Friday, September 5, 2014
Week 3: Ladson-Billings "But That's Just Good Teaching!..."
Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings quoted "Even without being consciously aware of it, culture determines how we think, believe and behave" As future educators of one of the major cities in the nation we have to become adapted to our teaching environment. CPS is known to have a diversity of students, the majority of which are African-American and Latino students. So how do we teach a classroom of minority students if you're a White, Asian or other ethnicity teacher? How do you prepare? How can you bring up interesting yet culturally relevant material?
An example that was given in the article is how in an English class which is composed of many African-American students can make learning a lesson in poetry more engaging and at the same time culturally relevant by using rap songs that they listen to. Can you think of others? How can a math or science or history teacher make their lessons more culturally engaging? Another point to consider is how in Ladson-Billings article describes the use of "home language" in the classroom to enhance the opportunity for academic success, would you in a classroom (especially those who are in English) allow the use of a students home language? How would you incorporate it in class activities? (This might differ from Spanish classes since we see the use of Spanglish, or different dialects in use)
Here is also a link to what some professionals say about culturally relevant teaching... Do you think some points from Ladson-Billings article are stated there? Do you agree or disagree?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV36efjBKRU
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Manny,
ReplyDeleteTo answer one of your questions which was to think of others activities that are culturally relevant to students, I have to say that a variety of those activities could be found if looked for even in many classrooms. I observed last week at Niles West High School for one of the courses for the ESL endorsement, and to my surprise I saw the teacher standing outside the classroom and greeting students and calling them by their name, just as it is mentioned in UbD and DI in chapter 2 as a teaching pattern and an approach that would “convey messages to students that they matter to teachers” (22). Also, on the first day of school, the teacher was interested to find out more about the students, so he asked the students to put on a piece of paper three things that characterized them. The students worked individually and then shared what they wrote in small groups. Such small things would make a difference in students’ life, and I would think the environment of the classroom would be a safe place for students to share their ideas. It takes a little extra for a teacher to do something, but it would have a bigger impact in a student’s life each day throughout the school year. Just as the video that you posted, Manny, “Becoming a Culturally Responsive Teacher” where it is emphasized so much that building relationships with students is really important.
I believe that by utilizing an empathetic approach to instruction, that we as future educators can begin to chip away at understanding our students from a more diversified perspective.
ReplyDeleteManny, I agree with Ladson-Billings' article that prompts us to make our classrooms an extension of the learner’s community/home environment. I agree that as educators we must diversify our lessons to meet all students academically needs and simultaneously keep them motivated to continue their studies. I believe we should always validate the student’s previous knowledge and build our lessons upon it. We can start by creating a classroom environment that supports mutual respect and advocates for a healthy and strong community of learners.
ReplyDeleteHi Manny,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your inquiry. As an English person, yes, I would "allow" home languages in class. And let's be real, the idea that any teacher would be able to "disallow" such authentic speech acts is naive. Your students are going to bring their lives into your classroom. Unless you demand nothing but silence from them, you are going to hear authentic speech. I've observed at schools with primarily Latino populations, and Spanish is constantly flying around the room. Students aren't automatons that can turn off their native self in the foreign world of the classroom.
Regardless, the challenge then becomes how to authentically and responsibly teach "proper" "standardized" "de-racialized" "white" "hegemonic" (pick your adjective depending upon your position on the right-left political spectrum) English to a population that may not speak this language “natively.” For me, I appreciate the sustained code switching exercise that Ladson-Billings cites. And while I still kind of wish I could just accept all blended forms of vernacular, the expectation is that I, the English teacher, will teach my students the “right” way to write and speak in order to “prepare them for the ‘real world’” (read: a market-economy that values a performance of whiteness). And thus, the conversation among English educators about how to honor home languages always becomes about creative writing that values vernacular dialogue or journal entries that disregard grammar – all good ideas. What I like about the code switching method is that it doesn’t relegate vernacular to certain “kinds” of writing. Rather, it allows it everywhere while asking students to “translate.” I’ve also read some research (forgive me, I don’t remember what the article was, though it may come to me by class) that supports code switching as an effective tool that allows speakers of AAE (African American English, sometimes African American Vernacular English) to occupy both worlds. Code switching becomes a kind of special skill that allows the speaker literacy in home and “professional” settings. Of course, this is exactly that problematic performance of whiteness I alluded to above. Thus, we as English teachers are kind of trapped, compelled to teach assimilation while trying to teach liberation through written self-expression.
I think that we all must try to reach each student at their level and try to engage them where they are. If we do not do this. we will miss out on a lot of students. Also, I think we must avoid some stereotypes as well while we try to tie culture into instruction. Just because there are many African-Americans in a classroom does not mean they all listen to rap music. If we talk to and get to know our students on a personal level, we will have better opportunities to teach them. One strategy I want to try when I get my own classroom is to take the whole first week of classes and talk with the students individually about their own interests and what they want to gain from my classrooms.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with Lorena's post on this topic. You have to relate to the students and build lessons around their cultural baggage. One of the greatest skills we have as educators is the ability to adapt to our students. Structuring lessons around student interest and relating your own experience can be done by any teacher, regardless of race.
ReplyDeleteManny,
ReplyDeleteAn idea of things you can do to make lessons more culturally relevant for students is something that is required in CPS for students to graduate. Its called service learning. While I do not know a ton of the subject, we started to talk about it in one of my other classes. It brings up the idea of making lessons that will tie into an activity the students will do in the community. By doing this, it allows all students to succeed and develops other skills they will need, while feeling connected to their communities and their cultures.
Hiya Manny!
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely on the Ladson-Billings train here. Your questions remind me of the Michie excerpt from City Kids, City Schools. Lourdes expressed how great it felt that her teacher asked her about mariachi music. I think that of the many things that allowing your students' cultures to shine in your classroom can show, it lets students see that you, the teacher, genuinely care about them. It can be difficult to learn when you're forced to come from an unfamiliar place. Students should be able to connect what they're learning in our classrooms to something that they understand -- one of those things being their culture.
Manny,
ReplyDeleteIn regards to your question on how we can make lessons more culturally relevant for students, I think the connecting the concept of identity exploration is important to the content. All students I believe have something important to say, they want to be heard, yet they think no one is listening. I think its teachers jobs to provide that opportunity and showcase that they do care what each student has to bring to the table. I remember reading City Kids, City schools, a student Lourdes addresses feeling as if history class was just a ‘white man’s thinking… putting it in a book and trying to make it seem like that’s all that happened. You don’t get other people’s stories. They just narrow it all,” (17). Lourdes further goes on to say how she felt good when the teacher asked about her culture. When students feel that teachers care about what they have to say, learning becomes more relevant. How can we create lessons that are more culturally relevant to students? It is by giving opportunities in the curriculum for identity exploration, and listening to learn from each other.
I think culturally relevant teaching is very important in a classroom so that students can succeed academically. I agreed with a lot of the points made in the YouTube video you linked, such as that it is important to begin to build relationships with our students since the beginning of the year, and that a good way to be culturally responsive is to have the classroom be representative of many different cultures so that students can feel like a part of a community. Another point made that I agreed with was about allowing students to be themselves, and believing in them. One way that we can allow students to be themselves is through the example given by Ladson-Billings of letting students use their "home language" in the classroom, and I definitely think that it is okay to do this with our students.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the video as well. I would assume this is something most teachers struggle with since we all are aware of the demographics of CPS teachers versus CPS students. I like your idea of connecting things like Spanglish into Spanish, making connections like that to the lives of the students is something that not only helps the students but helps the teachers as well.
ReplyDeleteHi Manny!
ReplyDeleteSo how to make cultural relevant activities/ curriculum?
Well, there is a plethora of ideas and methods to achieve this pedagogy, but I will say that at the beginning of every year, it is always important to show the kids that they matter and that they have a voice in your classroom. Just yesterday, I ran into a young lady who went to Team Englewood. I am observing at Team Englewood this semester. She spoke to me about the teachers and the way they were treated. She told me that the teachers would tell them that half of them wouldn't make it. She told me they told them half of them would die, some would get pregnant, and so on. These negative perceptions of these young African Americans at this school is unacceptable. She told me that they were already being treated bad at home and coming to school made it worse. Therefore, the goal of the students was to make teachers cry and so on. She told me, " If you show the kids you understand where they are coming from, they'll work with you." I absolutely agree. I will take her advice this semester as I journey myself into Team Englewood.
I believe that language is one of, if not the most important aspect of living in a big city. There will always be one group that looks down on another for their particular speech patterns. There are many problems with this but mainly the blatant racism attached to this concept. A group of people are deliberately kept in certain areas within a city and then the people who are living in those areas pick up a certain dialect that is looked down upon. It is like a marker to keep the poor poor. I think it is wrong, but it is also the way it is right now. The most positive things that we can do as teachers will make our students aware of these inequalities and help them to overcome and change them. If your students know the facts, they will have a better chance at changing their status quo.
ReplyDeleteYou ask many questions that go unanswered, but I think the value of that is that we do not know all of those answers yet, at least not necessarily. The difficutly I'm running into is the unknown. We can prepare and read and design lessons, units, etc, but at some point we will have to put all of our knowledge aside to make room for the knowledge of the students; to make room for each individual's culture. With culture intersects race, ethnicity, and other forms of unfamiliar territory that as teachers, we need to adapt to. \
Delete\
I like how you tied this into our specific contexts as future teachers of CPS schools and what that would mean to our pedagogies and practices. Personally, I believe it is finding a balance of uniqness and commonalities. I don't want focusing on culture be a reason to divide students from each other, nor do I want what helps define outselves to be lost in translation. Instead, I think it might be best if we introduce what we are in resepct to the literature I will be teaching, then have the chance to do a partner project with someone else of another cultuer.}
This reminds me of the Lourdes excerpt from "Holler If You Hear Me." Lourdes liked that her teacher showed an interest in understanding her culture. A teacher should not be partial to his own race. In order to demonstrate this, teachers should be interested in learning about each student's culture. In addition, teachers should teach novels by authors other than white males. Every culture is valuable. I believe students will be more invested in the class and material if it is relatable. One way this can be achieved is by bringing culture into the classroom.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find problematic in framing the discussion in this manner is that "cultural diversity" is automatically associated with our racial characteristics. Why do we eclipse other markers of culture that are, doubtlessly, just as (and probably more) significant in shaping our actions and the way in which we view the actions of others? Think about it: are you more able to relate to one who, regardless or race or gender, works a 9-5, goes to class at night, and then goes home to their shoddy studio, to the empty fridge that houses a sole container of leftover Chinese, the only sign of satisfaction that can quell the rumble in the stomach. Or are you more able to relate to the jetsetter who just got back from studying abroad in Nice ("Oh the Riveria is so lovely this time of year!"), who swipes without second thought and the only commonality is the color of your skin? Please do not think that I am not aware of the privileges that are given to whites on the mere basis of such whiteness; if the events of Furgerson have done nothing else, they have shown that the ability to see race as a "non-issue" is only possible if you do not experience the consequences of race on a regular basis. I guess what I want to ask is this: ought we as teachers to be just as concerned about how the "economic diversity" (read: the economic inequality) that exist beyond racial markers work their way into framing our perception of reality? I think we would do well to question that.
ReplyDeleteHi Manny,
ReplyDeleteYour questions are very thought provoking! I've experienced language in the classroom just this morning while I was in Little Village Lawndale: MAS. Being predominately hispanic, majority of the students spoke Spanish. And as students completed their group work, I noticed that they were explaining the material in Spanish. This accommodated many students in terms of their level of reading and writing.
Nice post!
Saarah Mohammed
I agree with Ladson-Billings on culturally relevant teaching. I think capturing the interest of students is very important. A lot of times that interest is captured when material is taught in a relevant matter. At my job I am “tasked” once a week with teaching a group of 40-60 teenagers about a topic ranging from anything like U.S. government to bullying. I have to make my material interesting enough to capture the interest of 60 kids (if not I lose the entire class). Some of the topics are easier to adapt to the teens' interest than others, but I believe it is doable for all of them. I also notice the huge difference in the room when the kids are actually interested in what is being taught. It is the days that I take the time to incorporate their history into the day’s lecture that they are the most engaged. On a busy day, even the smallest incorporation or acknowledgement of their experience/background can make the biggest difference.
ReplyDeleteI think, a lot of times as adults, we fail to recognize that kids are humans too. They are not just receptacles that accept and recite information verbatim. They are individuals capable of learning and developing their own ideas. Engagement is key in creating an environment where students are able to learn and teach others. It is our job to make sure they are provided with that engagement in our lessons. A lot of times that engagement can be achieved through incorporating their experiences, material they like, or by simple things-like letting them use “home language.”
I agree that it seems way easier to read about these strategies than to actually envision them at work in a high school setting; fortunately, I think this is something that we will get better at with time and experience. In one of our readings, in the UbD and DI text, the author talked about how, as teachers, we need to be able to adapt our plans. The author talked about how our lesson plans-are just that "plans"-and like all plans they are subject to change depending on a number of different factors. I think the same can be said about these strategies-we need to figure out ways to modify strategies or create our own so that they'll work in our classrooms with our own particular students (while still align with everything else that is expected of us).
ReplyDeleteI do feel that it is easier to make some subjects more relevant than others, but I do believe it can be done for all; however, to do it everyday does seem a little difficult-but, like I said, I think it's something that gets better with practice and experience.
Hey Manny,
ReplyDeleteI think that being a culturally responsive teacher is a relatively easy thing to do inside of a history classroom, more so than other disciplines. The big issue to contend with would be to not come off as condescending to your students when you try to bring something culturally relevant to your classrooms. As we discussed in class (on Tuesday), being culturally relevant does not mean impersonating a students dialect, or way of speaking. It means finding some aspect of your student's culture or background, and incorporating it into the curriculum at large. I say this is easier to do with history, because you can incorporate the history of movements, groups, ethnicity, language etc into nearly any history unit. I can see how it might be more difficult to do with the sciences or math. Perhaps approaching those subjects through some lens that is important to the student, such as talking about the background of the individuals that made the discoveries would get the student interested (e.g. Curie, a woman, discovered Radium; Fermi, an Italian, lead the experiment to produce the world's first controlled nuclear chain reaction). Just a thought. I am sure others could come up with something much better.