Listening to Students
In our Curriculum and Pedagogy course, we engaged in a Dialogue Project in which each student teacher was paired with a high school student to talk to and learn from. In my early conversations with my dialogue partner, a high school senior who I will refer to as A here, we focused a lot on getting to know one another in a more informal way than we most likely would in a classroom. I made sure that I approached my meetings with my partner more as a learner than a teacher. Being that the goal of this project is to gain first-hand insight into the lives, opinions, and experiences of current students, I intended to create a level playing field that did not rely on our statuses as student and preparing teacher (Cook-Sather 2009). I wanted to do everything I could to make sure A was comfortable sharing stories and ideas with me that she may not have an opportunity to share in her classrooms. I also just wanted to learn about A as a person – what she is interested in, what she thinks about current social happenings, what she wants to do after high school. This is an efficient way for me to practice my relationship building skills, especially because that is one of my weaknesses and I have not gotten many opportunities in field placements prior to build meaningful connections. In building a relationship with A, my hope was that she found value in expressing her ideas and that she felt comfortable using me as a resource.
As our conversations have progressed, I have noticed the theme of emotional/mental wellbeing pop up time and again. We have discussed the toll that remote learning has taken on both of us and made sure to check in with one another every week for updates. I think this has been especially helpful for both of us because of the uncertainty and immobility that comes with remote learning. It is always hard to make meaningful connections in classrooms, and it is even harder now when no one is actually sharing any physical space. We have been able to create a space that we can both look to for support; even though that space is still virtual, it is more personal and open-ended, not restricted by time slots or formalities like attendance and class participation.
Screenshot of text conversations between me and my dialogue partner.
Another aspect of the dialogue project was weekly recordings of discussions between our high school partners on topics we were focusing on that week in class. The large group discussions from the dialogue group have been incredibly helpful in materializing theory and pedagogy that we have read and spoken about in class. As a former high school student and a future educator, I have been incredibly relieved to notice that students are developing strategies and confidence to share their opinions on what happens in their classrooms and what methods are most effective for them. For instance, in the first dialogue conversation, a few students expressed that they are repeatedly disappointed that teachers and curriculum focus on what the country has done to Black people and not on what Black people have done for the country (Dialogue Project Recording 1). In attempting to produce culturally relevant content, educators too often focus on the deficits of race in America: “Black people have suffered immensely in America” rather than “This is how Black people have prospered and bettered the country despite violence and racism.” It is important to learn about injustices in our past and present, but that should always be paired with the truth of Black contributions that academia continuously neglects to realize. The students notice these trends and internalize the way histories are presented to them. Students want to learn and engage in their cultures and their peers’ cultures, but they are too often withheld from any power over what or how they learn. These dialogue conversations give students the opportunity to voice their concerns and desires and show them that there are people who want to work with them. It is relieving that these students are receiving opportunities for feedback and expression that I never had, and it is enlightening to hear the realities of being a student in 2020.