Bomba is an emblematic Puerto Rican musical genre that emerged 400 years ago from the colonial plantations where West African slaves and their descendants worked. It remains one of the most popular forms of folk music on the island and serves as significant evidence of its rich African heritage. This article explores the main components of bomba…

This paper describes a relatively new active learning approach--Design Thinking--and its adoption in two comparative politics courses. I draw on my experience using Design Thinking in political science courses to offer instructors another pedagogical tool in the active learning toolkit. I outline the rationale for adopting a Design Thinking…

This book examines the pedagogical and professional experiences of a transnational group of teachers from the African continent and diaspora who made the decision to live and teach English in Japan. Through a layered analytical framework, it explores how these teachers struggle to negotiate their raciolinguistic identities in contexts that may…

In this article, Dan Lyndon-Cohen makes the case that history departments should move from diversifying the curriculum to decolonising it. After reflecting on some examples of how he made the content of his lessons more representative, he explores how the influence of writers such as Michel-Rolph Trouillot and Emma Dabiri inspired him to find…

"Informal Learning and Literacy among Maasai Women" highlights the importance and role of informal education in the emancipation and development of Maasai village women in Kenya. At present, knowledge and research on the impact of informal learning and literacy on community development is limited, and there is a gap between policy level…

World history curriculum continues to be plagued by Eurocentric narratives and perspectives eliminating local and community agency in Caribbean history. Textbooks and curriculum standards exclude much of Caribbean history and marginalize the influence and contributions of the African Diaspora. Oftentimes, Caribbean achievements are attributed to…

Part of the fourth-grade curriculum in the author's district is the creation of a self-portrait. This is always a challenge for both the students and the author, because it is so difficult for beginners to draw a satisfying drawing of a face, whether it is their own or someone else's. In the past the author tried many formats and materials to…

Adinkra cloth is a stamped fabric that is made in Ghana, Africa. Symbolic motifs that represent proverbs are carved from calabashes, a type of gourd, and are dipped into a black dye made from the bark of the badie tree. Adinkra artists divide the fabric into squares and create patterns and repetitive designs using the inked stamps. When it is used…

Teachers, as often as students, articulate frustrations over each other's choices and expectations. A teacher's demand for respect may appear an imposition and abuse of authority to students accustomed to speaking out against perceived injustices. All teachers experience some tentativeness, especially in an unfamiliar environment. Since classroom…

Africa is made up of fifty-three nations and covers an area greater than the United States, China, Japan, and Europe combined. It is estimated that more than 800 languages are spoken in Africa. Some fifty African languages have more than half a million speakers each, but many others are spoken by relatively few people (Columbia Encyclopedia 2001).…

This book contains a collection of recipes by African students from various parts of the continent and by others who have lived and worked in Africa. While primarily a cookbook, it also can help refute generalizations and stereotypes about Africa. Part 1, "Cooking in Africa," is designed to give students background information on the…

This resource guide of 40 items presents materials for studying various aspects of African life, culture, and history. The materials selected for the guide range from records and filmstrips to books and can be used by community groups as well as students. The guide is organized into 7 sections that include music, art and architecture, theater,…

Three different models for the teaching of African art are presented in this paper. A comparison of the differences between the approaches of Western art historians and African art historians informs the articulation of the three models--an approach for determining style, another for dealing with analysis, and a third for synthetic interpretation.…

This interdisciplinary unit provides students in grades kindergarten through seventh grade an opportunity to understand diversity through a study of Africa as a diverse continent. The project is designed to provide all elementary students with cultural enrichment by exposing them to African music, art, storytelling, and movement. This project can…

In an introductory section by Michael D. Harris, this resource presents a discussion of aspects and problems in the WEstern study of African Art. This is followed by six lesson plans based on art works from the Fred and Rita Richman Collection of Sub-Saharan Art in the High Museum. The handbook follows Georgia's Quality Core Curriculum and the Ten…