Relationships Matter!

Laura Nardozzi
Literary Luminator and Creative Connector

 Blog 8- Chapter 7

"Learning is a complex process that cannot be explained simply by focusing on culture and language, or on changes in pedagogy and curriculum"-pg 185

I picked this quote because I feel that for me it holds the most truth in what I am coming to understand about teaching. Essentially, there is not just one secret to being a great teacher. Being a great teacher means being a great student yourself and constantly striving to learn as much as you can to help your students succeed in the classroom as well as in society.

"Along with individual characteristics and dispositons, learning also is heavily influenced by social, cultural and political forces that are largely beyond the control of individuals."- pg 187

It is important to remember that in addition to knowing our students as individuals, we must also use what we can learn about their culture and social backgrounds to help us understand what influences them in the classroom. This is Sonia's message throughout the book: know the individual, but also know the groups they belong to and use that information accordingly.

"The nature of teacher-student relationships is central to student learning"- pg 188

Along with understanding a student, building a personal relationship with each student is equally if not more important. It is one thing to know about your students, it is another to truly know your students. Without a trusting relationship, a child cannot be expected to bring his or her full potential and intrinsic motivation.

"If there is one thing that has become apparent throughout this book, it is that there is no simple formula for increasing student learning."- pg 196

Again, Sonia's message sums up what I am learning about education. There is no secret. There are skill and techniques that we can acquire over the course of our career, but everyday we are growing and learning something new. With each student that we come into contact with we can take with us a new experience that will help us to constantly develop ourselves as educators.

Educating Our Future

Blog 8, Chapter 7 - Essence Extractor AND Rigorous Researcher - Elizabeth

Essence:

"...schools need to become just[,] ... empowering environments for all students" (Nieto, 1999, p. 174).

Research:

For additional information on how to address (your) white privilege, I highly recommend exploring some of the readings listed below. Shawne and I are also taking EDU 501 this semester, and our professor has designed the entire course around the systemic forces that dictate how our classrooms and schools currently function, and on the large scale, how roles and stereotypes are as influential as they are in our society and our country.

Delpit, L. (1998). The silenced dialogue: Power and pedagogy in educating other people's children. Harvard Educational Review, 58(3).

Kivel, P. (2002). How White People Can Serve as Allies to People of Color in the Struggle to End Racism. In P. Rothenberg (Ed.), White privilege: Essential readings on the other side of racism (pp. 127-135). New York: Worth Publishing, Ltd.

McIntosh, P. (2007). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. New York: Worth Publishers.

Selbin, E. (2010). Revolution, rebellion, resistance: The power of story. London: Zed Books Ltd.

Wildman, S. and Adrienne Davis. (2000).  Language and silence: Making systems of privilege visible. M. Adams, et. al. (Eds.). New York: Routledge.

I have .pdf files for these readings and many others. If you are interested, let me know, and I will gladly email them to you. We have also explored, in depth, classism, sexism, ableism, and the issues that face students of minority cultures.

Understanding the Light in their Eyes

Shawne Murphy
Blog 8
Chapter 7
Vocabulary Vitalizer AND Idea Illustrator

Vocabulary Vitalizer:

Micro-level Issues – cultures, languages, and experiences of students and their families and how they are taken into account in determining school practices and policies

Macro-level Issues – racial, social class and gender stratification that helps maintain inequality, and the resources and access to learning that are provided or denied by schools

School Reform – antiracist and anti-bias, reflects an understanding of all students as having talents and strengths that can enhance education, individuals connected with students should have a meaningful connection with student, high expectations, rigorous standards for all learners, empowerment and justice.

Institutional Power – institutions that are more powerful than individuals, develop harmful policies and practices that victimize powerless groups

Block Scheduling – the realignment of school schedules in middle and secondary schools from 40-minute slots of 1-1/2-, 2- or 3-hour-long segments.  Students are allowed more time to tackle important issues, teachers can form significant relationships with students and teachers can work with one another.

Idea Illustrator:

“We also must pay attention to relationships among students, teachers and families; to the identification and connection that students feel with schools; to the cultural and social realities of students’ lives; and to the economic and political context in which schools exist” (Nieto, 2010, p. 184).



“Teachers who begin by first learning about their students and then building on their students’ talents and strengths change dramatically the nature of the teaching/learning dynamic and the climate in which education take place” (Nieto, 2010, p. 192).



“When teachers understand the light in the eyes of their students as evidence that they are capable and worthy human beings, then schools can become places of hope and affirmation for students of all backgrounds and all situations” (Nieto, 2010, p. 197).



Education: A Reciprocal Connection among Students, Teachers and Curriculum

Christina Trovato
Blog 8 - Chapter 7 - Rigorous Researcher and Essence Extractor


Essence Extractor:

When teachers SEE their students as capable and worthy human beings, then schools become places of hope and belonging for students of all backgrounds.

  

Rigorous Researcher:

 "School Reform that is Antiracist and Antbias"...p.190

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isCiIp6uth8

Anti-racism includes beliefs, actions, movements, and policies adopted or developed to oppose racism. In general, anti-racism is intended to promote an egalitarian society in which people do not face discrimination on the basis of their race, however defined. By its nature, anti-racism tends to promote the view that racism in a particular society is both pernicious and socially pervasive, and that particular changes in political, economic, and/or social life are required to eliminate it.

The anti-bias curriculum is an activist approach which its proponents claim challenges forms of what they deems prejudices, such as racism, sexism, ableism/disablism, ageism, homophobia, and other –isms. Anti-bias curriculum has a strong relationship to multiculturalism curriculum and its implementation; the most notable difference between these two theories and practices is the age of the intended audience.

Teaching is never about what you "know." It's about how you RELATE.

Blog 7, Chapter 6 - Literary Luminator AND Essence Extractor - Elizabeth

Literary Luminator:

"Education is a political act...it concerns decisions and actions that bear on who and what and how we teach, and ... in whose interest we teach...it focuses in a central way on questions of power, privilege, and access" (Nieto, 1999, p. 131).

Our curriculum is designed in such a way that the dominant social group in America - white, Anglo Saxon Protestants, of middle class or higher SES - is almost always represented. Traditionally, educators have embraced this curriculum because it is "comfortable" for them. They have found it effective and appropriate because it generally reaches and meets the needs of the white students being targeted as receivers of the knowledge. However, when minority groups are presented with the same curriculum, even by the most talented instructors with modern education in best practice, they are failed because they lack the power, privilege, and access to the same history as their white peers.

"It is quite easy to be on the winning team and not ask how it is that you're winning" (Nieto, 1999, p. 141).

Dan Ruiz reflects on his Puerto Rican heritage is this quote, and illustrates his experiences with white individuals that often fail to recognize their "unearned" privileges and their power in today's society. 

"...what is needed is not simply peers who support one another - important as this may be - but also peers who debate, critique, and challenge one another to go beyond their current ideas and practices" (Nieto, 1999, p. 160).

I have noticed that I learn most from colleagues and peers that do not share the same points of view that I possess. I do enjoy sharing ideas, plans, and approaches with like-minded individuals, but I am challenged by the others to consider alternative perspectives. Even when I disagree with their opinions, I can accept that their experiences and frames of reference often position them in such a way that their beliefs and values "make sense" much like mine "make sense" in my world, as a result of my experiences.
 
Essence:

Teachers need to learn ABOUT and WITH their students.

What is your Identity

Shawne Murphy
Blog 7 Chapter 6
Creative Connector and Vocabulary Vitalizer

Creative Connector:

“Teachers first need to understand and accept their own diversity and delve into their own identities before they can learn about and from their students” (Nieto, 2010, p. 157).

As a teacher, it is highly important to be comfortable, understanding and proud of your own identity.  Until I reached college, I was unsure about my own identity, and it all became real to me when I was placed in my first urban school district and I had the ability to see my future right before my eyes.  I was interacting with student’s that wanted to know anything and everything about me and that’s when it hit, I do have my own personal identity and I am comfortable to share it with others because it is who I am and I should not be ashamed. 

“Teaching and learning need to be thought of as reciprocal processes in which students become teachers and teachers become students…teachers become actively engaged in learning through their interactions with students” (Nieto, 2010, p. 166).

Teaching is always a learning process no matter what position you are in; teacher or student.  I find it essential to plan and have activities that are engaging for the students where I can participate alongside my students.  I believe it is a great learning experience when you can share it with your students and not always be in the center of the classroom relaying knowledge through lecture and presentation.  Students are more apt to take an interest when learning is fun and engaging.

“Students are empowered as learners when they can identify with school and with their teachers…” (Nieto, 2010, p. 175).

Identity is an important aspect to every individual in the classroom setting.  I had a great experience in a third grade classroom in an urban setting where I was able to create connections with my students to where I understood their identity and the hardships that they had to go through on a daily basis just to be in school and learn.  Once the students knew that I respected them and their thoughts and ideas about school and work, they had trust in me and would actively participate in engaging activities that were planned.  I took the time to get to know the students and in return, they took the time to participate. 

Vocabulary Vitalizer:

Education is a Political Act – it concerns decisions and actions that bear on who and what and how we teach and also in whose interest we teach.  It focuses in a central way on questions of power, privilege and access (p. 157).

Hard Talk – Far ranging discussions about race, racism, privilege and the negative impact they have on bicultural children (p. 158).

Students of their Students – Teachers need to make a commitment to their students in which they learn about their students and create spaces in which teachers can learn with their students and in which students are encouraged to learn about themselves and one another (p. 166).

Cultural Synchronization – Teachers need to learn what can help their students learn and then change their teaching accordingly (p. 161).

Equity Pedagogy – Challenges the very structure of schools, involving seemingly natural and neutral practice’s such as teaching and disciplining practices (p. 181).

Christina Trovato
Blog 7 - Chapter 6

Vocabulary Vitalizer & Idea Illustrator

• "This pedagogical stance, what Cherry McGee Banks and James Banks (1995a) have called an equity pedagogy, challenges the very structure of schools, including seemingly natural and neutral practices such as tracking and disciplinary policies" (p.181).

Equity Pedagogy -  Using different teaching styles to meet the diverse needs of your students.

     Nieto is mentioned in this online article as well as the concept of equity pedagogy :)
http://www.education.com/reference/article/multicultural-education/

• "She developed the concept of cultural synchronization to describe this relationship. Cultural synchronization assumes both integrity and humility; it cannot be either deceptive or artificial donning of cultural values. Rather, it means that teachers need to learn what can help their students learn, and then change their teaching accordingly." (p. 167)

Cultural Synchronization - The act of multiple cultures interacting at the same time.

 This article helps show how to diversify your classroom for many different learners
http://cdtl.nus.edu.sg/link/Nov2004/le.htm

• "I have argued elsewhere (Nieto, 1996) that to become a multicultural teacher, one needs to become a multicultural person first. (p.177)

Multicultural - relating to, or including several cultures.
Many definitions are listed in this website :)
http://www.nameorg.org/resolutions/definition.html

 

To provide for equity and equal access for all teachers, access is provided with a computer and internet access...anytime, anywhere! ALL students benefit from TEACHERS having access to the Learning Bridges® System Tools

Power=Domination, Empowerment=Liberation

Laura Nardozzi
Blog 6, Ch. 5
Essence Extractor, Literary Luminator

"...while power is implicated in both, in domination it is used to control, and in empowerment it is used to liberate."- pg. 132

I really felt this quote was very direct yet eye opening. I feel that this says a lot of the English language and the ability to use the same word to mean two completely opposite things. This seems to happen a lot in our language, I wonder if there is any meaning behind that?

"Multicultural education as practiced in many schools has little to do with critical pedagogy and empowerment; in many cases, it is reduced to only a celebratory approach."- pg 133

I believe this is important to remember as educators. Some teachers believe that because they hold an "international foods day" or recognize MLK Jr day that they are somehow supporting a multicultural classroom. I'm sure many of us have experienced this false representation at some point in our educations.

"A bridge provides access to a different shore without closing off the possibility of returning home; a bridge is built on solid ground but soars towards the heavens; a bridge connects two places that otherwise might never be able to meet."- pg. 141

This quote reminds me of a movie that I saw when I was a little girl. The premise of the movie is that the white people live on one side of the town and the black people live on the other. There is a bridge in that seperates the two towns but because of racial hatred, someone burns down the bridge. The main character in the movie is a young black girl named Polly and she comes in bright eyed and befriends an old white woman. Long story short, the little girl brings the town together after she is injured and the two sides decide to rebuild the bridge as a symbol of the reuniting of the two cultures. I believe it was called Polly, based on the book Pollyanna.

Essence: Critical pedagogy, empowerment and multicultural education are directly interrelated concepts.

The Multicultural Education

Shawne Murphy
Chapter 5
Blog 6
Rigorous Researcher AND Literary Luminator

Rigorous Researcher:

Multicultural Education is an area of study that has been implemented in order to increase the equality of all students.  Multicultural education fosters the differences between students including cultural differences, economic and social class, ethnicity, race, language and gender.  Multicultural education is on the rise in education and the following statistics have proven it to be true:

-          37% or 1 out of every 3 students are considered to be of racial or ethnic minority backgrounds

-          By 2020 44% of students will be minorities

-          By 2050 54% of students will be minorities

-          The amount of minority students in school has increased by 73% over the last 25 years

Statistics on Multicultural Education. (2010, December 11). Educational Psychology [Multicultural Education]. Retrieved March 7, 2011, from https://sites.google.com/site/educationalpyschology/statistics-on-multicultural-education

Literary Luminator:

“Building on students’ strengths means, first, acknowledging that students have significant experiences, insights, and talents to bring to their learning, and, second, finding ways to use them in the classroom” (Nieto, 2010, p. 136).

All students come into the classroom setting with previous knowledge and a thirst to learn more.  In order to be able to add into the students thirst for knowledge as educators, we need to find out what they students are interested in, what talents they have, and how they learn.  With the information that we learn, we need to take it and find ways to incorporate the student’s interests and learning styles into the classroom setting and our teaching styles.

“Critical pedagogy begins where students are at; it is based on using students’ present reality as a foundation for further learning rather than doing away with or belittling what they know and who they are” (Nieto,, 2010, p. 131).

Just like all students come into the classroom setting with background knowledge and a thirst for new knowledge, they also come into the classroom with a different level of knowledge and understanding.  We need to find out where they students are based on their knowledge in order to continue learning and enhance upon the students knowledge.  We cannot look down upon our students based on the information that they do not know.

“…she turned her classroom into ‘problem posing forums’ in which the issues that were important to students became the focus of the curriculum” (Nieto, 2010, p. 142).

Students become more interested in the classroom environment and classroom discussions when the topic being covered relates to their own personal lives and society that they belong to.  When bringing in current societal issues, the students are more apt to participate and become active in the classroom because they may have strong feelings. 

Learning and Developing a Role in the World

Christina Trovato
Blog 6  - Chapter 5

Creative Connector:


"Encouraging these kinds of conversations is a message to students that the classroom belongs to them also because they are places where meaningful dialogue can occur around issues that are central to students' lives. And when students feel that the classrooms belong to them as well as the teachers, they are free to learn." p. 146

I thought this was an interesting concept discussed in the reading. Teachers may feel certain topics are very touchy to discuss in the classroom but some should be talked about as students are dealing with it throughout their day. This reminded me of a class lesson on bullying in fourth grade. This was an emerging issue at the time in my school and pretending like it hadn't been happening or correcting a few students would not fix the problem. We talked about how it affects those who are being bullied, what is bullying and why people may result to bullying others. This was an effective manner which created a closer community in the classroom. Connecting the daily lives of the students to their academic learning is necessary.

  "Although the "family roots" activity is always informative and engaging , it's purpose is not to delve voyeuristically into the private lives of course participants. Rather, it is to use this experience of uncovering and revealing their own identities to think about how their students' identities are constructed, negotiated, and reflected, or not, in schools." p. 140

Getting to know yourself and how you build your own identity, will help understand how many students' develop their own cultural identities. In one of my graduate classes we had begun our first day by participating in different activities which divided us on our strengths and weaknesses based on our experiences, what we like to do in our spare time and other aspects about ourselves. This ice-breaking activity helped me understand and see how to build classroom community through concepts of affirmation, contribution, power etc.

"Viewing multicultural education critically complicates the question of pedagogy and curriculum; it encourages teachers who are interested in trans formative education to rethink what and how they teach, and to constantly question their decisions." p.135

This I thought was interesting, I feel this is very important as a teacher. The teacher's role is to meet the needs of the students not just merely teach content. Being self-reflective is a crucial behavior that allows teachers to see what had happened in the classroom, what worked and what did not. Teachers must not blame students for issue in the classroom but reflect on how certain strategies had been used and if they had been executed effectively. I am constantly reflecting on what I can do next time in order to improve my lessons because every lesson can be tweaked.

Essence Extractor:

Actively engaging students in content and connecting to their daily lives should be a goal for all teachers.

"A picture is worth a thousand words."

Blog 6, Chapter 5 - Vocabulary Vitalizer AND Idea Illustrator - Elizabeth

Key Terms:

critical pedagogy: an approach through which students and teachers engage in learning as a mutual encounter with the world; critical pedagogy implies praxis: developing the important social action predispositions and attitudes that are the backbone of a democratic society, and learning to use them to help alter patterns of domination and oppression (Nieto, 1999, p. 103-104)

critical education: expects students to engage in learning with others, to be curious, to questions, and to become problem solvers (in contrast to banking education, domesticating education, previously discussed) (Nieto, 1999, p. 104)

empowerment: the purpose and the outcome of critical pedagogy; the other side of the coin of domination - domination is power over and implicated with violence, selfishness, hierarchy, and victimization; empowerment is power with (Nieto, 1999, p. 105)

sociocultural mediators: educations who take their responsibilities for working with students of diverse backgrounds seriously (Nieto, 1999, p. 115)

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Images for Reflection:

"...teachers need to ... acknowledge ... differences and ... act as a bridge between their students' differences and the culture of the dominant society" (Nieto, 1999, p. 115).

"...learning begins when students begin to see themselves as competent, capable, and worthy of learning" (Nieto, 1999, p. 123).

"...when teachers view their role as sociocultural mediators, they communicate to their students a deep respect for their particular cultural knowledge (Nieto, 1999, p. 115).