Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples refer to a group of people or homogenous societies identified by self-

ascription and ascription by others, who have continuously lived as organized community on communally bounded and defined
territory, and who have, under claims of ownership since time immemorial, occupied, possessed and utilized such territories, sharing
common bonds of language, customs, traditions and other distinctive cultural traits, or who have, through resistance to political,
social and cultural inroads of colonization, non-indigenous religions and cultures, became historically differentiated from the
majority of Filipinos, according to Republic Act 8371 or better known as “The Indigenous People’s Rights Act of 1997”.

Therefore, it is essential for teachers like us, to be able to recognize and identify if there are learners in class who belongs to
ICC/IP group so that we can carefully address to their needs and therefore give them an equal treatment and appropriate teaching
strategies.

In given situation where an assessment activity was given to a class of 30 students, five of which belong to an indigenous
people (IP) group, I believe the teacher was able to consider the group. Instead of focusing to the majority of the learners who are
used to having and knowing the people from SET A, that is the Mayor, Councilors and medical officers, the teacher was able to
consider also how it is in the indigenous people group. This way, the teacher uses another group of people in SET B, the
Datu/chieftain, community elders and the healers, who are more known to the indigenous people group. The teacher was able to
show that the group is being recognized in the class by acknowledging their culture.

It is very important for us teachers, after knowing that there are learners in our class who belong to indigenous people’s
group, that we should be able to make sure that we use different teaching strategies that are also applicable for them and not just to
the whole class. Make sure we are using culturally appropriate teaching strategies that cater he needs of the learners from this
group. This is also making sure that these strategies will be treated them equally and no one left behind.