Read on Twitter
I find reading to be a stress reliever & I want a way to record my learning and share it - I realize reading/having the time to do so is in and of itself a privilege and therefore will share the "tweet" versions of texts (not a replacement for actual texts!) I read #FarooghReads
Starting with Christopher Emdin's book "For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'all too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education"- I won't comment on the title, there has been enough discussion around it and his preface explains his choices. Key takeaways /thread
Emdin compares black students reality, described as "neoindigenous" as facing similar realities to indigenous in the way oppressive colonial systems disenfranchise Ss. This comes from both white teachers and POC who enact whiteness in upholding colonial systems that don't work.
“The reality is that we privilege people who look and act like us, and perceive those who don’t as different and, frequently, inferior.” (Emdin 19)
“...what educators and the world at large see when looking at students is often a distortion of their authentic selves” (Emdin 25)
“...what educators and the world at large see when looking at students is often a distortion of their authentic selves” (Emdin 25)
“...a reality pedagogue sees students as individuals (first and primarily) who are influenced by their cultural identity” (28)
Emdin highlights we do not group or chunk kids based on backgrounds but always FIRST see students as individuals in their spaces then examine background
Emdin highlights we do not group or chunk kids based on backgrounds but always FIRST see students as individuals in their spaces then examine background
“Everyone from whom we solicited advice shared a variation of the phrase ‘don’t smile until November’ ... it turned us from passionate educators into automatons who worked to maintain the school’s structures and inequities” (Emdin 36-37)
“However, the key to getting students to be academically successful ... is not to teach directly to the assessment or to the curriculum, but teach directly to the students” (Emdin 40)
“For me, this means taking the time to analyze why I was initially scared of my students and moving beyond that fear, acknowledging that getting to know my students and having them know me may alter the power structure and affect classroom management.” (Emdin 41)
“It is therefore a pedagogical skill to be able to both evoke and contain emotion in a way that supports free exchange among students, and between the students and the teacher” (Emdin 54)
“By accepting that student voice will be a major part of the structure of the classroom, the teacher must be prepared for a number of possible scenarios that may initially be uncomfortable for the teacher, will challenge (continued..)
(continued..) both the structure of the traditional classroom and the teacher’s authority, but will ultimately positively affect the teacher’s instruction, and the students’ learning” (Emdin 59)
“The teacher cannot fully meet the needs of Ss unless the Ss have an opportunity to show the T what they need and then demonstrate what good teaching looks like for them. This requires the T to be transparent about aspects of their work that Ss do not usually know about” (87)
The book also highlights specific teaching practices that Christopher Emdin @chrisemdin enacted in his own classroom -- some powerful examples and key takeaways from the book: (thread)
Cogenerative dialogues — seeking feedback from students on teaching style/classroom techniques/content is key to improving the classroom for the needs of the students actually IN the classroom. (Emdin 61-80)
Coteaching - Seeing the student as the expert. Allowing students to actually teach content and show the teacher how effective teaching is done for them works to allow the teacher to learn social cues from Ss and how classroom teaching works for them. (Emdin 81-102)
Social capital is key. Especially when there isn’t shared culture. Culturally relevant pedagogy (Gloria Landson-Billings) meets reality pedagogy (Emdin). Go into and become a part of the community and bring community artifacts back into the classroom. Increases student engagement
Cosmopolitan classrooms — students are responsible for their unique roles to upkeep the classroom, routines, and teaching and given credit for their work. "Cosmopolitanism calls for the recovery of humaness in relationships among and within groups" (Emdin 128)
Competition — bringing forms of battle - for indigenous and neoindigenous a battle of dance/song/words - can be crucial to engagement. Follow #hiphodEd by Emdin
“Reality pedagogy functions with the general principle that the work of raising rigour or guiding students to think more deeply is achieved through identifying phenomena that emotionally connects or motivates the student, (Emdin 168)
"and that the most significant emotional connections we have are to the art we consume and the most powerful and healthy emotional releases we have is through this art we create” (Emdin 168)
Therefore dressing the part- setting the scene in the classroom is necessary to wellbeing
Therefore dressing the part- setting the scene in the classroom is necessary to wellbeing
Through his research and interview process Emdin realized classroom environment has an intense effect on students psyche including their willingness to engage in tasks. (Emdin 169) This echoes Dr. Maria Montessori's philosphy of the importance of the prepared environment.
Code-switching — The traditional oppressive structure to ignore students’ languages— slang/varieties of English/accents and teach only the dominant language devalues the culture students bring. (continued..)
(Code-switching continued) Teaching students to recognize codes and to code switch deliberately while emphasizing that their cultures are equally important as the dominant culture prepares students for various realities.(Emdin 175-183)
