Announcement
First Open Windows guest lecture series with Ebony Three Arrows, Keeper of the Fire for the Tsalagi (Cherokee) in Boston, is October 21, 2008 in 4-034 University Hall 5:00-6:00pm.
Discussion
Watched DVD documentary called Why Critical Pedagogy? from The Paulo and Nita International Project for Critical Pedagogy with Peter Lang Publishing. This also mentions the upcoming documentary called SLAM High about using slam poetry for learning. Here are the first two minutes of the introduction:
Maximizing learning for English language learners pt. 1: Models for Teaching (available in Ludcke Library)
In terms of Critical Pedagogy it is important to validate the cultures of the students in the class as you help them with their English skills. Empower them by honoring their diverse backgrounds rather than imposing the dominant culture on them. We’re a product of our own education, training, culture, etc. and need to recognize that as we try to integrate other cultures in the classroom.
Looked at art by Luba Lukova on Social Justice.
Gender: This is understood differently in different cultures and is socially constructed. Look at heroines of Disney movies and popular fairy tales: they have no agency. The heros take action and control, but heroines are acted upon. The villainess characters are active, showing sexism in female power and agency as negative.
Activity: In-Role/Hot Seat
Someone takes on the role of a character or a historical persona. It’s not acting, but rather taking on an attitude. You have to consider where the character sits in terms of their attitude and improvise answers to questions from that perspective.
Example: Taking on the role of the Wicked Step Mother in Snow White and answering questions about power and living in a man’s world.
This is a way to rewrite stories through narrative. Teaching in-role gives ELL students an opportunity to get engaged with characters and figures they are learning about. It helps them want to communicate.
Also, try using this technique with students in pairs where one is in-role and the other asks questions. As they build communication skills, students can do this in front of the class as a form of presentation of their own reading and research into a character or person.
Resources
Duncan-Andrade, J.M.R. & Morrell, E. (2008). The Art of Critical Pedagogy: Possibilities for Moving from Theory to Practice in Urban Schools. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.
McLaren, P. & Kincheloe, J.L. (Ed.) (2007). Critical Pedagogy: Where Are We Now? New York: Peter Lang Publishing.
