Is There Space for My Culture Within Instructional Design? 🇵🇷
I spent most of my summers as a child in Puerto Rico with my extended family, specifically staying with my grandparents (my grandfather and I pictured above). This allowed me to experience a cultural immersion that impacts me to this day. Sometimes I find myself daydreaming about the ocean waves, green mountains, and that wonderful smell of a home-cooked meal that fills your soul. My family on the island is mostly made up of educators, so it is no surprise that I have found myself involved within the field of education as well. It seems, however, that although I am personally connected to education the curriculum that I was exposed to as a kid growing up in Orlando never mentioned my heritage or sought to incorporate my lived experiences into the classroom. This makes me reflect on the minoritized learners that often get overlooked when creating objectives or deciding on assessments.
Although I understand, that it is difficult to incorporate everyone’s unique culture in a single class, it is not impossible. Allowing for flexibility and providing learners choice in how they want to present their knowledge can go a long way in moving away from judgment pedagogy to a more inclusive learning community. Specifically, in our field of instructional design, the technologies that we often use on a daily basis are very western-centric and center on a belief in the individual’s responsibility of their own learning. This perspective completely negates the fact that a large portion of our world functions within a collective belief of society. That it matters less about the individual and more about the collective accomplishments of society, this world view also feeds into the classroom but is somehow absent from most of the classrooms in the US.
The US is inherently a diverse multi-cultural society, but in some ways still functions within a very Euro-Centric model. Right now we are in the midst of celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and I can’t help but wonder how many of us are actually reflecting on the many accomplishments of Latinos within this country (myself included). If I’m being honest I even debated writing this article in the first place. My cultural background creates a conflict within me, one where I still desire to fit in but still feel a calling to stay true to my Boricua roots. As I grow older, in some ways wiser, I am starting to realize that the conflict I’ve created is a false choice. Being Latino in the US is just as much a part of American History as any other immigrant culture that has come to call this country home.
Yet where do we fit all of these rich diverse cultures within our learning? How often do we gauge the quality of educational technology, by its ability to be relevant to a diverse audience of learners? In my current role, I often get the opportunity to scope and vet potential technologies that could increase engagement within the classroom. Although there are some real quality tools emerging, a vast majority of educational technology is still founded on the idea of the individual learner. This is not at all surprising considering that many of the companies I speak with have very little diversity (if any) as part of their team.
This leads me to my conclusion that only diverse voices can create diverse technologies, and that we need to not only create more pipelines for diverse talent within our EdTech community but also tap into the diversity that already exists in our profession. Although it is sometimes easier to “Fit In” at work, I’m starting to realize I have a responsibility to speak up, lead, and embrace my beautiful culture. I choose to lean into my diversity and celebrate this particular Hispanic Heritage Month by asking all of us to reflect on our own unique past and let it guide us into a more inclusive future.
