Race, Class, and Gender in Literacy Research (Summer 2011)

Wow, that's alot of kindergarten boys! I bet the classrooms were buzzing with activity all day long. When my son was in kindergarten he needed that freedom of movement within the classroom. Using manipulatives makes learning interesting and fun. I think we do learn more by doing, and it's certainly more engaging.

It might be challenging to uncover the root cause of some frustrated students. It will probably be easier for classroom teachers who have the same students all year. Things may be different for me next year, but this past year I worked with small groups of students on a rotating basis. I felt like I was spread as thin as possible. I did not get to know some of the children well enough as a result. My hopes for this next school year are to work with fewer students so that I might learn their histories more and, like you said, find out what makes them tick.

Ruth Ann,

When Leslie and I taught kindergarten together we had a year group exactly like the classes you describe at your school! There was never a dull moment with that many boys and it certainly adds a very different dynamic to the class activities and what engages students!

I do think that the concrete experiences that kindergarten provide for boys gives them that freedom that they often need. My concern is exactly what happened to Jake. Different teachers approach the first and second grade curriculum and can be polar opposites of kindergarten experiences with no transfer of that important freedom. I see this with students who go into classrooms, sit at a desk and remain there for most of the school day. It does not have to be this way for any of our students no matter what grade. If teachers take the time to know their students histories then the curriculum could be presented in very different ways.

Ruth Ann,
Karen is right! We did have a year like that and it is forever etched into my memory!:) Our learning activities that year were very diverse and like Karen said, the dynamic was quite different. I learned more about cars, trucks, trains, tools, dinosaurs and robots that year than in all my other years combined! The freedom of the kindergarten classroom was indeed a positive aspect of their learning experiences. I also agree with your point about getting to know our neighborhoods and communities. This can give us valuable insight into our students, their families, and their discourses. By doing this, I think we can be more effective teachers as well.

I agree that this experience has shown me that it is very important to the learning process for the teacher to truly know the students. When students are having difficulties in class it is very important to (as you stated) find out exactly what factors are contributing to the child’s situation. We will not be able to understand the root of the problem if we don't know and understand the community and family that our students are coming from.

I agree with your comment about how kindergarten is typically a more “hands-on” year compared to other grades. Students are given the chance to adapt to a new environment and learn in a special way. I can’t help but wonder why it is still acceptable for older students to miss out on this learning style. Just as you pointed out, we adults learn and retain more by doing. One would think that this knowledge would help to sway educators’ thinking and provide insight into the type of learning environment we should provide for our students. I am able to carry this style into my own first grade classroom. Unfortunately, many upper grade teachers (in my school at least) feel as if this style is looked down upon or too childish for older students. We know that this could not be further from the truth.

Wow, 15 is definitely a lot of boys! I like the point you made about Kindergarten being more of a “hands on” year than first and second grade and kids are generally more active and mobile participants in their learning. I actually was a nanny in college for a boy (coincidentally also named Jake) who really reminded me of the Jake in Hicks’ study. He was completely obsessed with trucks, as the Jake in Hicks’ book was with NASCAR. When I started introducing him to letters, if I could find the name of some truck with that letter in it, that’s what would get him interested. He did really well in Kindergarten but, like Hicks’ Jake, struggled when he hit first grade because he didn’t transition to the more stationary, passive mode of learning that took place. His parents actually found a private school that took that active mobile learning approach that Kindergarten uses and took up as far as the third grade, and he did much better! Maybe that’s just what might help some kids, especially some boys, succeed in that transition.

Hi Ruth Ann,
I'm glad you mentioned how it is important for us not to make generalizations when critiquing a certain class, gender, or race. I have learned from personal experience that is incredibly near sighted to do so. There might be people who live modestly but decide to save their money for family vacations together. There might be a black family where both parents are not working and we don't know that they have been looking for jobs tirelessly for 5 months. There might be a family that lives in a HUGE home but are house poor and aren't able leave the house and have other experiences. That's why it's important for a teacher to ask questions...lots of questions to discern where a family really comes from and what that child needs to succeed.