There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks,
and perceive differently than one sees,
is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.
-Michel Foucault
To me this quote means that if a person wants to acquire new knowledge, they must be open minded. There would be no point in hearing others’ perspectives if you are not attempting to understand their perspective. I feel as if this quote relates well to higher education. Seeking out higher education is a choice. It is doubtful that any one applied to graduate school without a desire to learn more. The knowledge that is gained must be gathered, evaluated, and determined how it should be implemented in one’s own life. Taking the time to digest another person’s opinion can be difficult, but it is absolutely necessary for true learning to take to place. This quote also ties in nicely with my thoughts about this course. We all viewed the same video clips, read the same articles, case studies, etc. but each person had a different view. This was because everyone brought various background knowledge and life experiences to the table, or blog I should say.
There were a few times when I began to read another person’s post and I found myself disagreeing with their opinions. However, after I read their post all the way through, I found myself questioning my own stances. This was a result of being open and taking the time to reflect on the reasoning behind their thinking. In almost every person’s post, I related to at least a piece of their reasoning. If I did not relate to their reasoning or opinion, it was still beneficial. I learned a lot from the diversity of the responses and comments. One comment that I particularly benefited from came after I had posted my response to Reading Lives, chapters 5 & 6. My understanding was that Jake’s father was holding him back from any possibility of a college education because he wanted Jake to take over the family business. Marlee pointed out the fact that Jake’s father’s comment did the opposite, it showed how much confidence he had in his son. This comment forced me to reevaluate my thoughts on Jake’s father. After doing so, I began to see that because of his own discourse, Jake’s father thought that taking over the family business equaled success. He was not being selfish at all.
The two articles that helped me to dig deeper into my own thoughts and piece together my own understanding was, Delpit’s “No Kinda Sense” and Dowdy’s “Ovuh Dyuh”. Each of these articles brought up an issue that I had questioned but never understood. While writing my reflection, I had to use my prior knowledge and form a well thought explanation. This process alone helped me to focus on my own thoughts and feelings about this subject. I found this to be a challenging task because I’ve never felt as if I had an answer to this question. The article did not offer a clear cut answer to this question. In some aspects, I was glad that there was not an “answer”. The fact that so many people have such a hard time explaining why this is so important should be food for thought. It definitely was for me. I reflected on times when I have made a judgment about a person’s intelligence based on the sound of their voice. This is an unfair assessment. The articles did shed light onto how language plays a large part in one’s social discourse. Throughout our posts, comments, and Dr. Jackson’s podcasts, I have a much stronger understanding of the weight our discourses hold. Also, I had never thought so in depth about the hybrids we all have. Of course I have practiced (and still do) carrying out various hybrids to match my situation. However, these hybrids came so natural, I had never stepped back to really think about what I was doing and why.
My favorite article from this semester was the Noll article. I found myself really living out the ideals from Michel Foucault’s quote. As an educator, I am used to providing questions and answers. This was something that I realized needs to be changed and already has been to some degree. As I was reading, my thinking began changing. It started out, “how help them understand?” while teaching students of diverse cultures. Then I began to realize that this should not be the first question I ask myself. It should be more along the lines of, “how can I understand my student?” When I began thinking differently and perceiving my role differently, I benefited from this understanding but more importantly, my students benefited from this change.
This whole process of changing and/or expanding my own thinking happened each time I read others’ posts and comments. It was truly a thought provoking and beneficial experience. I believe the link we all had as educators helped us to make relevant connections, which expanded our thinking. Connections were a huge part of this course. We found connections within each other’s posts and comments on a regular basis. Many of us also found that helping our students make connections to the material we teach, can make a world of difference. In several articles of the articles it was evident that when students were able to make a connection to something that had meaning to them, they were much more engaged. At the beginning of each school year from now on, I am going to give my students an interest inventory. If I am able to begin the school year armed with any insight into my students’ discourses, I will be more likely to promote interest and engage my students. I believe that this will happen and it will be a result of thinking and perceiving differently.
Stacy Durham