Monday, June 15, 2009
Blog #4
It's time to move forward from theory to practice! For this blog, please share a suggestion for a possible multicultural/social justice activity that could be incorporated in your future work with students. It could be a lesson or exercise specifically focused on diversity issues or a way to blend this message into the existing curriculum. Please do not visit a website to cut and paste someone else's work... design your own! Here's a chance to share your creative genius with others!
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This may not share my creative genius - but, from my experience, young children love to listen to stories. Also children like to feel included. One way that I plan to blend this message into classes for young children is by using stories about characters that have been excluded because of who they are. This gives children an opportunity to imagine themselves in someone else's shoes. I could ask the children to draw a picture about how they would feel and then if they choose, to share with the class. We could share any real life situations when we felt excluded, talk about why we were excluded and brainstorm ways to handle situations from stories or personal life so no one feels excluded.
ReplyDeleteAnother way may be to encourage young children to find something about themselves that is unique and then share our uniqueness in positives ways.
Even though it is my plan to get a PhD and teach at the college level, I still hope to teach for a couple of years at the high school level to gain some experience I can apply to my teaching philosophy.
ReplyDeleteThe digital age is here, and with that comes opportunities for students to see the world and their own communities in a way they may have never imagined. As a teacher I hope to take a digital tour or digital field trip with my students at least once a week. This will include finding a website that has video footage and historical background on a certain place, (like the Pyramids of Egypt or historic Williamsburg, VA) showing my students these places, and applying it to the unit we are studying. Visual and interactive learning are always great ways to encourage students to actively learn.
Where does social justice education tie into this? Webcam is a fascinating invention, visually and verbally connecting people oceans apart with the click of a button. I would like to coordinate with a teacher from another location (preferably in a place far different than the school I am teaching in) in order to connect our two classrooms to discuss topics regarding social justice education. Perhaps the other teacher and I can coordinate debates and discussions between the two classes, or students could share with the others how their experiences have shaped who they are.
An activity like this would allow students an opportunity to see and interact with peers their age, but they may be thousands of miles apart. It will help students feel connected yet understand that there is a great big world out there with all different kinds of people, and that each of us is equal.
I think that utilizing guest speakers is a great way to show children that people come from all walks of life have stories to tell. I want to teach at the elementary level and I believe by bringing in guest speakers throughout the school year not just during special events like Black History Month, will help my students to feel included in our class and school. If there is a large population of students that are Hispanic we need to have speakers, parents, and community members come that read to the class in different languages, or cook food from the particular region those kids are from. Through providing a group of guest speakers that speak to the needs of the students in my class and school they will begin to see opportunities for their future and identify with other students in the class.
ReplyDeleteThis is just a quick post and not really answering the blog topic fully, so I'll be posting again later... I am going to teach high school English - one thing I plan to share with all my students are copies of some of the laws which outlawed the teaching of reading and writing to slaves as a way to talk about what is it that is threatening about the ability to read and write which motived groups in power to pass these sorts of laws (I'll be talking about restrictions in teaching women, etc., as well). What is it about the ability to share voices that can be threatening...this is half formed right now, forgive me, but I want my students to get to the point where they do start to reflect on what it means to have a voice and not have a voice...and what responsibilities we have to use our voices...
ReplyDeleteAlthough I did discuss this with my partner tonight in class, I would like to truly try role-switching in my classroom at least for a day or a few days to see what the impact is. I would like to intentionally cater to the minorities... read only minority literature, speak in Spanish and only translate directional insstructions, quote only minority leaders. I imagine having the kids walk in to a totally transformed classroom - the only people on the walls are of minorities, the minority student's work is highlighted and referenced as the "model" and we move at a pace that is best for them; quicker than normal b/c now that the curriculum is designed around them they will have more of an opportunity to excel. I would also like to design a mock SAT with only questions from Minority cultures and examples that are provided from a minority perspective only. I would like to do the "experiment" for a week and see how it goes, have the kids journal about it, and then essentially let THEM decide that things should not return to "normal" but that the curriculum should be designed so all are accomodated. My hope is that the privileged/advantaged students would realize what the "other" goes through and therefore be more willing to help bridge the gap, and ultimately more respectful of differences and systems that oppress people
ReplyDeleteI realize that I will probably get phone calls from parents... but I hope to welcome these, as they will be an opportunity for more dialogue to take place, and therefore (hopefully, ideally) more change!
I have also been thinking all along about making kids more accountable. I am not sure what age I want to teach - my degree is in English but I love elementary school kids; I have experience with pre-schoolers but do crave the intellectual atmosphere of the upper grades. Ideally, I'd like to teach at the college level but realize that high school may be the best option for me now... but we'll see. Back to making kids accountable: I am sure I'm not the only one that's thought of this as well: making kids grades dependent on each other. In other words: you're only as strong as your weakest link - which is a horrible saying, I know. but maybe this would help the kids understand learning as more of a community commitment and a process of teaching and learning. If at least a few of their grades were dependent on how well they helped each other to come up with a final product, this would cause cooperation and may help students from different classes/races/etc to work together... i.e. translations for Spanish students would become a priority for all instead of only one. I know there is probably some angle on this that says it will cause more discrimination and that it borders on "unfair" but i really think it will push the envelope enough and thus help students develop a sense of community accountability.
Just some thoughts - let me know what you think or if you've tried it/similar things and how it turned out for you.
I am thinking about the exceptional education classroom that I want to design and about the students with whom I now work as an inclusion assistant when I think about an activity for my students. I would like to do an activity that has each student study an accomplished individual who has the same (or as similar as possible) learning or behavioral disability that he or she has.
ReplyDeletePrior to the lesson, I would do research in the local community to find people who could serve as models for the students. I would also look for more "famous" people.
In the lesson, I would present each of my students with products of the "model" person's accomplishments (music, art, inventions, discoveries, books written, songs written, etc.) for them to become familiar with.(At this point, I would not tell them about the person's "disability".) Then I would ask that student to guess what kind of grades or success in education they think that individual had when he or she was about the same age as my student. Then I would present the student with information (that I had previously gathered) about that person when he or she was at the age that my student is at the time of the lesson (or as close as possible). The information might be in video or written form.
If any of the people studied were available to visit, I would have them come to the class (or have a field trip to their work place so the students could meet them and ask them about their experiences in school and life. If the person is famous, the student would be encourage to write to the "model" to ask about that person's experiences.
I think I could use various organizations that publish information about various "disabilities" to find famous, and maybe even local, examples of people with these "disabilities".
Of course I don't know how it will turn out in practice, but my hope is that each student would take away from the lesson the knowledge that, though some doors might be more difficult to open than others, none of them are closed to that student.
For students of all elementary grades, this lesson could be used in conjunction with reading, writing, social studies, and maybe math and science work being done in their regular education classes.
For fourth grade students who study North Carolina and who have research and writing requirements, I would use people found in North Carolina (maybe even in the past) and do some writing project about the "model" person.
I enjoyed reading the ideas already posted. I will, no doubt, use some of them, too.
I plan on teaching high school English, and I really hope that I get to teach Homer's The Odyssey to my students at some point (it has always been one of my favorites, and I think it's just a beautiful piece of literature). However, during my unit on the work, I'd love to have students create their own "Odyssey." Through any form of media they choose--a written journal, an illustrated story, an oral tale recorded on a tape recorder, a hip-hop song,etc.---I would have them "travel" much like Odysseus did and encounter various islands upon which he or she had a conflict before coming home. Except in this case, each island would represent a prejudice that the student holds, and he or she would not be able to leave the island until they examined their feelings on the issue and developed a greater awareness about their own prejudices. Just as Odysseus had to solve a riddle, or fight a battle to leave each island, my students will have to fight their own inner battle on each island that they create for themselves.
ReplyDeletePerhaps after each book of the Odyssey that we discuss, I could have my students visit another island (or social justice issue). Of course the name of the island, the issue they must battle there, their companions, the description of each island---that's all up to them. They'll get to read a great piece of literature while practicing their own creative writing/illustrating skills and tackling social justice at the same time. I know this idea is very rough around the edges, and it certainly needs some refining, but I think I could definitely implement it into a classroom without TOO much of a problem. We'll see!
oops...I meant to say that I want each my students to come away from the lesson knowing that, though some doors might be more difficult to walk through, none are closed for him or her.
ReplyDeleteEmmy, your idea is wonderful.
I will also be a high school English teacher that hopes to develop my students writing skills and critical thinking skills.
ReplyDeleteAfter doing a class on the voices found in literature and about the identities that influence that voice, I would collect a list of all of the separate identities that are represented within my class, and the student that they belong to. None of the students would have access to this information. I would then assign each student with an identity that was not their own. The students would use their assigned identities to respond to some questions.
This assignment would probably take a few days to complete so that the students would have time to get into character and understand what that really means. Once I had the answers, I would then have the students grade the work of their classmates. The student who actually owns the identity would grade the work of the person who was assigned that identity on how well it approaches their perspective. They would need to provide feedback for the writer on what they did correctly and what they did incorrectly as far as their perspective and opinion was concerned.
With this activity, everyone would have to think about their own identities and have to try and take on the identity of another. Being sincere would be important as their grade would depend on the feedback of the person whose identity they are trying to take over.
This might often be subjective, but the students would be asked to think of it not just from their personal viewpoint, but from the viewpoint of others that might identify with their identity as well. They will have to see their identity personally and abstractly. This will allow them to explore the fact that while people share identities, we are not all influenced in the same way by these identities.
Like everyone's idea so far, this is rather rough and will have to be more planned out, but I think it could work well. What do you think?
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ReplyDeleteMarielswig - great idea on the Jim Crow laws and/or black codes. What's so dangerous about being able to read and write? Great stuff.
ReplyDeleteKaren - yes, you will definitely get some phone calls, probably a conference with parents and your principal too; there are a LOT of short-sighted people out there, and so many people who hear one word and run with it before even reading the rest of your sentence; it's unfortunately human nature combined with the ridiculous political climate in the US at this time. From my own experience, make sure you sit down with your principal first, and then even then, watch out. I've had two principals who talked a good game about backing me up, but when "it" later hit the fan, they both crumbled like dried doodoo. But don't let that keep you from doing it. I've been broken a few times, but I feel like I'm stronger now because of it, so don't let fear stop you. I think your idea is great - go for it!
Emmy - super idea. My concentration was in Greek and Roman history, so of course I love it. You could even intersperse some video from the TV miniseries 'Odysseus' with movie clips from 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' - love John Goodman as the 'cyclops.' Great idea.
I am concentrating on Elementary ed. Depending on which grade I get I would love to do an entire year of pen-pals. Find a teacher from a community different than the one I am teaching in. Maybe a city, maybe a different country. The pen pals could be online-given the global nature of education. The idea being find out what we have in common with another classroom and then driving home the point that we call come to class with different cultural backgrounds. I love maps. I would love to incorporate maps, photos and language. I could intertwine social studies (explore life of pen pal city, foods, customs, things they do on the weekend), math (how much would it cost to go there, how much do things cost there, how much do toys cost there), writing (writing letters to pen pals, writing in journal, brainstorming about living somewhere different ) and reading (young researchers looking at life somewhere else). I could show how small the world really is.
ReplyDeleteI also love the idea of the environment. Picking ONE small thing we could do as a class. Maybe within the school. Water usage at the bathrooms. Some topic. Develop a campaign for that cause. Posters, persuasive speech. Host a debate with another class. Do a summit, where different classes come together and try to solve the problem. Push them to think for themselves...why is this environmental topic important- what can I do to help. I want to get them thinking that they can do one small thing. Then we can monitor and evaluate our progress. Maybe end the year or unit with a fun skit written by the students. The idea that students can affect positive environmental change within the school.
In the same way that teachers have class mascots (like Mrs. Mortons Monkeys or Ms. Colliers Caterpillers- I would have a theme like researchers or explorers so I outline that we will be exploring knowledge (sneaking sj in there the whole time).
Lastly, I would love to have a learning lab part of my class. Where a student can spin a globe or open a book and say...I want to learn more about that. And then with a partner they can access a computer, or with my guidance I can get them started. I want to create a confidence that you can investigate and learn more....what do you want to know about...what do you think about that. For students that dont have access to learning at home, or even a computer at home, I hope I can find extra time. I really will have a special place in my heart for those students. I want everyone to get the sense that the world is full of options.
I would like to address this question by responding to a comment made last night. Someone mentioned that the lower class does not value education. I think this is an extreme generalization. In my experience, I have seen that this can be the case however. I have also seen many lower class families value education, but not know how to interact with education as a way of helping their children. I think this plays into the cycle families become somewhat trapped in. Their parents were unaware of how to engage in ways to help their childen educationally, when the children grow up they are unaware, and so on. I think as teachers/counselors we can not assume that lower class families do not value education but look towards other reasons for their absenteeism in their children's education. Other factors that may apply to their apparent truancy could be: alternative work schedules that overlap school/HW hours, caring for elder family members, legal obligations (we know the data on this), providing for their other children, etc. I'm sure the list goes on...
ReplyDeleteIn short, I think many more lower class families value education than we may initially think based on their behaviors. There are sooo many other factors though, that impede this engagement. I know that these families want what is best for their children and want better for them than they had. I have heard soo many parents tell me this. I would think that many lower class families see education as a way to bigger and better things for their children. I think we can not approach this lack of involvement from a value standpoint, rather look at what we can do as educators to help these families by providing means for them to help their children. They largely want to help their childen, just do not know how, because of the lack of resources, which keeps the cycle going. Sorry for the rant!!!
Emmy---your idea sounds like a great platform for a video game as well.
ReplyDeleteI like it!! I think your idea is a great way to engage students and help them begin to think of ways they can address social justice issues. There are sooo many creative ways to address these issues as well as teach the curriculum. I wish all teachers had the time and enthusiasm to use their creativeness to integrate curriculums and spark interest in students.
Your idea will give students a sense of power, allow them to use their creativity, and ride the wave of Bloom's taxonomy.
Karen, I love the idea of "switching roles" In the classroom. I thought a lot about this last night after class. Having days that everything could be presented in a different language and cultural context would be a worthwhile educational experience for all!
ReplyDeleteJeff, for clarification, just for in case the comment to which you referred was when I summerized the relationship between economic class, education and race I want to repeat those words. For too long the educator's approach to understanding the relationship between class, race and education has been framed by studying the behaviors and cultures of the poor students and their families researching why those people don't value education, why those parents don't attend our functions and meetings, why those kids aren't motivated. It was a mindset that we need to "fix" the poor. We know that mindset is incorrect. It's the system of education that needs to be changed to accomodate all students.
I plan to teach Secondary Social Studies and I think there are several ways where I can incorporate Social Justice Education into my lesson plans, which I explained briefly in class when we partnered into groups based on our school subjects. For example, I can take a certain period in our history (Industrial Revolution, The Civil War, The Civil Rights Movement, etc.) and break up my students into groups. Each group would represent a particular group during that time. So if I were teaching a lesson on The Civil Rights Movement I would have a group of African American males and females, White males and females, Hispanic males and females, Native American males and females, to name a few and have them investigate and give me the perspective of that particular group assigned to them. I think this would be a good way to have the students that there are other people who are affected by change whether it is for good or bad.
ReplyDeleteI could also assign a research project where students write a “mini” history textbook where they write history from the viewpoint of a person who was silenced during that time, much like Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of The United States,” where Zinn gives a voice to the many oppressed groups in history.
Another way to keep students aware of what’s going on in their world is having them turn in a weekly current events article, from the global section of the newspaper. In the summary I would asked them to explain what’s going on, if it can be connected to similar events in the past and how does it affect the U.S. as well as the surrounding nations?
I would also try to incorporate books and readings from people with different types of “relational orientations” to exhibit everyone’s contribution to the Social Studies curriculum.
I will be a middle school science teacher, and I am still working on figuring out what is appropriate for that age level, but an activity I can think of is to discuss how an individual's use of the water table affects everyone. After a lesson on water and geological formations, I would introduce the idea of a shared water source. Although rivers are the most obvious object of discussion, I want to go into underground water sources.
ReplyDeleteAt a local, possibly familiar level, students may have heard that during a drought, even people with wells need to conserve water. I would get them brainstorming to see if this is true or not, and then get them to figure out why it is true or not.
As one person pumps up a large amount of water from underground, the slow moving rivers that fill those "lakes" can't keep up, and the water table falls, leaving those with shallow wells without a water source until the water table rises again. This leaves those without the resources or money to dig deeper wells without a water source.
Hopefully this gets kids thinking not only about how to fairly deal with limited resources, but also about how those with less money are unfairly and disproportionately affected by others' actions.
In an effort not to "steal" anyone else's ideas at this point I'm writing without reading any other posts. The hardest part of Social Justice seems to be integrating it into the curriculum. It seems like it would be easiest to just sit the kids down and have a Social Justice Class! But... since I dont think that would happen in every school,we do need to think of ways to incorporate SJ into our lessons.
ReplyDeleteAfter all, it seems like most children will accept the ideas more readily if it is not the "FOCUS" of the class. What I'm trying to say is that, if we say to them "WE WILL BE LEARNING ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE" they may shut down. However, if the ideas are properly incorporated into the regular structure, I think it would be more effective.
I have been working and hope to continue in the future in Middle School with Language Arts. We actually did use the expression Social Justice in our classroom and related it to various books that we read throughout the course; one on the Holocaust and one on Brown v. Board. However, I dont think this was effective for the students. They didnt seem to grasp the idea of SJ when it was spoken about directly.
I think that a more effective way in regards to books, would be making sure that the students connect personally with the reading. I could use a variety of written or oral responses (although probably the written responses would allow for more honesty). In these responses they would need to think of a time in their lives when they felt like the character. In almost every book, there is a form of discrimination, hate and oppression.
I would hope that by making them personally connect to the literature they would see that although they may not be a Jewish boy in a concentration camp, they too have experienced a loss in their life or they too have felt something similar.
The main point, although it sounds sappy, is that we all are humans and while we may experience different things, we all have the capabilities to feel the same emotions.
I would read some selections from their responses outloud to the class, but without mentioning the name of the writer. THis would then allow the students to realize and see that they also share the same feelings, emotions and similar responses as their classmates.
I will be working in Special Ed., so there would have to be adjustments made for each individual, because although they may all be in the same age range, they may not be cognitively. I have found that the best way to teach or explain something to my kids that I work with is to make whatever it is your teaching, connect with something they are interested in. I work with a boy that is 11 and is Autistic. He loves elevators: he loves to ride in them, youtube them on the internet, he makes pretend elevators in closets and “plays elevator”. He recently heard one of his siblings practicing for a Spanish test and he began repeating the word “uno”. I then took that and taught him the rest of the floor numbers on the elevator in Spanish. A way I could take that further would be to have him get on the computer (which he likes to do) and look up on a map where Spanish is spoken, then look at pictures of the people and the countries; granted this would be an activity that he would need a lot of help with and would have to be done at a slow pace, so he wouldn’t get overwhelmed. I think that based on each individual’s abilities, there could be mini activities you could create that would be interesting and fun for them based on their interests. This is only an example of what could be done with one child, or how you could relate to each child in the class.
ReplyDeleteIn order to come up with something more appropriate for the entire class, is much more challenging. I think recycling and talking about the earth and the planet would be a topic that would be more appropriate for an entire Special Ed. class.
These are only ideas that did not get tons of thought, so I would assume that as my education and experience as a teacher grows, I will be reliable as a Social Justice Activity Creator!
Jewel...yes, I agree with you that the system is broken, I think many teachers think that lower income families value education less. There are lots of accommodations available to school systems to help these families begin interact more with education. I think this issue should be addressed in undergraduate classes, and may be now, as I do not remember these issues being addressed in the elem. ed. program I was in.
ReplyDeleteI love everyone's ideas, and Tigh, I especially like yours. Working other languages into students' vocabulary can be simple, I think.
ReplyDeleteSomething that occurred to me after reading your post is this: when doing experiments that require counting the time that passed or a measurement, have students use a different language each week/month. The language could be one that someone in the class speaks, so one month it would be Spanish, another Vietnamese, etc. They wouldn't be graded on it beyond participation/trying, but it could help some kids feel more included.
Megan..Thanks, I like your idea of incorporating different languages each week/or month, especially if there is another student in the class that does speak a different language. I've had a rough time with this class and trying to come up with ways that I can truly incorporate Social Justice to my kids in a way that will interest them or simply just have them to understand. As I have mentioned before, some of my kids that I work with could absolutely care less:about what your trying to teach them, how you present it, etc... The tricky part is finding a way to capture their attention in a way so they also understand. I have worked with another boy that is Autistic and he becomes aggressive when he is confused or unsure about what is expected of him, so it is vital to have him understand your expectations (especially for the sake of my arms-thats what he goes for first).
ReplyDeleteEveryone has great ideas, and it's great to have an outlet like this blog to express them in. The best part of this is that we can expand on each others' ideas and use them in our own classrooms! The good part about teaching is that most ideas out there don't have copyrights, so we can pick and choose through other people's ideas (and our own) in order to find out what works best in our own classrooms.
ReplyDeleteTigh, I was thinking the same thing about creating a language activity for my students each day. It would even be interesting to mention languages that are now extinct, and to discuss why those languages don't exist anymore and the dangers of the globalization of English to languages at risk of extinction today.
Languages, they are wonderful, and I love the idea of including them like Tigh and Megan have suggested. Now that I think about it, there is a language requirement for high schoolers. I could work with their language teachers and we could have a combined assignment or something of that nature where we came up with some common ground to expand the use of the language and the understanding of the culture associated with that language. It would be a good way of supporting another teacher and have one class a student is taken be relevant with another class instead of always competing for time and attention.
ReplyDeleteI know this won't be easy, but I would really like to have various people with differing backgrounds, religions, relational orientation, cultures, etc. visit my classroom on a regular basis. I found the activity where Dr. Greenfield had the two students from Shaw visit highly beneficial. Ideally, I would like to pair a visitor's background with the lesson we are learning, but if I am not able to do that, then I feel that just exposing children to different people is good. I would allow the students to ask the guest questions about themselves and such. I would need to check into school rules about what can be said and what can't because I don't want to get in trouble! I think that by simply exposing children to these differences amoung people is highly beneficial. Even if they don't understand that it is ok that Susie has two daddies, they will have been exposed to that. Also, I would like for the guests to do some type of activity that represents their "difference" so they children can relate it to their own lives and see they are really not that different afterall and we should all have equal rights and opportunities. I think my blog post sounds confusing, but it is just such a broad topic that I think I will take in different directions depending on the guest and his/her background.
ReplyDeleteIn a classroom guidance lesson related to personal identity, I would distribute paper bags to each student and have a variety of art supplies, magazines, etc available. Students will place words/art/images on the outside of their bag that demonstrate who they are, how the outside world perceives them and/ or are evident to the outside world. Inside their bag they will place images, words, or phrases of those thing they keep closer to their heart-those things or feelings or aspects of self not clearly visible to the outside world. In concluding the activity, I (facilitator) can ask students to suggest reasons the external self differs from the internal self? familial reasons? peer relations? institutional reasons? As a facilitator we can talk about the impact of prejudice based on stereotypes and how to encourage and support classmates and peers in their quest to be authentic. What changes need to happen in our schools? society? to encourage our inside to match our outside.
ReplyDeleteI think this can be done at k-12.
Jenny I think that is a great idea. I was thinking of you when we discussed social networking and how some students are at a disadvantage because they dont have that. I was wondering if there was some way that could be suggested or mentioned or expanded so that highschool students see the need to expand social networks, because statistics say they are helpful when you graduate...just a thought.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed last nights class. I actually had to go to one of the presenters and have her explain her story about the student she mentioned. There was terminology that I needed explained. Im 37 and I didnt exactly know what her story was about- how sad is that. I have alot to learn.
Some people are so much more comfortable talking about certain things- I felt like I was many steps behind people...which shows me how much more I have to think about beyond this course. Im inspired by how confident and open people are. Again- lots more to learn.
Jeff, I heard the same comment about the poor and their perceptions of education and did not agree either. However, when I checked with our visiting scholar, Douglas, he said Dr. G. asked for the stereotypes of the poor and their value of education. I do think that the stereotype comes from the lack of attendance at parent events or conferences. What we fail to recognize is that conferences and events do not accomodate a variety of work schedules. For example, a parent working 2nd shift will not be available for a 7pm parent night. The lack of attendance is too often attributed to indifference with a clear disregard for the family structure or economic situation. I know if I was worried about paying my power bill or rent/mortgage the immediacy of bills would trump my son's parent night. Also, in Wake County my child's school may not be convenient to travel to or my lack of transportation presents a barrier to attending becuase I may rely on public transportation or friends to get around town or gracious the high cost of gas.
ReplyDeleteAs educators we should advocate for differing conference times, parent nights and consider taking the message of parent meetings into the community (for example, use boys and girls clubs or churches to hold meetings). This may increase attendance by those parents we (educators) perceive as indifferent.
I agree parents of a lower social class do not know how to navigate the school setting because they have been turned away so often they simply disconnect from the institution, but NOT from the needs of their student. When I have experienced the absolute disregard for my voice, why would I make myself vulnerable again and again. I feel it is imperative we respond to parent concerns in a way that is both supportive and compassionate. Too often at the high school level I encounter parents that have had less than ideal interactions at the lower grades and they expect the same level of disregard at the high school level and are at a loss as to help their child. Perhaps the homework is beyond their ability to assist and/or they do not know how to seek help or do not want to be belittled AGAIN so they don't ask for help from the school.
I will freely admit I grow frustrated with questions like "what does Johnny need to graduate?" because I cover this every day with students on a group and individual basis and so much information is generated from the school covering this topic. I have often had to remind myself that I do this EVERY DAY and take for granted others should know it to. It is at moments when I hear my tone changing or my frustration level increasing I have to take a deep breath, talk slowly and check in with my caller to ensure they understand what I am saying. It is my job to know this information and I would hope when my little one is in elementary and middle school I encounter a kind person on the other end of the phone line to help me understand all things k-8.
One more thing - we should help our admin assistants and secretaries appreciate the struggles of others so they will be more compassionate. Because our admin staff are often the face of our schools we don't want to turn someone off because of their first encounter.
I haven't read everyone elses posts yet but in my future role as a secondary social studies teacher I want to expose my students to the "other side of imperialism". Topics of European colonization, the Triangle Trade, Manifest Destiny, and Banana Republics were only told from the European or white American perspective. I plan on incorporating multiple perspectives in teaching history. I will use primary sources that tell the other side of the story from the Native American and Mexican perspective. Examining the slave trade from the impact on individuals ripped from their homes, transported in miserable conditions and used as forced labor. I think as an educator my role is to expose students to different points of view so they can think critically and come to a more complete understanding of history so they can better understand the present and future.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to have motivating/empowering quotes in the classroom. How about having different quotes every week that would make social Justice seep in? These are just couple examples:
ReplyDeleteAs I saw today in the bathroom stall door:"I'll be me and you be you"
"As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might."
Marian Anderson
Talk about what the quote means to everyone and also link the quote of the week with a story so the kids can understand better.
Now that we are aware of Social Justice and teaching Diversity, we can incorporate it in everything we talk about to the students. I've heard many of us give examples of social Justice in class. If we mention it to students and we interact with them, they will be free to share their opinions and we can go from there.
I would like to have a Social Justice leader in my classroom. He/She can monitor equal rights of everyone. The leader, at the elementary level, might not know what he/she is looking out for but can learn along the way with the rest of the classroom.
Everyone has great ideas! I'm definitely using some of the ideas on here and what we have done in class when I teach!
ReplyDeleteI like bringing in speakers to the classroom. That way kids can learn from direct exposure.
Karen, I love your idea of "grading" kids on how the others do in classroom. It can be part of a participation grade, but you would need to set aside at least 15 minutes of your class time to have a community learning activity. Most of the time, you probably won't even have 2 minutes to spare :(
I have really enjoyed going back through and reading everyone's posts. I have gotten some great ideas from you guys and I can't wait to use some of them. I appreciate having other people's perspectives because it makes me a better teacher so I can incorporate other teacher/counselor's ideas into my own classroom! So thanks for all the great ideas! I can't wait to use them!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth....I think that is a great idea to have guest speakers come in to talk with your students. Especially at the elemenatry level, I remember being so excited to have a speaker come in and talk to us. I think it makes the lesson for the day/week more authentic. Its also a good way to have "real life" representations of someone esle's culture. Guest speakers can work at any grade level as well.
ReplyDeleteElise...I think teaching SJ through literature is a good idea....having the students react and think about what the reading means to them is a great way for them to connect and understand the meaning of SJ. By handing in thier responses it may make it easier in the future for students to participate and if not it is a great way to have everyone speak without them actually opening thier mouths.
I will definitely be taking a piece of everyone's ideas and placing them in "my bag of tricks" for the future....so thank you everyone!
I, too, really liked the ideas of incorporating foreign language into classroom activities. Many of you mentioned activities related to this. What if we encouraged our students to write a small children's book in two languages (English and whichever other they preferred...or any two, really) about whatever content area the teacher is teaching. So for example, students in a social studies class could create a children's book in English and Spanish about the Civil War (or some aspect of it); English students could write their book modeling a famous piece of literature; Science students could create a book that teaches children about different kinds of animals or ecosystems, etc. After writing the book, the students (maybe they could work in groups of 2 or 3 or 4) could illustrate their book. I'd work really hard with a printing company like Staples to get a discount on having the books professionally copied and bound, and then the students could go read these books to younger students and Head Start children to emphasize the importance of other languages.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Stacey; this is SUCH a great blog thread. I can't wait to try to incorporate them into my classrooms!
I think it would be really nice if we could have parent meetings on other nights besides the designated ones... and at other locations in the community. I am certain others would agree and would have no problem opening their community buildings for such events. I was also really impressed with the idea of working around parents' schedules by calling and actually visiting their houses. I think if teachers were a)paid more and b) given more time these things would be a little easier! It seems like almost everything is "EAsier said than done." This is one of the reasons I get so frustrated at the idea of teaching high school.. b/c I know the curriculum hold and SATs and EOGs won't let me spend time on other, equally (more, in my opinion) important aspects of education. We lose SO MANY opportunities because of standardized tests! I don't understand why even 15 minutes couldn't be carved out for community learning - especially if it benefits the kids! One thing about the Ruby Payne piece, that "teaching is what happens outside the head; learning is what happens inside the head" was really a fascinating concept to me She talked about direct teaching for poverty stricken children - and it got me thinking about community learning and all the individual attention that so many kids need. Making them community learners would give them all more individual attention and thus instill more confidence in them, thus increasing their grades, improving their social skills, cooperative skills, etc.... so I just don't see why this kind of learning has to be "carved" out. It should just be a part of the curriculum!
ReplyDeleteOne thing that is important, and Jeff touched on this a bit, is for us to truly attempt to reach parents halfway and understand the various pressures and cultural obligations that they deal with. This is true for every class - whether you're poor, rich, or holding up your pinky finger at tea :) every culture has customs intertwined. We have to understand their financial obligations, as well as their disciplinary obligations and expectations. Every culture interacts with their children differently - and while it may seem like some parents don't "care" or even attempt to stand in the way of their children's education, we need to be willing to consider that a basic difference in cultural parenting may be at play. We have to do our best to learn about our children's and their family's cultural values AND customs. This will help us learn more about the children, their way of learning, their relationship with other children, and their relationship with their culture, as well as their appreciation or knowledge of the clashes that inevitably occur when Western culture collides with their own.
I hope that made sense... I realize it was kind of all over the place!
I love all these ideas! Joann, I LOVE the learning corner idea where kids can just pick something that interests them and then investigate it! This is such a good way to foster a love of learning!
I've been thinking a lot about this...let me know what you think.
ReplyDeleteWe all know those Thanksgiving pageants that we've either seen or been a part of; I propose something new. I would like to invite a Native American guest speaker to my class (which would be an elementary level class) and describe to my students the ways in which they educate their children.
For the next week (or more, depending on the children's interest level), we would, while still trying to stick to mandated curriculum, incorporate techniques and ideas of learning that are utilized by a different group.
This could be a project that could be a week, month, or throughout the year if the children were really interested.
I would hope it would show my students that there is no "right way" of learning or doing things, and could help foster an early appreciation of everyone's different learning and living styles.
So.......?
Joann, I LOVE the pen pal idea. There are so many possibilities with an activity like that, you could definitely have an entire year's worth of lessons. It would also be interesting to see if the students would keep it up when they moved up to the next grade. Perhaps, if you're persistent enough, you could involve the entire school and make it a universal project.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of the ideas that have been expressed here in this blog. Anisha - I like you idea about having students write "history" from the perspective of a group that was silenced and represents an alternative view from what is found in most history books. I also agree with Elise's comment about incorporating SJ into our curriculum without making it the focal point. I think we can semmlessly infuse our teaching with SJ as we have discussed many times in class discussions. And as a future HS social studies teacher I love Santhiya's idea about posting quotes from different view points and witha SJ flavor around the classroom. Thomas Jefferson and John Paul Smith don't represent the voice of all people living in the colonies in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
ReplyDeleteJohn Paul Jones - Guess I should take another US history class before I start teaching
ReplyDeleteSanthiya- I have always been a great lover of quotes and I like your idea too. I thought it was also nice how not all of the quotes will come from some one famous and they also can be on a bathroom stall. Maybe in addition to that you could ask students to submit lines of their own and as the years progress you will be able to have a mixture of the students' own words over the years.
ReplyDeleteSo so many ideas to read!!!
Stacey, I also liked your idea and also the different take on a similar idea that Heather mentioned. I remember having lots of guest speakers coming to school and I think as long as they are entertaining and not too long winded this can be a great and effective way to reach young students.
I think it would need to be something active, much like you mentioned Heather. It sounds like an activity that the students would get involved in and interested in and thats the way that they will learn.
Well said, Aaron-- maybe that could be a part of it. Quotes could be put up from people who were not heard as clearly during the time. Quotes from the "oppressed" group of the era that is being studied....
just a thought.
Heather, I think explaining to kids a more true version of the first "Thanksgiving" would be a great idea by inviting a Native American guest speaker. Actually this would probably be a plausible idea for older students as well. For those of you who haven't read it, Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen is a GREAT resource for all teachers to read. It's a real eye-opener about what ideals our students are being taught based on the textbooks used in class. Just another book to throw out there!
ReplyDeleteI love all the ideas that have come out of this blog. Even though I teach K-5 your ideas can be adjusted to fit any age. I have done a Unit called Passports to Other Lands and I vary it according to the grade level I am teaching. We begin with folktales/fairytales from other countries. Students compare and contrast the similarities and differences between theses stories to stories from the US. The students then must create a passport “visiting” 2-3 of those countries learning about their beliefs, customs, and everyday life, recording findings in their passports along the way. (Passports are made from construction paper folded in half.) Afterwards they choose one of the researched countries and write a story about a day in their life growing up and living in that country. This unit allows you to cover reading and writing while discovering about other cultures.
ReplyDeleteI have been surfing the web some to find other good ideas for incorporating social justice into my classroom and here are a couple of websites I found interesting:
http://www.understandingprejudice.org/teach/elemact.htm
http://2009bookclubblog.blogspot.com/
I spent 30 minutes writing my post and then submitted it and it disappeared. I am not very happy with technology right now so I may omit the use of it from my classes.
ReplyDeleteI have thought long and hard about ways to incorporate social justice education into my classroom the past few days. I like the idea given to me early in the course to study the history of math. I guess it was a common thing for me to think of, but I never thought about how it really can include studying all cultures, races, etc who contributed to math and math theory or principles. I could have students pick a mathematician and explore how they contributed to math. Students could select a mathematician who comes from a similar race or ethnicity as themselves or just explore one that they have an interest in. I would then have them report their findings to the rest of the class in a way that best suited their learning style. Be it through written form, artistic form, or anything else they wanted.
Another idea I would like to include would be through the playing and studying of various games. Different cultures contributed different games to the world and I would like to take time to explore these games and where they came from. We would also be able to study how math is used in these various games and also enjoy (hopefully) learning various math skills while playing them.
I also plan to use more real life situations and numbers to discuss topics in math. Through using real life numbers or studying of current event issues, we can examine numbers, be it through percentages or statistics or other means to try to learn various topics. Instead of just using boring book problems, we can use these real life situations. This would allow us to integrate the real world into the math classroom. Another way I think I could do this is for students to pick a profession that they may want to pursue in their lives and research it, and if possible, interview someone in that field, and see how math is used daily in that profession. Hopefully this would help kids who feel like they will never use math again learn why it could be important for them.
I also want to allow students to discuss the various topics and ideas we are learning in class either as a whole or in groups. I know from experience that sometimes the way a teacher tries to teach or portray an idea is not always clear to me. But when I hear someone else say it in their way, I can better relate to it. I think this would be beneficial to allow others to contribute how they are learning something and what makes it “click” for them. I think by almost letting the students teach their ideas it could give more and different perspectives and maybe make learning a little easier.
There are other ideas I have churning around in my head but I am not quite sure how to explain them on paper yet. They just make sense in my head. Anyone have any other ideas for math?
My idea for implementing social justice education in the classroom, is to break down the artificial barrier between teacher and student by involving the students as teachers. There are several ways to do that, but since I am planning on going into Elementary Ed. I came up with some suggestions for that age range.
ReplyDeleteI would set aside a certain amount of time every day for the students to choose the content discussed. So the students can bring in their own interests and perspectives. It could be five minutes where they tell the class about their family traditions. Or they could decide that tornados are interesting to them and they do the research and teach the class for five minutes. By putting each and every student in the teacher's role on the subject of their choice, I hope to validate the variety of perspectives and experiences present in the classroom.
I'm very sorry about the late post...life is just very busy for me now! I know we have all discussed the difficulty we have had in tailoring social justice lesson plans to young elementary kids, but I am beginning to see the wider range of social justice lessons. One activity I love is similar to Joann's postcard idea. Every year I read Flat Stanley to my class, which is a children's book about a boy who gets flattened by his bulletin board one night. He is upset at first, but then discovers all the amazing things he can now do, such as being mailed very cheaply across the county rather then pay for a pricey plane ticket. After discussing why he is "different" and why he loved it, I have my class create “flat versions” of themselves. We then mail them out to a family member requesting that they send information back to our school about where they live, favorite places to visit, what their local foods, anything that they feel is important for us to know about them, etc. Once their “flat person” is returned we mark it on the map and mail him back out to another person. This has proven to be a great way to introduce young students to geography and for them to learn about their families. This year I learned so many great things about my students and their families. One “person” celebrated Diwali, while another went to Washington DC and helped us learn about our National Monuments through pictures and postcards. Although this lesson is more about geography and exploring our families, I think you could make it have a social justice “twist” through discussion.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many great ideas here! This will be an incredible resource for bring social justice education into the classroom.
ReplyDeleteMegan- I really like your idea about dialoging with other classes. I remember in elementary school we had a conversation about the Civil War with a class in New Jersey. We talked about how it is taught differently in northern states versus how it is taught in southern states. The conversation wasn't too in-depth, since we were only in 4th grade, but it was a great way just to learn that information in school is framed by the way it is taught.
Elizabeth- I also like your idea of using guest speakers. One of the most appealing thing to me about social justice education is the way it brings the real, daily life of students into their education. And I think bringing in people to talk about their own experiences and lives is a great way to bring the outside world into the classroom.
Aaron - like your social studies approach to imperialism - you might try this with the Spanish-American War: check out what dates are used on various monuments to soldiers supposedly involved in that war, or check out the dates used in various US History books for that war. If they use 1898-1902, they're blowin' smoke. (You may already know that, so my apologies.) The S-A War lasted less than 4 months; it was the US war against Philippine independence that lasted from 1899-1902 (with the slaughter of over 200,000 Philipino civilians in the process). Some monuments use -1902 to cover up the ugly facts.
ReplyDeleteAn idea that I had was for my students to find and explore various conflicts involving American Indians and the term used to describe them, either "massacre" or "battle." Once they did further research, students would determine whether any of them was mislabeled (e.g., The Battle of Wounded Knee), why they were mislabeled, and then address how to publicize and correct the errors.
Okay everyone. This is my proposed activity and I am also posting one that I have already done. Let me start with the one I have already done. When I was teaching a long term social studies assignment for 6th grade at West Millbrook Middle School, I gave the students a field trip in which they would work with each other and learn about a new culture. The field trip was to see GREECE:SECRETS OF THE PAST. The field trip included a workshop that included learning ancient Greek and a mock excavation. The idea was for all of them to work in groups continually and changing work stations.
ReplyDeleteNow, here is what I would propose in the classroom. Take a visual look at your students and also take into account the personal information you know about them. Then put them in groups of very diverse demographics. Have each student anonymouslt write down their culture on a piece of paper or card, then shuffle these up. Then have each student read a random one of these. Then have them write on the card or paper what they would like to learn about that particular culture. It is important in this activity to be certain that to the best abilities of the teacher that the groups are diverse so that they are in the difficult position of learning ANOTHER culture other than their own.
Larry, I have some ideas for math that I learned from a teacher on my team at the same school where I had the field trip. This teacher would just in a subtle way place the students in diverse groups and have them work on the math review games especially before the EOG. She also implemented diversity in peer tutoring.
ReplyDeleteChris, those activities sound really cool.
ReplyDeleteI think activities are a subtle way to introduce social justice issues, allowing students to think for themselves instead of forcing our ideas on them. This way, it's also a way for them to dig as deep as they want about an issue.
I think being in this class has had pretty much the same effect on us. I get a lot of emails, extra information and research from my classmates who are searching these things because they care, and that's awesome. We may all be in this at different levels, but we also all have the opportunity to grow and develop ourselves within the realm of social justice where we can effectively educate others.
I'm going to miss this class!
After reading the Neito book, I have a clearer understanding of multicultural education. Creating a lesson plan is a great idea, however unless teacher's change their attitudes and beliefs about the students they interact with daily, a single lesson plan does very little. Having said that, the most powerful lesson would be one that continues daily at random moments when you are interacting with your students, one that shows your students that you do care and they are teachable, one that values their culture and encourages it. I envision this lesson occuring numerous times throughout the day and being very intentional.
ReplyDeleteOops! Somehow, this blog completely slipped my mind. Sorry guys. I enjoy reading everyone's ideas! Stephanie, I like your idea about including students as teachers. Teaching is the ultimate form of learning. And what an empowering technique!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to be a high school science teacher. I think science has often been misportrayed as a completely objective endeavor meant to prove ideas. It has also often been a male dominated field in which women's ideas are less respected because of a dominant view that women are less capable of being logical and rational. To incorporate social justice into my teaching, I want students to understand that the scientific endeavor can be driven by political and social forces and is not necessarily completely objective depending on the lens through which it is being viewed. The foundation of science has been built by years upon years of trial and error and accepting a notion only to redefine it, or throw it out in some cases when a better explanation comes along. This is not to say that science should be mistrusted but is intended to break down the intimidation that science is a field that is closed off. Rather, I want my students to understand that science begins with curiosity and asking questions, and trying to determine the best possible ways to find answers to the questions or at least eliminate possibilities. And this is not limited to white dudes in lab coats. Everyone can be interested in the natural world around them. It doesn't belong to any of us. And from here I would like to engage my students with what interests them and what they can contribute from their perspective.
There are unlimited possibilities for including social justice education into an environmental curriculum. There is the whole concept of environmental racism such as situating landfills and toxic waste dumps in minority and low SES communities. Not to mention the percieved superiority over the environment and all living things held by many Westerners and used to justify destruction and power. This is highly unjust in my mind and often dominant cultures will destroy/steel resources in other countries leaving the ecosystems unintact which can lead to many problems for the people, including lack of clean drinking water. These issues open up the door for mulitiple lesson plans.
I have posted this three times, and it keeps saying that I have successfully posted it, and it keeps not being here when I come back. Sigh. So if I sound impatient, it is not impatience with you, but impatience with my apparent technology curse.
ReplyDeleteI love so many ideas here. Speakers, language experiences, specific lessons...I am having a hard time thinking of one specific lesson idea (though I gave one earlier about the Jim Crow laws, etc.) What I keep focusing on is that I need to incorporate social justice in every aspect of the class. I don't want to focus JUST on what materials I cover, or what viewpoints I present - yes, I think it will be imperative for me to include Native American and AA writers, etc in my American Literature classes, for example, and that's one part of it, but the bigger part is the more internailized part of it. From the decorations on the walls, to the rules I set, to the way I speak and the way I LISTEN - social justiced education has to be modeled at all times. I need to be the voice of welcome in my class, and I need to be the reassuring look, and the permission to speak. To me, social justice education impletmented in the classroom is challeneging my students, but making sure that they are welcomed to the challenge...that they are open to the challenge. I am freewriting, because I have already written this repeatedly, and I am sorry for that, but the idea that social justice is an integral part of the class environment has become so important to me - much more important than the material I cover in class, because as important as that material is in social justcice ed (and it is), if we can't have the right discussions related ot those materials, if the environment of the classroom isn't conducive to it, I haven't accomplished very much.
Anisha - thanks for the idea on the book - had not heard of Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of The United States,” but I will get a copy - sounds like a great resource for US History.
ReplyDelete