The Power of Text
The Power of Text
by Lynne Carey
Chapter 9: Teachers as Political Agents
We can motivate and influence students to change the world one action at a time. This piece of an untitled poem shows the student's passion for climate change and her strength as an impactful writer.
I see a future yet unknown
A past I'll always cherish
A present I'm unsure to say
And a world about to Perish
The sun shall rise no more again
I hear my distant cries
But when this place crashes to the ground
I can at least say
I tried
Social activists describe the organizing processes as having five broad, recursive strategies:
- Building community
- Identifying purpose.
- Developing leaders.
- Taking action.
- Evaluating progress.
By writing this poem, the student displayed critical awareness/consciousness, academic abilities, and presented her culture and environment by speaking of her desire for a better world. Action as inquiry results in us taking on complex and complicated issues, having a stand, and continuously try to change the world to be a better place. This poem is an example of one way we can bring the social activists' strategies into our classroom, in hopes of developing students of change.
Engaging African American Males in Reading
The missing piece in the education of African American adolescent
males revealed a gaping hole in the role of text in literacy development. African American males need literacy principals such as cultural uplift, economic advancement, resistance to oppression, and
intellectual development; however, historically, they had the disadvantage of being disconnected from the classroom and mistreated through text. Intertwining powerful texts can lead to reshaping the trajectory, like engaging students in authentic discussions in which they can analyze their realities in the context of the curriculum and discuss strategies for overcoming academic and societal barriers, addressing students' cognitive and affective domains, taking into account students' cultural characteristics, and connecting the social, the economic, and the political to the educational.
"The [texts1
] taught me how to look at myself. [They] told me regardless of my
condition, regardless of the circumstances I came from, I was a legitimate human
being and a child of God. But I also learned that society considered me inferior
because of my color—and considered any rights and privileges I have as a black man
to be the gift of white men. I decided that I had the responsibility to stand up for
people who hadn't yet learned to think of themselves as human beings."
This quote speaks volumes at the lack of connection African American males have with texts in the classroom. Making reading relevant can help African American males improve their life outcomes by providing tools to become resilient in caring, supportive, and cognitively challenging environments.
Critical Book Clubs: Reimagining Literature Reading and Response
The four-phase book club model:
- Development
- Practice
- Independence
- Refinement
In classrooms, teachers and researchers have used critical literacy to question textual authority,
connect students’ lived experiences to academic learning, and expose privilege and oppression. Book clubs have the potential to become effective in getting students to engage meaningfully with political, social, and cultural issues. In addition, book clubs can be used as a tool for conscious engagement with texts and lived experiences, the exploration of different discourses, social justice inquiries, and a reflexive awareness of our own responsibility in maintaining the status quo.
Ethan: It seems like Ally’s new teacher seems
nice, like in the chapter when her teacher reaches out to her and wants to know
about her life. It’s been better for her than
before.
Ashley: I disagree because I think it’s been good
and bad. When her teacher asked her to
write a paragraph, he wanted to know
more about her, but she didn’t want to
say anything, and he got mad at her. So, I
want to know if she can write or if it’s her
disability.
Ethan: That’s an interesting point. I wonder why
she doesn’t want to write the paragraph.
Ashley: What do you think, Kevin?
Critical literacy repositions students as empowered participants who engage with texts and societal issues that are interpreted through personal and cultural realities, like this transcription of students critically discuss character motivations. Here, the independent and refinement phases are being demonstrated.
Questions:
- Have you ever had a class where the required text spoke to you? Have you ever been in a book club where you engaged critically? Did you feel that you related to the required texts (culturally, similarities between you and the characters, in a similar situation, etc.)?
- Recently, we have learned the many facets of language; how can we incorporate students' informal languages in our curriculum? Is there a line we can't/shouldn't cross?
- Schools have been know to ban books that they perceive as "inappropriate", in your opinion, is this justifiable? Are there any books that should be banned?
References:
Bomer, R., & Bomer, K. (2001). For a Better World: Reading and Writing for Social Action.
Heinemann, 88 Post Road West, PO Box 5007, Westport, CT 06881. (Chapter 9)
Tatum, A. W. (2006). Engaging African American males in reading. Educational Leadership, 63(5), 44.
Jocius, R., & Shealy, S. (2018). Critical Book Clubs: Reimagining Literature Reading and Response. The Reading Teacher, 71(6), 691-702.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Lynne! Looking at question 1, I remember book clubs super vividly all throughout my schooling. I remember there being a few that I enjoyed and feel that I learned from but the majority of them were pointless in my eyes. I was never told by my teachers what the meaning was behind the text so that didn't ever give me the desire to read it to the best of my ability. Most times when I got the reading assignment, I would skim and not fully understand what was going on. I wish that I would have been told these things on a deeper level because I think that I would have actually benefitted from reading the texts. I will say that these experiences have given me a desire to teach differently someday so that my student's don't have to experience what I did. I want to make sure that standards are there to back up my assignments related to the texts chosen and that I think deeply when choosing the certain texts. I have learned a lot about how important it is for teachers to choose texts that their students can connect to so that they learn and stay engaged throughout the entire book club time. The other question that I'd like to touch on is the 3rd one regarding banning of books that are considered "inappropriate". I think that this is something that should be discussed but I don't think that banning them will do a lot. Many texts are used to teach students about times of the past or something that is relevant to today's society. If student's aren't gaining knowledge about these topics, how will they continue to learn and grow as individuals. As a teacher, if there were texts that may be considered graphic or inappropriate, I would simply send home a letter or email for parents to be informed about what is planned for class. If the parent wishes for their student to not participate in this text or the assignments planned, that is fine and I will have something else picked out for them that is on a similar topic. I remember as a high schooler getting papers sent home related to this type of thing and my parents would always sign it so that I could participate but it gave my parents the opportunity to discuss with me what I was going to be learning. I think that taking into consideration the thoughts, views, values that each family has is very important.
ReplyDeleteAbby, I was the same exact way when I had to read something. I would just skim it, get the answers and be done with it. However, I don't ever remember having to pose a critical question or reflect critically at all after reading. If I had to do this maybe I would have needed to look at the book in a different context, not just the context of getting a worksheet done for points. I think it would be a great idea to send a permission slip form home if a book could be seen as "inappropriate". The permission slip is just a great way to avoid getting into trouble by the administration. However, even if a parent didn't want their child to read a certain book, it would be almost impossible for their child not to learn about it if everyone else in the class is reading it and discussing it. Even if the child was removed from the class during it, the other students would be discussing it most likely outside of that class.
DeleteWhen I see "book club" I think of old ladies in a circle talking about a book they read that week. My schools didn't have a reading club or book club. I remember reading books and completing worksheet along with them. There weren't many class discussions because our teacher told us to read the book in silence and complete the assignment. I agree with you, Abby, when you said you would skim and not fully understand the text. When having to do the assignment, I would read over the questions then look for the answers in the book disregarding all other parts of the book.
DeleteAbby, I can definitely relate to what you said about just "skimming" through the readings that were assigned in school. Most of the books that my teachers would pick out were about topics that I did not find interesting or just did not have enough knowledge on. I remember always falling behind in English class when there was an assigned reading, even though English has always been my strongest subject and I love reading. I noticed a vast difference in my interest in reading books for fun versus reading books that were assigned to me in class.
DeleteAbby, I too did not put much care into the required readings and did the bare minimum. My teachers never explained to me why those books were so important. During discussions, we answered questions pertaining to what happened in the book, but not why it happened or how it affected the characters and their motivations/feelings. The exams themselves attempted to ask deep questions like "why were the curtains blue?" as if that reflected the character's sorrowful disposition. Why do you think so many of us have had similar experiences with readings in school?
DeleteGreat post Lynne! I really appreciate you sharing the phases the critical book club. I have never heard of a book club being constructed this way. I think this would be great for students who have a passion for reading, but also have a passion for social justice. Also, by having all these students discussing a critical text, it would be an excellent way for students to brainstorm and share ideas to combat oppression and injustices in society. I think having a group of voices will be heard over just individual voices.
ReplyDeleteI like how you incorporated question two in your post. I believe this is a relevant question and one that I have been thinking about recently. I know I will have a student in my classroom at some point where English isn’t their first language. To specifically put students’ informal language in the classroom, I think one of the best ways would be through music. Music has a lot of meaning and doesn’t really sound “proper.” Music also is also a part of some students’ culture, so instead of banning the informal language, teachers should welcome it more. Another way I think this can be done is by showing movies or videos that have a critical message. A lot of movies and videos there is a lot informal language, but can have an important message in it. I think there is a line that shouldn’t be crossed. Our professor said it best, if someone is going out of their way to speak that language then don’t do it. I took that as don’t walk up to someone pretending to relate to them if you don’t. However, as future teachers we can’t just ignore this either, were supposed to be “Political Agents.” Part of being a political agent means…along the lines of teaching students to adapt flexibly to linguistic and literate practices In various communities as they move through life (Bomer & Bomer, p. 136). Therefore, in order to do that we need open ourselves up to learn and encourage the different languages in the classroom.
The other question I thought was interesting to think about was question three. I think an book could be defined as “inappropriate” to group of people, but be considered very appropriate to another group. It would be a tough to determine what is “inappropriate” due to the different values people hold. Personally, it would be hard to determine what would be “inappropriate.” I would think a book like 50 Shades of Gray would be inappropriate in an elementary school setting, because the message of that book I don’t think could be relevant to elementary students in any way.
Billy, I liked how you incorporated music as a way to bride language barriers! As you know, English was not my first language but music is universal! You also mentioned labeling books as "inappropriate" is so inconsistent because of diverse views. I agree that 50 Shades of Grey is inappropriate for elementary school, but what about high school? In high school, students range from ages 14-18, so how would you make that decision? Moreover, in elementary school, children come from different family backgrounds and may have contrasting views; some students might be allowed to watch R rated TV shows and movies as well as play adult video games, while some students are not permitted to watch PG 13 movies and play violent and sexualized video games. What kind of topics would you view as "appropriate"? Would you be willing to integrate controversial or "inappropriate" topics through books and music?
DeleteBilly, I really enjoyed you bringing up music as a way to connect the barrier between a student's culture and language at home and the culture of the classroom. I grew up being involved in music throughout my entire life (choir and orchestra) and music has always been one of the ways that I've come to enjoy learning. I also think that music is universal, and even music that doesn't have words in it can have an impact on the listener. I also do think it's very difficult to determine what is "appropriate" for students to read as some students might be mature for their age and be able to handle more sensitive topics.
DeleteI really like your blog, Lynne! I think it is cool that you included poems to help emphasize the readings from this week. To answer your first question: "Have you ever had a class where the required text spoke to you? Have you ever been in a book club where you engaged critically? Did you feel that you related to the required texts (culturally, similarities between you and the characters, in a similar situation, etc.)?", I can honestly say I never felt a relation between myself and any of the texts that were assigned to me in middle school or high school. Most of the texts that we were required to read, in my middle school and high school classes, were books that were written by well-known white authors and included storylines that only related to white, middle-class, or American characters. I do not believe that I ever actually fully read an assigned text before college. I would often just skim the book enough to make it through class discussions, or I would use the internet to help me learn more about the book without actually having to read it. I do believe that if I would have been provided with texts that I could relate to, or even been given more information on WHY we were reading certain books and topics, I would have been more interested in completing the task. English has always been my strongest and favorite subject in school, but I always dreading having to read the books my teachers would assign. I do think that if there was a "book club" that included texts that were culturally relevant and diverse, I would have participated in it. This is definitely something I will work on incorporating in my future classroom.
ReplyDeleteSophie, I like how you purposefully mentioned who the books were meant for- white, middle-class, and American. The teachers would ask what happened in the story, but I was always thinking about the "whys". I never understood characters' reasoning or choices, because I would not have reacted the same way. Because your favorite and strongest subject has always been English, how would you motivate students who dislike, or even despise English to engage in your classroom?
DeleteI'm taking an online class right now about how to use books in the classroom for critical thinking, and we're in a book club much like what's been described here and in the article. We were sorted into groups of our top two choices, and we meet every so often to discuss our book which deals with a social issue. Our book has prompted us to talk about stereotypical gender roles, equality of men and women, how the victors write history, the danger of getting all your information from one source, and the near-destruction of an indigenous population. One of the articles we read followed a middle or high school class dissecting these sorts of texts. A great way for them to be actively involved was on Twitter; they would send a question to the author and the author would respond! They would write a dialogue between themselves and the author, asking questions of the author and responding as if they were the author, which allowed them to make inferences about the author's intentions. Growing up, I don't know if I was ever involved in a book club, but I do know the one I'm in now has been actively engaged and thinking critically about the issues it brings to light.
ReplyDeleteErin, what class is that, that sounds like a great class to be in, do you feel it has helped you think more critically of text? I know me personally I do not feel that I think as critical with text as I could if I was taught how or if I talked about in it Highschool or even Elementary school. I did not have much diversity in my classroom or hometown so I feel that, may have played a role in the lack of education towards critical thinking and critical text itself.
DeleteErin, wow! This class sounds so valuable! I myself have never been in a book club in middle or high school. Because you're in an online class and also mentioned the usefulness of Twitter, would you incorporate technology into your book clubs? If so, what would that look like? If not, why?
DeleteThe class is Trade Books in the Classroom (EDUC L449 & L559)!
DeleteI think book clubs are a great way to focus on student engagement and are an excellent way to foster student learning as well. I like the idea of using social media to engage with the texts because social media is a very prominent part of our students' lives, and allowing students to consider critical ideas in how they relate to their current lifestyles.
DeleteAs far as book clubs go, I remember being a mandatory part of book clubs, but similar to several people who have replied to the blog, I was a skimmer. I think the first time I truly read a book cover to cover for a book club was my senior year of high school -- and I loved the book so much that I still have it in my room. I can't remember the books relating to me specifically, but I don't remember any of them having representations of cultures that I didn't relate to.
ReplyDeleteOn the subject of banning books, I think it is very wrong to ban any books. And I know that there are very, very bad books out there, but the minute we start hiding perspectives from our students is the minute we take away their choice to decide what to believe. Now, I think it's vital that our students have an understanding that everything found in a book (or any published text) is a result of the author's beliefs. Simply because something is written does not make it true and it's important for our students to approach every text critically so that they can decide if the messages presented are just or not.
Brandt, I agree that banning book do to different perspectives is wrong. By banning certain books, it seems as if that would be impeding our freedom of speech. I also think by doing that, it can make for very close-minded people. I'm sure there are books that are banned everyday from schools that are not justifiably banned. However, there are books I do not think that would be suitable for younger students'. I think there is certain content that shouldn't be introduced to young children, especially if it impedes on their innocence.
DeleteBrandt, what book did you read that you loved so much? Why did you love it? Your comment made me realize that I discovered my favorite book because it was a requirement in school! The Outsiders had nothing to do with my culture nor did I relate to it in any way, but I still loved it. The biggest reason being that it was heartfelt, meaningful, it gave me a completely different perspective, and it showed how, even with different circumstances than my own, I would have reacted in a similar way! Which brings me to my next question, I completely agree that every book brings a different perspective and it's important for students to have freedom of choice as well as have a voice, but, with Billy's argument, what about those that contain graphic sexual content? Would you still hold your stance with not banning any books?
DeleteBrandt, I think it is interesting that book clubs were required. At my school you had to be asked to join the book club. I agree that no books should be banned. Students should be able to have all the opportunities of reading. Hiding different perspectives from the students is not going to help them to decide what they believe and what they think about the books. I do believe, like Billy, that some content should not be shown to 'younger children'. I think it is important to have 'age appropriate' books in the classroom that all students can read.
DeleteI read the quote you chose from the fifth page of the article English African American Males in Reading and the last few words really hit hard and made me think. The words that spoke volumes were “…any rights and privileges I have as a black man to be the gift of white men”. The fact that African American men feel that way is sickening and is a sign that as teachers and as a country we are failing to be inclusive. No man or woman should ever feel like their rights are a gift given from another man or woman. As a future educator, I want all of my students to feel welcomed and loved for who they are and a good way to start that is first, to get to know my students as individuals, and second include the individual cultures into the class work.
ReplyDeleteGoing off of your second question, I think there are many ways to incorporate students’ languages. One way we have talked about quite often through the hip-hop pedagogy article and through the Code-Switching article is to bring in music. Students can bring in their favorite music and talk about the language in it. Music correlates with poetry, so you could even bring in a poetry unit, where the students analyze the music they brought in and other students’ music. In class, Elisha said that she would draw the line at talking a certain way just because a certain student talked that way and you want to match the way they talk. I full heartedly agree that you can talk about language, but you should never try and mimic the way someone talks, just talk the way you have always talked.
Whitney, I completely agree with you that no one should feel as if their rights are gifted to them. Everyone is entitled to basic human decency! It's so important to create an inclusive and equitable classroom; can you think of how to achieve this besides the examples we've talked about in class? Do you have any ideas of what else we could do to attain this goal from your own experiences in school?
DeleteLynne you did such a great job! Great organization! To your question 1, I do remember having required books in the class. I remember reading 'To Kill a Mockingbird', The Odyssey' and 'The Outsiders'. The majority of the books I never really had a connection to because my teachers never connected the books to us. One that did connect to me and my classmates was 'The Outsiders'. We may have a small town but we used to have a gang in our town. It made people feel unsafe and not want to go outside. We all could relate to the violence in the book with the Greasers and The Socs. I do think that book clubs would be a great way to gets students into the critical thinking aspect of books. They would allow the students to work with each other by having discussions on the text. I think this would also allow students to connect with one another and form those relationships in the classmates. This would help the environment in the class.
DeleteSchools have been know to ban books that they perceive as "inappropriate", in your opinion, is this justifiable? Are there any books that should be banned?
ReplyDeleteWith your third question I feel like there aren't any books that should be banned. Any text can be used as a learning tool and any time you ban a book, you're essentially censoring someone and keeping a reader/learner from gathering the information from the text and forming their own thoughts and ideas from the text. A few years ago in Arizona, legislation banned an ethnic studies class, which also banned any books that the students could use during that class. The students and teachers were upset and tried to fight back. They invited the legislators that were creating the ban into their room to show that they were just learning about their heritage and other cultures, and tried to change their minds on the ban. Once it didn't change their minds and the ban passed, their room was raided for the materials and the students had actually taken some of the books and hidden them so they could still learn from them. I bring this up because with some books if you ban them you're stealing culture and identity from people, and could potentially be "white washing" them. I see banning books as a slippery slope.
With that in mind, I think that there are some books that are inappropriate for younger students and while you shouldn't ban them from the books, you should just try and steer them away to a more age appropriate book that centers around the same topic or identity of the one they are wanting to read.
In the classroom there is a time and place for everything that occurs. With that being said if a student would like to use their slang or "street" talk with their buddies or even with you at times that can be justified. However, the line can be quite gray as sometimes they may want to always use it although they need to learn what is known as "basic" English. Also, you don't want them using any inappropriate language that someone may take the wrong way.
ReplyDelete