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| Jennifer Shaw |
Since the beginning of civilizations, some groups around the globe have controlled populations by striping them from their culture, limiting access and denying their unalienable rights--one of them is education. By restricting the access to quality education, these groups have been able to perpetuate their power and maintain minorities marginalized. It is to no surprise, then, that the content being taught in our schools, which is not inclusive or fallows mainstream discourse, only alienates and disengages students from learning.
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| Imagesh |
The readings from this week focused their research on the literacy practices of minorities, especially of African American males (Kirkland, 2011; Lee, 2008; and Tantum, 2008). The authors argue that in order to reduce the literacy engagement gap of men of color, they have to see themselves represented in the texts they read (Kirkland, 2011; Lee, 2008; and Tantum, 2008). However, I think that in addition to the lack of relevant texts, students should also be taught that by reading not only one learns vocabulary, demystifies theories, makes connections, but one can also break the power cycle that objectifies and subordinates people. I think that is essential that educators are intentional when teaching students why they must practice reading.
Another factor that I think affects student engagement, including reading practices, is that many teachers fail to understand the community with whom they are working. Quincy, explains to Tatum that he does not feel that others (teachers and classmates) have a negative perception of him. He feels they see him as equal. However, he adds that African American teachers can navigate and understand African American students better than white teachers. He states, referring to white teachers, “They think we are just going to give up...They won't constantly help us to get on track." (Tatum, 2008). By no means, I think that just because one does not look like the students, one does not have what it takes to teach or be a positive role model for the students; but one must understand the place and the struggles the students face.
In the end, I believe that yes, relevant literature where students see themselves represented is a great way for students to engage in reading to learn. However, I think that educators should give students a clear purpose for reading and that is-education- the only method to destroy the negative discourse that has been given to them by the people who want to suppress and control. That should be the first motivation for ALL students. Then no matter what book they read, they will learn something from any book.
In the end, I believe that yes, relevant literature where students see themselves represented is a great way for students to engage in reading to learn. However, I think that educators should give students a clear purpose for reading and that is-education- the only method to destroy the negative discourse that has been given to them by the people who want to suppress and control. That should be the first motivation for ALL students. Then no matter what book they read, they will learn something from any book. 
Hi Daniela,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. I think the key is in your final sentence. Choosing relevant texts is important, but the greatest literacy can come from finding a way for students to connect with texts that might not seem relevant. In the "Books Like Clothes" study, we get a glimpse of how a teacher was able to facilitate students connecting with The Iliad by incorporating a type of text that more easily aligned with their "socially situated identities." I found that teacher's work really impressive, considering how dense and deeply rooted in prior knowledge of Greek mythology something like The Iliad is.
Robin,
DeleteI think it was powerful what we learned about how the student were more engage in the reading after a connection was made to something that they enjoy.
Hey Daniela,
ReplyDeleteI agree with when you said "By no means, I think that just because one does not look like the students, one does not have what it takes to teach or be a positive role model for the students; but one must understand the place and the struggles the students face." However, there is the argument that this also has its drawbacks. Perhaps some teachers only feel this way because they feel pity for African-American students, and so there is this white savior complex happening that the students may not like. Another point to add on is that, I know for some students, there is just something so much better about having a teacher that looks like you. As you mentioned earlier, African-American teachers can navigate and understand African American students better than white teachers. Some reasoning behind this could be that they are able to understand being marginalized, but also able to relate and even share their jounrey on being successful in school. There ought to be be more teachers of color in the teaching profession so that they can better represent our students.For the time being though, I think iy is sufficient for teachers to just know where their students are coming from, as well as being wary of what they say and do because students look into everything a teacher does.
Daniel,
DeleteYes, I agree. Understanding where our students come from can help us find ways to engage them academically and emotionally to what they are learning.
In your last paragraph you share a powerful reason for why you (and hopefully your students) value reading: that education is "the only method to destroy the negative discourse that has been given to them by the people who want to suppress and control." While I agree that this is the aim of education, I think that might be one of the "externally driven rationales" for learning, like preparing them to live in a global economy or to stabilize their communities, that Tatum talks about on page 163 as being insufficient. Perhaps the students will increasingly be able to relate to and agree with that motivation as they have more encounters with meaningful texts that pull from their present-day experiences. Then, as you say, they'll see that they can learn something from any text.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your blog post. I agree that there is a literacy gap that minority students face and that many of the reading assigned in classes aren't relevant enough. Reading these texts may definitely help minority students with their literacy levels. And relating to your students is extremely important. All of my education professors so far have stressed to me that you need to know your students. This has to do with their identity and their culture, especially if I'm working with minority students. In my school district, there were not many African-American students, and I noticed that some teachers didn't have a connection to them as they did with non-black students. The last paragraph is the most important part of your blog post. You wrote "However, I think that educators should give students a clear purpose for reading and that is-education- the only method to destroy the negative discourse that has been given to them by the people who want to suppress and control." I'm reminded of a quote from Malcolm Forbes "The purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one." That must be our goal as educators, and what you've described in your blog post is a great way to do this.
ReplyDeleteI think everything you said makes complete sense. It is definitely important to relate to the students, but it is even more important to keep it educational and help them break the negative racial or ethnic discourse that make that text "relevant" to them in the first place. I think it really requires us to know our students well before doing things like this because if we try to connect with a minority of students in our classroom, we need to know that the text we are using is even relevant to them in the first place. Like in a different post, the professor that said she wasn't going to rap to her class in order to connect with the African American students. This is a big assumption to make if a teacher is going to rap to their classroom. Rapping just because there are African American students in the class, without the knowledge of if those students enjoy listening to rap music, will just make the teacher seem biased about their culture. Making an educational rap song in order to connect with a classroom could end up alienating those students even more because they feel like they are in a class where the teacher only thinks about their color and not them as people.
ReplyDeleteCiao Daniela,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post this week. I particularly agree with your assertion that we need to be intentional about revealing power structures inherent in our society and curriculum and that it is our responsibility to show students that engaging with texts can help them develop a stronger sense of identity, can position them as members of multiple communities, and can eventually lead to the dissemblance of the power structure that has oppressed marginalized groups throughout history.
In the Tatum article, I was very affected by Quincy's argument that "Yo, little brother..." should not be taught in school - even though it was one of the first books that he had read which was meaningful. His justification was that it would be wasted - wasted by the teacher's inability to explain its value. This to me was a powerful articulation of a teacher's failure to know his/her students.