Critical Pedagogy and Popular Culture

This was another interesting article with some great ideas of utilizing critical pedagogy in a classroom setting.  The teachers, working together, had some great insights on how to create a meaningful and productive project for their urban/diverse students.

The first thing I really liked about what they did in their classroom was to recognize the fact that students are all participating in a culture that is very different from the culture that had been imposed on them.  They were very creative in attempting to bring together the "hip-hop" culture and the "Shakespeare" culture through the lens of poetry and literature.  They were attempting to prepare the students for AP standardized testing but allowing them to explore the skills needed to read/interact critically with a piece.  I think this was a very good idea because it exposes them to classic writing and letting them read that, but also drawing connections between their current culture, and that of 400 years ago.

These teachers did not allow the curriculum to take-away the skills needed to be critical readers.  They helped them bridge the gap between the "language of power" and the language of the oppressed.  This also helped them to each to multiple cultures w/ "canonical" texts because they drew connections to many different cultures.  "The more we study the cultural practices of others, the more these practices seem logical to us and the more they help us to understand our own practices as equally unique and equally meaningful" was a good way to promote the students looking past their own windows to try and appreciate what they had in front of them..

Critical Pedagogy Reader

Hey Everyone,

Reading through this piece I noticed a lot of similarities in thought between Peter McLaren and Paolo Freire.  They are both looking for the freedom from oppression within the educational setting, or at least trying to examine the implications and circumstances that preclude the oppression.

He says that people can both be the oppressed and the oppressor without even knowing it.  I found that interesting because we are constantly barraged with circumstances in which we (as teachers) seem to have little control over, but in reality we are the ones who can set the stage for the student learning.

We then come to EWU and are seated in our desks and "filled up" most of the time with knowledge from our professors.  It is very rare that a professor actually attempts to engage us as students to try and create understanding of material.  As McLaren writes, "the dominant culture tries to 'fix' the meanings of signs, symbols and representations to create a 'common' worldview".  We are just as much a part of the dominant culture in our classrooms as politicians are to the populace.

The hegemonic structures are in place and not questioned because those in with authority keep things from those who concede the power.  While there is some logic to this argument, the debate is whether or not it is right.  McLaren and Freire both seem to think it is right to let the populace know how the sausage is made.  I believe that it may be counter-productive to have so many captains trying to steer a ship.  There is a hierarchical  form to our lives because we need to trust the people around us to do what is best for the entire population.

Pedagogy of the Oppressed Ch. 2

The BEST quote in the whole thing:


"Yet only through communication can human life hold meaning. The teacher's thinking is authenticated only by the authenticity of the students' thinking. The teacher cannot think for her students, nor can she impose her thought on them. Authentic thinking, thinking that is concerned about reality, does not take place in ivory tower isolation, but only in communication. If it is true that thought has meaning only when generated by action upon the world, the subordination of students to teachers becomes impossible."

 I noticed that throughout the Freire readings, he writes a lot about allowing students to think and understand for themselves - to challenge authority - and that it is the teacher's role to help students realize they do not have to be "filled up w/ knowledge" but can be an active member in the creation of knowledge and their own understanding.

This quote above from about half-way through the text really spoke to me. I have noticed a difference in my way of teaching to my cooperating teacher's in that I tend to ask a lot more questions of the students and try to engage their thinking a bit more.  He may do more of it when I am not in the room, but my goals are not only to get them students to read the material and answer questions, but to try and get them to make connections between chapters and ask questions.

This Freire chapters have been dense and difficult to understand at times, but I really enjoy how they have helped me to think more openly about my discussions within the classrooms and trying to allow the students to question and not be vessels filled up with my knowledge.

Pedagogy of Oppressed 1

Yea, didn't quite get to this...

Sorry Sean!

Common Core State Standards for English

These Common Core State Standards are kind of an incredible feat.  I didn't realize until I read more about them how much thought had gone into them by Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governor's Association.  It's nice to think that so many minds have gone into creating a breadth of standards all with the goals of creating career and college ready literate people.

In the introduction I appreciated how they made the goals try to align with international 'benchmarks'.  With the amount of technology and communication increasing throughout the world, we will need to create young people who have a common understanding of the world and share common experiences.

Obviously I have been using the CCSS in creating my TPA lesson plans and will continue to do so, but I like that I know more about where they come from and how each standard is in itself a goal to be achieved.

Discussion as a Way of Teaching

Good morning all,

This was quite an interesting article.  I really liked how the authors broke down the 'dispositions' and then the 'benefits' in chapter 2.  It really helped me to compartmentalize what to look for in a healthy discussion.  

Obviously working within the structures here at EWU, we have had a number of professors proclaim the benefits of working within discussion groups and collaborative learning in our classrooms.  And while I am wholeheartedly in favor of this, I found the author's interpretation of this as primarily a higher education learning tool a bit odd.  I will (hopefully) implement much of what is voiced here in my classrooms, but would have appreciated ways to help get the discussions going.  As it is, I really value what they were claiming that "discussion is a valuable and inspiring means for revealing the diversity of opinion" (p.3).

Discussion is a great way to go over the materials required of a class, but also to teach young people the respect and differing viewpoints that are part of a democratic society.  I appreciated how they write that it is difficult to get some people to speak up during a verbal discussion, but they did point out a number of ways for teachers to add what the quieter students think/feel by having journal entries, emails, individual/informal chats, etc. and sharing those views in a safe environment so they don’t feel too exposed.

I feel it is much more difficult to accommodate discussion teaching models in public secondary schools because of the constant need to accomplish certain learning targets.  While university professors can allow the class to almost lead itself in a discussion, asking questions or demanding evidence, I feel as if much of secondary education demands that the class be taken in a certain direction.  The one exception to this may be in our English classes where we can explore characters, plots, symbolism, and other aspects that may not have concrete outcomes. 

The dispositions are a great way to evaluate our teaching in discussions.  They provide a rubric that we can set up the ground-rules for the classrooms and allows for students to see what is expected of them.  Then chapter two gives us a rubric for evaluating how well the students are learning the ideals for society, but at the end of the article it shows that unless the teachers are confident in their ability to lead the discussion, that the material may become convoluted and messy without much outcome for the student.s

Introductory Letter - ENGL 493

Good Morning Readers!

A little about myself on this grey Friday morning.  I'm a secondary education student majoring in social studies and minoring in English.  This is my 2nd time going to university: my first time through was much more focused on athletics and the social aspects of the environment.  This change the last few years has been great for me as I feel I have been better prepared with life experiences and more focused on becoming a great teacher.

As mentioned above, I am a social studies major and that is truly where my passion lies with teaching.  Truth be told, I only started in with the English minor to make myself more marketable for jobs when I'm finally finished.  I generally have a hard time in English classes but do enjoy the 'artistic' aspects of analyzing a piece of literature and finding meaning within other's writing.  I am also not a prolific writer; I find it difficult to sit down and create longer pieces.  Much of my writing is short, concise, and specific.

Within this class, I am looking forward to challenging myself to create quality lesson plans.  Every lesson plan I have written up to this point has been geared towards either 8th grade U.S. History, or 7th grade Ancient World or Pacific Northwest History.  I am hoping to become much more comfortable within an English classroom and confident in my ability to help students learn.