October 4, 2018
Upcoming Events
Storytelling Festival, October 12 & 13 Berg Park, Farmington
Bee Keepers Conference, October 20, 9am-3pm, SJC Henderson Fine Arts Center
One Book/One Community - MARCH - at San Juan College (SJC)
Civil Rights Sit In Re-enactment at SJC (see Daily Times article below)
Reading Article Selections:
REVIEW
Schema
Ordeal by Check was a reminder that we understand story intuitively. From the series of checks, you were able to determine family, relationships and a storyline, even though your stories may have been different. The beauty of Ordeal by Cheque is there is no one definitive story. Each reader will create the story that fits their schema.
Missing words
Answers
1.
The questions that Poultrymen face as they raise chickens
from incubation to adult life are not easy to answer. Both farmers
and merchants can become concerned when health problems such
as coccidiosis arise any time after the egg stage to later life. Experts
recommend that young chicks should have plenty of sunshine and
nutritious food for healthy growth. Banties and geese should not share
the same barnyard or even sleep in the same roost. They may be afraid
of the dark.
2.
In the early 1860’s, Alexander II issued the Emancipation Edict.
This order freed millions of serfs. The Czar had the authority to
enforce this order. Emancipation alone did not give the former
serfs a new life. Decades of economic hardship and unequal
rights continued. Alexander’s plan was supported by many
Russians.
From Teaching Reading in Social Studies
by Doty, Cameron and Barton
"We don't see things as they are; we see them as we are" ~ Anais Nin
The big question is what does schema mean for us as teachers? Our schema is only one of many coexisting at the same time. Our students bring their own schema to school. So how do we accommodate their thinking, their values, their beliefs without imposing ours upon them, or imposing our own biases upon them?
So knowing this, how do we acknowledge multiplicity of our students' schemata (or schemas) when teaching in a classroom. How often do we ask students to share their ideas among each other before sharing with the teacher. Schemas go beyond recognizing subjectivity. In acknowledging schema, we are validating each student and communicating that our schema is just one of the many stories coexisting at any given time. This is a powerful stance as a teacher and will change the way we teach in becoming more authentic, connected and inclusive of otherness. This takes conscientious practice and refinement of our own awareness and reflection.
We are all born, raised and enveloped in culture, and it is central to learning. It informs how we communicate with each other, the way we receive information and therefore, shapes the thinking process of groups and individuals.
Schemas involve social conditioning, cultural and language paradigms. Knowing that we have these inherent biases, what does this mean for the diverse classrooms of students we teach who are different than us?
So the exercise of making schemas overt, helps us identify and challenge our own assumptions.
Ramsey (2004) sums it up best below:
To teach children to be aware of their world, we, as adults, need to develop a critical consciousness, “an ability to step back from the world as we are accustomed to perceiving it and to see the ways our perception is constructed through linguistic codes, cultural signs, and embedded power…[to] ask penetrating questions” (Kincheloe, 1993, p. 1090. We each have our unique history of experiences, and throughout our lives we construct lenses through which we view the world. Our lenses have many different facets; some are clear, others are blurred, and still others are completely opaque. They profoundly affect the way we perceive and interpret the world, yet they are truths. Thus the task of “stepping back’ and “asking penetrating questions” requires a great deal of emotional and cognitive effort….
Many of us were taught to not “see” racial, class and cultural distinctions….However, it is virtually impossible to grow up in this country without absorbing prevalent stereotypes and attitudes. Rather than hiding and denying these feelings behind a veneer of tolerance, we need to recognize and analyze them (Tatum, 1007). We also cannot ignore how profoundly the social and economic environment affects children’s lives. To assume that the life experiences and prospects of children who live in poor urban neighborhoods or isolated rural communities are the same as those children raised in affluent suburbs is to distort reality. We need to recognize the content and sources of our own expectations in order to see clearly how each child is adapting to the limits, possibilities, and priorities of his or her particular social and physical environment. (pp. 19-20)
Ramsey (2004) admits that as teachers we need to be cognizant that our own personal and professional intentions are limited by our own perspectives. How we negotiate and navigate this within our own classrooms with our students and school community, will always be ongoing as we challenge ourselves to recognize, anticipate, embrace the multiplicity of perspectives beyond our own.
Ramsey, P.G. (2004). Teaching and learning in a diverse world. New York: Techers College Press
PBS Race Matters
Race is an issue that permeates the school system and every subject we teach, not only history. Acknowledging primary sources is important as you mention, and primary sources can be people's actual experiences too. Inviting other peoples' perspectives into the context is significant, too, especially when we do not have any background experience or expertise.
Recognizing our on stance about our own racial reality will impact how we monitor our own schemas and biases in our classroom. As teachers, we cannot know everything and we will never understand all of our students' funds of knowledge they bring from home UNLESS we give them opportunities to exert them, express them and we value them and ultimately learn from them. We are in a position to learn from the students we
teach if we are conscientious enough to incorporate their cultural lives into our classroom.
Also, we understand that the school system is an institution of privilege and power. As in any institution in the past (and present), there are gaps of inequities inherent historically. As culturally responsive teachers, we come to recognize the historical conflict of privilege and power and advocate for social justice for our students so they may be successful within the system of schooling.
Let's Talk
Step 1: Reiterate. Restate what you heard. This step enables students to reflect on what they have heard as opposed to what they
think they may have heard. Repeating what they have heard limits miscommunication and misinformation.
Step 2: Contemplate.Count to 10 before responding. Students can think about their responses and use the time to compose what
they want to say. Taking time to think about their responses helps move students away from immediate emotional responses
that can potentially derail the conversation.
Step 3: Respire. Take a breath to check in with yourself. Suggesting students take a few breaths before responding may help them
settle their thoughts and emotions during difficult conversations.
Step 4: Communicate. Speak with compassion and thoughtfulness. Students should do their best to speak as they want to be spoken
to, assuming good intentions and seeking understanding. Explain that when they disagree with something someone has said, they
should focus on challenging the statement rather than the person who said it.
Spike Lee Film BlacKKKansman
Spike Lee is stating a fact when he says: "We've never really had an honest discussion about the foundation of this country. I know people might not like this, but this is the truth. The United States of America, the foundation of the country, is built upon genocide of native people and slavery. That's a fact," Lee said. "The founding fathers owned slaves. Unless we deal with those truths, it's not going to matter. This country was upon the genocide of native people and slavery. That's the backbone."
Read the book by the author Ron Stallworth
Preparation for Session Content
Catherine Tate (Stereotypes)
Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack (Peggy McIntosh)
Let's Talk about Racism in Schools (ASCD)
Polhemus, D. (2016). Home visits: A powerful family engagement tool. Edutopia [online]. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/home-visits-powerful-family-engagement-tool-debbie-polhemusFrances presents her Text Reading Presentations