Creating Inclusive and Equitable High School History Classrooms through Critical Pedagogy and Cultural Democracy

The field of history education is undergoing revisions and decolonization, creating a space for diverse perspectives within the curriculum. These changes are an ongoing topic of debate, although teachers who embrace social justice contend that the diverse approach to history provides students with the opportunity to see themselves represented and valued in the curriculum while also promoting inquiry and dialogue. This self-study seeks to explore how cultural democracy and critical pedagogy can be integrated into a high school history classroom. Cultural democracy emphasizes the intersection of culture and power, particularly in how narratives are formed. Similarly, critical pedagogy is a teaching approach that provides students with the tools and supports to challenge dominant narratives and inequitable systems. Participating in this self-study were 10th-grade students who engaged in a US History class throughout the course of a semester. Their experiences were documented in field observations and reflections, anecdotal records, and student work. Drawing upon the frameworks of teaching for social justice and Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, which established critical pedagogy, this self-study research analyzes how students interact with diverse history through formal and informal work and daily conversations.