Literacy with an Attitude- Educating Working Class Children in Their Own Self-Interest

 Literacy with an Attitude- Educating Working Class Children in Their Own Self-Interest 

By: Patrick J. Flinn 

Reflection: This piece was truly an interesting and insightful read that piqued my curiosity. The main idea for chapter 2 suggests that schools in areas of certain social classes can set them up for that exact class in society. For example, in the working-class school the assignments students would where very mechanical and following instruction oriented, similarly to that field. Children of the middle class could learn techniques to perform well if they paid attention to their teacher and listened well. Which is related to how middle class workers are rewarded when they obey. Those in the affluent professional schools focused on individuality and creativity. It is designed for students to connect real life experiences to the content of the class. Instead of giving direct order, she had the students themselves choose how they behave. This approach differs from Delpit where she advocates for explicit instruction. I believe both ways can be beneficial depending on the circumstance. There is one example in particular I have given much thought into, including the use of cell phones in a classroom. 

Chat gpt generated image: 

Insert “can you create a photo with cell phones. have the teacher say, "when you are on your phone you can miss out on the lesson." have a student say "I need to send a quick text to my mom".”

In a high school setting, I have been pondering if you should have a strict no phone policy or give students the freedom to use it as they please. As a teacher, I would say you can use them, but you may miss out on something important. One of the key words in affluent professional schools was think. It takes no effort to think when you get yelled at or your phone taken away. However, it does take thinking and learning to go on your phone, miss a detail, and learn that you should pay attention to your teacher. It takes negotiation to tell the teacher, I need to text my mom back for one second, but I am listening and will put it back right away. I believe when we give students more creativity and trust in certain settings that learning can be proper. There are going to be specific classrooms that may take advantage of this and you may want to strictly enforce no cell phones to younger students when they are not ready to make such judgments yet. Negotiation, deep level thinking, and creativity is crucial in experimental scientific based jobs, which is setting them up for this career field. The last school they focused on was the elite executive school. There was focus on self-discipline and making good choices. In this school students had the freedom to move around and the responsibility to keep up with the brisk pace of the content. This school was pushing the students to be elite just like the career they are destined for. The end of this piece resonated with me when the author said “I’d like to hope that a child’s expectations are not determined the day he/she enters kindergarten.” After all, this is the land of opportunity so it is unfair that the school you go to can influence a certain career. Especially when you are born into the working class. Honestly, I have never thought of that relationship before, and it really opened my eyes to these hidden injustices. 

Comment: A part in the piece that made me feel passionate was when the author mentioned that working class students were making a grid, but they did not know why. When you show students how to do everything, especially a certain way, it can be a barrier for learning. Students need to spend time struggling on their own in order to learn. School should not be so focused on the pace and the answers, but rather on the content understanding and creativity.

Teach Us All: Video Analysis

 Teach Us All Video Analysis Google Doc Notes Link

Teach us all: Segregation and Education in the United States 

• Children in segregated schools are less likely to graduate and more likely to get arrested 

• More unqualified teachers 

• Will leave them poor for the rest of their lives 

• Central high little rock Arkansas 

• 1957 there were protests stopped the little rock nine from desegregating the school 

• The lost year there were no education at all for black students  

• Jonathan became the principal of the lowest performing schools 

• No one wants to go to an area where students are lower 

• Higher income areas get more funding for the schools than lower income areas 

• Lower income students can apply to a better school but it’s so hard to get in to 

• 1944 there was a black young lady that wanted to go to a school 

• Denied entry to the white school she wanted to go to 

• The mendez family won in 1946

Precious Knowledge Video Analysis

 

Classroom Tour Video Analysis

 

What to Look for in a Classroom

 What to Look for in a Classroom

Author: Alfie Kohn 

Reflection: It was really interesting to me that there are factors that can impact the dynamic of a classroom. There were a couple points that stood out to me; one being the teacher's voice. In my own experience I have seen how a condensing voice can create a negative learning environment. Of course, as a teacher it is important to have control over the classroom. However, I have seen some take it too far and I notice students disengaging when the teacher treats them as inferior and they are the only ones speaking. In my Inspiring Minds classroom, when I walked in the teacher was yelling and or humiliating certain students. It was clear they seemed dissociated, irritated, and most likely less motivated to learn. Another teacher I have had for history in high school had a poor attitude. He would complain about our generation, cell phones, and would speculate we were against him. It only ended up making the students not motivated and arguing with him to be understanding of us. As a future teacher, you have to be firm sometimes, but at the end of the day you have to treat your students with respect and have faith in them. Another very important detail from that list was group work and peer collaboration. In my educational psychology class we learned that Vygotsky believed that a coconstructed process can foster learning in students. In this way students are actively speaking through, teaching, and perhaps learning it a way a peer can better explain it. Also, it can be disengaging and monotonous when a teacher is rambling on for a long time. Lastly, the physical environment in a classroom and school building can encourage students. A safe and resource filled setting is crucial towards getting the best education possible.

Comment for the class: Something mentioned in the video Introduction to Culturally Relevant Pedagogy reminded me of when we spoke about Delpit’s piece. Each student is coming from different cultural backgrounds and rules. Which can be different than the rules that school forces upon students. It was interesting to me how the woman interviewed said the school should accommodate all the different cultures. Would anyone have any advice on how to go about this?