In Praise of Argument

Argument gets a bad rap.  A parent of more than one child will threaten to "come up there" or "pull over the car" unless arguing siblings immediately cease and desist. Of course arguments are of varying quality. The type that drives parents to tears is similar to the following excerpt from the classic Monty Python "Argument Clinic" sketch. The premise is that the customer ("M" below) has paid for an argument. The "no you didn't" / "yes I did" exchange had been going on for about a minute or so. The paying customer has had enough.   

_____________________________________________

M: No you DIDN'T!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: No you DIDN'T!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: Oh look, this isn't an argument!
(pause)
O: Yes it is!
M: No it isn't!
(pause)
M: It's just contradiction!
O: No it isn't!
M: It IS!
O: It is NOT!
M: You just contradicted me!
O: No I didn't!
M: You DID!
O: No no no!
M: You did just then!
O: Nonsense!
M: (exasperated) Oh, this is futile!!
(pause)
O: No it isn't!
M: Yes it is!
(pause)
M: I came here for a good argument!
O: AH, no you didn't, you came here for an argument!
M: An argument isn't just contradiction.
O: Well! it CAN be!
M: No it can't!
M: An argument is a connected series of statements intended to establish a proposition.
O: No it isn't!
M: Yes it is! 'tisn't just contradiction.
O: Look, if I *argue* with you, I must take up a contrary position!
M: Yes but it isn't just saying 'no it isn't'.
O: Yes it is!
M: No it isn't!
O: Yes it is!
M: No it isn't!
O: Yes it is!
M: No it ISN'T! Argument is an intellectual process. Contradiction is just the automatic gainsaying of anything the other person says.
O: It is NOT!
M: It is!
O: Not at all!

_____________________________________________

This is the the type of argument we don't want to encourage. It involves no critical thinking. As teachers we should encourage critical thinking, reasoning, and skills of persuasion. Children and teens do NOT have any problem when it comes to opinion. They have strong opinions about foods, sports and music. They may be challenged to come develop an opinion about ethics, politics or philosophy. We do too as adults. Not all of us made a beeline for a particular corner during the four corners exercise. We have an inner conversation where we ask ourselves, well what do I think about tenure/guns/Obama? We feel a need to consider all sides to an argument, and that sometimes makes it difficult to arrive at an opinion. However, this inner dialogue is excellent if we want to make an argument in support of our position once we've decided upon that position. If we're trying to convince  someone on the fence, it helps to understand their perspective. 

Students should be encouraged to find support for their argument, to provide evidence and logic that makes their position understandable and convincing. They need to respect the other side, and this consideration is often lost on children, and adults too - just listen to any right or left wing talking head. One area where I've noticed the breakdown of both decorum and convincing argument is in the area of blogs. Witness the following exchange excerpt on CNN.com in response to a current story about the Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip.

_____________________________________________
Pat Condell to Ghost • an hour ago
Israel is just another Apartheid South Africa, but the difference is that Israel has got very powerful
and wealthy lobby in the US and Europe who will make sure that videos of their systematic crimes are not shown on main stream media like CNN/FOX NEWS/CBS/MNSBC/BBC.

MostWonderful to Pat Condell • an hour ago
Go back to reading your mein kampf. You disguise your hatred for the Jew in your criticism of Israel. In 500 years you haters haven't changed a bit.

Makx to MostWonderful • 44 minutes ago
You made laugh; because I wrote that "soon they will use their anti-Semitic card", to block any free debate, and you did.

shermanist to Makx • 40 minutes ago
Ironically, we can't read the mein kampf since the Jews have all the remaining copies...if you read it from an Old Testament perspective, it's eerily similar to how Jews see the world. The difference between Hitler's perspective and the Jewish perspective is minimal.

Makx to  shermanist • 32 minutes ago
"Dr. Lisa Rosenberg was removed from JFK-bound flight in Florida after accusing woman of being ‘a Palestinian murderer"
Not only that, but she used the racial card and accused the victim of being anti-Semitic.

Makx  to shermanist • 37 minutes ago
Indeed, but please don't forget another pillar of that hate ideology "Protocols Of Elders Of Zion".

Barasheit to shermanist • 14 minutes ago
See [PDF]
Mein Kampf, by Adolf Hitler - Angelfire
You can read it all you want and should read it. It shows the real mentally ill, jealous child for what he was.
and... Everything you said was a lie. But that is ok with Allah, because he approves of that.
_____________________________________________

I hate reading these posts, because it's just plain depressing. I think there should be a requirement that anyone commenting on a website should disclose their real name, how many hours of daylight they receive and age. My theory is that you'll see "Age 12" and "lives in basement" more frequently than not. You and I might might have differing opinions about Israel's actions, the legitimacy of HAMAS, the settlements or the future of Jerusalem, but we should be able to argue our positions calmly, logically, and all the while respecting the opposing side. I'm convinced that posters such as these resort to ridiculous claims or personal attacks because they're unable to express their thoughts in an adult, reasonable and ultimately persuasive manner. As teachers, we should do our best to prepare our students to read critically so that they can make informed decisions which they can defend effectively, and form opinions which they can argue logically and respectfully. 

No we shouldn't!  

Yes we should!

No we shouldn't!

ENOUGH! 

Critical Literacy

I thought the activity in class where we were assigned different roles and perspectives for an issue, was an extremely powerful tool. It is important to introduce our students the complexity of social issues. There is rarely a clear-cut answer or solution when it comes to complex issues like public heath and poverty. There is no black and white/right or wrong answer to solving social issues, which is why it is important for teachers to model for their students how to navigate and critically think about articles and other information, especially regarding social issues. By introducing the many sides and perspective for social issues, students will get a clearer sense of what a “bias” is and how to uncover bias opinions on TV, the internet, newspapers, and magazines. Our students must understand that everything published, was written with a purpose and/or an agenda. The author is trying to express their opinions or facts about a topic for a specific purpose, whether it is informational, persuasive, or something else. The students must learn to decipher the author’s intent, the target audience, who is benefiting from the text, and importantly what background/viewpoint does the author have? Critical literacy skills are not easily acquired and are challenging to learn. However, modeling and creating multiple activities to introduce viewpoints, biases, and agendas regarding social issue will scaffold students and introduce them how to be critical readers.

 Social issues affect all students in one way or another, so it is important for them to understand the importance of being educated on social issues and furthermore how to educate themselves about current social issues by reading articles with a critical mindset. Some students will believe anything they read in or out of school must be true because it is in a book or a newspaper, but as teachers we must show them that this is not always the case. There is not always a right or wrong answer, so understanding that many perspectives and viewpoints on an issue or topic will allow students make their own educated opinions, rather than trusting others opinions. 

Critical Literacy

     Critical literacy is the practice of reading critically to better understand power, inequality, social injustice and relationships in a text.  Critical literacy practices will help young readers develop critical thinking skills.  Students of all ages can practice thinking critically about the text they are presented with.  We have seen throughout the duration of this summer course.   Through our neighborhood literacy projects and discussion on digital literacy the exposure out students have to various forms of text.  It is important that the adults in the world give students the practice thinking about the text they encounter in their daily lives.
     There is great danger in students not developing critical literacy skills.  Our youth is exposed to media and popular culture constantly.  Text everywhere are open to interpretation.  Young people are easily persuaded to think and act the way popular culture wants them to.  Maybe if children develop a lens for thinking about images, movies, articles they will begin to think more independently of what our culture wants them to think.
    The literacy practice of asking questions about the text, it's message or agenda is useful for my younger students as well.  I can imagine using some of these strategies when we are close reading a text.  A small group guided reading group would be a comfortable setting for students to examine perspectives and identifying bias.
    On a final note, in order for us to teach and practice critical literacy WE have to engage in critical literacy too.  Just as thinking aloud about our comprehension of a text can help students, modeling critical literacy is a way for students to watch an expert analyze a text.

Supermodel Super-Power Laden Woman Scientist, Rawr

This summer I've been nannying with a couple of families. One family has two girls, aged 12 and 10. The other family has three kids: there is a 7 year old girl, a 5 year old girl, and an 18 month old boy. Needless to say, I have seen my fair share of Disney this summer, and I have also had a lot of exposure to how younger kids think and how they experience the world around them.

Last week, while with the 12 and 10 year old girls, one of them said, "Which super power would you rather have: would you rather be able to fly or be insanely pretty like a super model?" So, after I waited a minute so that my brain could stop imploding on itself while thinking "WHO THE HELL WOULDN'T CHOOSE FLYING??" and "OH MY GOD DID THAT QUESTION SERIOUSLY JUST HAPPEN?", I said, "Actually, pretty much nobody looks like the pictures in magazines. Like, sure, super models are pretty, but they don't look the way those pictures look. Have you girls heard of Photoshop?" (Heads nod.) "Have you gals ever seen videos of people's pictures being changed using Photoshop?" (No.) I pulled up some images and videos on my laptop so the girls could see how images are changed, and that the images they are presented in teen magazines are not, in fact, representative of how people actually look. For instance, this gem:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPnfjwKfkSk

I did not know at the time that what I was teaching them is called critical literacy, but that's precisely what it is.

I like being able to tie critical literacy into everyday situations like that described above. I am interested, as a scientist and a soon-to-be teacher, in how to incorporate these practices into my science classroom. I imagine that this will most easily be done by examining public policy as it pertains so science, and also encouraging extra credit work that involves reading books that touch on these issues. For instance, The Omnivore's Dilemma goes into some of the science and technology behind how our food sources are manipulated, as well as the public policy that facilitates these practices. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks goes into the sordid history of scientific and medical research that took advantage of minority groups. These books can serve as excellent introductions into critical literacy.

Critical literacy can also be used to tackle ideas about who does science, how, and why. Ever googled "woman scientist" and looked at the images? Oh, please, allow me:

https://www.google.com/search?q=woman+scientist&client=firefox-a&hs=WC2&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=t7vOU5rXC9isyAT2roLoAQ&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=1554&bih=746

That's right: we spend our days literally staring at micropipetters and flasks with perfectly tied up (or sexily tousled, rawr) hair. We're all super hot and make surprised faces every time we look at a tube filled with green liquid, too (that green liquid is food coloring in water, FYI). I'm pretty sure those images are way more about making sure men feel more comfortable with women infiltrating a traditionally male field than they are about encouraging young women to pursue science. Don't worry: they're just going to look pretty and stare into space.

I'm not sure how to tie up what is sort of a rant/amused series of observations, other than to say, hey, everybody, show your students this stuff, in whatever way it makes sense in your classroom, and call out the bullshit.

Critical literacy and critical thinking are becoming a big part of the standards in public schools. As scientist, we are constantly encouraged to think critically, however I never really thought too deeply regarding this matter and what it really entailed. In order to think critically, we will need to read critically as well. Heather Coffey’s article, Critical literacy, defined it as the “ability to read texts in an active, reflective manner in order to better understand power, inequality, and injustice in human relationships.” As we discussed in Monday’s class, being able to dissect the various aspects of text that present social justice, prejudices and various viewpoints within text is a necessary skill to develop critical thinking. Coffey also states that promoting critical literacy skills will better allow students to actively construct knowledge, to bring into the discussions their own experiences rather than just looking at students as “vessels to be filled” with knowledge. I think this aspect is very important to build within students as it facilitates students to be life-long learners and can spark creative thinking along the way. If students just regurgitated information, there would be no progress in society. Additionally, as educators, we need to model critical literacy and open up the discussions for students to input their experiences, thoughts, and viewpoints.

This idea of critical literacy is such an important aspect in the American society because of the diversity that exists in regards to culture, ethnicity, and socioeconomic and social status. Being able to question the text, in whatever form it comes in, by analyzing the target audience, determining which group of people it benefits, formulating what the author’s intent(s) is (are), etc., will make the text more meaningful to the student. It also exposes biases and helps the student to understand what the societal norms are and hopefully inspire students to take a more active roll in the community. 

Critical Literacy: So what?

In class we have been discussing the approach of analyzing reading from a different lens and thinking about all the different meanings in a text. As teachers, our biggest challenge is to give our students the tools to think in a flexible way and be able to have discussions about the topic. When I think about Critical Literacy, I always think about the phrase, "putting yourself in the person's shoes." My teachers always asked me to do it. When I think about it, remembering always feeling sympathy for the person/character, and moving on. This might sound like an easy task for students, but the part of critical literacy that encourages a reflective approach, requires more than stepping into the persons shoes and actually thinking of yourself as them. There is definitely an emotional connection that needs to be made in order to make the issue affect you as the person.



One of the biggest challenges I find with Critical Literacy, is the choice to present a topic with an unbiased approach. Furthermore, how to present a controversial topic without angering parents, administration, and students? As teachers, applying Critical Literacy, we have to, "encourage our students to challenge issues of power." These issues involve: race, sexual orientation, class, etc... I have always been a strong supporter of all forms of literature, and I belief that literature should never be changed regardless of what is states. The author had a purpose and we as readers must be respectful of what was written. We can not change what is stated.




Once the students have been exposed to Critical Literacy, there is the "so what?" component that I think is the most important. What actions will the students take now? How will they actively seek a solution or expose awareness to what is happening? This to me is the most important part of Critical Literacy. This encourages the students to take what they have been exposed to beyond the classroom, into their communities and the world.

Critical Encounters

Last night we discussed a topic I wish I covered more in my classroom: critical literacy. At the
school where I currently teach, this is something that I think my students would really benefit
from. My school is a private Catholic school, and it costs a good deal of money to attend.
However, we give a lot of financial aid, which has diversified the socioeconomic status and
cultural make up of the school somewhat over the past few years. Problems do arise, however,
when students who have been "sheltered" their whole lives interact with students of other
backgrounds and cultures. Using critical literacy might be one way to make students think
through different perspectives without singling anyone out.

The articles this week really resonated with me, especially the parts about reading through
different "lenses" and helping students to navigate the "New Times." I read a book for a
previous class that actually perfectly ties in with this. It is called Critical Encounters in High
School English: Teaching Literary Theory in the Classroom by Deborah Appleman. Those
who were in Philosophy of Ed with Miller might remember when I presented about this book (or probably

not-we all presented a lot in that class). The book essentially outlines what it might look like

to use different "lenses" in the classroom. Appleman travelled the country helping teachers
implement this in their high school English classrooms. Encouraging students to use different
lenses is not all sunshine and rainbows, however, and I like that Appleman points that out
as well. She recounts a lesson from one teacher who assigned students to look at Hamlet
through a socioeconomic lens by choosing which character they identified with most. Those who
identified with wealthy Fortinbras felt very defensive, because he is associated with a higher
class, and those students felt that they were vilified. It is still something that I would try in my
own classroom-I think it encourages students to push their thinking deeper, and perhaps think of
themselves in a different light.

Though this book was written for an English classroom, it could be used for any discipline. It
comes with a lot of useful handouts as well, such as the attached "Critical Encounters in Star
Wars."

You don't have to look far...

Critical literacy means questioning everything. It means understanding that every text is infused with an argument, that is to say, a viewpoint. Every viewpoint comes with its own set of biases, false assumptions, and blindspots. Therefore, we should be critical of the text and question the author's intent. It's important to remember, every text can and will be perceived differently by different consumers, and it's not always clear which perception was the author's intent. That said, you don't have to look far to find texts worthy of critique. Let's take a gander at today's news.

http://news.msn.com/us/us-appeals-court-throws-out-irs-rule-on-obamacare-subsidies

A court ruling has found that the tax subsidy system embedded in "Obamacare" is illegal, and, pending appeals etc., this ruling could result in the loss of tax breaks for approximately 62% of those expected to enroll in the federal health care marketplace. These tax breaks were intended to make healthcare affordable for everyone, and this, in essence, would cut the affordable care act down at the knees. There are several ways to digest this information. You could view this decision favorably. Perhaps it protects our capitalist system from being undermined by a tax and spend socialist. Perhaps it's a check towards controlling big government. Perhaps it's simply another example of the republican drive to make Obama, and democrats by proxy, appear impotent. Perhaps it's simply a fidelitous analysis of tax law. Just maybe, the ruling makes affordable healthcare unaffordable, and has the effect of stripping healthcare from millions of citizens. Millions of citizens that coincidentally happen to be low-income earners.

The point of critical literacy is not to pick which perception is correct, but rather to be flexible enough in mind to see the various ways the information can be perceived and the various ways it could have been intended. It would be irresponsible to suggest the court ruling is intended and crafted to be classist and racist. However, there are absolutely classist and racist ramifications to this ruling that warrant discussion and scrutiny.

Hey, remember this? (sorry, it's not on youtube; also, don't feel compelled to watch the whole thing)
http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/942064/we-cant-stop-blurred-lines-give-it-2-u-medley.jhtml#id=1719798

As an adult white male, I saw this performance and thought to myself, "This looks dumb." That was it. I didn't feel compelled to go any deeper than that. For me, my critical literacy skills weren't up to snuff because I failed to realize this was actually really offensive to a lot of people. To some, it appeared Miley Cyrus was appropriating elements of black culture by twerking and surrounding herself with black female dancers made up to look less attractive (I guess?) than Miley (I would argue Miley did a pretty good job of making Miley look unattractive, but I digress). Others felt Miley was belittling little people by having them dance around in little bear outfits. Some were angry that a famous transsexual was reduced to the role of freakish prop. Still others wonder if this performance reinforces the stereotype that anthropomorphic bears are model minorities (or is that just me?).

Regardless, Miley, myself, and many others should have been cognizant of the way her performance would be perceived by many different people. I still think it's important to remember that there isn't necessarily a hierarchy in terms of which perception is correct or better, and that we should be careful to ascribe intent. A lot of the reaction to her performance carried the message that, "Miley was racist and here's why." I don't think Miley intended the performance to carry these negative undertones. I also don't think that just because you can find something to be offended about, you should then be enraged and demand accountability. This is the attitude that has lead to a lot of hypervigilance and hypersensitivity about social justice issues that, in effect, obstructs open dialogue rather than fosters it. The point isn't to find the right opinion, but rather to embrace the plurality of opinions and then engender a frank and honest discussion about them. In this way we can increase our ability to understand and empathize with one another.

We all have the right to our opinions, but we also have the responsibility to respect the opinions of others. It's through honest discussion and sharing that we make progress, so get, stand up, and speak your truth. Just don't forget to listen to the truths of others.

Culture and Literacy, or Cultural Literacy?

While I was taking pictures for my neighborhood literacy project I noticed that Culture plays a huge role in pretty much all of the literacy we experience.  Even in class we discussed the role literacy has in Disney Movies, and that in itself has Cultural Literacy in it.  Whether we are aware of it or not, it is there.  

The majority of the schools in my neighborhood are low-income, hispanic based.  Which plays a huge role in what literacy is like for that community.  Being in a primarily Hispanic based community you see a lot of Spanish speaking mixed in with English speaking.  This can be a great thing for literacy.  Research has proven that literacy in multiple languages is a great thing.  Many countries offer language courses at a young age, but unfortunately that is not commonly seen in the United States.  

As bilingual person, I can say the first time I was "forced" to use English it was quite a shock.  I was told countless times to be more "American" and speak only English; that Spanish was not American, but Mexican.  Granted, these were very ignorant people, but unfortunately we still find people like this today.  Even though that was a long time ago whenever I am told to speak a certain language, even Spanish, it can be very irritating.  We do live in the United states of America, where I can choose to speak whichever language I please.

Not only can this be irritating but also demeaning.  Telling a student they are wrong for wanting to learn or speak about a certain language/culture makes them less likely to want to learn and uncomfortable.  It makes students question their knowledge and identity. I believe as teachers we need to be more open to different languages and cultures, thus allowing students to be more comfortable and have the desire to learn. No, I don't believe you should be forced to learn another language.  But just think about how much more culturally aware, we as Americans, would be if we chose to do so.  As I have mentioned before learning a language is not just how to speak it, but it is also learning about the Culture and traditions it has as well.  I believe Culture and Language are the biggest barrier we as people can make, and it is one we can easily knock down.  

Critical Literacy and Advertisement Analysis

          It is estimated that we see 3,000 to 20,000 advertisements each day.  However, we are not able to process each of these advertisements.  In reality, the number of advertisements we are actually aware of seeing and that actually push their messages on us is closer to 300-700 advertisements.  As such, it is important that we are aware of what we are looking at.  Inappropriate advertisements have become such a common occurrence.  Especially in a country, like the United states, driven by capitalism.  While we as consumers may be purchasing these products out of our own free will, we must try to critically analyze what we are really buying.

          The first thing I think about when I see this advertisements is "sex".  This bothers me.  I expect to see something about the product or maybe at least the company that sells this product.  The first thing I want to do is analyze why I think about sex and whether other people also think the same way as me.  The font that says "It'll blow your mind away" sticks out to me.  Why did they choose those words?  It sounds suggestive.  Also, the way the shading is done on this picture really draws the eyes to the woman and the sandwich.  Everything else is darkened.  This is a very suggestive image as well.  Certainly it is implying that the woman is about to do more than just eat the the sandwich.  She looks very surprised and almost concerned that she is about to "eat" this Super Seven Incher.  I also wondered why she is wearing so much makeup to go to Burger King.  Her lipstick looks freshly applied and she is wearing blush and mascara.  Her eyebrows even look touched up.  Clearly she was expecting to get a lot for $6.25.  There is so much more to be analyzed in this picture but I have already drawn some conclusions from it.  The target audience is men.  Burger King is not selling the Super Seven Incher, but rather they are selling their true message of sex.  If men can associate something (like a sandwich) with something that they enjoy (like sex), then why won't they enjoy the sandwich.  I also wonder about how this feels from a woman's perspective.  I imagine it might feel very disrespectful.  Even to the point where a woman may now not buy this product.  I wonder how effective this advertisement was.


          Here is another example of a controversial advertisement.  It reads, "PlayStation Portable White is Coming".  It shows a white woman holding a black man by the chin in a very threatening way.

          While I will not go into much detail about this image, I am very curious to hear what people think about this advertisement.  Please comment on this post so I can hear your opinions.


          I did choose some of the more extreme and controversial advertisements I could find.  However, I did this to prove a point.  These advertisements are everywhere and the more subtle they are in delivering their true message, the more effective they will be.  The more we become aware of what we are being exposed to 300-700 times each day, the more control we will have on what products we buy, and what messages we are trying to support.




References:

http://www.businessinsurance.org/9-controversial-ads-that-overshadowed-their-product/
http://blog.telesian.com/how-many-advertisements-do-we-see-each-day/

Critical Literacy

Critical Literacy is more than just understanding what we are reading.  We have to look deeper to find the author’s message and to find out why they wrote about the topic. Critical Literacy is about asking questions, looking at different points of view, and asking, “Is everyone included in what we are reading?”

Not only is critical literacy important for reading and writing novels or stories, but also when reading content material in the Sciences; it is important to discover the author’s (scientist’s) message and think about alternative methods or possible errors in their experiment. It wasn’t until recently that I was challenged to think critically while reading. Now that I read journals, it’s easier to stay engaged in the reading as I am constantly asking myself questions. 

Being critical thinkers while reading scientific journals is a little different however, compared to critically thinking about social issues. If we ask students to take on a different role, consider someone else’s point of view, or question the author’s message, we must be unpack the issue in a way that they would be able to cognitively understand. Topics such as inequality, race, and religion are heavy, and some students may not even realize they are issues that have gone as far as causing wars. We have to make sure they are capable of realizing there is a far larger world outside of their own.

Critical Literacy and the Disney Princesses

Teaching students to be critical and active readers is an important job of teachers.  It teaches them not to simply accept text as so but to dig deeper, question, examine, and understand why the text was written, from what perspective, and what the desired outcome is.  To me, I believe this is just being a good reader.  With a background in Science, I was taught to read this way early on.  In Biology, Chemistry, Physics, etc. we are taught that just because someone says something does not make it so.  We need to dig deeper, discover why this person did this research, why they published it, and are there any biases or prejudices apparent that could alter the results. 

However, we also need to be careful when it comes to critical literacy and teaching students how to analyze social issues.  In class we discussed role switching and how you might feel if Snow White was a different race or would you watch Cinderella if she had a darker skin tone.  I understand where we were coming from, the racial background of our favorite Disney princesses may have a huge effect on whether or not people few them the same or moviegoers see the film.  However, simply teaching students to analyze princesses in this way is a disservice to our youth. First, changing the race of the princess dramatically changes the story line of the movie (which may be the intent of some teachers).  Secondly, and most importantly, it causes us to miss the historical influence of these stories and why they were portrayed the way they were.

There was a post online recently titled “This Girl Gets Told After saying Disney Makes All Princesses White On Purpose.” (See link below)  A man goes on to explain the origins of the princesses and why they are the way they are.  For example, Rapunzel is a German story, Germans are typically white with blonde hair.  And Brave, that movie is set in Ireland/Scotland where the people are pretty much as white as they come.   The race of the princesses makes sense with the story.  If you go and change the race of the princess, you are ultimately changing the story and the history behind the story.  I think a better way to be critical of the Disney Princesses and their race, background, and the story of their lives is to dig deeper into the history.  Instead of switching roles and analyzing how you would feel if they were different, I think students should understand why they aren't a different race. 

Girl Gets Told After saying Disney Makes Princesses White on Purpose

Just like I did in my science classes, and just like I would like my students to do in theirs, students should learn to analyze all aspects of a text.  The race, sex, religious views of the main characters; but also the race, sex, and views of the author, the time period at which the text was written, and the purpose behind the image or writing.  All of these factors will help teach students to be critical readers, to determine if there are social undertones or, like in the case of the princesses, there is a legitimate reason the characters and information is portrayed the way it is.  

Critical Literacy and Standardized Testing - Can We Have Both?

Critical literacy and its use in the classroom has been a personal interest of mine ever since I had the privilege of taking a class that dealt with the subject with Prof. James Gavelek. I have since tried to incorporate these literacy practices in my classroom as best as possible. I love working with students to read texts through a myriad of critical lenses, or writing for just as many purposes. Critical literacies help to develop individuals who are inquisitive, and with the thinking skills necessary to be the problem solvers and game changers of the futures.

That said, standardized testing still privileges other literacies, and often leave very little room, if any, for students to truly think critically. Multiple choice, true/false, and prompt-based short answer response questions encourage students to look for finite answers, to answer questions in traditionally structured ways, and to refrain from stating their opinions. If education is to foster critical thinking, there must be some sort of change in the ways in which we assess.

The question, then, is how? How can one measure creativity? How does a teacher measure the degree to which a student questions an author's purpose, the historical influences on a text, or the ways in which different audiences can interpret the same thing?

The Finnish education system (are you sick of hearing about them yet?), relies primarily on formative assessments, and eschews high stakes, frequent summative assessments for one or two diagnostic ones. Instead, Finnish students are often tasked with a problem-to solve or a project to create. World hunger? Walking on Mars? These are a few of the problems Finnish children are asked to "solve" over the entirety of their schooling. Text is made available, and students are encouraged to learn from and teach each other the skills and ideas needed to solve these problems (teachers facilitate). A critical (hah) component of all of this problem-solving is the necessity for students to think critically about the texts they encounter. Why should I believe this author's position on thermodynamics over this author's? Why is this speaker's rhetoric more effective than this speaker's?

Is America ready for such a different means of assessment? Are there any alternatives?

Welcome to America, Now Speak English

     It is always important to understand the linguistic diversity of our students.  Farr's description of the history of Chicago and the diverse population of people we have here is a valuable resource to teachers.  When we begin to understand where our students linguistic backgrounds we can address their literacy needs more effectively.  Research has proven that students who have developed literacy skills in any language will be more likely to be successful in reading in a second language.  It is common practice for youngsters in American schools to experience full English immersion at a very young age.  This practice impedes their literacy and identity development.  It is my belief that teachers should encourage literacy practices in any/all languages accessible to their students.  Many bilingual students will be discouraged from reading in their first language.  By discouraging the use of first language literacies, we are making an impact on that student's identity.  

     "Welcome to America, Now Speak English":  I can't tell you how many times I have heard people complain about the amount of people in America that don't speak English.  If I could speak to everyone with this opinion I would tell them that we are lucky to have linguistic diversity in our country.  We are one of the few nations that do not speak many languages.  I believe that the fact that we have people who speak different languages will be a strength as long as we develop the second language skills of our youth.  If all of our young people speak two languages we will be better off.  Second language learners struggle with their identity in their first language because of these negative opinions whereas I think it is something that should be celebrated.  

      In class we discussed code switching.  It made me think about a code switching champ at my school, our assistant principal.  She is African American and is incredibly successful in her interactions with students because she is constantly code switching.  She can be a professional, speaking perfect standard English to a parent or teacher one minute and the next she can speak the home language of our African American population.  In this case, her code switching for those students makes her more than a principal, but a community member that deserves respect and cooperation like a mother figure.  Her ability to move seamlessly between the two discourses is a prime example of code switching.  

      This graph below show the reasons for code switching.  You may not think that you code switch but I challenge everyone to think about how they speak differently depending on the situation.  Everyone code switches whether they believe it or not.

My Motivation is Myself

        Love, ego, self-image, media exposure, creativity, curiosity and the need to be cool; students bring all of this and more into the classroom.  As the picture above demonstrates, reading and writing is just a small portion of what makes up a student's thoughts and actions; thus, we as educators have a lot to work with.  Rather of thinking of these additional parts as detrimental or distracting to literacy, we can think of them as opportunities to further engage students in the material.  These aspects of students' lives are different avenues that we can take to deepen students' connection to academic material.  For example, since students in this day and age are very media focused (and even addicted to), it important that we do not ignore this part of their lives.  Rather, we can provide multimedia texts that appeal to students' outside interests, such as blogs and videos. 

        This is the basis of differentiated instruction and cultural competence in the classroom.  People in general are complex creatures that are influenced by both internal and external forces, such as self-image and family home life. By employing various strategies of instruction, educators can appeal to the various interests and backgrounds of students.  As Brozo and Simpson described, there are several methods to further motivate students to engage in literacy, such as generating local interests and connecting students' outside life to inside the classroom.  

      A motivational strategy I particularly liked was providing students options for learning activities.  This would allow students to gain more of a sense of power over their learning and let them choose a topic or activity they are actually interested in.  For example, my high school chemistry teacher would require us complete several science projects throughout the semester; however, we were allowed to choose any topic in science and present in any way wanted.  Sometimes, I chose to write an informational paper on a physics theory.  At other times, I chose to teach a lesson on plant physiology for my project.  Through this activity, I was able to witness students, who normally did not connect with school, become engaged and excited over the assignment. 

What my chemistry teaching accomplish through these assignments was student-centered learning. We learned from this weeks reading that if students encounter more teacher-centered instruction, the benefits of learning actually diminishes and increases the distance between the student and instruction.  As students walk into your classroom, you cannot just simply ignore the interests they possess, the experiences they have gone through or even the background they come from.  That would be like walking into a doctors office and the doctor ignoring your medical history when treating you. Thus, you would be robbing that student and even yourself an opportunity to learn and grow. To bridge this distance, we must motivate students with strategies that appeal to their own interests and allow them to have an active voice in their learning.  

     

Chicago - A place to be!

Chicago - A place to be! 

 While reading through the article ‘Literacies and Ethnolinguistic Diversity: Chicago’, I learnt how Chicago is a city of such huge immigrant populations. It was also happy to see how globalization could bring together people from different ethnic/racial, gender, class, religious and other identities come together. Hearing stories from my friends of how they came to Chicago/US, settled down and became one among all has always fascinated me. In India, people feel really privileged and proud if they have their relatives or children in the US.  The numbers of people who have migrated from India is an alarming number.

Year of migration	# of immigrants, and refugees
1971 - 1980	164,175
1981 - 1990	250,786
1991 – 2000	365,604
2001 - 2004	267, 081

Immigration is a major component in the lives of many Asians (Indians) – why they come here, what they do, how many come, and what exactly happens to them after they get here. In 1965, the Hart – Cellar Immigration Act changed the whole prospect of immigration into the US. Almost overnight, new ethnic groups came into existence. They grew quickly in size and almost exponentially. Apart from New York, Los Angeles and San Jose, Chicago became a hub for migration. Indians who moved sometime during this act were decently educated, could speak, write and read English (though not very fluently). The basics supported them get jobs, live around and settle here. US is home for many of us now. 

There are multiple programs initiated by the Indo –American center to promote the well-being of South Asian Americans and immigrants through services that facilitate their adjustment, integration, and friendship with the wider society, nurture their sense of community and foster appreciation for their heritage and culture.

Post-independence (1947) in India, we have English literacy in both government and public schools. Schools also give us an option to learn another language; be it a local Indian language or Spanish or French or German in our middle and high schools. Students in India are exposed to more than two languages during their childhood and are comfortable in either. Post college, many of us, migrate to the US to study, work or lead a comfortable life. Here, the quality of life is much better and so are the opportunities. 

Language interaction

Even after living in the Chicago area for over a decade I continue to be intrigued on the idea that many neighborhoods of predominant ethnicities continue to exist.  The study tiled Literacies and Etnolinguistic Diversity Chicago, published on the Encyclopedia of Language and Education 2008 edition, claims that Mexicans among other ethnic groups were recruited to work in Chicago’s industries after World War I.  As it is logical, the Mexicans brought their language and their culture with them.  At their arrival, they started to settle in three neighborhoods on the south and southwest side of the city (p.268).  In addition Puerto Ricans, “the poorest Latino group in the U.S. and in Chicago,” became a noticeable presence during the 1650’s settling on the near Northwest side of the city.  As many Cubans, middle class, fled Cuba after Castro came into power also settled here in Chicago.  The study informs that a wider variety of Latin American populations, notably Dominicans and Guatemala, filled the city’s neighborhoods.  All these different ethnic groups brought a variety of Spanish to the city.   Today we also see a so called Latino variety of English. 

The study also provided statistics from the 2003 American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau for the City of Chicago witch show:

Race	Percentage
White	42%
African American	37 %
Hispanic	26 %
Asian	4 %

The previous statistics helps us understand the current demographics: ethnicity, language, and literacy that all this groups have contributed to Chicago. 

In addition the 2004 American Community Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau for the city of Chicago show: that slightly over a third of the population 5 year of age and older speak a language other than English.

Language	Percentage
Spanish	71 %
Polish	6.3 %
Chinese languages	3.8 %
Tagalog	2.3 %
French	1.7 %
Arabic	1.5 %

 

The previous chart is an interesting fact that clearly has a direct impact on the mainstream literacies .  For example, Mexicans now move not only into traditional Mexican neighborhoods, but also into Puerto Rican and other Latino neighborhoods, and into “white ethnic” and some African American neighborhoods.   The map published by the U.S. Census in 2000 shows that Latinos can be found in almost all neighborhoods of the city, and they are a significant presence as well in the counties surrounding they city, north to the Wisconsin border, southeast to the Indiana border and to the west of the city.  All the facts support the idea the code-switching between Spanish and English and English with other languages and “standard” variation of English (power) with other dialects of English continue to have an influence on the literacies and linguistic diversity available here in Chicago.  So it would be interesting to quantify how much interaction is there among the various ethnolinguistc groups in Chicago and figure out how does these interactions lead to newer varieties of language and to new hybrid literacy practices as the study suggests. 

Latinos in Chicago 2010 U.S. Census