on where they’re starting from.

This approach brings many benefits for students. It helps them feel included, valued, and
more motivated to participate. Gloria Ladson-Billings (1995) talks about culturally relevant
pedagogy, which strengthens both learning and students’ identity. In the same line, bell
hooks (1994) promote liberatory education, where students are not passive objects, but
active subjects of knowledge.

When students see themselves reflected in what they’re learning, their level of engagement
and understanding increases significantly. To wrap up, contextualizing what we teach not
only improves learning—it also humanizes education. It helps us connect with our students
and with their stories.

Thanks for listening. I hope this episode gave you some ideas and motivation to teach with
context, with purpose, and with intention. See you next time!

References

 Barton, D., & Hamilton, M. (1998). Local literacies: Reading and writing in one
community. Routledge.
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203125106/local-
literacies-david-barton-mary-hamilton

 Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and social change. Polity Press.


https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-9481.00110

 Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Herder and Herder.


https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260297860_Paulo_Freire's_Pedagogy_of_th
e_Oppressed

 Gee, J. P. (2004). Situated language and learning: A critique of traditional schooling.


Routledge. https://blog.ufes.br/kyriafinardi/files/2017/10/Situated-Language-And-
Learning.-A-Critique-of-Traditional-Schooling-2004.pdf

 Giroux, H. A. (1992). Border crossings: Cultural workers and the politics of education.
Routledge.
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203956502/border-
crossings-henry-giroux-henry-giroux

 hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom.


Routledge.
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203700280/teaching-
transgress-bell-hooks

 Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. American


Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 465–491.
https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312032003465
https://lmcreadinglist.pbworks.com/f/Ladson-Billings%20%281995%29.pdf

 Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological


processes. Harvard University Press.
https://www.unilibre.edu.co/bogota/pdfs/2016/mc16.pdf

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