When teachers and learners of English face challenging circumstances such as limited access to books and teaching supplies, local practices such as oral storytelling traditions can provide creative resources for supporting language and literacy development. We describe how a cultural imaginary of stories told by Rwandan and U.S. students supported…

Multicultural and culturally sustaining approaches to education help educators act on two essential concepts: that each student is unique and that uniqueness is central to the academic and social development of every student. Language is a key aspect of this uniqueness, and because language is integral to culture and identity, understanding…

This paper is a critical conceptual exploration of the contribution of the "ukama" ethic in the context of "Philosophy for Children" (The "Philosophy for Children" movement is also variously known as "philosophy in schools," "philosophy with children" and "philosophical inquiry in the…

This article describes the inaugural symposium of the Arnhold Institute for Dance Education Research, Policy & Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City (USA). Titled 'Pioneering Visions for Access and Equity in Dance Education,' the symposium focused on seminal Black and African-American histories that, though they…

In times of crisis when literature and world languages are threatened by economic hardship, they should draw closer to African diaspora studies. The African diaspora is so vast, longstanding, and diverse that it must be studied using a comparative, multilingual, interdisciplinary, and international approach that includes study in French,…

One challenge many museums cite is unintentional exclusion. There is too much power and respect that museums hold to be exclusive--intentionally or unintentionally. From the outset, the National Museum of African American History and Culture has been a place for everyone. Inclusion is built in its mission and vision. This article discusses how…

The story of John Henry, dating back to the late nineteenth century, is one of the most enduring folktales of American culture. As the legend goes, John Henry was an African American "steel-driving man" whose job was to drive spikes through rocks in the construction of a railroad tunnel. So powerful was John Henry that he defeated a…

This article argues that the learning city concept, which is an international initiative devoted to the promotion of sustainable, healthy, green and economically viable cities by the means of lifelong learning, is currently operational in Europe, the Americas, Australia and Asia but absent in Africa. The main point made by the article is that the…

This article focuses on the work of three British Women Education Officers (WEOs) in Nigeria as the colony was preparing for independence. Well-qualified and progressive women teachers, Kathleen Player, Evelyn Clark (née Hyde), and Mary Hargrave (née Robinson), were appointed as WEOs in 1945, 1949, and 1950 respectively. I argue that the three…

The concept of ngoma is present throughout Eastern and Southern Africa. Ngoma refers to the tradition of expression via music, drumming, dance, and storytelling. History, values, education, and even identity can be transmitted between generations. This article traces the experiences of a music teacher from the United States traveling and studying…

As a subset of culturally sustaining pedagogy, ethnic pedagogies enlarge the repertoire of teachers addressing the instructional needs of many different students. Specific descriptions with grade 5-12 instructional illustrations are provided for call-and-response learning approach from the African-American religious tradition and havruta, which is…

The author, a dance instructor, embraced the energy and culture of Hip Hop when she started dancing back in the late 1980s and early 90s. However when invited to teach Hip Hop dance for a newly revived dance minor in 2011, she had her concerns because her Hip Hop instruction in various settings previous to this invitation left her a bit…

The digital economy and the global pandemic, together with the effects of climate change, have taken a human toll affecting the pace of everyday life, creating an exponential increase in anxiety and stress related diseases. Today's complex, globalised world creates a need to challenge and reconceptualise educational priorities. In an increasingly…

Dances from African communities are gradually getting incorporated into formal education at pre-tertiary and tertiary levels in the United States. Whereas strides have been made to embrace this artistic and cultural diversity, the instructional methodologies that are applied in teaching these dances are commonly founded on Western pedagogic canons…

While adolescent foundational skills interventions can be critical levers for reading improvement, district leaders, teachers, and researchers must make complex decisions about how to evaluate their effectiveness in context. In this discussion article, we explore three issues and tensions we experienced during a 2-year research-practice…