Response to "Building Communities of Learners"
Here's a "Response Paper" that I wrote to Sudia Paloma's Building Communities of Learners:
In the Afterword, Jim Cummins calls Building Communities of Learners a “dangerous book because it exposes the structures of disempowerment that masquerade as ‘normal’ patterns of interaction between schools and culturally diverse communities” (Paloma, 1994). The ideas suggested in this book put the members of the dominant community into an uncomfortable situation because it challenges their “all-knowing” dominant position and many of the assumptions they have about education. Strong counterevidence is provided to rebuke the six assumptions that form the basis of the “deficit model” that basically states that there is something WRONG with the parents of culturally diverse students that impedes their children’s academic success. This book turns this model on its head and actually emphasizes that culturally diverse parents, communities and students are necessary and valuable contributors of knowledge!
The second reason that this is a dangerous book is because of the vision and strategies of transformative education that are encompassed in this book. It is the type of education that will lead to the development of critical and confident students with the skills and problem-solving abilities to challenge the injustice-laden dominant system.
As a developing teacher for a more just, sacred and sustainable world, it is essential for me to understand and be confident in the vision and strategies described.
Parents are “also teachers” and they have “graduated from the university of life” (Ada). As a teacher, I must realize this and have this as the basis of my interactions with parents and communities. Parents and communities need to be seen as contributors of understanding and knowledge in the educative process. This means accepting that there are ALTERNATE forms of knowledge. This means understanding that the parent is the first teacher of their children. This means validating the students’ background and their composite of knowledge, as Paloma states, “Teachers must also help students recognize the value of the knowledge they already possess and that not all knowledge is gained through books and formal schooling.”
How can a teacher include parents’ and communities’ understanding and knowledge? The teacher can use the powerful tool of participatory research to value parents’ knowledge and to get to better know the community they are working with. Welcoming parents to come into the classroom and creating spaces and structures where they can actually contribute (not just observe) is also an inclusive strategy. In the book, Paloma writes about a Back to School night, where the teacher explicitly communicates with parents that they are valued, shows them they are valued by having family pictures on the wall, and describes ways that they can participate in the classroom. This means that the class structure should predominantly have a learning center structure so parents can actively contribute. Another strategy for valuing and including parents’ knowledge and experiences that Paloma writes about extensively is the co-authorship of books.
Paloma exclaims the importance of co-authorship of books: “When human beings are presented with the possibility of writing about their world in the way they see it and describe their experiences as they live them, they become more involved in their own learning and are better equipped to transform their own lives.” When teachers facilitate the process of parents and their children coming together to co-author their own books, this acknowledges and values the contribution and knowledge of the parents and their culture. It shows the parents that they do have a very significant place in the education of their children instead of being intimidated by the institutional education system. Also, it validates the parents’ experiences and history and gives them a new sense of pride
The child’s literacy development and self-esteem is also supported by family writing support. Many times these ELL children are struggling with reading the core curriculum texts. The teacher has to be constantly thinking of innovative ways just to motivate them and make it appear as if the subjects they are reading about are relevant to their lives. Many times, the children do not have the background knowledge and personal connection to the text. However, when texts are created by their families, “teaching becomes easier” (Paloma, 1994) because the story is about the children themselves, their families, their history, and their culture. This type of curriculum, which is multicultural and culturally-relevant in nature, is already “intrinsically motivating.”
Not only does co-authorship of books help support children’s literacy, it also supports their ability to research and discover. The children become researchers of their own histories! They take the research questions home and must interview their parents and/or other members of the family and community to gather the necessary information and stories. At the same time, teachers are also using co-authorship of books as a tool for their own research! They are able to learn more about the families and communities that they are working with.
Paloma provides many wonderful themes for student, family, and community books including “Our Family History,” “Words of Advice from Our Parents,” “The Wise One,” “Families as Protagonists of Their Own Stories,” and “Families as Problem-Solvers Through Struggle and Change.” One theme that I plan on using in my student teaching placement is “Childhood Memories” which is a combination of two of Paloma’s themes, “Childhood Friendships” and “Teachings from my Childhood Community.” I see so many benefits in using this theme. The children get a sense of what it was like when their own parents were children, and what type of environment they grew up in. Children can relate to it because they are going through their own childhood as well. For parents, “through reflection, parents relive their childhood and discover the inner child that has been buried for self-protection and survival” (Paloma).
In my current placement, we are beginning a thematic unit of study called “When Cultures Meet.” The fourth grade class is made up of six Mien students, one African-American student, and sixteen Latino students. By comparing their own childhood experiences with the childhood experiences of their parents, they will realize how their family’s culture has changed over time as it has blended with other cultures. We started the unit with the students writing about what their culture means to them and what they like and dislike about it. This was to assess our starting point. Then, we used a KWL to brainstorm what the students already know about “What cultures consist of?” and “What can happen when cultures meet?” Literature selections of negative and positive consequences of the meeting of cultures will be used. For the co-authorship process, in class for four consecutive days, the students will be given one writing prompt each day pertaining to their childhood. For example, “Describe your neighborhood. What do you like about your neighborhood? What do you dislike? Where do you go for fun?” They will write about it in class, and then they will take the same prompt home and ask their parents the question except it would pertain to their parents’ childhood. Three or four separate prompts like this will be given where the students write about it, and then ask their parents about it. As they collect all of these writings, they will compile it in a book that compares their childhood to their parents’ childhood.
Reading this Building Communities of Learners and reflecting on it brought me back to the true reasons why I want to be a teacher. In my application essay, I wrote:
I want to learn how to teach a class of thirty, but still take into account the diversity and individuality of each student. I expect to develop the ability to create a classroom culture where students are encouraged and feel comfortable expressing their genuine thoughts, feelings, and questions. I would like to explore the real relevance of all the subject material in the students’ lives.
This book and what we have explored in this course have addressed those desires. When I was reading about the Back to School anecdote, I was actually on the verge of tears. It was a combination of seeing the incredible potential that teachers have as facilitators and community-builders, but at the same time it reminded me of how much damage today’s schooling is actually doing. Being aware of the damage, but also being aware of the potential which is vividly depicted in Building Communities of Learners is my motivating factor as an educator.
In the Afterword, Jim Cummins calls Building Communities of Learners a “dangerous book because it exposes the structures of disempowerment that masquerade as ‘normal’ patterns of interaction between schools and culturally diverse communities” (Paloma, 1994). The ideas suggested in this book put the members of the dominant community into an uncomfortable situation because it challenges their “all-knowing” dominant position and many of the assumptions they have about education. Strong counterevidence is provided to rebuke the six assumptions that form the basis of the “deficit model” that basically states that there is something WRONG with the parents of culturally diverse students that impedes their children’s academic success. This book turns this model on its head and actually emphasizes that culturally diverse parents, communities and students are necessary and valuable contributors of knowledge!
The second reason that this is a dangerous book is because of the vision and strategies of transformative education that are encompassed in this book. It is the type of education that will lead to the development of critical and confident students with the skills and problem-solving abilities to challenge the injustice-laden dominant system.
As a developing teacher for a more just, sacred and sustainable world, it is essential for me to understand and be confident in the vision and strategies described.
Parents are “also teachers” and they have “graduated from the university of life” (Ada). As a teacher, I must realize this and have this as the basis of my interactions with parents and communities. Parents and communities need to be seen as contributors of understanding and knowledge in the educative process. This means accepting that there are ALTERNATE forms of knowledge. This means understanding that the parent is the first teacher of their children. This means validating the students’ background and their composite of knowledge, as Paloma states, “Teachers must also help students recognize the value of the knowledge they already possess and that not all knowledge is gained through books and formal schooling.”
How can a teacher include parents’ and communities’ understanding and knowledge? The teacher can use the powerful tool of participatory research to value parents’ knowledge and to get to better know the community they are working with. Welcoming parents to come into the classroom and creating spaces and structures where they can actually contribute (not just observe) is also an inclusive strategy. In the book, Paloma writes about a Back to School night, where the teacher explicitly communicates with parents that they are valued, shows them they are valued by having family pictures on the wall, and describes ways that they can participate in the classroom. This means that the class structure should predominantly have a learning center structure so parents can actively contribute. Another strategy for valuing and including parents’ knowledge and experiences that Paloma writes about extensively is the co-authorship of books.
Paloma exclaims the importance of co-authorship of books: “When human beings are presented with the possibility of writing about their world in the way they see it and describe their experiences as they live them, they become more involved in their own learning and are better equipped to transform their own lives.” When teachers facilitate the process of parents and their children coming together to co-author their own books, this acknowledges and values the contribution and knowledge of the parents and their culture. It shows the parents that they do have a very significant place in the education of their children instead of being intimidated by the institutional education system. Also, it validates the parents’ experiences and history and gives them a new sense of pride
The child’s literacy development and self-esteem is also supported by family writing support. Many times these ELL children are struggling with reading the core curriculum texts. The teacher has to be constantly thinking of innovative ways just to motivate them and make it appear as if the subjects they are reading about are relevant to their lives. Many times, the children do not have the background knowledge and personal connection to the text. However, when texts are created by their families, “teaching becomes easier” (Paloma, 1994) because the story is about the children themselves, their families, their history, and their culture. This type of curriculum, which is multicultural and culturally-relevant in nature, is already “intrinsically motivating.”
Not only does co-authorship of books help support children’s literacy, it also supports their ability to research and discover. The children become researchers of their own histories! They take the research questions home and must interview their parents and/or other members of the family and community to gather the necessary information and stories. At the same time, teachers are also using co-authorship of books as a tool for their own research! They are able to learn more about the families and communities that they are working with.
Paloma provides many wonderful themes for student, family, and community books including “Our Family History,” “Words of Advice from Our Parents,” “The Wise One,” “Families as Protagonists of Their Own Stories,” and “Families as Problem-Solvers Through Struggle and Change.” One theme that I plan on using in my student teaching placement is “Childhood Memories” which is a combination of two of Paloma’s themes, “Childhood Friendships” and “Teachings from my Childhood Community.” I see so many benefits in using this theme. The children get a sense of what it was like when their own parents were children, and what type of environment they grew up in. Children can relate to it because they are going through their own childhood as well. For parents, “through reflection, parents relive their childhood and discover the inner child that has been buried for self-protection and survival” (Paloma).
In my current placement, we are beginning a thematic unit of study called “When Cultures Meet.” The fourth grade class is made up of six Mien students, one African-American student, and sixteen Latino students. By comparing their own childhood experiences with the childhood experiences of their parents, they will realize how their family’s culture has changed over time as it has blended with other cultures. We started the unit with the students writing about what their culture means to them and what they like and dislike about it. This was to assess our starting point. Then, we used a KWL to brainstorm what the students already know about “What cultures consist of?” and “What can happen when cultures meet?” Literature selections of negative and positive consequences of the meeting of cultures will be used. For the co-authorship process, in class for four consecutive days, the students will be given one writing prompt each day pertaining to their childhood. For example, “Describe your neighborhood. What do you like about your neighborhood? What do you dislike? Where do you go for fun?” They will write about it in class, and then they will take the same prompt home and ask their parents the question except it would pertain to their parents’ childhood. Three or four separate prompts like this will be given where the students write about it, and then ask their parents about it. As they collect all of these writings, they will compile it in a book that compares their childhood to their parents’ childhood.
Reading this Building Communities of Learners and reflecting on it brought me back to the true reasons why I want to be a teacher. In my application essay, I wrote:
I want to learn how to teach a class of thirty, but still take into account the diversity and individuality of each student. I expect to develop the ability to create a classroom culture where students are encouraged and feel comfortable expressing their genuine thoughts, feelings, and questions. I would like to explore the real relevance of all the subject material in the students’ lives.
This book and what we have explored in this course have addressed those desires. When I was reading about the Back to School anecdote, I was actually on the verge of tears. It was a combination of seeing the incredible potential that teachers have as facilitators and community-builders, but at the same time it reminded me of how much damage today’s schooling is actually doing. Being aware of the damage, but also being aware of the potential which is vividly depicted in Building Communities of Learners is my motivating factor as an educator.
posted by Raj Kanani | 3:17 AM
|
0 comments
