Literacy can be interpreted in so many different ways. These interpretations are directly affected by race, class, and gender. In Hustle and Flow, Staples discusses the act of “reauthoring” and its role in enabling African American males to identify with various literacies
outside the context of school. Through reading this article, I began to understand the value of
redefining oneself in order to draw meaning from technology and media texts. While school
may fail to include literacy experiences connected to diverse cultures, ‘popular culture
narratives’ provide these individual students with opportunities to connect with texts using
their own unique perspectives. As a result of these provisions, they are able to maintain
a genuine level of engagement. They use their experiences and knowledge of their worlds to
interpret and create meaning. Perspective is everything, and the students’ contributions are
key. Ownership is crucial in literacy education, and we need to factor this idea into our
instruction. True learning occurs when students are able to draw their own conclusions,
critically evaluate using their own prior knowledge, and express their ideas using their own
language. As teachers, we are always asking students to pull from their own experiences and
background knowledge to help students comprehend what they read or view. With that being
said, we have to remember that diverse backgrounds do not readily lend themselves to all
texts. We would not expect our English-speaking students to be able to draw meaning from a
French text so why do we expect all students to understand texts on the same level or to the
same depth?
With regards to “Speaking Up” and “Speaking Out”, the idea of leaving minority
students ‘voiceless’ is a sobering reality. Every day there are students who feel that their issues are being ignored. Like everyone else, these African American and African Carribean girls have ideas and thoughts they want to share. It is okay if they share in their own languages and dialects. I do believe that their messages may be altered or even lost when they are “avoiding their mother tongues and dialects.” (Henry 237) By choosing texts that minority students can relate to, teachers are treating an inviting atmosphere and forming relationships with these students. We should strive not to “squelch student creativity and expression.” (Henry 243) On the contrary, it is our job to celebrate diversity and welcome each child’s contribution to each learning experience. Equally important is the acknowledgment of social issues pertinent to their culture and gender.
Comments (7)
I apologize for the text. I did not notice this when I previewed the post. I posted it twice.
Posted by Holly Lawson | June 13, 2011 11:36 PM
Posted on June 13, 2011 23:36
I thought you brought up a valid point here: We do not expect our English-speaking students to be able to draw meaning from a French text, so why do we expect all students to understand texts on the same level or to the same depth? In many schools and in many classrooms, teachers are still using literature that reflects one or two backgrounds. We need to bring in more multicultural texts and allow students to openly discuss their thoughts and ask questions. Many schools do not use the ‘popular culture narratives’ that provide students the opportunity to become more engaged by making connections. Media text can be a valuable tool and I know that I need to use it more often in my own classroom.
Posted by Stacy Durham | June 13, 2011 11:37 PM
Posted on June 13, 2011 23:37
Holly,
I think these two articles magnify the need for students to express themselves in a multimedia high tech manner. I was impresses that Staples used pop culture and related life to learning for Black males. After all we are told prior knowledge is the basis for learning somthing new and this was absolutely where they lived. Staples used movies that the African Caribbean girls and brought reality to life as a springboard for discussion. These strategies worked and the participants were able to find their voices.
Posted by Karen Gold | June 14, 2011 8:30 AM
Posted on June 14, 2011 08:30
Holly,
I also think that using the popular culture narratives would be a great way to engage many of our students who are feeling a disconnect to the traditional school curriculum. However, I feel very restricted as to what materials are deemed appropriate and that I would be allowed to use in the regular school setting. I think that using materials like these would indeed have to be in an after school seeting and with parental permission. Unfortunately, I don't know many teachers who would take on a responsibility such as this. How can we get our administrators and school boards to see the value of these different texts in our classroom so that we can begin to reach some of these children? I wish I knew. :)
Posted by Leslie Rothenberger | June 14, 2011 10:12 AM
Posted on June 14, 2011 10:12
Holly,
I agree that teachers need to choose materials that minority students can relate to. After all American is a "melting pot" of people and we must celebrate all diversity in our class room to allow everyone to have a place to feel comfortable. Taking on the values of the students are often set aside for political reasons and reasons of testing and making the grade. Our biggest responsibility is to grow children and make children feel comfortable with who they are. Often times we forget our purpose as teachers due to the demands on us.
Posted by Anonymous | June 14, 2011 2:42 PM
Posted on June 14, 2011 14:42
Hi Holly,
I totally agree with you and Stacy regarding your statement about how students might not have the background knowledge to draw intentional meaning from the text. We have pointed out this issue repeatedly this year at our school because many students can not directly relate to the texts that they are being required to read. It is our job to try to immerse them in texts that BOTH meet them on a cultural level that they can understand, AND learn about other situations that they might not have past experience with. As you said, teachers are always asking students to pull from their background knowledge. It can be a challenge to find commonalities between their worlds and those they read about but I think it's possible.
Posted by Carrie Brown | June 14, 2011 7:52 PM
Posted on June 14, 2011 19:52
YES!!!! Everything about "who we are" filters how we interpret our worlds. So even if we have no prior knowledge or connection with a text, that doesn't mean we can't learn something from it and apply it to future experiences that we might have. Great insights here, Holly!
Posted by Dr. Jackson | June 16, 2011 11:05 AM
Posted on June 16, 2011 11:05