Blog 5 - Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

I apologize for seeming belligerent to the ladies who were addressing Topic 5 in class tonight, but the random phrase, transition “from learning styles to principles,” used in their story was confusing to me out of context. I had a question about that phrase before I came to class, so perhaps my confusion may have come off offensive. All of that was to say: this is what led to my research for this week’s blog. : )

When I went back to the text during class, I found a few clues, if you will, to direct my studies. First, this phrase is specifically discussing Ladson-Billings’ 1994 theory of teaching, termed “culturally relevant pedagogy.” It is specifically focused on students who experience alienation and hostility; Ladson-Billings was studying African-American students. When she said to move away from learning styles toward “a particular set of principles about teaching” (Ladson-Billings, 2001, p. 111, emphasis mine), she did not mean we should teach our students principles of tolerance and a united humanity as was discussed in class. She was arguing against previous studies that determined learning styles were the main differences between students of diverse cultures and the majority culture. She goes on to list the three guiding principles of teaching that should be the focus of educating students of diverse cultures:

• focus on academic achievement: whether or not scholars can agree on the significance of standardized achievement tests, they still serve to rank and characterize both schools and individuals,
• help students develop a positive identification with their home culture that supports learning, which will provide a way for students to maintain their cultural integrity while succeeding academically, and
• focus on sociopolitical consciousness: civic and social awareness students must develop to work toward equity and justice beyond their own personal advancement (111).

I don’t know how I missed these clear steps the first time I read this selection, but it does seem very straightforward now. Obviously, Ladson-Billings is a much respected name in the field of culturally relevant pedagogy, as a simple Google search of her name yields endless results of citations in scholarly articles and various foundations who build upon her work. One is the Teaching Diverse Students Initiative (TDSi), which can be found at www.tolerance.org/tdsi. This organization was founded by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and has multiple resources and information for educators. Another is the Education Alliance: Teaching Diverse Learners at Brown University, which can be found at http://www.alliance.brown.edu/tdl/tl-strategies/crt-principles.shtml. It has listed out seven principles for culturally responsive teaching, which are each given their own informational section. Each section includes the definition, rationale, and application of each principle. I encourage anyone who, like myself, would like to see how to implement some of the things we are learning in this class to check out either (or both) of these websites. I found them extremely helpful and informative!

References

Education Alliance: Teaching Diverse Learners. http://www.alliance.brown.edu/tdl/tl-strategies/crt-principles.shtml

Ladson-Billings, G. (2001). The power of pedagogy: Does teaching matter? In Jana Noel (Ed.), Classic edition sources: Multicultural education (3rd ed.) (pp. 110-114). New York, NY: Mcgraw-Hill.

Teaching Diverse Students Initiative. www.tolerance.org/tdsi

Blog 4 - Assimilation in Literature

Assimilation in Literature

Reading Schlesinger’s article, followed by Goebel’s rebuttal, I am more confused than ever. Schlesinger (1992) provides a history of views on assimilation and the “melting pot” ideal throughout his article, then he calls “the ethnic upsurge [. . .] a gesture of protest against the Anglocentric culture. It became a cult, and today it threatens to become a counter revolution against the original theory of America” (79). These views are absurd! An ethnic group wanting to maintain a common heritage is a cult?! He makes sure to pander to his audience by making comments like “Law [. . .] has from time to time (and in my view often properly so) acknowledged the claims of groups,” but assures it is the exception, and not the rule (80). Goebel (1992), on the other hand, encourages a more diverse curriculum to open up a dialogue with unfamiliar cultures or situations. His seemingly good advice is to provide a spectrum of perceptions to allow students to discover their own truths and common understandings, which is the overall goal I believe Schlesinger had in mind.

After reading through both of the articles, I became interested in how these views of assimilation are applied in the classroom. I found a research article by Yoon, Simpson, and Haag, titled “Assimilation Ideology: Critically Examining Underlying Messages in Multicultural Literature.” The authors studied twelve multicultural picture books to determine the message multicultural texts were presenting themselves (favoring assimilation or cultural pluralism). The first author, Yoon, is often asked to review literature by his students and colleagues because he is Korean, and he noticed a trend of assimilation being glorified in American literature. This is what led to his investigation into the multicultural literature.

The twelve picture books were chosen by the librarian at random from a rural north Texan middle school’s library. Yoon and his colleagues found the majority of the books (seven) to be neutral or unclear in regards to multicultural ideology. They determined three were assimilationist, and two were pluralistic in nature. Within the assimilationist stories, two themes were identified: the transformation of the main character from resistance to full assimilation and America as the land of opportunity. The authors wish for educators to keep these ideologies in mind when selecting texts, and provide a variety of ideals in their classrooms.

When selecting a text, the authors suggest teachers ask the following questions:

• How does the text ensure that the central character(s) maintain identity in the native culture?
• How does the text support the native culture in the resolution of the story?
• How does the text provide readers from both the dominant and the native cultures with opportunities to see the values of both cultures?
• How does the text challenge the traditions of the dominant culture rather than assimilation into the dominant culture? (116)
  

What I have gleaned from the reading is it is best to choose a variety of differing perspectives in order to open a dialogue in the classroom.

References

Goebel, B. A. (1992). Diversity, conformity, and democracy: A critique of Arthur M. Schlesinger’s The disuniting of America: Reflections on a multicultural society. http://mtprof.msun.edu/Win1992/goebrev.html.

Schlesinger, A. M. (1992). The disuniting of America: Reflections on a multicultural society. In Jana Noel (Ed.), Classic edition sources: Multicultural education (3rd ed.) (pp. 77-80). New York, NY: Mcgraw-Hill.

Yoon, B., Simpson, A., & Haag, C. (2010). Assimilation ideology: Critically examining underlying messages in multicultural literature. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. 54(2), p 109-118.

Blog 3

Power of Stereotypes

As we discussed in class tonight, stereotypes are dangerous because they can only tell an incomplete story of an individual or group. Using stereotypes in a malicious manner is one way for the dominant culture to subordinate other cultures. Racial slurs are probably the most recognizable way stereotypes are used maliciously, and many people will try to play it off as a joke when questioned about their intentions. It seems like racial slurs are being called out and corrected in media more often these days, which is definitely a step in the right direction.

Jeremy Lin is a basketball player who has been the target of stereotyping and racial slurs just within this past week. As Jennifer mentioned, Ben & Jerry’s named an ice cream after him which included pieces of fortune cookies, and then apologized and changed the cookies to waffle cone pieces when public complaints became too numerous to ignore (Boren, 2012). ESPN is also guilty of targeting Lin with a racial slur, whether or not it was intentional. After a game loss, headline writer Anthony Frederico included the phrase “chink in the armor” in the title (Chandra, 2012, para. 1). Though he maintains it was unintentional, Frederico was fired and the on-air personalities who read the headline were reprimanded for doing so.

Rush Limbaugh is another media personality who has often been reprimanded for various racial slurs. In 2011, he referred to a new Oreo cookie with both white and chocolate cream filling as the “Or-bam-eo” (Gregory, 2011, para. 1). In the same article, it goes on to prove Limbaugh knew what he was saying was a racial slur because he had used the same type of slur (Oreo) when talking about Michael Steele’s run for lieutenant governor of Maryland back in 2005. Earlier this year, Limbaugh referred to former New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine’s hair as an “Italian grease ball,” which ignited the fury of the Italian American One Voice Coalition (Celock, 2012, para. 2).

While I do not know what these individuals were thinking when they made these comments, it is common for people to try to brush off what they said or attribute it to humor and expect the offended party to get over it. Chandra maintains that not only are racial slurs, specifically, a way to exert dominance, but stereotypes and humor are generally also used as tools of domination (2012). Adichie made the comment that the problem with stereotypes is that they are an incomplete picture, but I disagree. I think the problem with stereotypes is the way they are used to put people down. I am encouraged to see the media refusing to perpetuate stereotypes and allow racial slurs to go unchecked.

References

Boren, C. (2012). Jeremy Lin gets apology from Ben and Jerry’s, prepares for Cavaliers matchup. Washington Post Online. http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/jeremy-lin-gets-apology-from-ben-and-jerrys-prepares-for-cavaliers-matchup/2012/02/28/gIQAqo2qgR_story.html

Celock, J. (2012). Rush Limbaugh on-air slur leaves Italian-American group seeking formal apology. Huffington Post Online. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/24/rush-limbaugh-jon-corzine-italian-americans_n_1228224.html

Chandra, R. (2012). There are only links in our armor! Psychology Today Online. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-pacific-heart/201202/there-are-only-links-in-our-armor

Gregory, T. (2011). Rush Limbaugh’s “Or-bam-eo” slur. Media Matters Online. http://mediamatters.org/blog/201108170021