The third of the ‘Ten Principles of Learning Design’ is that we design culturally responsive learning. This does not mean we are designing courses to reflect all cultural, religious or linguistic variations. What it does mean is that we are conscious in our programme and course designs that we exist with a specific cultural context and that there are different views and perspectives. Our view on anything might not be shared by others. This is about our personal ontology (the nature of being) and our epistemology (the theory of knowledge). Anyone who has taught a broad range of international students in any discipline will recognise that very intelligent students sometimes appear lost with a concept or notion that students who broadly share that teacher’s cultural background just accept.
Read the three sub-principles I encourage design teams to reflect on at my SubStack
