Multiculturalism - So many things apply this to word yet it sometimes does not get all of the attention it deserves. This weeks beneficial, as always, readings helped us as future educators better understand this term. To start off - The House on Mango Street was a nice quick read yet it unpacked many inciteful characteristics in each mini chapter. Although the minature chapters made the book seem choppy in my opinon, I believe it would be a good book to get my students involved, especially those who are "low tracked" or those who do not like advanced work. Due to the plot being involved in an innercity Chicago Latino neighborhood, it would be nice to implement these types of stories into the classroom for students to understand economically, racially and academically.
"A Class Divided" was a really interesting documentary! I watched it while at a friends and they even thought it was interesting and a good idea. I really liked how the teacher conducted the experiment. It was nice to see the same students come back years later to view the video. I also really liked it when the other professor used it in the classroom and older students were analysing the video. I wonder how a video like this would work on students in modern day. I really liked when she gave the lecture and experiment on the adults and her and the other women were "having it out" HA!
More specifically on multiculturalism in the classroom, Christensen focuses on ways that students of different racial and economic backgrounds are "treated differently" based on their academic levels. It is said to believe that those who are in lower education courses are those students with lack encouragment to advance and do not have parents who help them. These students are 'typically' those of lower level incomes and different racial and ethniticity groups. I thought it was really beneficial for the author to break down the different ideas of tracking and not tracking as well as students feelings about it. It was nice to read about those students who typically do not do well in the classroom verses those who do and ways to implement different strategies into your lesson plan in order to tap into their thinking patterns. I guess it was nice to see this done because I never really recognized 'tracking' as something that can be changed, because it was just always done. I failed to realize in highschool or for the matter, now that tracking is wrong in more than one way. Teachers should either combine forces to challenge school districts who track and make our students feel like they lack potential or at least should try to implement ways that these students can be grouped together and learn off of each other. I think it is really important to look out our school districts and the way they group certain people together based on their abilites of work ethic in order to better understand our students as a whole.
Since I really hope to work in a diverse school district, it is really intriguing to learn of situations that students are 'banned' from working together due to tracking enforcements. I believe that all students have the ability to reach any goal that they are willing and hoping to acheieve. With the strength of themselves, their educators, mentors, whether that be friends or family, students should be able to have enough confidence to reach out to resources available to them in order to reach that climax of a potential. As Christensen mentions in her article, teachers need to let their students know they are resources as well as explain to them other types of resources. This will help those students who are 'tracked low' overcome their fight of bad views of multiculturalism in the classroom!
"Due to the plot being involved in an innercity Chicago Latino neighborhood, it would be nice to implement these types of stories into the classroom for students to understand economically, racially and academically."
ReplyDeleteI first learned of this novel because a group of Latino students in one of the districts near where I grew up were petitioning to bring it into the classroom. They were vehement about the fact that they should also be allowed to read literature that in some way represented who they are...
I really liked your post. It's great to hear that you want to work in a diverse school district. We need more educators like you!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I thought that you were right about House on Mango Street being choppy if read all at once as a whole book. I think that it would most powerfully be used in the classroom, if you took one of the vignettes and read it aloud..you could even reformat it to be acted out by the class. After it is read aloud, the students could react to what they are feelings with regards to the piece. It is so powerful, but I agree it is more useful if used seperately rather than read as a whole book.
I like how you mention teachers coming together and working towards a common goal of challenging school districts in regards to "tracking." I think that teachers should always work together. Having a support system of fellow educators is a priceless resource.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that students should be encouraged to seek out resources. It is important to make our students realize how supported they are and what resources are there for them to use. I think that is one of the building blocks of making a successful student.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to hear you want to work in a diverse area, because that is something I am very interested in doing too! The idea of teachers coming together for a common goal is an awesome idea that sadly a lot of teachers don't always think of, so hopefully you can make a lot of change in the school you teach in someday!
ReplyDeleteI agree that Mouse on Mango Strrt was choppy. I feel that some students would not bennifit from this form of literature. I agree with Gretta that splitting it up.
ReplyDeleteI love that you want to work in a more diverse school. I definately think more future teachers should be open to this.