RES 5535: Race, Class, and Gender in Literacy Research (summer 2009)

Students from cultures other than the dominant one have too often been marginalized in educational settings. They have not been given enough opportunities for exploration, thought, discussion, or chances to write about issues crucial to their own lives. They have been systematically conditioned throughout their time in school to submit to the expectations of the dominant members of culture, society, or gender stereotypes. This absence of opportunity, especially prevalent for young Black women, leaves students voiceless. “Voice is power – power to express ideas, connections, power to direct and shape an individual life towards a productive and positive fulfillment for self …” This lack of personal voice then, leaves students powerless. These students may experience alienation and cultural isolation, as well as other barriers to assimilation. Henry has attempted to de-program societal rules from these passively silenced students by providing safe opportunities to express themselves verbally and in writing. Students were asked to interact as a group, allowing them to develop confidence in their own expressive abilities. The girls were motivated to actively participate in articulating their viewpoints, feelings and concerns on a variety of topics relevant to their lives.
Henry’s longitudinal study included 7 female African Caribbean students aged
13 – 14. They met weekly for 30 – 40 minutes each session to read and discuss cultural literature, films, and videos chosen to stimulate connections to the girls’ lives. The girls kept a response journal, giving them opportunity to write without regard to grammatical conventions. Henry discovered that time was needed to gain students’ trust, initiate critical discussions, and to come to the realization that it was okay to “speak up” about pressing topics, issues, and problems relating to personal experiences. Henry related that it took time for the group to understand there was possibly more than one right answer to a question. As the sessions progressed, the girls conferenced with each other, looked at strengths in each others’ writing, and offered suggestions for improvement.
The introduction of culturally relevant materials must have been particularly empowering and motivating for this group of African Caribbean students. Instead of being dismissed as “other”, outside the circle of literate focus, Henry was able to bring these students to a safe place, a carefully crafted forum of trust where they could break down boundaries and discuss topics otherwise off limits and out of place in the usual classroom curriculum. By doing so, the researcher could successfully address academic issues with motivated, engaged and connected learners who, in their own words, “had never been more excited…about school.”
We cannot expect these otherwise excluded students to actively participate in a classroom that does not have any connection to their lives. Nor can they engage with teachers who refuse to recognize who their students are, or what cultural, societal, and personal backgrounds they bring with them. If we truly value diversity in the classroom, we as educators must move past the status quo in the learning environment. We must make it our prime objective to creatively expand upon the requirements of the curriculum. With careful, thoughtful selection of materials and subject matter tailored to the needs of our students, we can offer each individual student a chance to bridge the gap from his / her own personal reality to a meaningful and honest connection to an otherwise foreign real world.
Annie Croon