http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0vh2x_JAiQ
Teachers work hard to build a sense of community in their classrooms; a place where mutual respect plays an integral role in whether the classroom environment blossoms into a community of learners or one that x's off how many more days must be endured before the torture ends. Working in a culturally diverse district makes this job even more important, and more difficult. It almost seems as though a wall exists between the teacher and certain students - not for any reason that one can specifically define - it's just there. Let's face it, establishing meaningful relationships is easier with some students than others, and there always seems to be a few that you just can get through to. Freedman expresses the importance establishing this social relationship when examining "specifically how writers, from early cihldhood through adulthood, form social relationships with teachers and peers in ways that shape their learning and become part of their individual thinking, their cognition." (1050) Although Freedman speaks specifically of writers, I would argue that the same holds true for all students. It is when students feel important and respected and connected that they flourishl, both academically and socially. They are comfortable in their environment, and are more willing to take risks.
For this reason, I found Freedman's comparison between British and U.S. teachers very interesting. I'm not sure if Britain's educational system works any better than our U.S. system, but the fact that those surveyed focus their attention on their students' development, nurturing their creativity, focusing on meaning-making, and helping them to write in a variety of ways. (1051) It's not that U.S. teachers don't do these things, as I'm sure many do. However, I find it interesting that the U.S. teachers surveyed focused more on creating meaningful activities for the curriculum. (1051) I wonder if their students are "left behind" like ours are labeled?
While on the subject of feeling connected (or perhaps disconnected), I found the research in Brodkeys "Literacy Letters" very disheartening. In reading the letters written between teachers and basic writers, I couldn't believe the insensitivity and disconnectedness directed from the teachers to the basic writers. I would hope that the "teachers" would be better prepared to respond to the obvious pain and need expressed by the basic writers. The teachers seemed to be from another planet altogether. If they were so unable or unwilling to reach out to those in need, whether the distinction between the parties is cultural, economic, or social, then how could they possibly have effective relationships with their students?
Finally, I really enjoyed the activity Lynn used as an example in his "Imitation" section. (184) I can see this type of exercise being of great value at a teachers' inservice, then scaled down a bit for students. I'm definitely adding this to my "list of things to try" in the fall.
I agree with your comments on Brodkey's "Literacy Letters." Those few graduate students that took part in the project must not have been a good sample to study. I would hope that a more varied group of participants would produce more meaningful communications. You can sense how uncomfortable they were when reading some of their responses. Very interesting!
ReplyDeleteYou said this so much better than I did! I just started ranting in my blog this week. Overall, I feel that teachers need to be open-minded with all writing and communication in class. I thought the explanation of immersion and language acquisition was very well written in this week's reading.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the "Literacy Letters," I initially thought it was sad that the teachers responded the way they did. But the more I thought about it, the more I think people see communication with others to be a burden. I was amazed to see this seemed to be the case for all the participants, but I wonder if people empathize more with others based on physical contact and not anonymity. Just a thought.
I really didn't like the study in the Brodkey article. I thought there were too many variables to make generalizations about teachers and that the letter project didn't really lend itself to true communication.
ReplyDeleteI was also fascinated by British method and found it inspirational.
Had to comment again that I have never seen that movie, am now practically weeping, and looking into watching the movie and reading the book.
ReplyDeleteLora, I LOVED when you said that "...when students feel important and respected and connected that they flourish, both academically and socially." I think you are precisely correct. I recall in my "Managing the Inclusive Classroom" course a few years ago that we discussed this very teaching technique. Indeed it is difficult to "break through" to EVERY student (it really is impossible if some students are resistant to you), but it is important to at least TRY to see every student as a validated member of a classroom community. In fact, one of my most enjoyable classes was the class I taught with the "at risk" students. Despite this label as being "Warrior Academy" students (it is supposed to have a positive connotation, as an academic "academy" instead of the traditional disciplinary "academy"), the students in WA were integrated fully into most of their classrooms. And to be honest, these classes were the most challenging AND most FUN classes to teach! I absolutely loved being challenged to reach out to students who had had non-traditional backgrounds to find new and creative ways to teach "traditional" (middle class) values. I actually taught life skills as a required 9th grade course. Either way, my point is that most of these students were separated based upon their learning experiences in traditional classrooms. They were labeled "difficult." But really all I had to do was engage them, talk to them, get to know what they enjoyed doing on weekends, or say "hey, I really like your bracelets." It's a psychological game sometimes, but when these students realized that you knew a little bit about them and cared about them, they opened up. They were so "difficult" to teach anymore. In fact, they were some of the more interesting students I've ever come into contact with. I'll never forget them.
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