Education for Growth

First off I wanted to add this video that advocates for the Eco-justice program. The video at the conference was very inspirational and pulled at my heart strings. I also think that the music to the video goes along very nicely was we near the end of our term. I hope that you enjoy it, perhaps while you read.

 

As the term is coming to a busy end, I have spent some time reflecting on what we have learned in class in comparison to what we see and learn in our co-op schools. In class we learn about progressive ways to approach teaching; however this is often not what we are seeing. I was encouraged at the recent event that was planned for our Education 315 class. We went to a panel discussion on Place-based pedagogies at the Saskatoon Public School Division Board Office. Here there were some really great speakers who talked about bringing the curriculum alive for students. There were some really memorable speakers such as Michael Gatin who talked about the importance of reciprocity, interconnectedness, stewardship, and harmony. I was captivated by his message. His message was short and clear, yet I could reflect on it for hours. I often only hear the word stewardship when it is connected to Christian teachings and faith. Gatin’s use of stewardship was really significant because it ties people to our land and the word “stewardship” resonated with me well after the program. Mel Sysing and Dustin Kasun Eco-justice program was inspirational as well. The whole time I could not stop thinking about why there are not many more programs like this one. I would have loved to be in a program like that when I was a grade 8 student and I am sure my students in my co-op school would benefit from these programs. Sheelah McLean’s grade 12 global citizenship class was a great example of how learning can become motivational, interconnected, and authentic. These are the classes that are incorporating the progressive teaching methods that we learn about.

The Eco-Justice promotional video also asked the questions, “does your education motivate you?” and “does it inspire you?” I think my answer, at this point in my student career, would be different depending on what day it might be. I unfortunately do not think that many students are inspired and motivated by the education they are receiving today. I hope that I can stay motivated in the hopes that one day I can help students become inspired. For myself, my current education has begun to give me the tools that I need to become a stronger teacher candidate. I look forward to growing and learning more about myself and about education.  It is these moments, when the students from the Eco-Justice program were so inspiring through their success, that lift my spirits and remind me about why I am pursuing this path. I hope that all of our struggles make us stronger and that we can always remember why we are doing this, for our students who are interconnected with everyone and everything.

Reading the World

               Gallagher begins chapter nine “Reading the World” with a scenario where a school principle asks the teaching staff to use three weeks to focus on critical thinking skills, rather than the “normal curriculum” to help prepare their students for the state required tests (p. 167-168). This scenario is helpful because it further validates teaching literary theory. Teaching literary theory in these classes essentially is teaching critical thinking skills. I find that the following activities provided by Gallagher are valuable because I do think that what most students are going to take away from their English education is not going to be the love of classic novels but rather the skills to read and think critically. I also think that it is those skills that are more valuable that remembering such novels and texts. Gallagher expresses this nicely when he says, “I want them to be able to analyze literature in my class, but the bigger goal is that they develop these cognitive skills to a level where they may be transferred beyond the classroom” (p.169). Many of our students will not pursue post secondary education and it is when they are outside of the classrooms that these skills will become useful to them in their everyday activities.

Reading the world is essential in the fast pace world we live in today. Reading and thinking critically is a helpful tool in all walks of life, including all jobs. Along with many other young adults, I have worked in the retail industry for many years and I find that it is important to read advertisements, promotional coupons, job descriptions, and more, critically. There rarely goes a day when I come into contact with a customer who has misunderstood an advertisement and is disappointed when they are shown the reality. After all advertisement are crafted to trick us, “jeans starting at $19.99!” often means very few pairs are at that price. These tricks often do not fool me, as a critical thinker, but I know how often they catch others. A strong sales example is BOGO “buy one get one half off.” Now I must try not to fall into a rant on how difficult this concept is too many customers coming from an employee who worked too long doing these jobs. My point is that, the fact that the customer is paying for the more expensive pair is usually beyond their understanding, also fliers show the ½ off price next to images assuming it is your second pair. Every day at work I had to explain this sneaky advertising that often situated the employee (me) as the “bad guy” deceiving innocent buyers (them). My point is then that high school English is not only about remembering literature (comprehension) but is about so much more. Perhaps students, like myself, often do not know this about their English classes until later in their lives, so it therefore would be beneficial to do some of the “reading the world” activities in the class so that they can make this connection earlier. Students, who do not desire to continue post secondary education, might find themselves valuing their English education more if they understood how it will help them “read the world” if they made this connection earlier in their student lives.

Connecting Literature to World Issues

In Gallagher’s chapter eight I found that the “Meaningful Reflection” activities that stood out the most to me were the ones that connected literature to today’s issues. I found that these activity examples were quite valuable. I particularly like the “the most valuable Idea” activity found on (page 159-160). Here there is the goal to connect valuable ideas from the literature to an example in the “real world” that illustrates the same idea, then to explain this connection. This activity can be inquiry based in the sense that student will search for a news paper articles that appropriately connects to their chosen theme.

My concern with these valuable activities is, are teenagers up to date with current issues? Do our students have previous experiences with drawing from the news in meaningful ways? I have never grown up with a newspaper being delivered to my house daily, nor did I watch the news as a teenager. What I learned about local issues was primarily from short passages and discussions on the radio. I feel that teenagers are somewhat knowledgeable and perhaps even passionate about broad issues and extremely local issues, such as gender issues and if the drinking age in Saskatoon will be changed. However, I feel that many teenagers do not keep up to date with the current news that includes current issues on many different levels. This lack of awareness might make these activities more difficult, however I believe that is all the more reason to do them. By assigning students activities such as “the most valuable Idea” we are not only challenging them to connect literature to world issues, but we are also familiarising them with the issues that are present.

Gallagher suggests that by asking yourself, “what do I hope my students will take from this book?” before you begin teaching helps to “tease out the real issues - those universal concerns found in any great book that mean a great deal to teenagers” (p.154). I think it is then important to also ask “what do I hope my students will take out of this activity?” In this case I would hope that my students would be building their skills to navigate and understand the news better in addition to the goal of having them connect valuable ideas from the literature to an example in the “real world.”

Discussing Issues

           I have been finding that many students are more than willing to talk about “controversial” topics or topics that are highly relatable. Topics about conspiracies, about teenage stereotypes, marriage, and gender seem to transform a quiet class into a talkative group where many students are more than willing to voice their thoughts. There are also always quiet students in these situations as well. These silent students might be introverts or have their mind focused elsewhere; however we need to remember that they may be feeling isolated or uncomfortable with the topic.

Appleman explains in chapter eight that literary lenses can be a way to discuss issues more comfortably. This is seen in the example of Ayanna, the only student of color in her class, because here she expresses that she finds that the lenses used in her class make her feel less isolated. Literary lenses can be understood as a way to discuss issues more comfortable, such as issues of social power and gender (p. 118). I think that this is valuable because students want to talk about societies issues and seem to become engaged when controversial topics come up. Learning how to use literary lenses properly then can help us teach students to engage issues in a respectful intellectual way. It can also help us tie in current events with our literature which can further connect us to our bigger world. I believe that the potential lenses have for discussing issues is extremely valuable as a teacher candidate because I want to be able to discuss controversial issues with my students. It is during these teachable moments that we can get students to start thinking about inequalities and power.