These articles focused on being able to speak up and discuss what you believe in. The researcher found that being in a group helped the young African American Caribbean girls speak up for what they believed in more confidently. The girls were able to communicate more effectively while expressing themselves through drama, writing, and talking. The problems these girls experienced were common to all teenage girls, but the researcher found it was easier for the girls to talk among people from their own race. We can plan what to do to help students develop their voice, but sometimes the students need to take over and discuss what’s on their mind. Sometimes students can develop their voice by being in a group with people much like themselves. I think people of different cultures just need someone to give them an opportunity to open up to people with similar problems and circumstances so they will have someone to connect to.
Students often lead two separate lives (an in-school life and an out-of-school life). While they may struggle and be considered low in school, they may soar and have a totally different identity outside of school. Staples worked with struggling African-American teenagers in an after-school program who were excellent in Hip-Hop, athletics, and song-writing, but couldn’t seem to find their place in school. These students who were considered “not intelligent” in school were really talented and just needed to find ways to show it.
It is important for students to be able to get together and discuss what they really think about something they’ve read. Teachers should give students some choice in the books they choose and what they want to discuss from the reading. Teachers should try to serve as participants in reading and discussions rather than always choosing what students should read and what kind of questions they should answer about their reading and writing.
Both of these articles focused on how young men and women that were of the minority needed to express themselves to be who they really were. They needed to read, write, and study things that related to themselves so they could begin to be comfortable and proud of their identity.
All teachers need to give students the opportunity to read what interests them, discuss what they feel they need to discuss through the reading, and write to express their thoughts and feelings. I do not think traditional reading and writing should be completely left out of the curriculum, but I do think teachers need to work to find literacy activities that students from all cultures can connect with.
~Jamie Brackett
Comments (6)
I agree. I appreciated the way Henry reached out and made an initial connection with her students through a piece of literature that highlighted an African Caribbean girl. As teachers I feel that we need to introduce our students to material that are of interest and require our students to grow.
Posted by Candy Mooney | June 12, 2010 4:00 AM
Posted on June 12, 2010 04:00
I agree that we as teachers need to take into account the differences in our students interests, backgrounds etc by letting them choose sometimes what to read or engage in, in the the many aspects of literacy. Maybe if we are able to do that then the students will be more likely to engage in literacy activities that aren't so interesting to them. Letting them choose may help them feel we do care about them as individuals and just might help them learn to trust us and open up more to us in the school setting.
Posted by Linda Bohland | June 12, 2010 3:48 PM
Posted on June 12, 2010 15:48
Jamie,
In the third paragraph of your blog entry, you talked about the importance of giving the students a say in what they are reading and what they want to discuss pertaining to the reading. This reminded me very much of a discussion that was going on in the RE 5533 class held yesterday with Dr. Robin Groce. We were discussing a section from our textbook, "In the Middle" by Nancie Atwell, about 21 lessons teachers demonstrate about reading (pp. 28 - 29). In this section, lesson #6 says, "Student readers aren't smart or trustworthy enough to choose their own texts." Lesson #16 states that "You learn a lot about literature by listening to teachers talk about it." I think it is often true that these lessons are ones that teachers demonstrate (perhaps unintentionally) to their students. The two researchers, Henry and Staples, however, show that different lessons can be learned.
Clyde Rice
Posted by Clyde Rice | June 13, 2010 11:57 AM
Posted on June 13, 2010 11:57
I, too, agree that teachers should sometimes allow their students to pick out what they are going to be reading. I think the best way to do this would be to allow the students to choose between several books that covers what needs to be taught. Students are fully capable of leading discussions about their readings and if the discussion is not heading in the direction that the teacher had in mind, then she/he could always ask questions and make suggestions that would lead it that way as she/he listens in on the group. I feel that if more teachers made an effort to include books on cultural topics that studetns could relate to, many more students may begin to enjoy the time spent in the classroom reading.
Posted by Sarah Hutson | June 13, 2010 12:17 PM
Posted on June 13, 2010 12:17
Meredith, I hear what you are saying about student choice. Before I started the master's program, I already thought I was the master. I would pick literature I liked and was comfortable with and that is what we would read. Because if I liked it, it had to be good, right? As I have learned and matured as a reading teacher, I have discovered a whole new world of choice. I now use literature circles and book groups to provide my students with choice. I have found they take ownership and pride in their work when it is something they have decided on. Our county has undergone severe budget cuts, so I can't purchase materials like I have in the past. I guess all of us are having to get creative with our reading materials. I have been finding articles and magazines that contain relevant text. I also ask students to purchase books from Scholastic and donate them to our class library once they have read them. I have made it my goal to provide more and better choices.
Posted by Carol Sherrill | June 15, 2010 1:22 PM
Posted on June 15, 2010 13:22
I think what you said about students leading 2 different lives is very important. I also think it's important for teachers to realize this and to try and get to know "both" identities of their students. Until we know more about the lives our students live outside of school, I don't think we can help our students reach their full potentials. If students know their teachers are interested in them enough to get to know their "after-school identities," they I feel they will develop a sense of trust. When this develops, I feel the students will want to work harder and will open themselves up to be able to learn more.
Posted by Marsha Warren | June 15, 2010 10:04 PM
Posted on June 15, 2010 22:04