The concepts of “re-authoring” and “speaking up” and “speaking out” go hand in hand. They both are concerned with giving students a voice with which to speak and also to learn. Students who are labeled “slow,” “disengaged,” and “off task” re-author themselves outside of school and are allowed a different identity based on what their strengths and interests are. During the course of Staples’ article, the students in her groups are able to re-author themselves inside a school setting based upon their academic abilities. This should be able to happen in a regular classroom as well, not just during after school program. As teachers we should always work to see the strengths and unique abilities that our students bring to the classroom as opposed labeling them due to their weaknesses or any deficits they may have. This is extremely detrimental to the child because they catch on to that label, as well as it’s connotation, very quickly and it dictates their attitude toward school and learning for the rest of their school careers.
The concept of voice was very prevalent in Henry’s article as well. During the course of the study, the African Caribbean girls learned to speak their minds about a subject because, as they learned, “there is never only one ‘right answer’ gleaming on the pages of a book” (p. 241). Too often students today are too concerned with getting the “right” answer. I know I was as an elementary and high school student. I would rehearse my answers over and over making sure I had the exact right answer before raising my hand in class but by the time I was sure enough about my answer someone else would have already said it, so most of the time I ended up hardly ever saying anything unless I was called on. In both Henry and Staples’ articles, trust was an important issue to build among the students before serious learning could happen. Students need to be able to trust that their teachers as well as their peers won’t judge and ridicule them for what they say, or how they say it, for that matter.
Kim Strzelecki
Comments (4)
Gaining that trust is so important, not only from the teacher but also from peers. These students already feel unsuccessful with school work and have become disengaged, so the last thing they want is to be ridiculed for, as you put it, what they say and how they say it. Making that student-teacher connection in a safe environment is the first step in helping some students.
Posted by Carol Holt | June 13, 2011 3:23 PM
Posted on June 13, 2011 15:23
Kim,
I too was that student during my school career! I certainly do not ever remember my teachers giving me the opportunity to truly discuss books in the way we do with our students today. The freedom to do this when I went to university was a revelation!
Trust as you so rightly said is key.It takes time to build that trust and for students to understand that not all teachers require a silent room all of the time or a 'right' answer,especially when discussing literature and issues in their lives.
Posted by Karen Massey-Cerda | June 13, 2011 7:00 PM
Posted on June 13, 2011 19:00
Kim,
I agree that helping students find their “voice” can be similar to “re-authoring.” It is important to encourage those students who have been labeled or are viewed by some as unsuccessful to explore other avenues to express their thoughts and find strengths. Often as teachers we are quick to judge or agree with labels. I have found myself doing this with the purpose of addressing students’ needs in order to remediate and strengthen weaknesses, never out of spite. I hope as teachers our first priority is to build these students confidence and ultimately help them discover their “voice,” never belittle or demean.
Posted by Ruth Ann Timmons | June 14, 2011 9:51 PM
Posted on June 14, 2011 21:51
Kim,
I'm so glad that you pointed out that re-authoring should take place in classrooms. It was interesting to me too that in both articles, the students found spaces of expression outside of the classroom. I agree with you that this can happen within the regular curriculum, too! Well done!
Posted by Dr. Jackson | June 16, 2011 10:11 AM
Posted on June 16, 2011 10:11