Critical Reflection (Understanding, Practice, Professional Identity)
Reflection refers to your developing awareness of our own learning process, as well as more analytical approaches to understading social justice concepts and related issues. When we speak of reflection as a crucial component of learning, we are not using the term in its commonsense meaning of reverie or abstract introspection. We are referring to the development of our ability to step back and consider a situation critically and analytically, with growing insight into your own learning processes as a kind of metacognition. Have I explored my own personal biases and prejudices; awareness of existing inequalities; consider race and class multiperspectives; cultural and linguistic sensitivities? What insight do I bring to my own classroom in changing my own teaching perspectives and attitudes?
Also consider:
Estimated evaluation in terms of grade
Suggestions for your own further development during remainder of semester
Suggestions for class activities or for the professor to better support learning
Frances Vitali Miterm Reflection
We began our course with a Barnga simulation exercise whereby I set you up in a challenging situation. I appreciate that you all still trust me, which I hope you still do. I hope you can trust me to lead you through opportunities to consider vantages different than your own and be open to learning.
What an interesting time to read and talk about the history of education and our profession in a new light. This course is not for the weak of heart and demands a strong constitution for we reveal aspects about ourselves and our profession that are uneasy to hear and recognize. Recognition is the key and we spend the rest of our lives sensitive to otherness as I like to call it. This awareness that we can easily suspend our cultural beliefs and values and entertain another's takes practice to be able to do it mellifluously. Hopefully, we are recongizing that social equity and justice go beyond the surface of race and extends to all areas of our personal, social, economic, religious, professional well-intentioned lives. I want to help us think about things we have never considered before. Amazing Grace is meant to help us vicariously experience the lives of people in the South Bronx where that is their daily reality. How would we function in such a place and who would we become as a result? How does this reading help in our understanding of multiple perspectives? I want to delve deeper into the institutionalized practices of white privilege, school culture, classism so we can begin to recognize it when we see it for it is happening all around us; yet are we aware that others see and identify these practices as their own reality?
Presenting our take away from our reading will be presented in the form of a PechaKucha (meaning chit chat in Japanese). For three weeks you have engaged in literature circle discussions about Amazing Grace and you each have contributed in meaningful ways through your roles as posted on yur websites.
Our Oaks & Lipton (2007) text provides the backdrop for discussion and related articles will be introduced from our Resources to stretch our learning and understanding. Taking advantage of attending the Discussion Forum was a way to see how the community of Farmington perceives issues of race, discrimination and bias. Kim Mizell's dinner conversation was enlightening as she sees through critical lenses through her readings in her doctoral program at NMSU. Next half of the semester I would like to invite Heights teacher Felx Chacon to share with us about his teaching for social equity. I would like to invite a member or members from the Community Relations Commission to share about their work in Farmington.
I would like for us to grapple with topics such as White Privilege without becoming personally defensive but understanding its centrality as the elephant in the room that no one talks about. To be willing not eo become defensive and to listen for understanding is the best we can do as a start as we understand multiple perspectives. I think back to African author Adichie and how she spoke of unintended consequences and the need to see from multiple perspectives. We cannot live in a changing America without such a perception and perspective.
I hope the teacher resources IRIS, Teaching Tolerance and Rethinking Schools provide you with opportunities to explore for your own lesson planning and teaching in your future. During the second part of our semester, you will choose to read one of two books (Possible Lives & Black Ants & Buddhists) as a book group and present what you have learned.
I hope we continue to have confidence to dig deeper as you plan your own lesson plans that help yourself and your students become reflective about their world and making a difference to change it.
Thank you for trusting me to guide you with your learning! I also am learning from you how to listen better and this next part of the semester, I will try to listen twice as much as I talk! What is the saying: "We have one mouth and two ears so we can listen twice as much as we talk?"
Frances