Saturday, June 18, 2016
Cultural Learning -- Bronfenbrenner and Ladson-Billings
Another week, another topic...
This week we are exploring cultural learning -- it's a broad topic title. Bronfenbrenner discusses his Bioecological model (sometimes called the "Ecological model," if you set out to do any additional searching) and Ladson-Billings is the matriarch of Culturally Responsive Teaching (not to be confused with Culturally Relevant Teaching -- bonus points if you know the difference!).
As with last week, you are responsible for posting your response to the following questions by 7 PM Monday, June 20. In addition, you must comment on at least one peer's post by that time as well.
1. Beyond the surface level argument of, "culture," what do these two articles have in common that they were selected to pair up with each other under this wide umbrella of the topic? What do each of these articles have to say about how we understand and teach students? I am looking for thoughtful, specific connections between the two articles.
2. Now think about your own teaching this year. How do these two articles inform either a specific event you had this year, or to your practice as a whole? (You may also reflect on both.) Remember -- no names or identifying details; pseudonyms are fine.
3. Reflect on how, moving forward, these articles might inform your approach to your students in the upcoming school year and beyond.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
--Do NOT forget to get started on fulfilling your one hour of research. If you don't complete this, I will be forced to assign you an "incomplete" for the course.
--If you would like to run your final paper idea by me, please do so by this upcoming Friday. I'm happy to help you flesh out ideas.
--Just as you know what your students are doing in the classroom, I am well aware when you spend the entire class time (or even a small portion of it) doing other things such as lesson plans, emails, etc. As I said on the first day, I will not be calling you out on it as you are adults and can make your own decisions, but it will affect (and has already, for some of you, affected) your participation grade. You can't participate in class if your computer screen or grading is occupying your time.
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1. After reading these two articles it is evident that culture plays the most critical role in a child’s development. Both Bronfenbrenner and Ladson-Billings discuss how it is this idea of subsystems and the environment that act as factors which affect the how a child learns and what they are capable of learning. Bronfenbrenner touches more upon the ecological models of human development and explains that in order to understand human development, one must consider the entire ecosystem in which growth occurs. As Tomasello discussed in the article we read prior, human development requires social interaction. Bronfenbrenner agrees and states that interaction must occur on a regular basis over extended periods of time. Additionally, this interaction must occur in an immediate environment. Such forms of interaction in this immediate environment are referred to as proximal processes. Bronfenbrenner brings up a very interesting point that I think directly relates to how we understand and teach our students. First of all, at my school we have many opportunities for parents, teachers and children to interact. Between multi-cultural nights and leadership events, parents are encouraged to come to the school and interact with their children in a “new” setting. This newly formed environment allows the child to see interactions they don’t usually see and learn in different ways. Additionally, as a push-in/stand alone teacher I am able to enter the classroom regularly for some classes and not as regularly for others. With a consistent interaction over the course of the entire school year, my children are capable of such development and I’ve seen great improvement in their reading and writing skills. For the children that I don’t get to see as regularly their development seems a bit slower, at least according to my current standards. This is not necessarily the case for all classes but now let’s consider the Ladson-Billings article. In this article, she touches upon culturally relevant pedagogy and ultimately argues that in this model, students need to choose academic excellence. Regardless of the environment, it is up to the student to want to learn and engage. If I consider my current students, it is evident that some choose academic excellence while others do not. One can argue the reasons against choosing academic excellence, and in my situation I would say that my students aren’t deciding against academic excellence but that they are in fact stunted by the large language gap. Their frustrations shine through in various scenarios and I sympathize with them. I also know that like in the examples Ladson-Billings provides, it is up to me to deliver the engagement, appropriate outlook, and passion for teaching to motivate my students.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of choosing academic excellence, I must agree and disagree with you. I see the same development in my students as you see in yours. The students that I see frequently have had much more development than the students that I do not work with as frequently, however, some of the students that I work with the same amount of time have had differences in growth. Two students that I see exactly the same amount of time and in exactly the same setting have had very different patterns of learning and growth. And now, I believe this to be a choice on the side of the student. I think that the student that has not developed as much as the other chose to not engage in the learning this year because perhaps he found it too challenging and shut down. Even if this is the case, I believe it was his decision to shy away from the academic excellence as Ladson-Billings calls it. The other student excelled and worked extremely hard and chose to be academically successful this year. Although these are specific examples, I think it's important that we consider each student and their circumstances and see how as ESL teachers can we push the students to chose their own success in academics.
Delete2. When I first started teaching this year I had no idea what I was really getting myself into. I made assumptions that were incorrect and learned from many of my mistakes. I thought that my teaching efforts would have direct effects on my students and that was not necessarily always the case. As Bronfenbrenner discusses, the family (considered one of the most important proximal processes) plays an integral role in a child’s development and learning. According to him, elementary school students from classrooms in which there is a joint involvement between parents and teachers, not only exhibited greater initiative and independence after entering high school, but also received higher grades. I do believe that he brings up an important point that teachers must consider. In many cases, students need that joint effort. We must continue to create these opportunities where everyone can be involved. Additionally, like in the examples about Hillard, Wilson, and Lewis in the Ladson-Billings article, it is important to remember that culturally-relevant pedagogy is critical. This pedagogy can ultimately drive the student to success. This is something I think most teachers do without even knowing it. Teachers constantly try to instill these values in their students so that they want to achieve success on their own. They also try to connect what students are reading or learning to something that is more tangible to them. The 3rd part of the criteria explains that students must develop a critical consciousness through which they challenge the status quo of current social order. While my students are too young to experience this, I do believe that teachers who teach 2nd grade and above are capable of assisting students in developing this thought process.
ReplyDelete3. Moving forward and for next year I am going to continue to consider my students’ surroundings. All of their actions, whether inside or outside of the school day can be impactful and important. I will continue to volunteer for activities in the evening that parents can attend so that my students understand my involvement within the school and community. Additionally, I plan on working at an after- school cooking program, which the school provides. I believe that this will provide yet another opportunity to create an environment for my students in which they can learn and develop in new ways. As further explained in Ladson-Billings article, many sociolinguists suggest that if students’ home language is incorporated into the classroom, students are more likely to experience academic success. More specifically for my Chinese-speaking students I plan to provide dictionaries as well as many pictures to assist these beginner students on their English language journey. I was able to do some translating for my Spanish-speaking students but I think that more tangible materials for both languages will provide these students with the tools they need to achieve even more success.
In the back of my mind whenever I was giving a lesson to my Ks, I tried to remember to relate my lessons to their lives....but it didn't always happen. But I think you bring up an important point about how important it is to do so! Students spend half their lives with us, but what about that other half that we do not experience with them? It's just as important to them as school life, so we need to show our students that we care about it and are interested in it. I like how you used the word 'tangible'--something that our students can figuratively grasp onto that they can carry to their outside lives.
DeleteThoughtful responses, Alison. Thank you!
Delete1. Both articles discuss the development and of an individual via interactions in a social environment. Bronfenbrenner refers to this interaction as “proximal processes”. Proximal processes can be affected by the environment which may change the development of the individual. For example, in more advanced and stable environments (e.g., parents with more formal education), proximal processes between the parent(s) and child have a greater, positive impact on a child’s development (p. 38-39). While this article admits that there have been few studies on proximal processes within the classroom setting, those that have been done show that there is a higher, positive developmental impact when the classroom environment incorporates students’ home lives into the classroom (p. 40).
ReplyDeleteLadson-Billings’ article is actually a great example of proximal process. She presents a case study of the interactions between teachers and African American students, showcasing some of the best practices of teachers who incorporate their students’ culture into every day teaching in order to provide access to the content being taught and to connect with the students on a deeper level. This practice, called “culturally relevant pedagogy”, “… [utilizes] students’ culture as a vehicle for learning” (161). Some examples include incorporating the students’ musical interests into literature, inviting parents and community members to the classroom to provide workshops relating to their jobs, and challenging students to critically examine cultural norms, values, and institutions. This practice goes beyond rote teaching of academic skills and bridges the gap between home life and school life.
2/3. As this is the first time I have ever worked with Kindergarteners, I have struggled all year trying to figure out what they were developmentally capable of learning, academically and socially. In addition, as a first year teacher with an unsupportive administration including a principal who micromanages, I was more focused on making sure my lesson plans had Turn and Talks, Higher Level Questions, and “engaging” content that I put little thought into incorporating my students’ cultures into my lessons. What little culture I did incorporate was holidays and celebrations and the fact that they speak different languages, which I knew was not enough. Hopefully when I am at a new school this upcoming school year, I can begin to do right by my students by drawing their attention to the various cultures they are surrounded by. The Bronx is a big melting pot of cultures and I think the students are so fortunate that they can learn about these others cultures just by stepping out their front door. I was very inspired by Ladson-Billings’ article; I think bringing in parents and community members to provide workshops is a brilliant way to connect home and school. In addition, if I work with older students, I want to incorporate their music and speech into my lessons in order to have fun and engaging activities that the students can connect to.
Lily,
DeleteI completely agree with you. I was so focused on all of those "other" important things like questioning and turn and talks that I did not utilize the various cultures among my students. I definitely plan on going into next year with this as a priority and hope to get through to my students by having them connect with their own cultures and the cultures of those around them.
These two articles both look at what it means to connect culture with teaching, and more specifically the subprocesses within cultural learning. The broad brush in which the term “cultural learning” is used required the researchers of these articles to look more closely to what exactly it meant to be a pedagogue that fused culture and learning within the classroom. Ladson-Billings breaks his definition of cultural pedagogy into three parts: academic success, cultural competence, and critical consciousness. The Ecological model of Brofenbrenner looks more closely at how the different environmental relationships throughout a life mold the education of the student, i.e. peer groups and family settings (the microsystem), relations between home and school (the mesosystems), the child’s relationship between the home and the parent’s job (the exosystems), the belief systems (macrosystems), and the passage of time (the chronosystems). These two models of culturally relevant teaching are fluid and one would have trouble standing without the other. It seems that these researchers have developed their models to build on each part and to meld each part into a culturally aware classroom.
ReplyDeleteEach article touches on what relationships are required to build these classrooms. One of the most noteable, was Brofenbrenner’s Exosystem and Ladson-Billings example of Cultural Competence. These two subcategories show systems in which the world outside, but still irrevocably linked, to the student orchestrate a role in their learning. Brofenbrenner mentions the relationship between the student’s home and the parent’s workplace, and Ladson-Bilings used an example of bringing the parent’s passions and expertises into the classroom. Each one of these indirectly links to the student outside of the classroom and is important to remember as students develop. As teachers, we must be aware that a student’s culture is not just their home and family life, it is each culture that directly or indirectly touches on their life and the influence that it has.
⅔. The critical analysis of society as mention by Ladson-Billings has come up in my teaching this year a few times. My school has had some issues surrounding the culture of the building and students were asked on multiple occasions to look at the school culture through their own personal lens and analyze it accordingly. I’m not quite sure if the students understood that what they were doing was being critically conscious of their surroundings and learning through that process, but the activities they engaged in were geared so the students could make informed and important decisions about their own society in their school. Although these activities were done on a large scale with all the teachers at my school, it was an important learning process for myself as well. From then on, I began to give my students the conscious choice for their own learning. If they became aware of what they were learning and why they were learning it, perhaps they would be more engaged in the classroom and more aware of what is happening in the world around them.
Moving forward, these articles will be important to my practice because not only do they show how to integrate culture on different levels in the classroom, they also express ways to make students aware of how the culture plays out in the classroom. Many of my students are unaware of the specific cultural learning that happens in their classroom, but I believe it’s important for them to understand the implications that this has on their learning and their futures.
Laura,
DeleteI have had some similar experiences in my school regarding student choice to enhance learning environment. During the instances in my classroom and as a school that we have offered students choices to enhance their learning and comfort, they often also seem caught off guard. I am not sure if this is because they are not used to being given student choice, are confused, or maybe even that they think their choice will not actually impact change. However, I agree that it is important for us to pay attention to this. I think that one way to improve this process (as you mention) is by making it a routine. If students know that this is a regular occurrence and that what they say matters, hopefully they will become more confident and interested in their voice and decisions not just in the classroom but in society as a whole.
Good discussion. I would agree with you both on the point that students are not often asked to think critically about their own views, and while we are not covering it in this particular class, one of the issues brought up by Daniel Willingham is that critical thinking isn't a skill -- it's a process that can only come after you have the content nailed down and learned. Students who are asked to think critically about the school culture might just not know what they are being asked to think about -- after all, if you've only ever been to one high school in your neighborhood, what is is what is.
Delete1. Although both articles share the topic of how culture may impact human development, they take different approaches. In looking at human development, Bromfenbrenner takes a more quantitative approach in looking at how specific factors may impact human development. He cites specific quantitative data, graphs, and studies to support his conclusions. First Bromfenbrenner argues that factors such as low birth weight, socio-economic status (“social-class”, and mother-infant interactions affect the development of children (he measures this through use of grade point average and behavioral issues diagnosed along the spectrum of these factors. Bromfenbrenner observes the exosystems and determines that interactions between family, peers, and school have a significant impact on the child’s development. He then analyzes macrosystems and how certain external trends (such as the great depression) may impact the motivations and development of individuals. Ladson-Biling’s But that’s Just Good Teaching! analyzes the same general topic of how culture (specifically at school) can impact the development of scholars. However, this article looks more at qualitative data in attempting to understand what specific cultural factors in the classroom may affect how a specific socio-economic & racial (African American) grouping may be affected by these cultural factors. Ladson-Bilings selects “effective educators” through a selection process based on principal recommendations and parent recommendations. Then a process of observations over serveral years was organized to see the commonalities amongst these exceptional educators (their commitment to the community, scholar choice, structure in the classroom (for some and not others). Ultimately, although it is also related to how culture may affect development, this article differs from Bromfenbrenner in that it measures a particular subset of the population and looks at a smaller set of qualitative data. Ladson-Bilings even admits “initially, as I observed the teachers, I could not see patterns or similarities in their teaching.” Although she is able to make some connections and conclusions later, this demonstrates the difference in sample size and study scope from Bromfenbrenner. Both authors reach meaningful conclusions as to how culture and environment impact development and thus we should consider and be mindful of these findings to inform our instruction.
ReplyDelete2. In reflecting on my own teachings, I could not help but think about my first few months in the classroom. When I first began teaching I attempted to maintain a strict classroom environment which I envisioned largely from the educational setting that I grew up in. As Lason-Bilings discusses, this is a large mistake that some educators make by “inserting culture into education” instead of “inserting education into culture.” I did not fully understand my students yet at this point in time and did not understand the way in which their culture impacted their learning. As I got to know my students, I started to learn many of the things that they have grown accustomed to in their educational environment. My students are primarily from east Harlem and have arrived from primarily the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Mexico. As I got to have conversations with my students and get to know them throughout the year, I realized that they are accustomed to a shorter school day, less instructional oversight, and a setting in which the teacher responds to the needs of the students more so than the typical “American” setting in which the teacher is often the sole determiner of instructional choices. As I developed this cultural awareness and understanding I began to alter my instructional style to attempt to make my educational culture one that aligns more appropriately with the culture of the students in the classroom. This change resulted in more positive educational interest and engagement by my students as Ladson-Bilings discusses. Reading her article reaffirms my teaching transformation this year and it is helpful to have the theory behind this trend.
ReplyDelete3. Moving forward, I think that I will most definitely be more conscious of the classroom environment that I am creating and the environment that I help to create in the school as a whole. As Ladson-Bilings notes, it is important for me to be seen as a member of the community, not just an educator. I would like to demonstrate my commitment to the community and passion for teaching. I think this will result in a better environment for my students in which they are more invested in learning. I will continue to inform my instruction by consistently reconsidering how I can improve engagement and performance through a cultural awareness and integration in the classroom. Bromfenbrenner points out that by having the most effective educational environment in which students feel a connection and sense of accomplishment regarding their performance they can develop more effectively.
Andrew--
DeleteI especially agree with what you said in your 2nd point, that we need to inject education over culture. Though I think it's a natural reaction to do so, new teachers should be wary of assuming that what worked for us as students must also work for others. The most important thing is to be receptive to the needs of our classroom without imposing too much of our presuppositions on our students. I made a conscious effort this year to avoid assumptions and to eschew rigidity, to not assume that what I responded to as a teacher would also work for my students, cultural differences aside. Education over ego is what it really comes down to.
Andrew-
DeleteI also highly believe in inserting culture into education as opposed to the other way around. My students have the same backgrounds as yours do and it is crucial that we take their culture into our classrooms. Their motivation and their participation increases automatically as they sense a feeling of belonging and understanding. Being empathetic towards our students will help us further develop them into successful adults. I have researched their culture and have tried my best to find out what they value and what they enjoy doing as part of their culture. Bringing this into our classrooms shows our students that we care about them and where they come from. It is a way for us to communicate to them that their culture is important.
Great discussion. I think the point of inserting education into culture instead of vice versa is vital in creating a classroom community that not just sets students up to do well, but to create that classroom of mutual respect. We teach what we know, and for those who went to school in a culture where the teacher was the "sage on the stage," that is what we assume works. That, however, is not always the case.
Delete1. Culture aside, I think the commonality lies in the argument that outside forces contribute a great deal to student development and academic learning, that their performance in schools includes elements stemming far beyond the classroom. It seems that Ladson-Billings’ idea of culturally-responsive education may fall within the broader umbrella of Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological model; culture may be a subset of the broader ecosystem that contributes to shaping a human being as such. The constant interaction (proximal process) Bronfenbrenner speaks of may include “culture” as defined by Ladson-Billings: music, slang, style of dress, etc. If these cultural aspects are person-dependent and constantly observed and received, they may contribute to the proximal contact Bronfenbrenner advocates for. (Certain parenting techniques and child-rearing, and he mentions, are also culturally-dependent and varied). Ladson, though, seems to stop short of things outside of culture influencing a student’s performance in the classroom. If we’re allowing more culturally-relevant curricula and materials in the classroom, and if parents with a more “formal” education are positive interactions, as per Bronfenbrenner, can the two reasonably co-exist? What is formal education as compared to informal education? A main connection between the two sets of ideas may be regular parent/guardian involvement. Regardless of a parent’s educational background, his/her regular involvement with their student(s)’ progress would elevate student performance and help dissolve the home/classroom boundary.
ReplyDelete2/3. The “proximal processes” Bronfenbrenner writes of have proven essential as a first year teacher. Because many of the students I teach are recently-arrived immigrants, maintaining constant parental involvement and interaction has been the difference in some students failing or dropping out and doing relatively well in class. Parents are encouraged to, in part, make home an extension of school whenever possible. The stability of the parent-teacher-student relationship allows students who may be overwhelmed by the classroom to maintain a sense of continuity in what may seem a chaotic and discordant environment.
I can’t help but wonder, though, the degree to which we should include culturally-relevant content in the classroom. While to me a teacher shouldn’t necessarily care if a student’s pants sag or listens to hip-hop, I wonder if incorporating too many culturally-relevant content ideas might create a loop that continuously reinforces itself, in which students are increasingly exposed to ideas and content they’re already familiar with. For myself, the teachers that had the largest influence on me didn’t make an attempt to teach what was culturally-relevant where and when I was in school, and it made no difference to my passion for the class. I think connections to a student’s life – wherever she’s from – is vital; but I wonder how much traditional content needs to be replaced by what’s currently relatable. I’m admittedly a bit uncomfortable, a: pretending to know as much about my students’ culture as they do and, b: presenting them with too much material that serves to only reinforce what they think, and doesn’t expose them to different or more complex content. I’m sure Shakespeare connects to Jay-Z, and that connection ought to be highlighted to make the content more interesting and engaging; but what if we reach the point where the former is replaced by the latter? Conversely, what would be the point of education if there isn’t some degree of immediate or culturally-appropriate relevance?
Hey Caio,
DeleteI've also thought about the last point that you made. I agree on the importance of making connections to students lives, and I spent a lot of time this year trying to find texts that were culturally relevant to my students. I convinced a co-teacher to finish the year with a unit on Drown by Junot Diaz, who like most of my students moved from the Dominican Republic to New Jersey (close to NYC) as a kid. But one of the reasons that I was drawn to the book when I read it years ago was the perspective it provided of another place, from a person different from me. This is why I loved reading as a kid, and there’s definitely something valuable in exposing children to people, places, and ideas different from their own. I liked Ladson-Billings’s argument for equipping students with the tools to “engage the world and others critically”, and I think this would inevitably involve an understanding of a variety of cultures and perspectives.
Absolutely on the parent involvement angle -- in general, regardless of race or SES background, parent involvement makes the biggest difference in all students' educational achievement. Regarding your second point, and Jaime's response, I think the biggest thing to remember about LB's article is that she talks about bringing education INTO the culture, not the other way around. Bringing culture into education is focused on those token gestures -- connecting Shakespeare to Jay-Z, "Culture Night," show and tell -- these aren't ACTUALLY culturally responsive. Meeting your students where they are and asking what they bring to the classroom -- THAT is culturally responsive.
Delete1.
ReplyDeleteThese two articles are both stressing the importance of social interaction in our classrooms and how it affects student development and student learning. Just like Tomassello, both Bronfrenbrenner and Ladson believe that our interactions with people and our environment influence the way we learn and how we develop as human beings. Ladson focuses on African American students in his article. He states, “culturally relevant teachers utilize students’ culture as a vehicle for learning.” (page 161) He says that you have to allow students to express themselves in their own language. Rather than teaching students straight out of textbooks, Ladson believes that a teacher should use his/her students’ real life experiences to further develop their learning. I believe this is necessary because not only does it make the students feel more comfortable but it also gives them a more realistic approach to learning. Bronfrenbrenner discusses different issues that range from the microsystem to the macrosystem that affect a child’s development. He states, “Examples of enduring patterns of proximal process are found in parent-child and child-child activities, group or solitary play, reading, learning new skills, studying, athletic activities, and performing complex tasks.” (page 38) His approach covers a wider range of systems that play a role in learning. Both of these articles indicate the significance of us knowing the background of our students and their daily interactions outside of school.
2. Ladson’s article is reflexive of a specific event I had this year in the math class that I push in to. Just like the students in Ladson’s article, our math class comprises of almost all African American students. They have a love for rap music and so we decided to incorporate that into our classroom. We developed a Rap Battle. The prompt was for students to make a rap song using the math terms we were discussing that time period. Some of the terms were exponents, equations, decimals, expressions and fractions. The students came up with some amazing raps and they performed them in the classroom. They absolutely loved this “battle” because they got to express what they learned through their favorite style of music.
3.
These articles have ensured me that my own belief in how students learn is accurate. I will continue to focus on building personal relationships with my students and learning about their cultures and personal interests. Knowing about their life outside of school will help me to integrate it into our classroom and increase their motivation and their sense of belonging. I have to put in the effort to know my students and not just know my textbooks.
Hey Elpida- I started out this year excited to teach poetry through rap. I'm a poet and an aspiring rapper (well, almost aspiring), but I realized that the co-teachers I worked with didn't find time, think it was worth it, or too hard to deal with behaviors if I brought anything wildly different to the table. I'm so happy that the rap worked in your math class! I struggled with a classroom with many behaviors problems and always wanted to engage in such an activity. I would love to see the lesson plan/ video or student work from it! Seriously! I would love to know how it worked in more detail. Thanks!
DeleteNice point about not "teaching from the textbook." I have heard other teachers complain about not having textbooks available, while others complained about having to teach a textbook's designated curriculum. I personally don't believe either approach is perfect, and I found the proposed strategy in the article exciting: Rather than the teacher accepting a textbook or curriculum as perfect, students can be allowed to criticize and analyze it. Teachers may ask why students believe that the State requires certain objectives and resources.
Delete1. These two articles fit well together because Bronfenbrenner’s article seemed general and obvious (the environment in which one lives creates differences in human development and student success) while Ladson-Billings focused in on the teacher who can co-create the environment with the parents and students as community members to elicit learning success.
ReplyDeleteThe most important connection made between these two articles for me was that both studies showed the importance of parental involvement and the power of community. Bronfenbrenner looks at parent involvement through a couple studies; one about the connection between birth weight, mother’s care and behavioral problems, while the other focused on how student GPA connects with family structure. The difference between kids with “poor care” of the higher SES families vs. kids with “poor care” and lowest SES was very close in the occurrence of behavioral problems at age 4. This revealed that the effects of proximal processes (for this example, mother-infant) are more powerful than the environmental contexts.
Ladson-Billings discussed a case study on the teachers that had high achievement in their classes, and gave examples of a teacher who brought in parents and community members in an art-in-residency project, and then taught the curriculum of their regular content classes around whatever the community member had shared with them that week. This connection I see between the articles is the power of bridging the parental (proximal process) with the school’s environmental context for student achievement. Students feel respected and acknowledged for who they are when they see their peers, family or community members in front of a class, a place that is usually equated with power. When things valued from their community like sweet potato pie or rap music (as examples from the text) are seen as important learning tools as well as an access point into curriculum that students might otherwise see as a unimportant or irrelevant.
I also had the same big take away as you. Often it is hard for us to make these connections with the parents of our students, but these articles show how important it really is. I struggle with how to do this in a high school classroom with students from multiple different cultures. Obviously just contact with the parents and the teachers is a great step, but I would love to foster more of a connection between the parents and the school.
Delete
ReplyDelete2. Now think about your own teaching this year. How do these two articles inform either a specific event you had this year, or to your practice as a whole? (You may also reflect on both.) Remember -- no names or identifying details; pseudonyms are fine.
The Ladson-Billings article helped me see after a long, stressful 1st year (where I kept wondering if this feeling of being totally lost would ever go away) that I am a culturally responsive teacher. Across my practice as a whole, I put the students and their cultural knowledge at the forefront of how I would make the curriculum accessible and important to them. I started out my group of Kindergarten reading level 4th graders with two articles debating about English only programs, immigration, current tension between Haiti and Dominican Republic. I try to teach as an avid learner, and want to elicit the knowledge my students have over my own, as I am not a 1st generation immigrant, nor learned English as a new language, nor have I been to Hispanola. Though a lot more leg work than using the mandated curriculum material, I saw the benefits of culturally responsive teaching almost instantly. Students who said they were dumb everyday, started talking about how they were the proud translators for their families, some would share excitedly about a connection they made to the test when usually that student didn’t speak in groups. And I saw the end of the year, with out ENL showcase, that most of my fifth graders wrote 2-3 paragraph essays about Donald Trump’s remarks about immigration and what they would do if they were president. My 4th graders wrote with pride about who they were and why they are proud of their families and where they are from. These kids did not have a the skills yet to put a simple sentence together in English when I met them in September.
I also reflected on being culturally responsive in terms of parental and family involvement.
One of my student going on to middle school this year hadn’t moved up reading levels of Kindergarten for three years. Teachers told me that he and fellow classmates at his level were not going to grow (reading levels), and not to worry about them as much as the other kids who will grow. These students never got RTI services because “they were ELLs” or “they were too low, nobody wants to take them”. I struggled with how to engage them in 5th grade content, until I realized no one really cared about getting content to these kids, so I made up my own and brought in a presentation about my favorite place in the world, and articles based on the communities I loved that I knew what similar to theirs. Then we read articles, had discussions and wrote presentations about their communities and their country’s culture. I realized through this process that one of my student’s processed information at a different rate that other ELLs and I began a series of long discussion with his family and him. Behavioral problems and motivation were challenges as well as very little phonemic awareness. I knew the two family members were very close with the student and had a loving relationship. I brought them in for numerous meetings to just show the student’s work or discuss what responsibilities he had at home and just get to know about their family life more. The student and his family began to see the joy I had in seeing them and the passion I had for working with their child. He started doing homework every night, took his notebook to the back of the classroom with me ready to work instead of playing and drawing. The student won student of the month for being a model student and at the showcase had three pieces of full page work that showed his ability to write essays.
I believe the constant connection between his family and I created showed the student that I loved working with him and loved learning about him and his family. I brought in topics that I felt passionate about and my students totally jumped on board and worked harder when they knew I was interested in them and the subject.
Hi Tara,
DeleteI think most of us have thought about the effectiveness of our teaching during this first year. It is wonderful to read about your experiences this year in the classroom as a culturally responsive teacher. It encouraging to see that even in the first year of teaching you were able to connect with your students and find their motivation to learn. Great job creating that positive parent relationship as well. These articles really show how important relationships with our students and their parents in order for their academic success.
Very thoughtful reflection, Tara. Keep up the great work in your teaching.
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ReplyDelete3. Reflect on how, moving forward, these articles might inform your approach to your students in the upcoming school year and beyond.
I reflected pretty heavily on how cultural responsive teaching and the role of proximal processes of the family helped engage and inspire independent learners this year, so I’ll just say that I the Bronfenbrenner article helped me see the deep impact of the family in the lives of my students through the impact of the of the study of proximal processes. I will continue to engage families by calling them or having meetings that are informal and to display their child’s strengths. I was also intrigued by the Great Depression study and want to take more into account who the child is to the family and their responsibility to the unit, as it helps me understand their individual strengths that they show at home but maybe not always at school.
Thanks to Ladson- Billings article I will continue teaching the way I love, and what I love. Seeing that the one traits that all the very different teachers had in common was their respect and passion for their profession. Everyday I feel honored to learn and grow with from such a wildly diverse and lively group of children. I’m proud of my students and see them as humans who are helping me on my journey as much as I’m helping them. With this I know I’ll at least make it another year! :)
ReplyDelete1. Early in Ladson-Billings’s article, she references Cornel Pewewardy, who “asserts that one of the reasons Indian children experience difficulty in schools is that educators traditionally have attempted to insert culture into the education, instead of inserting education into the culture” (p. 159). To me, this helps frame the the commonalities between Bronfenbrenner and Ladson-Billings’s articles. Both seem to assert that slapping “culture” onto a lesson, curriculum, or even school environment, does not do enough to move towards “educating the whole child”, or even simply understanding how to educate the whole child. Ladson-Billings draws from Freire, who emphasized learning the world and not just the word, and writes “I have defined culturally relevant teaching as a pedagogy of oppression...” (p. 160). In order to engage with their oppressors, students must be aware of intricacies of their own cultures, and of those around them. While they must develop cultural competencies, they also must know how and when to use them. Bronfenbrenner, in a way, also advocates for an education that values the world over the word. In attempting to understand human development, and subsequently how this can be best fostered through education, Bronfenbrenner values the entire ecological system of human development. He outlines 5 structures within this system, moving from the immediate “microsystems” of personal relationships, interactions, and environments, all the way out to the “chronosystems” of time enacting on various aspects and forces in the person’s life. While culture is certainly a part of this ecological model of development, Bronfenbrenner suggests that much more that culture should be considered when evaluating how development occurs. From each article, I also sensed the importance of considering each individual student as separate, not automatically linked because they appear to be from the same culture. As Bronfenbrenner writes in his discussion of macrosystems, “This formulation points to the necessity of going beyond the simple labels of class and culture to identify more specific social and psychological features at the macrosystem level that ultimately affect the particular conditions and processes occurring in the microsystem” (p. 40). The development of each student occurs within a unique ecological system, within which various structures are linked in complex ways.
Specifically, I think that each author would advocate for considering and acknowledging students’ lives outside of the classroom before, or along with, their lives in the classroom. Obviously, the extent to which this is possible will vary. I think it’s fair to argue that it is not possible to piece together an understanding of the ecological system of each child-- nor might this be appropriate. What is possible, is to realize the individuality of each student, and not let “bringing culture into the classroom” blind you from this.
2. In Ladson-Billings’s article, she mentions that “if students’ home language is incorporated into the classroom, students are more likely to experience academic success” (p.159), and I think that Bronfenbrenner would agree to this as a best practice. Using students’ L1, in formal and informal ways in the classroom, was one thing I did consistently this year. Throughout the school year, I also incorporated activities that invited students to share information about themselves. Through these, and numerous informal, out of class conversations, I got to know many if not most of my students on a deeper, “non academic” level. I tried to use this knowledge in small ways to inform the decisions I made in the classroom. For example, I might take a student’s lack of consistent schooling into consideration when addressing behavioral issues, or call a sibling or uncle rather than parent for help in disciplining, motivating, or praising a student, based on what I know about the student’s family history.
ReplyDelete3. While I wanted to bring students’ cultures into the classroom in some way, I recognized that I wasn’t familiar with their cultures. Ladson-Billings writes “culturally relevant teachers utilize students’ culture as a vehicle for learning”. This is difficult to facilitate as a teacher from a different culture, and while important, is just as dangerous when done incorrectly as when not done at all. This year I treaded lightly-- I created a unit on language and identity, that allowed students to explore connections between the two on their own, while reading about experiences people from various cultures. This invited students and myself to bring both personal experiences and culture to the classroom. Next year, I think I would revise the unit to include clearer connections to the students community and home lives. For example, when discussing endangered languages, one student mentioned that her grandmother and mother spoke Quechua. Instead of simply nodding to this during the class discussion, I could have reached out to the student’s family to see if they would be willing to share their language in class.
Excellent response, Jaime.
DeleteReading Ladson-Billings and Bronfebrenner together allows new teachers of English language learners to enter a new perspective of cultural learning. Bronfebrenner argues that human development is heavily based on the environmental (cultural, racial, economic) system in which we grow/learn and Ladson-Billings explains the developmental benefits students experience when their classrooms are culturally competent environments. Reading these articles side-by-side illustrates not only the effects culture has on growth, but the abilities teachers have to cultivate an environment that raises empowered, culturally competent, academically successful students who have historically been disenfranchised.
ReplyDeleteCultural learning begins at infancy and continues until death. Humans are constantly learning from their mirco and macrosystems, internalizing environmental knowledge and then behaving in ways that reflect their surroundings. Bronferbrenner and Ladson-Billings would argue that when students are in an environment in which they feel supported (parentally or culturally) they are more likely to succeed. The two authors support each other by advocating for a particular method to understand and teach students. For example, Bronfebrenner’s article explained that, “In all instances, good maternal treatment appears to reduce substantially the degree of behavioral disturbance exhibited by the child...also that the proximal process has the general effect of reducing or buffering against environmental differences in development outcomes; specifically, under high levels of mother-child interaction, social class differences in problem behavior become much smaller” (p. 38). Although we are not our students’ mothers, we can take on this supportive role for our student that Bronfebrenner describes in the form of culturally relevant pedagogy in order to reduce the achievement gap for our at risk students.
After reading these two articles, particularly the Ladson-Billings piece I began to think about my practice and how I need to be more consistent with my culturally relevant teaching. One aspect of culturally appropriate teaching that she mentioned in her article that I encourage in my own classroom is having students incorporate their home languages into our academic experiences. However, there were many brilliant methods for linking school to students’ culture she discussed that I do not practice and would like to start incorporating. After reading her definition of culturally relevant teaching, I wanted to write it down and glue it to my desk. “Students must experience academic success; students must develop and/or maintain cultural competence; and student must develop a critical consciousness through which they challenge the status quo of the current social order” (p. 160). These words are an important daily reminder for myself and all teachers. In my future lesson planning I will ask myself if I am allowing my students to feel successful? Am I promoting their home cultures and validating their families’ skill sets? What lessons/units can I plan that creates cultural integrity while simultaneously developing academic excellence?
Good work, Sophia.
Delete1.) In the Bronfenbrenner article, he claims that a child’s development is not only dependent on their environment but also on the human relationships that thrive within those environments. The different environments are broken down into 5 categories including the microsystem which include family, school or peer groups, the mesosystem which links two or more settings together such as home and school, the exosystem which links two or more setting together, one of which does not contain the child, but that affects the child such as a school and parent’s work place , the macrosystem which embodies the overall beliefs or life style and the chronosystems which takes time into consideration when looking at changes that occur in life. As educators, our relationships within each of these environments shape the development of our students. The Ladson-Billings article provides insight on how teachers can take a student’s culture and incorporate it into teaching in order to help the student success in the classroom. Badson-Billings states that culturally relevant pedagogy is comprised of the following: students must succeed academically, maintain and develop their own cultural identity and to also challenge society in regards to the social norm. By adapting a culturally relevant pedagogy in the classroom, teachers are able to positively influence the student’s’ environments and also create positive relationships with the students.
ReplyDelete2/3 Looking at the culturally relevant pedagogy, I find that everyday in the classroom I encourage students to use their L1 as it important to create an environment where all languages are welcome. This taps into cultural competence as students should want to continue speaking their home language. One area which must be the focus is academic success. I say this because many times when pushing into a classroom, I face the attitude of the Gen Ed teacher saying “oh, they are low and just don’t get it.” Lason-Billings states that as educators we must “attend to students needs, not just make them feel good.” This is an important statement because sometimes I feel bad for my students. Perhaps they are struggling on a topic or have difficult situations at home and I want to give them a “you did a good job trying your best” so they at least feel good. I especially feel this way since I know that their main teacher doesn’t believe in their potential. There isn’t anything wrong with giving our students positive reinforcement, however we must continue to ensure our students are being provided with rigorous tasks so they learn and are prepared for the following grade. After all, if I don’t provide them with challenging opportunities to learn, where else will they have an opportunity to do so? One idea that I would like to bring into my classes next year falls under the cultural competence category. Ladson-Billings shared the idea of parents being welcomed into the classroom to cook a cultural dish. This is a great idea that involves parents coming into the classroom.
I agree with the overall assumption by general education teachers about students being "low" and being the go-to term to label ELLs. It is sad that the wealth of knowledge that these students do possess often goes unspoken as they merely lack the language to communicate to a perhaps monolingual teacher. Yet as one of my colleagues pointed out, one of our newly arrived students was able to talk about the dictator Trujillo due to what she learned from her family who had lived during that time period while the the rest of the class (who is also predominately Dominican) had no knowledge of such a crucial figure in the history of their heritage. In a curriculum that favors American history or world history that involves very particular regions, would this and is this topic actually given the attention it deserves?
DeleteYet I am also conflicted with the teacher as being the sole provider of challenging curriculum, even the ENL teacher. While the immediate environment may not be the most supportive for English development (such as my school's neighborhood not really needing English to get by), I still think that their lives outside of the classroom provide their own challenges. I think it is here where Ladson-Billings incorporation of the student as subject is most notable as the teacher can integrate the students' real-life challenges into the student's learning and marry the concepts and contexts. Yet I can also see the argument that without teacher intervention, the students may not readily identify the challenges in their lives or take the time to analyze them beyond the scope of their microsystem interactions.
Holly- I agree with the idea of encouraging students to use their L1. This reminds students that they are capable and competent, and that they are struggling with language, not with meeting grade level objectives. ELL students are too often considered "low", instead of acknowledging that they may be above grade level in their home language. While it is, as you said, not our job to "make them feel good" it is still important to support them in their development.
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ReplyDeleteIt is known that there are many elements that determine how children develop. Previously we have explored the effect on social interactions and the development of children. In both these articles, the authors address the importance of the students’ subsystems and environments on their abilities to learn. Ladson-Billings, (1995) explains that the teachers they found to be successful, utilized the students culture in class. In other words these teachers were able to connect the various microsystems that a student is a part of, into a mesosystem. Brofebrenner (1994) explains the proximal process as “processes of progressively more complex reciprocal interactions between an active, evolving biopsychological human organism and the persons, objects, and symbols in its immediate environment” (p. 38). Moreover, for human development to be successful, these interactions, the proximal processes, must be consistent throughout a time period (Brofebrenner, 1994). This supports the findings of Ladson-Billings, (1995) that successful teachers tie the students various microsystems into a comprehensive mesosystem. Teachers and school interactions should not be drastically different from the other contexts that students encounter. In addition, the school microsystem should remain stable for a period of time.
ReplyDeleteMy school has a partnership with People’s Theater Project. As a result, students are able to participate in creating scenes addressing various social justice issues relevant to them. This is an example of using culture in the classroom. Students were taking in various subsystems to examine the issues they face and then creatively create a short play to express the issues. They were able to take information from many different subsystems. My students came up with some scenes ranging from better lunch in school to religious freedom. The representative I had the opportunity to work with was able to incorporate the academic language and sentence structures that students learned in class into a relevant and meaningful play. Ladson-Billings, (1995) would support such a technique for learning because students are gaining academic knowledge, cultural competence and are developing “..critical consciousness through which they challenge the status quo of the current social order” (p. 2). I hope to have the opportunity to work with the same teaching artist again in order to learn more techniques for being a culturally competent teacher.
Moving forward I plan to continue incorporating my students cultures and other subsystems into the school environment wherever possible. I also wish to gain a better understanding of the other subsystems that my students might be a part of. Knowing even more about their environments will help to make lessons and material relatable. The structure of the other various systems would be helpful to know. It would be useful to keep the school environment similar in structure to their other environments if at all possible. I would love to incorporate the parents in a similar artist in residence program like the teacher mentioned in the Ladson-Billings article, but I wonder how to do this with all the different languages that our students speak? I also would not want to cross any boundaries and make parents feel obligated or embarrassed of their language skills. I wonder if any of you have successfully incorporated the parents into your classrooms and how that could look in a newcomer high school classroom.
Tara,
DeleteAs someone who grew up in New York City and went to NYC public schools, it is easy to fall into the trap of assuming that one understands everything and that the children in school today are very much like me. And, while that may be partially true, I found myself this year also learning about the subsystems and the different ecological levels put forth by Bronfebrenner. This is an area that I hope to further develop and gain more insight on. I find that Theater is a great way to use one of the arts to promote discussions and presentations about topics that are culturally relevant. Acting and story telling plays such an important role in so many of our students' culture and it is often absent from the classrooms.
Tara,
DeleteAs someone who grew up in New York City and went to NYC public schools, it is easy to fall into the trap of assuming that one understands everything and that the children in school today are very much like me. And, while that may be partially true, I found myself this year also learning about the subsystems and the different ecological levels put forth by Bronfebrenner. This is an area that I hope to further develop and gain more insight on. I find that Theater is a great way to use one of the arts to promote discussions and presentations about topics that are culturally relevant. Acting and story telling plays such an important role in so many of our students' culture and it is often absent from the classrooms.
Both articles suggest that teachers must consider an interconnected web of factors that make students unique when they consider their pedagogy. When such factors are misunderstood or overlooked, learning and development are hindered. For instance, Urie Bronfenbrenner argues that four systems influence an individual, and culture and each other. Culture and the school are not in the same system according to this theory, but they still interact to shape the person’s development. Additionally, home culture and the larger culture may be very different and conflicting. Ladson-Billings’ article can be connected to this, as she notes that incorporating students’ home language does not properly or sufficiently account for the “macro cultural context in which culture takes place.” As such, African American students may not benefit from such adjustments, and still be culturally underrepresented. Both authors refer to the macro influences which include culture and are very complex. For instance, my school has no White students, but we might still call it a school of minority students. My students attend a school with testing and curricular requirements that might hurt them unfairly compared to other students. As such, the larger culture in which they live affects them significantly.
ReplyDeleteThe Ladson-Billings article brings up several interesting points that inform some of the issues I have faced this year. I am the only ENL teacher at my school, and for some colleagues I am the primary point person when they have a question about teaching ELLs. At one point, I was asked to present about helpful strategies for working with ELLs. At times it seems like teachers would like a quick-fix and one-size-fits-all method to teach all ELLs. Even though I am more realistic, I have also wondered about how I can better include my students’ culture into a lesson or the curriculum. However, I learned that this might be a minimalistic view as well. Ladson-Billings points out the important distinction between trying to “insert culture into the education, instead of inserting education into the culture.” This is the difference between being “culturally responsive” and making pedagogy “culturally relevant.” From my understanding, she champions the latter approach, which is to teach in a way that leads students to “choose academic excellence.” Bronfenbrenner might expand this idea by stating that it isn’t enough to form superficial connections beteen micro-, meso-, exo-, and macrosystems and a newly taught concept. Rather, the content and pedagogy must fit within those systems. My initial reaction was that this is exactly the kind of approach that sounds so theoretical and laborious that my colleagues and I would shy away from even giving it a chance. But as the title suggests, the most fundamental aspects of the suggested pedagogy are “just good teaching,” exemplified by sincere passion and community. This is reassuring. While culturally relevant teaching is a novel concept, it isn’t a fundamental deviation from what is known to work in the classroom.
I found the examples of model instructional strategies given in the Ladson-Billings article very instructive. For instance, I would love to bring in an artist-in-residence. I work with over-aged students, most of whom are relative close to graduation, but many are also considered “at-risk” of dropping out. One of the most effective interventions has been career and college-related guidance. My students are at a crucial point in their lives, and a artist-in-residence could give them the necessary motivation to push through their challenges. Such a program would also allow me to make learning be in line with the interests and experiences of my students. I was also interested in the many ways in which teachers were able to allow students to critically analyze everything from historical events to instructional materials. I believe such activities are very empowering.
I also liked the idea of an artist-in-residence. It connects students with subject material they may have otherwise overlooked. Besides the fact that art is a wonderful resource to have, having someone there for the students can be enlightening and empowering.
DeletePhilip, I also thought Ladson-Billings' distinction between "inserting culture into the education" and "inserting education into the culture" was an interesting one. I think when we first hear about the importance of a culturally relevant curriculum, we immediately think of topics we could teach that pertain to our students backgrounds (i.e. immigration). Although this is certainly a nice thing to do, what Ladson-Billings is getting at is something more subtle and sophisticated: a way of tapping into student's strengths and community resources so that the actual community-members empower themselves to teach, to take ownership of their learning, and to view their background and their surroundings as a resource, rather than a hindrance.
DeleteI love the idea of artist-in-residence, and you might even think about bringing in current college students, younger college-grads, or recent high school grads who are in technical fields that could relate to where your students are now. They could talk about options, and they may be able to drive home the point that finishing high school is the best option for them.
DeleteBronfebrenner says that human development takes place through human interactions with persons, object, and symbols. He states that in order “to be effective the interaction must occur on a fairly regular basis over extended periods of time.” In effect he’s describing Tomasello’s socio-pragmatic model of using known symbols and cultural knowledge to build early language acquisition. Bronfebrenner talks about microsystems, “a pattern of activities, social roles, and interpersonal relations experienced by the developing person in a given face-to-face setting with particular physical, social, and symbolic features…” ostensibly, culture. Each of these articles says that for students to learn best, it is crucial that we attach some sort of importance or relevance to whatever is being taught. Ladson-Billings details with examples of students employing code-switching when acquiring Academic English, using community problem solving strategies to have students become “centered” or at the center of their education.
ReplyDeleteMy eighth period stand-alone ENL class was my most difficult. I was placed the art room, a loud echoing room with paint supplies everywhere, the last period of the day, with many beginner leveled Dominican students. I found that a straight lesson on grammar or English was not enough to catch and subsequently keep the attention of my students. In putting the lessons into a greater context, one that my students could relate to, I found that not only was their attention kept but that the assessments showed greater student understanding.
Students need to be brought into the class as teachers. I am always learning and always acquiring new information on the background of my students. My students love to tell me about their backgrounds and with good reason. It’s something they can relate to, something from their cultural experience that they can bring to the classroom. Learning and developing is much easier when it involves knowledge you have had previously.
I like the connection you make between this week's reading and Tomasello! I did not think of that before I read this post, but I now see how Bronfebrenner echoes the idea of a socio-pragmatic model.
DeleteLadson-Billings' point about students being teachers and having a fluid and equitable relationship with teachers struck me as important. I did not do a great job of letting students be the teacher at times, and I hope I let this happen more next year as well.
The best teachers are the most diligent students -- we learn from those we are teaching. It's a reciprocal relationship. Otherwise, what's the point?
DeleteI love that you a actively acquire information about your student and student background and I hope to bring that into my classroom next year. I also think its worth it to look into student schedules and how this impacts student learning
Delete1) What was particularly noteworthy for Bronfenbrenner was his emphasis not only on the various levels of interaction and engagement with the human organism affecting development, but particularly on the authentic experience. For direct and immediate results, controlled experiments take place to determine a particular variable and its effects on another and understandably so. Yet it is difficult to ever see these findings as entirely authentic as they have been crafted for the purpose of experimentation. Yet, as Ladson-Billings also sets out to do in her research, Bronfenbrenner seeks to discover answers in real-world contexts, with Ladson-Billings entering not into simulated classrooms, but real-life classrooms that have already proven successful. Yet even the Teach Like A Champion book we’ve come to know and love, (can written text accurately portray sarcasm?) research was supposedly gathered from numerous charter school classrooms though the application was focused on a particular gathering of schools. It is in this regard that Bronfenbrenner’s closing statements about the ecological model are perhaps most relevant and most potent by stating:
ReplyDelete“Indeed, their purpose may be better served if the hypotheses that they generate are found wanting, for the primary scientific aim of the ecological approach is not to claim answers, but to provide a theoretical framework that, through its application, will lead to further progress in discovering the processes and conditions that shape the course of human development” (1994).
Ladson-Billings’ findings also mirror this statement as the actual application of culturally relevant teaching appeared to have no immediate identifiable connection, but varied significantly in their structures. Yet whether bound by routines or loose forms of interactions, the teachers observed by Ladson-Billings provided a theoretical framework for teachers to consider and acknowledges that the various teaching approaches she encountered were all beneficial in bolstering the education of African American students. Ladson-Billings also discovers the application of Bronfenbrenner’s levels of systems of human interaction (though perhaps unconsciously) in the content and context of the learning taking place. Bronfenbrenner’s systems are not merely meant for external observation, but internal integration into the tenets of culturally relevant teaching. Questioning and examining classroom materials such as outdated textbooks and the very society and culture in which they immerse themselves, along with integrating parents and culture into the learning experience in very personal ways, appear to positively impact African American students’ learning. Ladson-Billings’ findings push Bronfenbrenner’s systems further as while Bronfenbrenner acknowledges interconnectedness through the Russian doll analogy and network engagement, Ladson-Billings’ findings seem to propose the marriage of these networks. For example, Ladson-Billings seems to suggest the marriage of the parent and school environments mentioned by Bronfenbrenner to better understand and appreciate the relevance of both in students’ lives and to better promote success rather than seeing them as separate.
Delete2) The systems of environment are certainly apparent in my interactions at school and are particularly noticeable during parent-teacher conferences. It is rare to see the parents of students who may be “acting up” or underperforming at school, but instead I am always visited by the parents of those who are doing well in the class. This seems to be more tied to the exosystem mentioned by Bronfenbrenner as while at first it may seem to be only tied to the opposition or harmony of the parent-school mesosystem, the impact of the parent’s job also considerably impacts this relationship. One particular example in the classroom was when I asked that students interview their parents and one student in particular told me this would be difficult due to his parents both working late until after 9pm. I did not discover if the nature of his parents’ jobs was a new phenomenon or manifested in previous years, but I did notice chronic absences and lack of written products despite the wealth of knowledge he brought to discussions. His current behavior was a new development according to other teachers who reported his success from last year.
3) Yet I feel as though I missed out on the authentic classwork discussed by Ladson-Billings in favor of curriculum formal essays as the major evaluative body of work. Yet steps are being taken to revise the bilingual curriculum to use texts that are more culturally relevant to their own life experiences to encourage student connections, discussion and understanding. My colleague and I are trying to integrate more authentic assignments into the curriculum yet are not nearly of the caliber and purpose suggested in the article (an example being the writing of a letter as a character to learn the skill and format of letter writing). Though I may not be able to abandon the formal essays as the administration wants units to look mostly uniform we can still integrate other culturally and societally analytical activities into the curriculum. Before reading the article I had also thought of bringing in role models to the classroom without considering the classic inclusion of parents to discuss their own accomplishments. In a similar manner, my school is trying to use the Tuesdays designated for parent outreach to have programs discussing what will be taught in the classroom as well as workshops to help support their child’s learning and be more directly involved in their education.
Hey Derek,
DeleteI think you bring up a frustrating point when you mention the difficulty in creating teacher made curriculum in the day and age of state exams and the constant testing pressures, but I like how you did not use that as an excuse that excludes you from the ability to become a culturally relevant teacher. Often you hear teachers use the Common Core or the state exams as a crutch for being unoriginal, boring or even culturally ignorant. You hear people saying they would get in trouble from their administration if they got caught playing a educational game, or taking time out of the day to have parents speak about their skills. However, after reading Ladson-Billings' article, I don't think any administration would be angry if they walked in on a classroom analyzing rap songs and practicing poetic literary skill sets. In fact, the article claimed that the students lucky enough to have the teachers mentioned performed extremely well on the state exams.
Clearly teachers need to find a genuine method of connecting to our students through their interests and backgrounds in order for them to feel a sense of ownership in their learning and thus reach their full potential. All of the bureaucratic testing nonsense can't be an excuse for us not to create a culturally relevant environment for our students.
While your sarcasm comes across only because I know how you all ACTUALLy feel about about the book, I will say that I believe exactly what you say is my biggest problem with Teach Like a Champion. It's a list of things "that will always work," but they don't take into account ANYTHING about the students or even the teacher for that matter.
DeleteRegarding the frustration in the top-down curriculum, remember that teaching is a radical act. As we learned from Tara's story on Wednesday, a lot of what is done in the classroom is done not under the watchful eye of the administration. It takes more work on your part to prep, but I can speak from experience when I tell you that the classes are better for the students AND for YOU.
1. The commonality I saw between these two articles is the connection between environment and development/education. Bronfrenbrenner recognizes the idea of genetic inheritance and development, but makes a case that it is …”highly influenced by events and conditions in the environment” (41). For Bronfrenbrenner, development is not just a biological or genetically inherited process – it is deeply impacted by a person’s environment. Ladson-Billings spends the entirety of her article discussing how we can make the environments that students grow up in more conducive to their being successful. It is clear through Ladson-Billings’ article that she would agree with Bronfrenbrenner on the fact that the environment (specifically in which you learn) impacts your development. Both articles say that we should understand and teach our students in their contexts. We should always keep in mind that environment impacts development, and strive to make our classrooms an environment that is culturally relevant.
ReplyDelete2. I really like Ladson-Billings’ 3rd component to culturally relevant teaching about critical consciousness. I tried to show my students how to push back on the status quo, and as Ladson-Billings says “develop a broader sociopolitical consciousness” (162). About a month ago, we started a history unit on The Constitution, and took a day-trip to Philadelphia to visit the Constitution Museum. In class, we talked about the Founding Fathers, and discussed how the issue of slavery is not mentioned in the Constitution. We talked about who “We the people…” really included at the time the Constitution was written. I want students to learn history from multiple perspectives and see how our country’s past is still impacting our present.
3. Moving forward, I want to work on the academic success component of culturally relevant teaching. I like when Ladson-Billings describes that excellent teachers, “…demanded, reinforced, and produced academic excellence…they attend to student’s academic needs, not merely making them “feel good”’ (160). I teach students who are not performing at grade level and have low academic self-esteem. Sometimes, I think I play more of a role of trying to make them feel good/better as opposed to making them do well. I want to hold all of my students to a high standard.
Rachel,
DeleteI, too, have fallen into the trap of making students merely rely on me for motivation. When students get used to hearing exaggerated praise, they may not try as hard, and they may come to be dependent on others to feel self-confident. Most of all, I want to be the kind of teacher who lays out the right kind of environment for helping students build more intrinsic motivation. I want them to "choose" academic excellence for themselves, as Ladson-Billings said (160). I am curious to know at what age that is most developmentally possible.
Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Model of Human Development describes the way in which individuals develop through interaction with their environment. To have an enduring effect, he argues, an interaction must be fairly regular and occur over an extended period of time. He labels these interactions "proximal processes." His model doesn't just refer to the way a child interacts with family, school, and friends, but also the way in which less immediate factors, such as a parent's workplace, or a family's social network, have an impact on the child and on the different proximal processes of the child.
ReplyDeleteLadson-Billings, in her article, discusses the culturally relevant practices of eight successful teachers of low-income, African-American students. She highlights the way in which those teachers affirm the cultural and personal strengths of their students. For example, one teacher uses hip hop as a bridge for her students to engage with and understand poetry. Another teacher brought in community members as "artists-in-residence" who would run a workshop to teach students a specific skill, such as baking or carpentry. The big idea here is that these teachers see the students, their culture, and their community for their resources and abilities rather than their shortcomings. It is a way of empowering the students, of affirming their identities and encouraging them to take ownership of their education.
These articles are related because they both consider the importance of a developing child's environment. Bronfenbrenner outlines the micro and macro levels at which a child interacts with, and develops in response to, her environment. Ladson-Billings shows how this type of understanding can be used as a resource for teachers. Rather than seeing all the ways these environmental contexts hinder a child, she focuses on how these contexts can be affirmed and recruited to advance a child.
These articles made me reflect on my first year teaching as a whole. Working in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood, it can often be discouraging to see how far many of the students are from "grade level." It's not an easy fact to account for. There are so many different factors in these students' lives that have kept them from attaining the literacy or numeracy of their more privileged counterparts. When Bronfenbrenner describes his ecological model of human development, I think of my kids, their immediate interactions, their family lives, their parents histories, educations, and work environments, the way all these factors and many more combine to influence their development.
In this seemingly endless dark pit of disadvantage, the Ladson-Billings article offers a ray of hope. Although so many of my students are below grade level, they also are surrounded by resources and bolstered by strengths and abilities. It is important to not only recognize the disadvantage, but also to locate the advantage. Many of my students are bilingual, many of them have rich cultural, social, and academic knowledge. Many of their parents and families have skills and wisdom to share. By focusing on the upshot, rather than the downside, we can help to empower our students and to encourage them to take ownership of their education in a way that also maintains and affirms their cultural identity.
Henry,
DeleteThank you for your post. I agree that the teachers that Ladson-Billings profiles are teachers who are models for how the inclusion of our students' cultures can improve their academic learning, especially when they are below where they are expected to be academically. I think that one of her most important points in that article was about how we can give students this knowledge in order to help them critically engage and challenge the structures that impose the devastating disadvantages that they face. Beyond just affirming their cultural identity, her argument is that we should also teach students how to navigate and address those structures, and I agree. As I think about Bronfenbrenner's Russian dolls, the "set of nested structures" of the ecological environment, I think about how it continues out into the community of a particular city, region, state, and even country. While a child develops with the proximal processes within the systems mentioned by Bronfenbrenner, as an adult, they will expand and explore the world most intimately and need the language and critical skills in order to be able to understand its micro and the macro workings, especially as they are students of color navigating environments that have been built with racist, sexist, and classist scaffolds. Therefore, I agree with Ladson-Billings as she asserts that the critical eye is an necessary component when building a culturally conscious and engaged classroom.
Henry, I agree that finding opportunities for students to use the resources of their home cultures to help them to draw on and share can have a positive influence on the class. I think that it is also important that rather than the teacher showing it to the students, the activities we develop are ones where students are discovering these bright spots of their cultures on their own. As teachers, we are creating the scaffolding that allows students to reach this discovery themselves. This will foster a deeper grasp on their own cultures, which will lead to more thoughtful explanations when it is time for them to share this knowledge with their classmates.
DeleteUrie Bronfenbrenner and Gloria Ladson-Billings are in conversation with one another about how culture, and the environment in particular, influence childhood development. Bronfenbrenner discusses how an ecological framework guides childhood development. By focusing on the role that the environment on how children learn and grow, he speaks to Ladson-Billings’ work. This is most evident in her explanation on how teachers incorporate various resources from the environment to create a network. School is but one cornerstone that operates within a wider network of a microsystem in the ecological understanding of childhood development. The intentional links that are cultivated between school and home of one of the teachers within Ladson-Billings’ study addresses Bronfenbrenner’s the mesosystem. Therefore, school not only operates within a context of the environment from which it springs, but its success is inherently tied to the environment. I believe this is what Ladson-Billings’ profiles in her study of exceptional teachers within black communities. She highlights teachers who bring the environment into their instruction. It is not just about being culturally relevant either. Rather, it is about being intentional about the links that are created between school and home (i.e. students’ parents and family members enter the classroom to teach) and creating strong proximal processes, those individual actors that children encounter again and again, to overcome environments in which racist and classist structures may impede of the success of each child.
ReplyDeleteBronfenbrenner explains that the ecological framework offers teachers an understanding of how the environment, on all its various levels, can impact childhood development. He asks his audience to consider the students’ culture and the community in which that culture resides. Ladson-Billings then advocates for that culture and community being brought into the classroom. She provides examples of teachers who incorporate the language, art, and people of the students’ culture into the lesson and curriculum that they use in order to propel their students’ academic achievement.
These articles emphasize the importance of students’ cultural background in their academic education. They both assert that their learning must be embedded within the context of their cultural and community realities. I use these philosophies when creating real-world examples for which to connect academic content. However, these articles made me think more deeply about a culturally relevant education as it connects to the spaces outside of the classroom. In the future, I hope to explicitly create school to home and school to community connections. Parents, in particular, are more than just a static component in their child’s academic career; they are an active participant and should be engaged more. While I do think the economic realities of some families will make it difficult to be engaged, as an educator, soliciting their participation deserves more effort and attention on my part.
I really appreciate the part of your response where you state,
Delete"It is not just about being culturally relevant either. Rather, it is about being intentional about the links that are created between school and home..."
It's very true that we have to make an effort with our students and parents. On page 161 of the Ladson-Billings article gives a great example of how to incorporate the parents and use them as a "knowledge and capable resource" and not just inform them of student progress. Using them and showing your students strong examples from the environment they come from is a great strategy to connect the dual worlds of students.
Wonderful reflection.
DeleteBeyond the surface level argument of, "culture," what do these two articles have in common that they were selected to pair up with each other under this wide umbrella of the topic? What do each of these articles have to say about how we understand and teach students? I am looking for thoughtful, specific connections between the two articles.
ReplyDeleteBoth Ladson-Billings and Bronfenbrenner explain the importance of cultural learning. Both acknowledge that there is more than just a student’s participation in the classroom that affects their education and learning processes. Bothstress the relationships that exist both inside and outside of the classroom; between teachers and students, inter-peer relationships, and community and family ties in the classroom. Bronfenbrenner refers to the “ecological model”, and how students develop based on the social contexts they are surrounded by. These proximal processes are seen in the immediate environment of the child, and how they each affect that child's development. Based on data, Bronfenbrenner is able to draw conclusions about how children develop. Many of these positive proximal processes I'm the ecological model are seen in advangated communities of society, and few are seen with disadvantaged students. This is crucial when thinking about the populations that are present in my school. While I know that the majority of my students come from happy, healthy homes, it is important to consider the socioeconomic disadvantages they face and how this affects their home lives, which then affects their education. Ladson- Billings especially notes the importance of these relationships and the teachers roles in ensuring they are created. Her focus was specifically on African-American students and the importance of culturally relevant teachings. Her definition of culturally relevant teaching: “(a) Students must experience academic success; (b) students must develop and/or maintain cultural competence; and (c) students must develop a critical consciousness through which they challenge the status quo of the current social order” is similar to Bronfenbrenner’s, however Ladson’s specifies the challenges faced by the subgroup of students she is studying. Ladson also acknowledges the importance of allowing students to code-switch between SAE and their home language. What is important to pull from both articles is that students must be allowed to show pride in their culture, and make sure that culture is reflected in the classroom.
2. Now think about your own teaching this year. How do these two articles inform either a specific event you had this year, or to your practice as a whole? (You may also reflect on both.) Remember -- no names or identifying details; pseudonyms are fine.
I co-teach in three fifth grade classrooms, that all rigidly follow a set curriculum. Prior to the start of each unit, teachers occasionally take a day to pre-read the book and frontload information based on the fact that my school is almost entirely first -generation Chinese-American students. Before starting a book on scientist Rachel Carson, I took the lead and introduced my students to a Chinese-American female scientist. Students seemed to appreciate the attempt at culturally relevant teaching, as they were able to see themselves and their family members reflected in th text.
In contrast to this, I watched a second grade teacher speak negatively about a parent in front of her and how “none of these people speak English”. The mother kindly corrected the teacher in English that she did in fact speak English and multiple other languages, and that she had gone to Columbia University. The teacher, embarrassed, apologized profusely for the misunderstanding. This (clearly) did not foster a school-parent relationship.
Reflect on how, moving forward, these articles might inform your approach to your students in the upcoming school year and beyond.
DeleteWhat struck me the most was Ladson’s critical consciousness and how it affected students. Students are hyper aware of the inequalities and biases they face academically. Her example of not having funding for new textbooks struck me, because my students were able to identify outdated facts in their social studies textbooks. If we were in a better funded school, students would not need to question the information found in their textbooks, nor would we as teachers need to fact check information. It is important to understand this context in moving forward, and to help students in ensuring that their education is not second-rate, nor are they second-rate students based on their socioeconomic status
1. Both articles discuss how the environment and culture influence human development. Bronfebrenner breaks down the 5 systems that make up the “ecological environment” that foster human development. “Microsystems”, the smallest of the 5, are made up of “a pattern of activities, social roles and interpersonal relations experienced by the developing person”. One of these patterns that occur regularly is the roles and interactions that occur when students are at home with their family. Another occurs in school. He goes on to describe the the 2nd layer of the learners’ environment to be made of “the linkages and processes taking place between two or more settings”. The students’ ability to make connections between their school and home life is one important example of this. The Ladson-Billings article discusses the importance and ways that teachers can incorporate the students’ home life and culture into the classroom. Among the examples of success, such as Patricia Hilliards’ ability to draw on the students connection to hip-hop culture, were all results of teachers finding creative ways to have students “affirm cultural knowledge” as a tool to support learning. While the Ladson-Billings article spoke more from the perspective of the educators’ ability to influence the learning environment, Bronfebrenner broke down how students are influenced by their environment.
ReplyDelete2. Early in the school year, students were studying the different text features that make up informational texts. For one activity, students had to think of a routine that they are familiar with, and write a paragraph that breaks down the steps of this routine through use of transitional words such as “first”, “next”, “finally”, etc. Among the example scenarios that students could use were how to get to/from school, the class schedule brushing their teeth and how to make their favorite food. Several students that had earlier shown little interest and effort suddenly became extremely engaged with discussing the proper steps to making a common food that was common in their culture. The conversations that students were engaged in reminds me of the “cultural affirmation” that the Ladson-Billings article touched on. By recalling the routines and features of their home life, they are asking themselves questions about themselves, while also completing an activity that they find to be relevant.
3. When I reflect on the past year, I recall making an effort to find opportunities to incorporate material that included aspects of the cultures represented in my student population. However, the scarcity of reading passages available made it challenging to maintain. When I read about Bronfebrenner’s 3rd stage of ecological environments, where students have to relate between settings that do not include themselves, this reminded me of some of the creative writing tasks I made where students have to make hypothetical situations between made-up characters and settings. One way to make the writing prompt more relevant and engaging to the student would be to make a requirement that the narrative span across two or more settings that are familiar to the student (native country, home life, school life, etc.) in a logical way. Another would be to include characters from one of these settings. Moving forward, I want to incorporate more of this into my writing activities as a way to offer students the chance to produce writing that affirms their culture and fosters knowledge.
Bronfenbrenner's article explains that human development takes place through interactions between the different ecologies of one's life (38). Ladson-Billings confirms the importance of not treating school like an isolated, foreign, and unattainable space, but as one that is in constant interaction with other parts of the individual's life. Since people learn best when situations are more meaningful to them, teachers must make bridge the gap between school and home life. After all, most students spend the majority of their waking day at school.
ReplyDeleteLadson-Billings brings up the discomfort that many students feel about school: "an alien and hostile place" (161). I saw many of my students struggle in my classes, precisely because they are turned off by the foreign nature of school life. As a first year teacher, I fell victim more to the pressures of rushing through curricula and preparing students for tests than creating the wonderful culturally-sensitive teaching moments described in her article.
Moving forward, I am determined to communicate more with my colleagues about ideas for incorporating more culturally-relevant activities into our lesson plans. If we can start by getting more creative and culturally aware in one subject and show improvements in student engagement, then perhaps this kind of practice will catch on more school-wide.
Jasmine, I totally relate to your statement of falling victim of rushing through curricula and preparing students for tests. There were so many mistakes I made this year that I can use as a jumping off point to better my craft next year. One area of focus will be to be more culturally relevant within my classroom. Thankfully, I am in the position I am in, in the sense that I have more freedom than gen ed classroom teachers do, eventhough we have to prepare our students for various regents exams and the NYSESLAT at the end of the year, I think a great way to prepare them for that is to create the environment in which our students choose to learn, and are excited about it. It will definitely be a challenge but, as you said, communication with colleagues will definitely be an asset.
Delete1. Besides the argument of “culture” both Ladson-Billings’s article and Bronfenbrenner’s article discuss the importance of the outside influences upon students that play a large role in their education. They both discuss that from the perspective of the student outside factors such as families, settings/environments, and physical development of the student majorly impact the student's learning process within the classroom. All of these factors which may, at time, fall under the umbrella of “culture” have a more meaningful effect on the students.
ReplyDeleteBronfenbrenner identifies the learning process for students as requiring “complex reciprocal interaction between an active, evolving biopsychological human organism and the persons, objects, and symbols in its immediate environment.” Meaning the educational process with which our students are most successful when there is a meaningful, healthy, and stable interactions between the student and people within their learning environment. Or otherwise explained as the idea of “proximal processes” or “interactions in the immediate environment.” These interactions, which utilize the students’ culture, can take place in many forms, parent-to-child, student-to-student, alone time interaction, or group interaction.
These meaningful interactions discussed in Bronfenbrenner’s article relate much to what Ladson-Billings discusses in her article. Students’ learning is derived from teachers being “culturally responsive” in the classroom. As stated within the article “inserting education into the culture” meaning allowing students to operate as themselves within the classroom by not forcing them to reject their own culture but instead using their culture as a “vehicle for learning.” She explains that an example of successful or “culturally responsive” teaching looked like students expressing themselves the way they felt comfortable, and then translating that language into Standard English. By doing this students became more fluent in their home language AND Standard English.
Ladson-Billings also discussed that having people that the students looked up to from their own communities teach within the classroom allowed students to take “value” in where they came from. This culturally relevant teaching process ties hand-in-hand with Bronfenbrenner who emphasizes that a good “proximal process” within the immediate environment positively affects the academic development of a student.
2. Relating these two articles to my teaching year I am able better understand the areas of growth my students had. In the second half of the year I took on a unit called “My Immigration Experience” which involved my students telling the story of their parents and their immigration to America. I asked my students to interview their parents and turn interview questions into a story form. Then I asked my students to answer interview questions about themselves and turn those answers into a story form. For the first time were extremely enthusiastic about writing.
ReplyDeleteI am realizing after reading both articles that they were excited because it was a project in which students were encouraged to be themselves. For many of my students this project was the first time they were asked to “insert education in their culture” meaning that they come to school with their own culture, which in many classroom situations is stifled. Through this project though they were able to tell their own story, in their own voice, demonstrating their own culture, and translate it into the “standard form.” I noticed a tremendous improvement in their writing. I think it was due to the fact that they were able to “choose their academic excellence” instead of it being forced on them.
3. Going forward variances on this project are what I am going to focus on within the classroom. Having students bring their culture into the classroom and educating from their. A way I can do this would be to guide my students to “initiate and suggest” their own learning. This can be reinforced by using their parents and/or local role models within the community to continually strengthen and encourage my students’ values of themselves and where they came from.
1. These two articles both discuss the importance and impact of different cultures and aspects of the students life on his or her development and achievement in life/school.
ReplyDeleteThe Ladson-Billings article focused mainly on measuring the impact of the students home culture when learning in the academic culture at school. It stated that teachers who use the students culture and relate to their home life, involve their parents and get involved in their community (in their study) had a higher achievement rate and satisfactory rate of students in their classes. These teachers led by example, held the students to high standards and encouraged positive, collaborative relationships. One teacher even recognized the importance of winning over the male students and setting them as role models. I appreciate the part that states, "...For these teachers, knowledge is continuously recreated, recycled, and shared by the teachers and the students. Thus, they were not dependent on state curriculum frameworks or textbooks to decide what and how to teach." The use culturally relevant topics, home language, and even used parents as a resource "reinforcing that the parents were a knowledgeable and capable resource."
The Bronfenbrenner article argues what social and cultural systems make up the environment in which inhibits or enhances a student to learn and achieve more. It describes in general the different systems: Microsystems (face-to-face settings: family, school, peer groups and workplace); Mesosystems (the linkages and processes between two or more settings: relations between school and home etc); Exosystems (the links between two or more systems when the individual doesn't have direct influence: home and parents workplace); Macrosystems (overarching pattern in given culture or subculture); Chronosystems (change and consistency over time in characteristics of person and environment). All of these different systems then play a role in a student's life and influence his or her development. "For different environments produce discernible differences, not only across but within societies, in talent, temperament, human relations, and particularly in the ways in which each culture and subculture brings up the next generation."
2. These articles have made me reflect on my role and teaching techniques this year. Have I made my students feel comfortable, have I attempted to include their culture and tried to create a culturally aware and conducive learning environment? I think I have slowly tried and I am on the right path. Many people say that a lot of the beginning of the year is classroom management, especially your first year; but I also think its getting to know your students and their culture and how to growth and use their cultural knowledge to adjust your lessons. A "teacher look" doesn't have much impact if your students don't know or respect you in my middle school in the Bronx. And now when I get quiet and give them certain looks, they know how to react. And I know that sometimes, my students relate to material through a song or joke and I can laugh with them to make the lesson more fun (in doses of course).
3. Moving forward, I think something I need to work on is my home and neighborhood involvement. Our school hosts certain nights for parents to see the progress of our students and ask questions but I need to reach out more than that I think. I call home more for negative behavior and want to change that next year. I hope to have more positive calls and systems in place from the start. We have already started planning a curriculum around books that the students can relate to and I think that is also a good start for next years plan as well.
The Ladson-Billings article and the Bronfenbrenner relate culture to environmental factors and how all areas of a student’s life. In other words, every aspect of a student’s life influences the way they learn and the labels placed on these students. They also go into great detail explaining how these different environmental factors should be considered and influence our teaching and what topics are discussed in the classroom. Bronfenbrenner uses (what I found to be extremely eye-opening) a bioecological model that is quite similar to the ecological system many of us have seen in science textbooks as children. It is a visual representation of all the outside influences that effect/affect student learning. Ladson-Billings advocates for essentially stopping assimilation and allow/ intentionally bring in student’s culture to the classroom in order to strengthen their learning and feeling of appreciation and incorporation. The positive cultural reinforcement promotes learning for Ladson-Billings.
ReplyDeleteSpecifically, this reinforced an eye opening experience that I had with a specific student. During class one day two students who were normally friendly with each other exchanged words and it escalated into a physical fight. These two students also had IEP’s and my co-teachers got extremely frustrated and decided to place the student that instigated the fight to my table. They had decided that they no longer could work with him because he was “too much” and “bad”. About two days later the principal announced that the “bad” student was just placed in foster care and will be going up for adoption because his father had just found a new girlfriend and she did not want to deal with any of his children. We also found out that he had not had a stable place to live ever since his mother had been shot. Regardless of his IEP or “bad” behavior I had never shunned him or wrote him off as a student that was incapable of being worked with. It was not until my co-teachers found out this student’s back story that empathy, sympathy, or patience. It is heartbreaking that the SPED teacher was so disinterested in assisting this student until she heard other people didn’t want them either.
Moving forward I am definitely going to try and be more conscientious about the kind of lives my students live once they leave my classroom and the school. My principal has been very transparent about the struggles that many of the students in our school face. He tells us these things during our meetings as a whole staff so that we all can understand the impact we have on the student’s life. I will also make more of an attempt during parent engagement to really talk to parents as humans and not just parents that need to help me make sure their child is meeting goals and standards within the school environment. I think I will also try to invite parents into the building so that there is more of a connection between the school environment and their home environment so that there is a coherent expectation and compassion on both ends of the school-other world situations.
1. I find that Bronfenbrenner and Ladson-Billings both look at broader factors in society impacting the development of the individual. Bronfenbrenner in his article offers a model that allows us to understand development from a much broader perspective. It allows us to account for a host of factors that educators often discount as we move forward with our lessons and our daily lives as teachers. Ladson-Billings places great importance on the educators being culturally responsive and in maintaining the students’ culturally integrity as well as academic excellence. Ladson-Billings suggests that educators should use the students’ culture as a vehicle for learning. That said, Bronfenbrenner would not necessarily disagree. In fact, Bronfenbrenner would that the school and home ultimately impact the students’ lives the greatest.
ReplyDelete2. I was fortunate to work with someone who feels strongly about integrating culture into the curriculum and extra-curricular practices. As soon as I joined the ENL team in the school, my mentor informed me of an annual event entitled Multi-Cultural Day. Students put together traditional dances, cook food from their respective countries, as well as do a fashion show where they dress in traditional customs. As noted in the article on culturally responsive education, I found that this was an incredibly healthy way of validating our students’ culture and showcasing them to the school. Teachers in the school also bring foods from their respective cultures and are invited to attend and support our students. I involved myself in the project from the very beginning and helped plan dances and organizes the different aspects of the event. In the process, I found that I learned a great deal about the students, namely that students are happy and take pride in presenting their cultures to others. I was shocked by how involved the students were and how okay it was for them. I learned that when provided with a safe space, students were motivated to work on tasks that I struggle to get them to do during regular class time.
3. One aspect of the article on culturally responsive practices that stood out to me was that of involving parents in the lessons. I had not thought about this and felt that this was a very feasible undertaking. I thought of how something like this can positively impact the learning environment. When doing a lesson on food, I can certainly invite one of the parents share recipes and talk about traditional dishes back home. I know that students would feel represented and that their culture matters and is important. I feel that this would yield more enthusiastic responses in research or writing for that particular unit.