Social Justice Blog Post

In the past, I’ve heard plenty about the upper echelon making most of the money in the nation, and the bottom portion making next to nothing.  The constant references to the haves and the have nots, or keeping up with the Jones, I’ve got those. However, I had not heard it put into terms of an “hourglass economy” (xiv) model, but I guess that is the perfect way to physically demonstrate the idea of the diminishing middle class in America.

The discussion on the hourglass economy was how the President of University of North Carolina introduced this compilation Social Justice, Competition and Quality:21^st Century Leadership Challenges. In the chapter I focused on, “Preparing Educational Leaders in the Pursuit of Social Justice: Practices and Processes for Culturally Proficient Leadership Development” (129), the authors provided their definition of social justice as: “schooling which recognizes and respects fundamental differences in cultural identity and social experiences that place some children and their families at the margins of American culture and society, and which is aimed at removing such barriers which keep them there-not by assimilation (which is social silencing and erasure), but by working to remove the barriers, techniques, beliefs, and practices which put them there in the first place” (129). Holy cow…Dr. Agriss is right…that is a head-nod word. But, I thought they did a pretty good job trying to define that head-nod word.

The article does a good job outline this issues that we have within education regarding social justice. A common phrase of the article is “little is known…” This probably wasn’t the most helpful article for someone trying to get a basic grasp on social justice; it is more of a study and report on studies of social justice, or social injustice rather. Realistically they just repeat over and over that educators need to pay attention to different kinds of students, not ignore their surrounding and how that may affect their education. Educators need to be able to adapt and recognize when certain students have privileges others students don’t.

Interestingly, when they were reporting the results of the graduate students they reported that the most frequently “cited book that influenced students’ critically and cultural proficiency was Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed” (133)…go figure. But in all seriousness, the finding from the students and the information they reported was worth a read. Here is the link to the actual article or “yearbook” rather if anyone is interested.

Critical Pedagogy & Popular Culture in an Urban Secondary English Classroom Post

How very refreshing! I really enjoyed this reading by Duncan-Andrade & Morrell. Based on my limited research and knowledge of education (but soon to change), I feel as though traditionally urban schools have largely been ignored, and obviously this article addresses this very issue. The writing was very clear, and unlike McLaren I didn’t have as many questions remaining after finishing the text.

I believe it’s pretty obvious based on the writing of Duncan-Andrade & Morrell that they are huge believers in discussion as a method of teaching, and against the horrific banking method for teaching. They want the students to be critical thinkers, not just take information in because some book said it or it was on the syllabus but to analyze and critique.

My favorite line of the whole reading is, “Nothing promotes border crossing or tolerance more than helping students to arrive at an implicit understanding of what they share in common with those they have been taught to perceive as different” (186). I really liked this line because so much of moving past obstacles is acceptance. Immediately, when I read this line I thought of the scene in the classroom of the movie The Freedom Writers when the students step up to the line as the teacher asks them questions. The students quickly see that they are no so different than their classmates in many ways. It was a very powerful and touching scene. But I digress…

I really appreciated that the authors gave us examples of their syllabus and what they actually taught in the classrooms. It was nice to have an idea of what was successful in their classrooms, and how they varied from a typical syllabus to fit the classroom of an urban school. And how they advised educators to not shy away from using influential films, but to be wary of the reactions that may occur. Of course, now with today’s CCSS’s we know that educators are expected to use all forms of learning in the classroom so there is less of a negative connotation in using films now (I would imagine).

I could continue on about the additional things I enjoyed about this article but I will conclude with the other line from the reading that struck a cord with me, “He also shows very clearly that not only are the schools of the urban poor unequal, but they are in many cases inadequate and physically and psychologically unhealthy places for anyone’s children to attend” (189). The authors discussed this when comparing the metropolitan schools versus the urban schools. It brings to mind the question of in what ways exactly were they unfit? And, finally how the hell am I going to ensure that none of my students feel that way about my educational institution.

Peter McLaren: Critical Pedagogy: A Look at the Major Concepts Response

Peter McLaren and Critical Pedagogy…was not the easiest author or subject to read and comprehend. There were definitely a lot of questions posed, and I feel as though I never really got an answer to any of them. I am anxious to hear other classmate’s responses to this article so we can discuss, and hopefully I can better comprehend.

Though I ended up having a lot of questions, I did learn quite a about the different kinds of knowledge. I found the section on “Forms of Knowledge” interesting and enjoyed my introduction to emancipatory knowledge. I agree with the idea of taking into account a person’s social relationships and how that “distort[s] and manipulate[s] relations of power and privilege” (McLaren 64) especially in relation to education and understanding students. Too often, it seems like these factors are ignored when educators are discussing ideals or standards for students as a whole. Just this weekend I was discussing the CCSS’s with two current teachers. One is a high school teacher and the other a Special Education teacher at the elementary school level. They are in favor of the standards but think some of them to be unrealistic standards for the types of kids they are teaching (in certain ways).

A complaint I do have about this article is that it would have been helpful to have more modern day examples. When McLaren was explaining the importance of subculture and what it can be used for, “subculture movements reflect a crisis within dominant society, rather than a unified mobilization against it” (66) he tried to use hippies as an example. I would have liked to have had another more recent example to help define a subculture movement even more. This article (from my understanding) was published in 2009 and there are plenty other examples that could help articulate the importance of subculture for a reader requiring additional explanation.

A compliment I have of the article was the section on ideology. I thought McLaren did an exceptional job in this section explaining ideology and how it relates to hegemony. He clearly lays out the negatives and positives of ideology which seems to be clearer than other sections of his work.

Overall, this was not my favorite article to read. I think I actually took away more reading Paulo Freire’s work than McLaren’s. But, it could just mean I need some help understanding through discussion.

Paulo Freire: Pedagogy of the Oppressed Response

While reading the work by Paulo Freire I was constantly reminded of our Discussion as a Way of Teaching text. As I stated in my earlier post, I am a huge advocate of using discussion in the classroom, and as a teaching method in general. So many great things happen when people open up and talk to one another. The problem-posing education technique explained in Freire’s work clearly supports the notion of using discussion as a teaching mechanism.  Freire says, “The pursuit of full humanity, however, cannot be carried out in isolation or individualism, but only in fellowship and solidarity” (Freire, Chapter 2). Basically, Freire is explaining that we have to talk to one another (discussion) for people to reach the desired level of humanity explained in the text.

I enjoyed reaching Freire’s interpretations of the banking concept approach to education and how those differed with the problem-posing approach to education. It seems so obvious to me the method of problem-posing is clearly better for the students. But, then again, we are fortunate as students and teacher candidates that we are in time when education is revolutionizing and beginning to change.

Much of the information touched on in this article takes me back to conversations we have already had in class. I feel as though just in our short time in the Teaching Literature to Adolescents class we have addressed many of these topics. Such as: using discussion in teaching, relating the material back to student’s own lives, being not just teachers but student-teachers, and the students being teacher-students. Maybe that is a testament to our class’ desire for knowledge and ability to hit on hot topics within education just in a short time of meeting already.

I really liked the idea that the student’s growth was never finished. It was acceptable that human beings are equipped with “a likewise unfinished reality” (Freire, Chapter 2). It reminds me of a good book you never want to end, except in this case it is the student’s learning and desire to be unfinished and uncompleted, that will never end. This results in a lifetime of learning, an important goal for all members of our society.

Common Core State Standards (CCSS's) Response

Reading the CCSS’s was not the most amazing time I have ever had, but it was not all that bad either. Aside from a brief introduction in my Composition class, this was my first time delving into the actual text of the CCSS’s. I won’t say interesting is the word I would use but…informative…maybe?

The standards appear pretty straight forward in their description though there not exactly specific guidelines to measure accomplishment by. Based on the recollection of my K-12 schooling the standards look as if they are consistent with everything my teachers attempted at teaching me. In a way though, it seems almost impossible to teach all your students that material, as well as getting them all to a level of competency where they are average or above at completing those tasks. But, I guess that is one of the challenges of teaching. I am not sure, at this point, what the exact state requirements are for what materials must be taught but the CCSS’s give the impression they are congruent with those requirements. I would assume that was something they considered in implementing these regulations.

I liked the fact that the first draft of the CCSS’s was produced in 2009. This allowed for a trial and error period, and gave the creators time to make adjustments where needed. The most helpful part of the whole website, in the opinion of an inexperienced pseudo-teacher, was the appendices. They had examples from students which helped to highlight just exactly what they were looking for or striving to correct. I found that section very helpful for someone not quite comfortable yet with the actual expectations of each grade level.

The section within each grade level that surprised me the most was the Integration of Knowledge and Ideas section. I was impressed that beginning in grade 6 they asked teachers to compare material by using different mediums of reading, listening and watching (RL 6.7). I know that was something that I don’t remember having much variation on in my middle school classes. Another thing I noticed was the specific introduction of the Bible in RL 8.9. I was curious to know what age level the CCSS’s would consider appropriate to introduce religious material into literature studies.

Grades K-5 standards were “cute.” I enjoyed that they called Kindergarten reading material “text.” It kind of made me giggle. I guess that is an appropriate label for their material, but it is not often I hear See Spot Run being referred to as “text.”  

"Discussion as a Way of Teaching" Post

Although I have always been an advocate of discussion-based classes, after reading “Discussion as a Way of Teaching,” I am even more adamant about my classroom being primary discussion based. The article simply presents far too many positives in favor of using discussion in classrooms, not to mention the way of life, to not implement the practice.

The second chapter highlighted how discussion brings the classroom to life and this is where I found some of the most interesting material. Bullet number eight under the benefits of using discussion explored the idea of preventing students from losing their voice and being exceptive of all experiences. To me, the most interesting topic in the paragraph was discussing students’ experiences versus knowledge. Brookfield and Preskill state, “They denigrate their personal experiences in deference to ‘book knowledge,’ which seems codified legitimated, somehow ‘more true’ than individual stories “ (23). This statement identified with me so vividly because I find myself often doing the same thing. I defer my own “knowledge” or experiences because information that states otherwise came from a book or official study. I liked how they identified this as a real concern for students in discussions and did not simply overlook it classifying it as trivial or something only the minority of people thought.

Another aspect I appreciated about this article was the honesty of the writers. For example, they discussed how important using memories and personal experiences were to the conversation topics. I agree with this statement, they probably highlighted it more than I expected them to in actuality. Though experience is identified as something very important to discussion Brookfield and Preskill made sure to add a disclaimer. They advocated for it’s serious inclusion in the conversation but also warned, “Experience is problematic. It is constructed by us as much as it happens to us” (24). This article was great in the sense it really affirmed my belief in using discussion as much as possible, but it was realistic about it’s limitations, and also offered some solutions to counteract those limitations. Most importantly they advertised that the use of discussion was not perfect but ever changing and continuing to improve and evolve.

Introductory Letter Post

Hello, my name is Shelby Ramirez. I am a post-baccalaureate student at EWU currently enrolled in ENGL 493 Teaching Literature to Adolescents. I am a teacher candidate and hoping to be part of the MIT cohort at EWU in the summer. Currently, I have no official student teaching experience in the classroom, but I have coached basketball at the high school and collegiate levels for several years. It was from my experience coaching that lead me into the world of teaching.

I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Puget Sound in Business Administration. It turns out those classes are not very helpful when you decide you want to become an English teacher. I began my English endorsement work last semester at a different university, and now am a full-time student at Eastern. I plan to finish my endorsement classes over the next two quarters before entering the MIT program this summer. I also have a M.Ed from the University of Washington, which was a great experience and continued to help me learn my true passion for teaching.

One of my strengths as a potential teacher of English Language Arts is my ability to make connections with students. Through coaching, I was able to recognize that I had an ability to gain students’ trust and they often sought me out for advice. Another strength I have is that I care about the kids. I understand this doesn’t sound like a ”strength” in the traditional use of the word, but I have found that far too often people who become teachers really don’t care about the kids, or even like them. I do. The ability to care about the kids and the fact I really do like kids, are huge strengths that not all teacher candidates posses.

A weakness I would really like to overcome in this class is being confident in my knowledge, and portraying that in a public setting. When I am knowledgeable about a topic, I feel comfortable discussing it with many people, but sometimes it takes me extra long to build that confidence required for public speaking.  That is my main goal for this class, is to improve my delivery and how I present to a larger group of people.