The Four Fundamentals of Afrikan-Centered Education
How is Afrikan-Centered defined? What does it mean to exercise Afrikan-Centered thought or action, to have an Afrikan-Centered worldview, and ultimately to infuse Afrikan-Centered education in a school environment? There are many definitions of terms and concepts, some do not totally agree with others, and there is much debate on the issue. However, for Khepera Charter School, Afrikan-Centered education is defined with The Four Fundamentals of Afrikan-Centered Education, developed by our former CAO, Dr. Mama Ayesha Imani.
A review of the literature on Afrikan Centered education, Afrikan Centered pedagogy, and culturally responsive pedagogy (Murrell, Akoto, Ladsen-Billings, Benson-Hall, Shujaa, Kenyetta) indicate that unlike Black Studies or the African American Studies movement, Afrikan Centered education has a much broader agenda. It’s primary focus is not only curricular infusion (which by definition has to do with “schooling” or academic outcomes). It’s primary focus has to do with holistic socialization (education) the replication of the best of a people (paraphrase of Nobles). Thus once again, Afrikan Centered Education has a spiritual / moral starting point and not an academic one. Afrikan Centered Education at Khepera has 4 major components:
1. Use of Afrikan Centered Values System to insure physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually safe environment for students and staff to develop into their best selves and contribute to their families, communities, race, environment, and world. (Khepera examples of this are the emphasis and application of the virtues of Maat and Nguzo Saba as the cornerstone of the code of conduct. The recitation and application of principles and virtues are essential.)
2. Curriculum Infusion, Infusion of the Aesthetic and development of Critical and Cultural Lens. The history, culture, orature, literature, contributions, value system, and aesthetic of Afrikan people are infused throughout the formal and informal curricula and rehearsed and celebrated both in and outside of the classroom. Students are helped to develop a critical and culture lens through which to view the rest of the world and are reminded in each. (Khepera examples of this are the infusion of the contributions of Afrikan people in all content areas, the use of Afrikan and Afrikan American proverbs, folktales, stories, and other literary forms. The teaching of Mdw Ntr and the teaching of ancient Afrikana civilizations across the curriculum are other examples.)
3. Use of Rituals, Rites, Enculturation Practices Cultural Celebrations to assist students in internalizing the values, remembering the sacrifices, Khepera examples of this are: Ungalia, Pouring of Libations, Recitation of Ankh Ws Snb, Celebration of Kwanzaa and Umoja Karamu, Use of traditional Afrikan greetings and protocols, Rites of Separation, Rites of Discovery, and Rites of Passage programs.
4. Pedagogy (Teaching and Learning Approaches). Afrikan Centered Education is not just about what we teach but how we teach and assess. This means students are using approaches that are culturally synchronistic and consistent with the learning styles of Afrikan Children as supported in Black psychologist and educators, and derived from ancient and traditional Afrikan methodologies of teaching and learning. This means approaches to teaching and learning that are: experiential, intergenerational, communal, collaborative, dialogic, family and community based, expressive, purposeful, constructivist, generationally, socially, politically, economically relevant to the lives, experiences, and destiny of Afrikan people. Khepera examples of this are cooperative and collaborative forms of learning, use of music, poetry, and art in teaching and learning, incorporation of sound and movement, intergenerational learning assignments such as interviewing elders in the family, or constructing family trees, use of inquiry based approaches, and peer tutoring.
"RENEWING OUR COMMITMENT TO ACADEMIC AND CULTURAL EXCELLENCE"
