In chapter 4 of The Courage to Teach, Palmer writes about different types of community models, and advocates for what he names as a "community of truth" within schools and education.
On p. 96, he writes that good education teaches students to become both "producers" and "discerning consumers" of knowledge. He also writes that "good education may leave students deeply dissatisfied" and "angry that their prejudices have been challenged and their sense of self shaken."
Student teaching is just such a time when your sense of self may be changing, and that you are both producing and consuming knowledge. Can you tell a story from your student teaching that offers such an example?
OR
On p. 112, Palmer critiques postmodern/feminist/critical analyses of texts and offers the example of Moby Dick. Paradoxically, critical analysis can both enhance and rob texts of their integrity. How are you--or will you--walk the line in supporting student enjoyment of narrative while also teaching them textual analysis?
I have a couple of examples, one being from my last period class. This is a tenth grade class and their new curriculum has students explore culture and cultural identity. In all the classes, students are challenged to see how their own culture is shaped and how others have different cultures, even if they are from the same place as themselves. In my last period class, I certainly saw an example of “good education may leave students deeply dissatisfied” and “angry that their prejudices have been challenged and their sense of self shaken”. One student in this class believes that there is no such thing as culture, that humanity is adding another label to others. In their first essay, “What is Your Cultural Identity” he wanted to make this point but the essay turned more to be an angry rant.
ReplyDeleteI asked him to look at the next set of stories we were going to be reading. I have noticed that, over time, he is now looking at the different cultures that exist, that these different cultures are unique to individuals and help shape their identity. My goal was not to tell this student “you are wrong”, but rather, “look at what others may have to say” about this subject. They have another essay coming up soon, I’m hoping that, even if his opinion has not wavered, that he is still able to see how others see this cultural identity perspective and, perhaps, acknowledge that others have other opinions and that is okay.
In reality, it is my goal for all the tenth grade students. I want them to see that their opinions are not fact and that many people can see the same word and idea and take an entirely new perspective on the topic.
I do not teach the honors students but I am always present in the class during their lesson. They had recently read a story about a woman who was tired of people asking about her ethnic background (Swedish and Chinese) and that she prefers to call herself “HAPA”, a Hawaiian slang used to describe people of mixed races. One girl, white, asked why it was such a big deal to ask her about her background and ethnicity, that it would be ‘nice to know’.
I think it’s important to ask students questions they are not often asked, to look into things they normally do not. It is this age group that is forming and perfecting their “formal operations”. For example, this student was asked if anyone questioned her ethnicity, or categorized her as "Irish American" or "French American". Students need to be provided opportunities to explore areas and ask questions that normally are not explored or asked in order to give them more insight on topics like injustice and prejudice.
During our lessons on Puritans and Salem witch trials, I was surprised to see how many students reacted to the facts about women Puritans. Many of them, boys and girls, were shocked and appalled by the treatment. What I learned from this was that many of my students were passionate about women’s rights and women from the past. I think I will give them more opportunities to explore women from the past, especially when we get to the later unit “Revolutionary Non-Fiction”. What surprised me more though was how many of them later looked into this topic to find MORE information, without me having to ask! It was incredible! They ‘produced’ their own knowledge on the topic by ‘consuming’ more knowledge outside of the classroom. I wonder, then, how they can apply this new found knowledge and apply it to the female characters in “The Crucible”.
It seems that you and I are having pretty similar experiences! I, too, reflected on the fact vs. opinion battle that is ongoing not only within our students, but within ourselves. My students, too, were passionate about a topic we discussed and asked for more information. What a wonderful feeling!
DeleteI agree that it is important to ask students questions that are outside their comfort zone and to push them in different directions that they are not familiar with. It sounds like you are having a great experience thus far.
DeleteThank you for your detailed narrative, Danielle! I think it's important to support individuals in locating where their "opinion" comes from. I'm not a big fan of that word--have we talked about subjectivity vs. bias? We make claims to identity based on many factors, and our projections are often based on unconscious beliefs.
DeleteThis week, I planned to have a discussion with my 11th graders about the use of Native American mascots, focusing on whether or not they are offensive. Because I know the community fairly well and had spoken with my cooperating teacher about her experience with this discussion, I came to it assuming that many of my students would not see any issues with the names or iconography associated with these teams (which did end up being the case). I also knew, from my own experience, that this group had challenges with full-group discussion. I had tried a few times with little success, so I mostly used small groups for discussion.
ReplyDeleteThe lesson Dr. Johnson observed was made with this small-group model, but while circulating during their group discussions, two things became apparent: 1. The students had a lot to say about the topic, and 2. I had a lot that I wanted to challenge. Because of this, I told the students that our exploration of the topic would continue into the next day.
On that second day, I created a system so students got credit for speaking during the discussion and got no credit if they didn’t. To my surprise and excitement, a lot of students didn’t need that encouragement and offered their opinions and thought openly, responding to the challenges and opposing viewpoints offered by me and other students.
I came into the discussion with a very clear set of beliefs about the topic and the stance that they would not change, which they didn’t. I was a producer of knowledge and it was my job to offer that knowledge for the consumption of my students. I still stand by this: it is my job to respect their opinions while pushing back on them to the best of my ability.
What I discovered as a consumer of knowledge from the students was that s few of them saw themselves in the same way I saw myself. What I mean by that is that some of the students in the group had such unwavering beliefs about the topic that they were not willing to budge, just as I wasn’t. It felt as though they felt that their role in the discussion was the same as mine – to push back on the opinions that were different than theirs.
Now, it seems naïve that I did not think of this before. Most students, I believe, walked into the discussion without very strong opinions either way and were open to shifting their beliefs based on the evidence provided. But some students, like me, were not – they felt strongly in their beliefs and found it to be their job to impart that knowledge on the rest of the class. It was truly fascinating to engage in a respectful and honest discussion about such a large topic, and though I admittedly found it frustrating that some students were not willing to budge on their stance, but to be fair, neither was I.
It's always a fun, yet frustrating experience when you're reminded that you're not teaching a classroom of mini you's. It would be very easy, but in times like this kind of dull. I'm glad you're teaching something you're passionate about, and it looks like your students are too! That's great!
DeleteI think that it is really cool that you are able to step back and realize that your students, like yourself, felt strongly in their beliefs and were unwilling to budge, and you can openly admit that it was both fascinating and frustrating. Sometimes I'm in awe at just how many different standpoints, personalities, and learning styles are present inside one tiny little classroom!
DeleteHa! I like that you are honoring your students' stances while also trying to share a critique of racist iconography. Many adults feel the same way as their kids, and those stances are again rooted in conscious and unconscious ways of seeing the world. If you're a social justice advocate, it's still your job to push back, but also to recognize the complexity and humanity of each person. Nice reflective work!
DeleteBut some students, like me, were not – they felt strongly in their beliefs and found it to be their job to impart that knowledge on the rest of the class.
ReplyDeleteI love when stuff like this happens. It makes class discussions interesting and engaging. Students willing to share is always a great feeling and gives you that sense of accomplishment. If they were so easily swayed, it would not make for interesting discussion now would it? What they REALLY be learning?
"though I admittedly found it frustrating that some students were not willing to budge on their stance"
We all know it won't happen overnight, but maybe they can see how others also view their opinions and reflect on it. That is, that is what we teach them to do is it now? : )
Art, I believe, is at it’s most basic level a conversation between the artist and the viewer. In art you don’t look at just what the creator makes, but also what the view/ reader brings to the table as well. In my own experiences, while I’ve often loved utilizing critical lenses I sometimes feel like they do tend to muddle up the conversation a bit, and while complexity in art is a good thing the initial conversation between viewer and creation is most important.
ReplyDeleteI am starting my unit on Lord of the Flies and in my planning I wanted to make sure I left room for students to explore first without being weighed down by other voices. Primarily that means activities that help put them in situations that reflect the survival situations the boys face in the book. These have been mostly fun little exercises, one where they find out whether or not they would survive stranded on an island, one where they must plan out first day priorities after their plane crashed. Mostly just activities that help open the door between the reader and the author in order to let those conversations happen. Now that doesn’t mean I won’t be introducing lenses to help complicate their reading. After a while hearing your own voice can get tiring. That’s why lenses are so important, they help the viewer see things differently after tiring of one particular gaze. This unit will depend largely on power dynamics and how they affect character behaviors and motivation and I plan on peppering their reading with Marxist thought and perhaps Foucault’s panopticon to see how authority plays into how people behave.
I have an example of something I experienced recently which leads me to believe that my sense of self is changing (and that I was not aware of the need for it to change!) I have a teacher friend who is sort of like a spiritual advisor to me. I have consistently given her permission over the time I have been in school to give me constructive feedback on all areas of this process. This relationship is well over 20 years in the making, and has complete trust at its' core. I've gotten MANY forms of feedback!
DeleteSo, as I went through the first month of student teaching I began to get an idea of which students were unmotivated, or lacked support from home, or had plans to go to college, or trade school, or juvenile hall!! I got a sense for which students resisted all work, which led class discussions, which would write but wouldn't speak, and so on and so on. My periods 6 and 7 classes are specifically called composition and my period 4 is called college prep. I'm sure we are all familiar with these terms. As I formed an opinion of 6 and 7 as difficult, I was, apparently, always referring to them as my "comp kids" to my trusted friend. I thought nothing of this until my exasperation with these groups built to the point where, one day, she called me out on my use of this term. She strongly suggested I drop the "comp kid" from my speech (and thought, with luck!) and replace it with periods 6 and &. She suggested I was perpetuating the stigma I attached to them and that if I wanted to change my thinking and break down the barriers between myself and these students, I needed to CHANGE and CHANGE quickly!
I think I may have already told you about this, but here it goes again. In high school I had the most amazing English teacher named Mr. Doyle. He was this older man who was tall, pale, and thin (think Mr. Burns from the Simpsons). He walked into class one morning with a large boom box on his shoulder and Guns N' Roses "Welcome to the Jungle" blaring. This was his introduction to The Lord of the Flies. As students we were in awe, we were excited, we were dying of hysterics. I can honestly say that 15+ years later I still think of this experience often. It was amazing to experience that!! It was the perfect way for us as students to explore the book and some of its major themes right off the bat, before looking deeply into the book. I just thought I would share again. And I agree with what you say about allowing students to explore first before "weighing them down with other voices"!!
DeleteAs I think about students as producers and consumers, I get a little confused, admittedly! We create classwide lists of what qualities make a good memoir, literacy narrative, etc. Yes, they do produce these. However, me, the novice teacher, is still learning to truly let them produce! I have an idea for tomorrow which I believe will help, I'll let you all know! In thinking about how I am a producer and consumer, I decided I am both, and sometimes in the course of one class, or one week. I read and grade writing assignments. From the areas of strength and weakness, I shape the curriculum. I produce. I consume information when I read the CCS curriculum map, which guides me as I write lesson plans. I am in and out of these two roles all the time.
DeleteJoey, I really like the personality of your lessons. I'll need to remember to give my students these opportunities to play around with a text as we move forward.
DeleteJoey, I like these lessons as they sound like something you would do! Bringing in Foucault and the idea of surveillance is really interesting too...I also wonder what bringing in a gender lens would do? Hm...
DeleteCindy, I love that you have a friend whom you trust that can give you a reality check! It's so important to have someone who can 'call you on your s***" without feeling defensive. Good for you :)
DeleteJoey, I think you'll have fun teaching Lord of the Flies! "Mostly just activities that help open the door between the reader and the author in order to let those conversations happen," This is also a good way to strengthen that already strong classroom community-allowing students to partake in conversation!
DeleteCindy, "I got a sense for which students resisted all work, which led class discussions, which would write but wouldn't speak, and so on and so on." I'm glad that you are seeing where all your students are and how you approach your students. being aware helps you shape those lessons that cater to each students'. thanks
I noticed that a lot of my students were huffing and puffing when I informed that we were going to do some analytical work with critical lenses. A lot of the students had minimal to no prior knowledge of using these lenses. We have been working a lot the past few weeks with culture and identity, but I wanted them to know and understand all the lenses. I decided to show the students the lenses in a low stakes environment that I hoped would be fun. First off, I was careful to not say the words “critical lenses” too much. The words caused confusion and chaos within the students. I took two days to show the students various commercials, in which I taught them how to critically analyze using various lenses. I gave the students several different color post it notes (each color representing a different lens), in which they had to find one item from the video that fit into that lens (I called them components). I provided students with a handout before the videos that listed each component and some guiding questions. At the end of each commercial we discussed what people had found for each component. The students had picked up things that I did not even notice. The students had a lot of great things to say and the discussion got personal and passionate. The class discussion we had on these two days was one of the best classroom discussions I have ever participated in. I was proud and excited!!
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that my sense of self has changed a lot these past two months. I have embraced the change and welcomed critical advice. I ask a lot of questions. Sometimes I’m self-conscious about how many questions I ask. I want to learn as much as I can while I am in this experience. I have made it a goal for myself this semester to observe all eighteen English teachers within the school—I currently have nine left. I take copious notes and try to explore within my own classroom some of the various techniques and styles I see. I try to consume every bit of information I can throughout my day. I have already noticed that I am changing a little bit at a time. Two months ago I would not have welcomed so much critical advice, and I probably would have left every day feeling defeated and exhausted. I do leave every day feeling exhausted, and I do have moments where I feel defeat, but as a whole I feel like I am learning and changing so much. I am happy about that advice and change. I embrace the situation as a whole and I feel, a little more every day, that I am a better teacher for it.
Amanda, you are my inspiration to view other teachers in the process!! I need to push myself out of my comfort zone here!!
DeleteIt is a really great thing that you are open to criticism, and even desiring to hear it. That willingness to change will serve you well, I think.
DeleteI love your sensitivity to students' reaction to critical lenses, and how you chose to use them. Talk about taking on a challenge, which we talked about last week! Another huge challenge is to hear feedback and use it to improve your practice. Nice reflexivity here, Amanda.
DeleteI have noticed that my sense of self has changed a lot these past two months. I have embraced the change and welcomed critical advice. I ask a lot of questions-
DeleteI, like you, am welcoming change and criticism whereas before it was very difficult to. It is hard to hear, at first, where you need to improve since we do not want to be wrong. But change is good and critique even better and I am glad you are embracing it.
Critical lenses are something that I, like Joey, often think muddle up discussion on a piece of literature. Once you put that lens on, it is incredibly difficult to take it off again, especially as you work through a longer text. Too often, the book becomes “(insert lens here): the Novel.” They are important, but to me, they are the second step, the afterthought (after-enjoyment?) that comes after the text has been mentally enjoyed and digested. And why, you might be asking? Well, it is that all too often, I think more lenses are heaped onto a text than was originally intended, or than can even be comfortably fit onto the story. These stories and novels become the proverbial heads of pins we need to count things on, and we will never quite get there, because we’ve cluttered it all with our thoughts.
ReplyDeleteTo me, critical lenses are lenses you apply to “hindsight,” not “sight.” You need to experience something before you cram it into a mold, or else you will miss a lot of important things about any work of art.
One of the ways that I am trying to prevent the text from becoming “that thing we are looking at a critical lens through” is to begin the unit by setting up to where the critical lens is just starting to peek over the horizon – and then diving right into the story (and the central theme) without explicitly drawing on critical lens. This way, they keep half-formed ideas of the kind I want in their minds as we move forward, enjoying the book, but still making connections we can talk about. As we move farther in, and the book becomes more “captivating” and “fantastical,” then that is when I will introduce the lens itself, and link it to the novel, and also to another non-print text, to smooth out the transition.
Another way is simply making sure to plan in some discussion and discussion activities for the chapters that treat them as parts of the novel, not simply excuses to talk about Lens A or B. Talking and writing about narrative elements, plot points, etc. These will, hopefully, sustain their interest in the beauty of literature as they walk through the valley of the shadow of criticism.
Once you put that lens on, it is incredibly difficult to take it off again, especially as you work through a longer text. Too often, the book becomes “(insert lens here): the Novel.”--I see this a lot too, and it's great that you acknowledge this and want to give students a chance to see a text in more than one lens.
DeleteThere are dozens of ways to read, and I apply different lenses depending on the text and the purpose. Recognizing and acknowledging the racism in Conrad, for example, is pretty central, but it's also something to see that matched the historical time period. Another thing I try to keep in mind is that the narrator and author are two different people. Glad you have found a way to balance narrative with analysis, Matt.
ReplyDelete