Exploring Forms and Cultural Contexts

Graphic with the title Exploring Cultural Forms and Contexts
Image description: On a white background, the title Cultural Forms and Contexts is written in black rounded font with a slight shadow beneath the letters. On the left of the image, there is a splash of paint in blue and orange curving up toward the top of the image from behind a crowd of people. The crowd covers the lower third of the image, with people of all different races, hair colours and styles, clothing styles, and facial expressions. The crowd is layered with people appearing further and further away as it recedes toward the center of the image.

This resource includes the following topics and resources in English and French:

  • Preparing the Ground
  • Context and the Critical Analysis Process
  • Integrating Cultural Forms into Classroom Work
  • Assessing the Strand
  • Ideas for Integration and Recommendations for Cross-Curricular Use
  • Further Reading

The resource is intended as a tool for teachers to support program planning and is based on the Ontario Arts curriculum (2009 and 2010).

A note on "culture": The concept of culture is defined in hundreds of ways and has no agreed-upon definition. It can sometimes be a catch-all for all human activity in ways that make it essentially meaningless. The concept of culture is often associated with bounded groups of people in ways that flatten individual differences, silence expressions of resistance from within identified groups, and ignore intersectionality in social positions within groups. "Culture" is often conflated with nation-states who hope to impose a unified idea of what the national culture is (e.g., Canadian culture), silencing the nations within the political state (e.g., First Nations, Métis, and Inuit nations). In the Western world, "culture" is often used as a euphemism for race or religion, in ways that make Whiteness and Judeo-Christian religious affiliation appear normal, neutral or invisible, contributing to White supremacy, Islamophobia, and other forms of oppression.

Where possible, this resource replaces the term "cultural" with terms that better express the intended meaning (e.g., historical, political, social, environmental, geographic) for clarity.

 Since the curriculum documents were released in 2009/2010, there have been significant shifts in the approach to Indigenous knowledge in the curriculum and in the Ministry of Education's understanding of culturally responsive and relevant pedagogy.

The Curriculum website includes the following explanation of their changed approach:

"Culturally Responsive and Relevant Pedagogy (CRRP)

In an inclusive education system, students must see themselves reflected in the curriculum, their physical surroundings, and the broader environment, so that they can feel engaged in and empowered by their learning experiences. Students need to experience teaching and learning that reflect their needs and who they are. To ensure that this happens, educators in Ontario schools embrace culturally responsive and relevant pedagogy (CRRP), which recognizes that all students learn in ways that are connected to background, language, family structure, and social or cultural identity. [...]

CRRP involves recognizing that “culture” encompasses various aspects of social and personal identity. It also means acknowledging students’ multiple social and personal identities and the social issues that arise where identities intersect. The CRRP approach is designed to spark conversation and support educators and school leaders as they seek to implement effective equity strategies and policies. Educators are encouraged to engage in meaningful inquiry, in collaboration with colleagues, to address equity issues and the particular needs of the students they serve."

https://www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/program-planning/considerations-for-program-planning/human-rights-equity-and-inclusive-education

This directive enhances the existing curriculum and, in some cases, calls the orientation of the curriculum expectations into question. Several examples will be explored in other sections of this resource.

See Appendix 2 - Further Reading to learn more about CRRP.