Delpit, L. (1992) Education in a Multicultural Society: Our Future’s Greatest Challenge. Journal of Negro Education. 61(3). pp. 237-249.
This article by Dr. Lisa Delpit offers depth and summary to our many shared conversations about culturally relevant pedagogy and teaching in our multicultural world. Consider including this article in your annotated bibliography
Select this or another article from your annotated bibliography to prepare to discuss in class. Use your blog space to gather and organize your thoughts.
Overall I thought this article made some excellent points, but also had some shortcomings. I feel one of the author’s main points was the importance of learning about each student’s family life and culture. She gave a few examples of how our instruction as teachers could improve if we understood what our students are used to seeing in their daily lives. For example, she spoke of the boy who could not perform simple math worksheets on money, but managed most oh his family’s money at home. The context for learning was simply not appropriate for him and not what he was used to seeing. I thought her idea of having the parents and community members come into teacher education classrooms was an excellent idea. I feel that this should not only happen in teacher education classes but also once those teachers are actually teaching in a school. I feel that parent input is a strong resource for learning about your students and this activity could also improve relations between parents and schools.
I think the biggest shortcoming of this article was the negative claims she made about teacher education programs. She continually accused programs of giving teaching candidates the impression that students of diverse cultures and lower socioeconomic status can not be expected to achieve as well as white children. In my education as a teacher candidate, I have never felt that this was implied. In fact, the complete opposite was taught; the belief that all students were capable of learning and achieving. This may be a problem in other universities that I am not aware of, but even in conversing with teacher candidates from other universities, I have not received this impression from them either.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
Weblog VI
Based on your reading of Ladson- Billings (2001) Chapters 3-5, write a first person narrative about culturally relevant pedagogy including discussion of its three (3) aspects: achievement, cultural competence and sociopolitical consciousness.
When I become a teacher, I know that these three aspects of culturally relevant pedagogy will be important in my classroom. The first of these aspects is achievement. The most important thing I read in Ladson- Billings’s book about achievement is that the teacher needs to create a reason for the students to want to achieve or learn. The “because I’m the teacher and I say so” approach will not always work and is not an ideal approach either. An excellent example of creating a reason to achieve was when Hughes cohort member, Kyla, struggled with a particular young girl named Latrice. Kyla had difficulty getting Latrice to participate and engage in learning. However, when Kyla presented a unit on AIDS, Latrice was eager to learn and contribute in this unit because her grandmother had passed away from AIDS. As Kyla learned, relating what you are teaching to your students’ lives is important for achievement. In my future classes, I hope to be able to apply my lessons to the lives of my students, helping them create the desire to achieve on their own, because they have a true interest in the material, and not because they are told they have to.
Having cultural competence will also be important to me when I become a teacher. The booked stressed the importance of teachers having an understanding of their students’ cultures and backgrounds because it is a large part of their lives and how they learn and interact with others. A great example of how important it is to understand the culture of your students is a story told to me by a professor here at JCU. The professor was lecturing a student who had misbehaved and became angry when the student refused to look him in the eyes as he reprimanded him. The professor took this as a sign of disrespect and contacted the student’s parents. However, the professor later found out that in this student’s Hispanic culture, it was considered a sign of disrespect to look at an adult when they are reprimanding you. Through this example, it is clear how important it is that I know the cultures of my students and the school’s community because it directly affects my instruction and interaction with the students.
Finally, the booked stressed sociopolitical consciousness as an important aspect of culturally relevant teachers. One of the indicators the book states is: “The teacher believes that students’ success has consequences for his or her own quality of life.” (pg121) I believe this indicator should be the reason a person becomes a teacher. You should want to be a teacher to provide a better future for our world by influencing students to take a stance on important issues and implement solutions. Therefore, their learning is a directly related to you not by just meeting state requirements, but because ultimately they will one day be the primary influence in our society. It is then important that in my future classrooms, I address social and political issues and encourage my students to create their own ideologies and opinions on such topics. I need to also encourage them to act on their beliefs and have an effective role in society. I had this in my own school experience. My seventh grade social studies teacher would regularly have us write to our congressmen and express our concerns about issues we felt were important to us, thus influencing us to take an active role in our society as we get older.
Based on your reading of Ladson- Billings (2001) Chapters 3-5, write a first person narrative about culturally relevant pedagogy including discussion of its three (3) aspects: achievement, cultural competence and sociopolitical consciousness.
When I become a teacher, I know that these three aspects of culturally relevant pedagogy will be important in my classroom. The first of these aspects is achievement. The most important thing I read in Ladson- Billings’s book about achievement is that the teacher needs to create a reason for the students to want to achieve or learn. The “because I’m the teacher and I say so” approach will not always work and is not an ideal approach either. An excellent example of creating a reason to achieve was when Hughes cohort member, Kyla, struggled with a particular young girl named Latrice. Kyla had difficulty getting Latrice to participate and engage in learning. However, when Kyla presented a unit on AIDS, Latrice was eager to learn and contribute in this unit because her grandmother had passed away from AIDS. As Kyla learned, relating what you are teaching to your students’ lives is important for achievement. In my future classes, I hope to be able to apply my lessons to the lives of my students, helping them create the desire to achieve on their own, because they have a true interest in the material, and not because they are told they have to.
Having cultural competence will also be important to me when I become a teacher. The booked stressed the importance of teachers having an understanding of their students’ cultures and backgrounds because it is a large part of their lives and how they learn and interact with others. A great example of how important it is to understand the culture of your students is a story told to me by a professor here at JCU. The professor was lecturing a student who had misbehaved and became angry when the student refused to look him in the eyes as he reprimanded him. The professor took this as a sign of disrespect and contacted the student’s parents. However, the professor later found out that in this student’s Hispanic culture, it was considered a sign of disrespect to look at an adult when they are reprimanding you. Through this example, it is clear how important it is that I know the cultures of my students and the school’s community because it directly affects my instruction and interaction with the students.
Finally, the booked stressed sociopolitical consciousness as an important aspect of culturally relevant teachers. One of the indicators the book states is: “The teacher believes that students’ success has consequences for his or her own quality of life.” (pg121) I believe this indicator should be the reason a person becomes a teacher. You should want to be a teacher to provide a better future for our world by influencing students to take a stance on important issues and implement solutions. Therefore, their learning is a directly related to you not by just meeting state requirements, but because ultimately they will one day be the primary influence in our society. It is then important that in my future classrooms, I address social and political issues and encourage my students to create their own ideologies and opinions on such topics. I need to also encourage them to act on their beliefs and have an effective role in society. I had this in my own school experience. My seventh grade social studies teacher would regularly have us write to our congressmen and express our concerns about issues we felt were important to us, thus influencing us to take an active role in our society as we get older.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Weblog V
Author and answer two questions for Chapters 1 and 2 from Ladson-Billings book...
Crossing Over to Canaan Chapter 1: Do you feel confident that as a novice teacher, you will be prepared to teach in a diverse classroom?
I do not think that any teacher, novice or experienced, can be completely prepared to handle every situation that may arise in teaching. This is due to the fact that each student is completely different and the chemistry in our classroom changes as our students and classes change. Therefore we could not possibly predict and be prepared for everything. However, some teachers are better equipped than others. Thus far, I feel that this class has only started to better prepare me to teach in a diverse environment. We have talked about diversity and how things such as race contribute to differences in experiences. However, I feel similar to some education students mentioned in this chapter who felt “that everyone talked about multicultural education, but no one showed them how to do it!” (pg. 30) I hope in the future, we will be given more ideas on how we actually teach in a multicultural classroom.
The case example of Carter Forshay did offer some advice to me as a soon to be new teacher. He showed that it is important to reflect on our own teaching practices. When his students struggled with the writing lessons, he reflected on what he was doing. He changed his lesson into an activity the students could relate to and enjoy. I think it is important for all teachers to constantly be assessing if their teaching methods are working. Many times teachers are too quick to blame the students for the failure of a lesson, but all they may need is the material presented in a different way.
Crossing Over to Canaan Chapter 2: What do you find to be the biggest strength of the Hughes cohort that was used for this research?
Although this group was is very diverse, they are predominately white and from the middle class, they do possess a strength the other cohorts do not and that is the relationship they have with each other. This is the same reason the author decided to use this cohort as the research group. They have a relationship were they work well together and have a personal bond with each other. They worked together to create the video, but they also congregate outside of school and create a more personal and supportive relationship. I think that it is important for new teachers to have others they can look to for advice and to lean on. As the author stated in first chapter, many times new teachers “are encouraged to close their doors and join the ranks of other teachers-isolated and independent from each other.” (pg. 18) I feel that to be an effective teacher, we can not work alone. It is important for teachers to learn from each other and to offer support to ensure that every teacher is doing the best they can.
Crossing Over to Canaan Chapter 1: Do you feel confident that as a novice teacher, you will be prepared to teach in a diverse classroom?
I do not think that any teacher, novice or experienced, can be completely prepared to handle every situation that may arise in teaching. This is due to the fact that each student is completely different and the chemistry in our classroom changes as our students and classes change. Therefore we could not possibly predict and be prepared for everything. However, some teachers are better equipped than others. Thus far, I feel that this class has only started to better prepare me to teach in a diverse environment. We have talked about diversity and how things such as race contribute to differences in experiences. However, I feel similar to some education students mentioned in this chapter who felt “that everyone talked about multicultural education, but no one showed them how to do it!” (pg. 30) I hope in the future, we will be given more ideas on how we actually teach in a multicultural classroom.
The case example of Carter Forshay did offer some advice to me as a soon to be new teacher. He showed that it is important to reflect on our own teaching practices. When his students struggled with the writing lessons, he reflected on what he was doing. He changed his lesson into an activity the students could relate to and enjoy. I think it is important for all teachers to constantly be assessing if their teaching methods are working. Many times teachers are too quick to blame the students for the failure of a lesson, but all they may need is the material presented in a different way.
Crossing Over to Canaan Chapter 2: What do you find to be the biggest strength of the Hughes cohort that was used for this research?
Although this group was is very diverse, they are predominately white and from the middle class, they do possess a strength the other cohorts do not and that is the relationship they have with each other. This is the same reason the author decided to use this cohort as the research group. They have a relationship were they work well together and have a personal bond with each other. They worked together to create the video, but they also congregate outside of school and create a more personal and supportive relationship. I think that it is important for new teachers to have others they can look to for advice and to lean on. As the author stated in first chapter, many times new teachers “are encouraged to close their doors and join the ranks of other teachers-isolated and independent from each other.” (pg. 18) I feel that to be an effective teacher, we can not work alone. It is important for teachers to learn from each other and to offer support to ensure that every teacher is doing the best they can.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Weblog IV
Author and answer an essay question based on Chapter 3 in Spring's Book
Compare Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois and give your opinion on each and their strategies...
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois were similar because they were both advocates for the education and advancement of blacks. However, their solutions to this issue were completely different. Washington believed the way to social acceptance was to slowly gain the approval from whites. He believed that if blacks were educated, they could prove to be very useful in society. He opened the Tuskegee Institute where black students would be taught morals and work habits. Washington did not feel it was necessary to teach such subjects as French, or history. He felt that this knowledge would not be beneficial to them, but he thought it was important that they learn good work habits because this would help them in their daily lives. He also was an advocate for segregated schools and was quoted in the text saying: “In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress.” He felt that once the blacks were seen as valuable to society and trustworthy, acceptance would follow.
W.E.B. Du Bois had a completely different strategy to gain education rights and acceptance. Du Bois felt that Washington’s strategy was giving up. Du Bois established the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and had earned a Ph.D. from Harvard. Du Bois wanted higher education for blacks and hoped that this education would help them to become so unhappy with their treatment that they would all demand a change. He thought that segregated schools would only continue to make them inferior because of their poor funding and instruction.
I feel that Du Bois had a better strategy. Washington’s idea was not necessarily horrible; I do believe that educating them in work habits and morals would be more beneficial than teaching French and such subjects. However, I agree with Du Bois that Washington’s strategy sells the blacks short and almost seems as though he accepts that blacks are inferior. I feel that Du Bois had the right idea in demanding equality and that schools be desegregated. It may not be the easy route, but at least he never abandoned his beliefs.
Compare Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois and give your opinion on each and their strategies...
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois were similar because they were both advocates for the education and advancement of blacks. However, their solutions to this issue were completely different. Washington believed the way to social acceptance was to slowly gain the approval from whites. He believed that if blacks were educated, they could prove to be very useful in society. He opened the Tuskegee Institute where black students would be taught morals and work habits. Washington did not feel it was necessary to teach such subjects as French, or history. He felt that this knowledge would not be beneficial to them, but he thought it was important that they learn good work habits because this would help them in their daily lives. He also was an advocate for segregated schools and was quoted in the text saying: “In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress.” He felt that once the blacks were seen as valuable to society and trustworthy, acceptance would follow.
W.E.B. Du Bois had a completely different strategy to gain education rights and acceptance. Du Bois felt that Washington’s strategy was giving up. Du Bois established the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and had earned a Ph.D. from Harvard. Du Bois wanted higher education for blacks and hoped that this education would help them to become so unhappy with their treatment that they would all demand a change. He thought that segregated schools would only continue to make them inferior because of their poor funding and instruction.
I feel that Du Bois had a better strategy. Washington’s idea was not necessarily horrible; I do believe that educating them in work habits and morals would be more beneficial than teaching French and such subjects. However, I agree with Du Bois that Washington’s strategy sells the blacks short and almost seems as though he accepts that blacks are inferior. I feel that Du Bois had the right idea in demanding equality and that schools be desegregated. It may not be the easy route, but at least he never abandoned his beliefs.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Weblog III
(Native Americans were also forced to use separate facilities than those used for the whites)I felt that this teacher’s guideline did exactly what Zinn claimed many history lessons and texts do. In his book, Zinn mentioned that many texts often left out the perspective of the Native Americans. This guide did tell the truth of how the Native Americans lost their land and how they were segregated well into the twentieth century, but lacked the influence that Zinn’s text had. I think what made Zinn’s text so powerful was the thorough description of how the Native Americans were treated. For example the guide stated that the Europeans took their land, but described very little about how they did this. Zinn would have given you the extreme details, including how the Europeans waged war on the Natives, killing women and children and burned down the Natives’ villages. No matter how horrific it was, Zinn gave the real story. This paints a much more realistic picture of history for the reader, a more truthful story everyone has a right to hear.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
WebLog II
This photo shows a road believed to have been used during the Cherokee removal of 1838.
(From the perspective of a Cherokee Indian who is being forced off their land during the Indian Removal Act; References from Deculturalization and the Struggle for Equality by Joel Spring)
How can these people believe that they have the right to steal our land? They say that we can have the land west of the Mississippi river, but why can’t they take the land to the west. Why should we move? We were here first. Do they think we are less human just because we have different beliefs and values and look different? If you ask me the Americans could learn a thing or two from us. Our culture values non-violence and equality. We do not beat our children and women have the right to fully participate in our tribes. We also value the importance of community. We help our neighbors when they are in need and we also value the wisdom and experiences of everyone in the tribe to teach our young ones. (Spring pgs. 10-13)
The U.S. Army is currently using violence to steal our land from us. Our people are dying from disease and other hazards as we travel to the west. The Cherokees that stayed behind had their houses burned down and were forced into stockades. (Spring pg.28) I hope my people, the Cherokees, stay strong through this difficult time and can look forward to a future where we can all live together peacefully.
How can these people believe that they have the right to steal our land? They say that we can have the land west of the Mississippi river, but why can’t they take the land to the west. Why should we move? We were here first. Do they think we are less human just because we have different beliefs and values and look different? If you ask me the Americans could learn a thing or two from us. Our culture values non-violence and equality. We do not beat our children and women have the right to fully participate in our tribes. We also value the importance of community. We help our neighbors when they are in need and we also value the wisdom and experiences of everyone in the tribe to teach our young ones. (Spring pgs. 10-13)
The U.S. Army is currently using violence to steal our land from us. Our people are dying from disease and other hazards as we travel to the west. The Cherokees that stayed behind had their houses burned down and were forced into stockades. (Spring pg.28) I hope my people, the Cherokees, stay strong through this difficult time and can look forward to a future where we can all live together peacefully.
Yours Truly,
The Cherokees
The Cherokees
WebLog I
Solidarity, courage and heart: what teacher educators can learn from a new generation of teachers by Sonia Nieto
There were many points Nieto made in this article that I felt were important for future teachers, such as myself, to hear. She first left me eager to read her book “Why We Teach” because I feel that hearing accounts from experienced teachers are the closest we can get to actually being in the classroom and I hope to find some of those stories from the contributing teachers in her book to be inspiring and comforting as I approach time as a student teacher. Second, I liked the teacher qualities that she mentioned in the article. My favorites were the first two qualities, a sense of mission and solidarity with and empathy for their students. I think it is important that you have a true passion for teaching. You need to be in this profession for the right reasons, to help students succeed in and outside the classroom. It is not a job that can be done apathetically. It is also important to create a trusting, respectful relationship with your students. She gave the example of teacher Seth Peterson who spoke of how he and his students had such a trusted relationship that they hated missing class and they knew that he would stick up for them.
My goals for this class are to gain a better understanding on how I can ensure that my teaching and instruction are respectful to students of every race, culture, language, class and background. I want to make my class room a place where students are free to be themselves and know that they are all going to be treated as equals.
There were many points Nieto made in this article that I felt were important for future teachers, such as myself, to hear. She first left me eager to read her book “Why We Teach” because I feel that hearing accounts from experienced teachers are the closest we can get to actually being in the classroom and I hope to find some of those stories from the contributing teachers in her book to be inspiring and comforting as I approach time as a student teacher. Second, I liked the teacher qualities that she mentioned in the article. My favorites were the first two qualities, a sense of mission and solidarity with and empathy for their students. I think it is important that you have a true passion for teaching. You need to be in this profession for the right reasons, to help students succeed in and outside the classroom. It is not a job that can be done apathetically. It is also important to create a trusting, respectful relationship with your students. She gave the example of teacher Seth Peterson who spoke of how he and his students had such a trusted relationship that they hated missing class and they knew that he would stick up for them.
My goals for this class are to gain a better understanding on how I can ensure that my teaching and instruction are respectful to students of every race, culture, language, class and background. I want to make my class room a place where students are free to be themselves and know that they are all going to be treated as equals.
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