One Step Closer- Blog Post #3

More Than Lesson Plans:  Bartolome, "Beyond the Methods Fetish"

Argument and Beyond: Bartolome argues that today's methods are not a realistic approach to teaching children from different cultural backgrounds.  She backs this argument up with a lot of evidence and alternative processes to teaching and learning.  This author also claims that much of our methods we use have a blanket effect as to whom is truly in power and the various tactics used to ensure this will remain as it always has been.  Bartolome urges teachers to fight the power quite literally and take control back of our classrooms and do what is right.  I think that as educators we all want to do what is right.  Delpit provides us with evidence from research that we can use for the "change" while Johnson made an attempt to do so.  For the first time during these readings, I started to read the "hows".  This author provided us concrete practices that can be implemented in the classroom that have been proven to work.  I find it both absurd and reassuring that these articles were written twenty years ago and are finally starting to be used in the classroom.  One of the methods they discuss is cooperative learning.  I used cooperative learning at least three times per week with a heterogeneous setting.  This truly seemed to work because I often saw my "underachieving" students take leadership roles and in essence teach the others in the group.  I wanted so badly to go over in front of the groups and give these students a high-five, but I waited until after class.  I learned as much from this as they did.  I don't know when we as teachers started to think our practices are automatically the best practices and I think Bartolome echoes throughout the article that we must continue our quest for learning as this directly correlates to our teaching.  It is like that saying goes, "learning is talking teaching is listening".  We need to listen to our students and listen to those that know how to reach these learners.  Perhaps we do have to fight the power after all. 

Quote #1:

"The usually assume that 1) they as teachers are fine and do not need to identify, interrogate, and change their biased beliefs and fragmented views about subordinated students. 2) Schools, as institutions, are basically fair and democratic sites where all students are provided with similar if not equal treatment and learning conditions 3) children who experience academic difficulties ( especially those from culturally and linguistically low-status groups) require some form of "special" instruction since they obviously have not been able to succeed under "regular" or "normal" instructional conditions."(pg. 174) 

I was one of these teachers my first few months of teaching.  This was until I had a 25% percent Latino demographic in my classroom.  I had to find a way to teach these learners.  Some of them were newly English speaking learners while others were bilingual their whole lives.  The responsibility would surely be on me as administration said to be myself and love the kids like I had been.  While it's important to care for and respect your students it isn't enough.  These children had the right to a safe and secure learning environment which would bring them to their greatest potential, but how? It was  a combination of cooperative learning, author chair ( they choose the format of writing based on a theme with the first drafts being graphic organizers and then get to "tell" their story the way they choose), and many other things that I tried.  Some strategies were very successful while others were not.  There was a lot of reflection happening and I had to admit to myself that I need to change the way I teach to meet these learners.  It is not an easy thing to do, but it is the right thing to do.  I can't stand the word normal so I have an issue with that.  It is all about perspective in my opinion.  Who are we to say what it regular or normal? 

Quote #2:

"Teachers working on improving their political clarity recognize that teaching is not a politically neutral undertaking." (pg. 178)

When I read Johnson, I started to pick up on these political foundations in the educational institutions.  Delpit certainly confirmed this for me with her "culture of power".  To be frank, it just isn't fair.  This goes against everything in our hearts as educators.  We are suppose to teach children, ALL children.  But how when the stakes are against them and the people in charge set up a system that will ensure that these students remain where they are.  As teachers we will have to take over our own classrooms for these students.  Is there any other way but to be a rebel?

Quote #3:

"More recent research offers alternative models that shift the source of school failure away from the characteristics of the individual child, their families, and their cultures, and toward the schooling process". (pg. 181)

There is much to be said about such a small quote.  First, I am glad that research has been done in this context although it was twenty years ago.  I can only hope there is research being conducted now by the people in power so that actual changes will occur.  It isn't fair to blame families for what has happened.  Every single one of us has heritage and culture and it is our right to maintain that.  This should be viewed as a positive thing, not a reason to blame.  So perhaps it is our views as a society that must change first.  The "culture of power" is what needs to change.  All of us should be given the same fighting chance.  It is so close-minded to think otherwise.  I know that all teachers including myself have much more learning to do in these matters. 



The link below was entertaining to me for the simple fact that I didn't know there was a male privilege feed on Twitter.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/14/white-male-privilege-twitter_n_1884502.html


I found the link below useful in regards to various lessons that have been implemented in the classroom.

http://www.tolerance.org/activities

 

 

I

 

 

 

 

I am consistently confronted at the

beginning of each semester by students who are anxious to learn the latest teaching

methods

— methods that they hope will somehow magically work on minority

students.3 Although my students are well-intentioned individuals who sincerely

wish to create positive learning environments for culturally and

linguistically subordinated students, they arrive with the expectation that I will

provide them with easy answers in the form of specific instructional methods.