Don't take my identity
Very often in schools, we are told to follow a certain way and to do things this one way or it is incorrect. However, after taking a deeper dive into readings by Bomer, Paris, and Ladson-Billings I am finding out this should not be the case for us as students and future educators. Student's should not have to follow a status quo but rather find their own unique ways of living and learning.
Ladson-Billings speaks about cultural competence in the article But That's Just Good Teaching! The Case for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. Cultural competence is something that teachers should be using every day to not only connect with their students but people within their communities. All of these terms can be brought back to the topic of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy which is something that Ladson-Billings expands on. The term "relevant" is a loose term that can sometimes be transparent and hard for teachers to latch onto. The term "sustaining" makes it seem more everlasting and something that will continue throughout a child's education.
In Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy: A Needed Change in Stance, Terminology, and Practice the author focuses not only students of color but students from any background that we may see in the classroom. Paris tells us that generally in American education we are focused on "White, middle-class norms". While this is something that is obvious if you step into a classroom some students are unaware that their own culture is not being talked about or respected by some teachers. All students deserve to be able to appreciate their culture in the classroom and not only in their homes. By letting them speak on their experiences and lives we are also teaching the students around them about how others may live their lives.
In our final reading, For A Better World Reading and Writing for Social Action the author does a great job of focusing in on talking with students about some of what we believe are the "tough subjects" of school. Sometimes we may be faced with tough questions about a students home life or why one student thinks differently than us. They take a dive into how ourselves as educators should approach these conversations and what we need to do to prepare. As teachers, we need to know that we cannot solve every problem and fix every issue. We have to draw a line at what we value as important and what we think we can truly make a difference with.
https://youtu.be/R6yjZBeKnRw
The video above explains culturally sustaining pedagogy and uses real-life examples of how this can impact us.
Questions:
How can us as teachers make sure to include all students cultures in the classroom?
What does culturally sustaining pedagogy look like for you?
How do “politics” pay a role in the everyday classroom?
Ladson-Billings speaks about cultural competence in the article But That's Just Good Teaching! The Case for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. Cultural competence is something that teachers should be using every day to not only connect with their students but people within their communities. All of these terms can be brought back to the topic of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy which is something that Ladson-Billings expands on. The term "relevant" is a loose term that can sometimes be transparent and hard for teachers to latch onto. The term "sustaining" makes it seem more everlasting and something that will continue throughout a child's education.
In Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy: A Needed Change in Stance, Terminology, and Practice the author focuses not only students of color but students from any background that we may see in the classroom. Paris tells us that generally in American education we are focused on "White, middle-class norms". While this is something that is obvious if you step into a classroom some students are unaware that their own culture is not being talked about or respected by some teachers. All students deserve to be able to appreciate their culture in the classroom and not only in their homes. By letting them speak on their experiences and lives we are also teaching the students around them about how others may live their lives.
In our final reading, For A Better World Reading and Writing for Social Action the author does a great job of focusing in on talking with students about some of what we believe are the "tough subjects" of school. Sometimes we may be faced with tough questions about a students home life or why one student thinks differently than us. They take a dive into how ourselves as educators should approach these conversations and what we need to do to prepare. As teachers, we need to know that we cannot solve every problem and fix every issue. We have to draw a line at what we value as important and what we think we can truly make a difference with.
https://youtu.be/R6yjZBeKnRw
The video above explains culturally sustaining pedagogy and uses real-life examples of how this can impact us.
Questions:
How can us as teachers make sure to include all students cultures in the classroom?
What does culturally sustaining pedagogy look like for you?
How do “politics” pay a role in the everyday classroom?
I think you made a great point when you drew from the article on culturally sustaining pedagogy how American education tends to focus on the dominant culture as being the norm. Thinking back to last semester, the term acculturation was used to define this situation. Rather than being enculturated, or learning about ones own cultural practices, students are being taught the norms of a different culture and are almost expected to adopt that culture as their own. Like you stated, we as future educators need to not allow ourselves to fall into the trap of teaching the norm, or dominant culture. To help avoid this, we need to talk with our students and truly understand where our students are coming from. In the article Paris states that, “…we must be open to sustain them in both the traditional and evolving ways they are lived and used by contemporary people” (2012, p. 95). This means that as future educators we must also listen to our students to understand what their cultural life looks like currently, not what the teacher thinks it looks like based on history or stereotypes. This is an important factor for educators to keep in mind as not all students follow traditional cultural norms that may be stereotyped with their culture. Even though you could be basing your teaching off a culture that is not the norm, you would still be enculturating your students by teaching them a culture that is not one they are familiar with. One thought that I am left with now is how different does culturally sustaining pedagogy look in the classroom compared to culturally relevant pedagogy? Can we transform our ideas of culturally relevant teaching into culturally sustaining pedagogy, or do we change our framework completely?
ReplyDeleteLink to acculturation vs enculturation refresher: https://www.publichealthnotes.com/differences-between-acculturation-vs-enculturation/
Citation
Paris, D. (2012). Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy: A Needed Change in Stance, Terminology, and Practice. Educational Researcher, 41(3), 93–97.
Thanks for responding Olivia! To answer your question regarding how different does culturally relevant look compared to culturally responsive I believe it is a time frame. With culturally relevant you are looking at something once or twice potentially and culturally sustaining you are continuing to go back to something and reiterate that concept. I believe you can transform your ideas with some concepts on culturally relevant pedagogy but with others you may need to completely change our framework.
DeleteI agree completely with you when you stated that sometimes in the current school environments, we are taught to follow one specific norm, or the dominant culture. I experienced this myself while going to elementary school here in Indiana. I believe that as future educators, the information provided in "For A Better World Reading and Writing for Social Action", along with our other readings, is crucial. As future educators, it is important that we understand that our students should be free to develop their own norm and way of learning. We shouldn’t have to shape and mold them into a way to fit the dominant culture. Linking back to the three tenets of culturally relevant pedagogy in Ladson-Billings’ article, students should be encouraged to develop, as well as maintain, cultural competence. It is also stated that students should develop a critical consciousness, which will help them challenge the “norms” of the current social order. It is important that educators are creating a safe and inclusive environment for students to do so.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a great point when stating that we "can't fix everything." I feel like this can be really hard for us as educators to accept because we want to be able to give our students all the tools they need to be successful. I feel that one way we can ensure we are contributing to our student's success is by including cultures in our classrooms. When Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy states that many students don't realize their culture isn't represented in the classroom this shows that we, as a society, are only acknowledging the dominant culture. This can be extremely problematic in the classroom as most of our students will have cultural differences from one another. Even beyond race, religion, SES, our students and their families will all have differing cultural experiences. Teaching our students to respect and appreciate their peers differing experiences is a major key for educators to help students maintain a culturally competent mindset. The question becomes, in what ways do we teach our students these qualities? And how can we foster this type of environment in our classrooms?
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to add that by teaching our students to respect and appreciate their peers, will most likely also cut down on any bullying issues you would have in the classroom. When we learn to understand differences they aren’t so different anymore and we don’t need to poke fun or make mean comments about something we don’t understand.
DeleteI totally agree with you about how it is hard for teachers to accept the fact that we can't fix everything. I know that I will struggle with this someday. I also think that it is important to embrace that to an extent and let our students know that we are human, make mistakes and don't always know the answers. We can only try our best and give our students the tools to be successful just like you said. I like that thought of yours.
DeleteThanks for responding Taylor! One way to show them these qualities the best way would be through books. Showing that not every family or even just every student does not think the same way or have the same things can be very important. Creating an accepting environment on day one will help to allow all students to feel valued and welcome inside of your classroom.
DeleteI think what you said about letting students speak on their own experiences so others can learn about their lives, is really important. I already said kind of added this in response to Taylor, but I feel like on top of helping students feel more included, this also helps cut down on bullying. In my experience bullying has only happened to the kids, or adults even, that are different or don’t fit in with the majority. By including everyone we cut down on feeling that others are “different” and can hopefully reduce the bullying you see in school.
ReplyDeleteGreat point to bring up such a big issue in our schools today. Developing an understanding for one another at a young age would help students have more compassion throughout there school years and reduce the bullying we see today. I agree sharing experiences is a great way of developing that understanding. I also think another way of developing that understanding is to make sure teachers include different types of cultures in their lessons so students can notice the cultural differences, but also make connections to where cultures have similarities.
DeleteI love that you bring that up Andrea, when I think about allowing students to speak about their own experiences, it allows people to “walk in other peoples shoes” also these experiences are what shapes us into the people we are today. I know just in our blocks class, getting an insight to each other’s lives and experiences it really allows us to grow as a class, we are able to have better understandings of people and things they may experience but we don’t. One of my favorite things is listening to “people’s stories” and it will defiantly be implemented in my classroom for many reasons, such as growing closer and a class and being able to learn from these stories. Thank you for brining that up Andrea!
DeleteI agree with your comment, Andrea. I think that if schools are more open to differences and have inclusive environments, it will help cut down bullying. Including all of the ways people are different like SES, race, language, etc., in schools could show how being different is not a bad thing and the term "different" could stop being used as a word with negative connotations. I also agree with Billy. If teachers incorporate different types of cultures in lessons, students will be more engaged in the lessons because they see part of who they are in the classroom.
DeleteI loved how you brought up the point about how students shouldn't need to follow the status quo. In education today, it is so common for students to feel that they have to learn or live a certain way. I think it is incredibly important that we all, as future educators, steer far from this so that our students can learn more in the end. You defined and discussed cultural competence, which I remember reading a lot about. This concept is something I really want to apply to my classroom someday so that I show my students how I care about knowing where they come from, especially if I am personally not from that area. I also liked how you put the whole idea of students feeling like their culture is important within the classroom. They need to be able to see themselves in what they do at school and feel that their culture is special/important. Lastly, I know that personally I am going to struggle with the fact that I may not know all of the answers, all of the time but that I can try my best and show my students that it is okay for this to happen. It is human and normal.
ReplyDeleteI love the very first thing you said. I agree that students shouldn't need to follow the status quo. Students should get to express themselves in whatever way they need or want. No two students learn the same, so allowing them to find the way they learn best is what will help them succeed, and that's important. I also think that students should be able to openly express their culture, and past experiences, especially in the classroom because sometimes that's where it can either benefit or hurt them when it comes to certain things, and being able to explain themselves is important.
ReplyDeleteThis is Mackenzees comment, I didnt know it would post as unknown
DeleteI felt the same way Mackenzee! I can tell you how important it is to show our students to be who they truly are. Being themselves is a huge part in their learning. They find out what subjects are their favorite, what ones are challenging to them and their own way on how to learn new things.
DeleteI like how you begin your discussion stating how we are told there is only one way to do certain things. I think that’s just a way of saying everyone should assimilate to the dominant society. Personally, I feel like a lot teachers believe there are more than just that “one way” to learn something. However, I believe teachers give it to that “one way”, because they are afraid of being ridiculed by the dominant society. You make a great point that students shouldn’t have to follow the status quo, but I also think teachers shouldn’t be afraid of following the status quo as well. I believe this would be an example of teachers entering the Third Space. However, how do we as future educators make sure we do not “overdeterministic” in our connections of languages and cultural practices to certain racial and ethnic groups? (Paris, p. 95).
ReplyDeleteWe are living in a society now where students question everything. I believe that means students are gaining more and more of critical consciousness. This happens to be a positive evolvement, because developing a critical consciousness is the third tenet of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. I remember being in elementary school and asking a teacher “Why?”, and they would respond with an answer like “Because I’m the teacher and because I said so.” By growing up in an education system where you are told to not question anything will make extremely difficult for any student to develop critical consciousness.
Billy I agree. I love that they stated the way we have to do it or it is considered incorrect by some. If an educator states this to the classroom, then where are we seeing their personal work come in or their beliefs or even their values that they have or learned? I love that you pointed out how some teachers may feel that they may feel ridiculed, and I think that is truly correct. As a student who grew up with the phrase "Im the _____ and because I said so" could be potentially hard for other future educators who grew up with the same phrase. I think that students have always questioned why for many things but different generations have given different reasons, explanations, and different reactions. I hope that this next set of teachers coming in will keep that in mind and let it be a reminder of how they felt when they weren't allowed to have an answer or anything based on what the teacher said and it will allow them to give the answer the student needs.
DeleteThe point you made about students not realizing that their culture isn't being respected in the classroom was interesting to me. It made me think of the Standing Bear article we read last semester about the assimilation school he was sent to as a child. It also made me wonder if the system of American schooling attempts to take advantage of what they perceive to be the naivety of our students and use it to assimilate them into what is considered to be acceptable in a Eurocentric society. This is dangerous to our students for two reasons.
ReplyDeleteThe first reason is because stripping our students of the ability to express their cultures and see them represented in the classroom can affect their academic performance. Culture can often determine how students interact with their fellow students and teacher and how they respond to instructions, all which could have an effect on their understanding of information presented in class. Intentionally ignoring home culture could be a result of simply wanting to erase any culture that is inconsistent with the societal norm without realizing the effect it will have on academic achievement. It could also be the result of fully understanding the effects it could have and using it as a tool to sustain the achievement gap.
The second reason is that it shows that educators already underestimate what young students can grasp. We often choose not to address social issues because we believe they are "too young to understand" when, in reality, our students are effected by these social issues every day, and many of them are aware of it. For us to think they're incapable of understanding shows that we may already be limiting their ability as students instead of pushing the to reach their full potential as educators should.
Elisha, I think you make a very good point about American schools taking advantage of youth and their naivety in order to get them to assimilate. As children, we begin to see what our parents value in terms of respect for other people who may be different from ourselves. I think what teachers do not realize is that even though children see this behavior at home, some children may become attached to their teachers as if they were the student's parent. Seeing behavior that ignores or even dehumanizes a certain group of people could be deeply harmful to the student being ignored, as well as harmful to the student that now thinks of this behavior as a tolerable way to act.
DeleteI also completely agree with your statement that ignoring home culture is a way to erase behaviors and thoughts that are not consistent to what schools want to see. I think as teachers, it is important for us to understand what kind of home each student is coming from and to incorporate those practices. I believe that an integral part of all of these readings is that we have to make sure we know where our students are coming from and what their cultural backgrounds are in order to help them achieve academic success throughout school so that they are able to make informed decisions about what is right in their communities and what needs to be changed. We need to make sure that we are allowing students to keep their cultural integrity and not forcing them to assimilate to what society wants them to be (Ladson-Billings,1995).
Great post, Heath! I like the points you made for each of the readings. What you and the readings stated about not sticking to the status quo, reminds me of "A Talk To Teachers" by James Baldwin. Students should be taught to question the information that is given to them and should be allowed to learn in the way they learn best. In class, we have talked about what American Education looks like and I brought up the point that the curriculum is very Eurocentric and mostly benefits White students. Other cultures are not talked about enough or taken into consideration while creating new curriculum.
ReplyDeleteThe video you linked is a very good explanation of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy and the difference between Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. In the video, they stated, "CSP asks teachers to check themselves when developing ways to best include and honor their students. It is a non-static theory that provides us with space to grow, shift, and rethink what our realities are." I think this is how all teachers should be. Later in the video, the question we should ask ourselves when planning or reflecting on our curriculum is, "is/was this cliche?" The reason this resonated with me is because growing up, many of my teachers never tried to incorporate our home culture in the classroom. The only time it was talked about or the teacher asked me to bring something from home was during Cinco de Mayo and that was the only time. Also, it reminded me how last semester one of our professors brought up the fact that while it is very tempting to copy lessons and activities from Pinterest because they look fun, we should look at if it is inclusive of all students in your class. It is important to think about how students may respond or take their response and reaction into account when creating new curriculum.
Great point Jackie, the fact that we were picked on to teach about Cinco de Mayo or Dia de Los Muretos is so terrible, we only had a few opportunities to share things about our culture. Even though I don't mind it I know others who do mind being called on to discuss things about their culture, especially on the spot. I recall from last semester we were often being called on to say something about Mexicans or Latinos. Like in the "Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy" article, there was a section that discussed the importance of teachers recognizing student's and their cultures and incorporating them into class. This is something I feel all teachers should be doing, I have seen lots can agree by reading theses posts. I want to say that as a Mexican, I am here for those who aren't and I am willing to teach you about my culture so you can go into your future classes knowing something.
DeleteVery interesting blog! I enjoyed reading it! I think you did a good job of summarizing the texts for us.
ReplyDeleteWhile talking about “For a Better World Reading and Writing for Social Action“, you said, “As teachers, we need to know that we cannot solve every problem and fix every issue. We have to draw a line at what we value as important and what we think we can truly make a difference with.” I agree that it is very important that we emphasize what we value. And I also agree that it is extremely important for us to remember that we can’t solve every issue (and every issue doesn’t need to be solved for that matter). But I would like to have a further discussion with you about when our goals differ from our students’ goals. The issues that they want to see fixed oftentimes will not be the same as the issues we want to fix. What process would you use to help your students to understand the problems with the world and help them to make their own decisions about what they value and what problems they’re facing without simply trying to fix what you perceive to be problems they’re facing? Some students won’t want talk to you about their problems, some students will feel like they’re unable to talk to you about their problems. How would you reach those children and learn their struggled so that you can provide them with the best possible education?
Thanks for responding Brandt! One thing that I will implement in my classroom is that everyone should have their own beliefs in values and that it is okay for them to differ from mine or their classmates. However, I hope that the common goal for them is to success inside and outside the classroom. Some students will be an open book from day one and share every good, bad, and indifferent thing they have experienced those students will be easy to reach because you always know what is going on. However, you will also have students that just keep everything bottled up within your classroom. So you make have conversations with parents or guardians to figure out if everything is okay or just simply ask them how their day is going.
DeleteGreat job summarizing the articles and including their main points, Heath!
ReplyDeleteIt's really frustrating to me that today, schools aren't teaching about and incorporating other cultures into their classrooms enough. I think the more I read and learn about how schools function today, I realize how blind I was in elementary schools to all the things I wasn't learning. It gets a little frustrating because kids are curious beings and naturally want to learn, so I feel as though if teachers were really committed to finding ways to integrate and maintain culturally relevant pedagogy into their classrooms (teaching to the curriculum and adhering to standardized tests are a hurdle for this), students would enjoy the exposure to cultures and thus new knowledge.
To achieve culturally sustaining pedagogy in the classroom, we of course need to incorporate texts and activities centered around various cultures, experiences, viewpoints etc., but I believe a lot of building a classroom community that focuses on respect, acceptance and understanding comes form simply facilitating conversation. For example, this could look like allowing time for student input during lessons (which opens the possibility for students to begin to question the status quo) and certainly looks like teachers getting to know their students on an individual level.
You did a great job summarizing the main points of the articles!
ReplyDeleteThis embarrasses me, but during my own schooling (from elementary to high school), I didn't realize that only my white culture and history was being taught. I think I was a little bit blinded to it. What are some ideas that you have to incorporate everyone's history and culture in the classroom?
I think there are a few things that educators can do to incorporate cultural diversity in the classroom. Having books that feature main characters of different races and cultural backgrounds is very important so that every one of your students feels that they have stories they can personally relate to. Another thing that educators can do is during the holiday season, they can teach about all celebrations and not just the traditional ones such as Christmas or Easter.
DeleteI took a Children's Literature course my freshman year that had us read two books that showed two different perspectives on one piece of history. Little House on the Prairie and The Birchbark House are two different books that both center around the eestern expansion in the 1800s- but one book features a white prairie girl's perspective and the other features a Native American girl's perspective. It is important that students see both sides of history and not just the dominant, "more popular" side.
I would say start incorporating other cultures when you start decorating your classroom for the year. As you put up different required posters, signs, and boards, go the extra mile to post different hand made culturally relevant posters in your room. On the first day, when your students walk in, they will see their culture up on the wall and feel included in the classroom. They will also recognize that you made an effort to include them and hopefully will want to share their life accordingly. Also, add in historic children's books based on your students. This way, before the rush and stress of the school year they already feel included and you haven't missed them. Seeing posters and books will jog questions from other students and that can lead to a class discussion about someones culture. It will also allow you to be mindful of them and their culture when the "American way" is pushing itself into your class room.
DeleteHeath, thank you for making the point that we as future educators and students need to find our own way of learning and not follow the status quo. Since we are in a more diverse setting at Christian Park we should take this as a way of implementing cultural relevance. We can do this simply be learning those cultures of students here. From the Ladson-Billings article, the idea that when the home language of students is used in school those students have stronger academic success. Often times we don't know how to start, one way we can is by getting to know our students and their home life. Those teachers that I can remember in my past were the teachers that took the time to get to know me and my culture (home life), these classes were the ones I enjoyed the most. The reasons for this was because I didn't just feel like student but also an educator because I taught the truth of my culture to my peers and teachers.
ReplyDeleteHeath, I think you explained the concept of cultural diversity and culturally sustaining pedagogy in the classroom really well. What is most important is not only focusing on teaching the "white, middle-class norms" (as you said above), but focusing on being political agents and being "...well acquainted... with the processes and practices into which we are acculturating our students" (Bomber 155). Education is not just giving information and knowledge to students, but how to use and manage this knowledge. A great example of knowledge that should be shown to students is knowledge of other cultures. The country that we are in is very diverse and it is important that all aspects of history and other cultures are taught in our classroom, even if we may not like how we (the dominant group) are portrayed. Oftentimes, history is only told from the perspective of the "winners", and the minorities are overlooked and forgotten. It is our job to equip our students with knowledge of all cultures so that they don't spend the rest of their lives believing that their culture is the only one that matters.
ReplyDeleteI feel like a lot of educators struggle with culturally sustaining pedagogy because they don't want to address the difficult subjects that might be more sensitive. To me, culturally sustaining pedagogy isn't always "butterflies and rainbows", but is inclusive of all cultures' feelings and experiences.
First off, you did a great job on your summary!
ReplyDeleteI love how you began your blog post by stating, "Student's should not have to follow a status quo but rather find their own unique ways of living and learning". This is so important! Our students need to know that they can be their own unique self in every part of the school. By letting the students be who they are we are setting them up to be more open to learn!
You also brought up cultural competence. This is important for our students and us so that they feel more connected. This helps them to be more open to learning new things. This also helps the students to think about bringing in other peoples cultures as well. Your summary made me think about my days in elementary school and how there was no culture brought in the classroom. Like other people said in the comments, students are curious and want to learn new things. By bringing in different cultures, we are showing them new and exciting things that will keep them engaged.
Heath, I thought you did a nice job of explaining the two terms "relevant" and "sustaining" in your summary of the readings. I like that you talked about not following the status quo and finding a way to be more creative and showing their own unique ways. When you are in an environment where students are diverse it gives us a chance to learn more about our students. At Christian Park, I have learned a lot about the students I have previously worked with. They each have their own unique style of learning and living. When you think about unique style of living you almost forget that their is more to them than what you may see at school. It isn't until you hear the students talk about themselves and their families that you realize that there are more to students than just the way they behave or act in school. Since working with students at Christian Park I have come to realize that I can't be so quick to forget that. We are all unique in our own way and we all have different styles of doing things. I think as a future teacher they way I can make sure to include all of my students culture in the classroom is to make sure that I given each and each one of my students the time to tell me about themselves. We have to allow ourselves as future educators to listen to our students and give them a chance to speak about themselves. Growing up I don't really remember too many teachers giving us a chance to speak about ourselves or our families. So I want to make sure that I give each student the time they need to talk about themselves. Not only does that allow us to get to know our students, but it also allows them to feel empowered and gives their peers a chance to learn more about them. While they are learning about their peers they are also learning about different cultures. In my future classroom, I want to make sure each student gets to teach us about their culture and their unique life.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog Heath! I loved that you pointed out "sustaining" and how it relates to a classroom continually making an effort to be culturally relevant. In this article, Ladson-Billings speaks on culturally relevant teaching requiring students to maintain their own cultural integrity along with academic success (Ladson-Billings, 1995). Consistency has always been really important with creating productive environment for your classroom. If we don't begin the school year with our class in a consistent structure of allowing our students to feel comfortable in their own culture and expressing who they are, then when it comes time to discuss about different cultures students will not be sure if they can fully express or share about how their culture feels or views a certain tradition. I have seen this in many classrooms and even my own as a child. We always celebrated and carried out the same American traditions ever year. My teacher did not expose us to other cultures as expected in the culturally relevant pedagogy and now see why. Though I lived in a predominately white area, my life and culture was still different from everyone else around me. My teachers did not make the effort to come and discover how I was different, as a result, I never got the chance to really be me in the element of my culture. Instead, when I got to school, I had to adapt to "their way" until school was over. Fordham and Ogbu (1986) perfectly explains this mindset of "acting white", "where African American students fear being ostracized by their peers... School is a place where African American students cannot be themselves". So, in that case, when we briefly discussed different cultures in other countries, I did feel comfortable to share my own.
ReplyDeleteCitation:
Ladson-Billings, Gloria. “But That's Just Good Teaching! The Case for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy.” Theory Into Practice, vol. 34, no. 3, 1995, pp. 159–165. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1476635.
I found Bomer's reading to be helpful, as you did. I especially appreciated the emphasis on taking our own actions outside the classroom. If we teach our students to question and be active in social issues, why wouldn't we ourselves? We must set a precedence and model what it looks like. One point I truly loved in the Bomer's reading, on page 160, was how there are many different roles that need filling and different skills that suit those roles, such as speed writing, people skills, organization, errand-running, and much more. It's so important for our students to recognize their strengths can be used collaboratively.
ReplyDeleteErin Lenox
DeleteHeath, you mentioned that schools focus on teaching “white middle-class norms”. In the culturally sustaining pedagogy, it talks about how we as future teachers and those who are teachers now need to sustain culture and focus on all students’ backgrounds, not just the “dominant culture’s”. In order for us to bring in all of the different backgrounds of the students, we have to let the students teach us their different cultures and in return we can use what we learned to enhance our curriculum to fit their cultural needs. As future teachers it is our duty to build a critical consciousness (one of the three tenets of culturally relevant pedagogy) and understanding of the cultures that make up the school and/or classroom. Growing up, I went through a school system where the demographic was predominantly white, and the only time color or religion was talked about was when the holiday season rolled around, or it was black history month. Background and culture should not be saved for a few weeks out of the school year. Culture should be talked about and celebrated every day.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete