Proactive teaching? What in the world is that?
According to Merriam Webster Dictionary online, the word proactive
means "acting in anticipation of future problems, needs, or changes".
In education it is truly important to be proactive culturally. You must
anticipate the needs of your students in order to create an equitable
environment that is conducive to learning.
In order to be proactive, one must start by learning about their
own privilege and the personal bias they may hold subconsciously. Understanding
these things will allow you to create an equitable environment and make
positive changes for the future. This is not a new concept. A person with privilege
not understanding how it affects the world is almost comparable to a person who
owns a dog without knowing what a dog is and what they need to survive.
Therefore, understanding your own privilege is needed in order to discuss privilege
with your students, both white and students of color. If you don’t understand
how privilege shapes the world, how can you honestly discuss the social justice
issues in the world?
Another important factor is that being proactive must extend beyond
the classroom. You need to make connections in the community in order to have
the support needed to address the issues you discuss in the classroom. This
extension can start out small. Garcia and O’Donnell Allen explain in Pose, Wobble, and Flow, “We thus want to
emphasize that many small moves- like sharing articles with colleagues,
commenting on education blogs, participating in Twitter chats about education
issues, joining organizations like the National Council of Teachers of English,
and participating in local workshops- can help you enact your agency and make
an impact on the profession even at early stages in your career (Garcia &O’Donnell
Allen 27).” This short passage offers many ideas on how to be proactive outside
of the classroom.
By being a proactive teacher, you will grow through discomfort.
You must go into the classroom and understand that you are not the source of
all knowledge. You must understand that the students in your room also bring in
their own knowledge and it is important to learn from them as well. Knaus
writes, “I cannot know what life is like as a young person of color, as a queer
youth, or even growing up poor in today’s world, but I can learn as much as I can,
and develop a team to support me.” As a teacher you must work toward
understanding. Sometimes it is easier to empathize if you have other people to
discuss topics with and work through your own thoughts out loud.
The journey of being a proactive teacher is never ending. It is
not a thing that you can be. It is a path that you choose to take each day in
the classroom and the community around you. My question to you, how can you
become a proactive teacher and anticipate the needs of students who you may not
identify with culturally? Is it possible to be proactive without understanding
the indicate workings of a student’s family dynamics and the culture that they
are growing up with? If not, how is the best way to learn about a student’s culture
without making assumptions based on stereotypes?
I agree with you and the book as it states, being a proactive teacher can include some "wobble". It may be uncomfortable and awkward at times but it is SO important. As we've learned in blocks so far, we need to become "political change agents" and role models for our students. This ties along with this chapter perfectly as we must face the inequities head on, criticize and reflect on them, and take action. I think being able to empathize is a great quality for this, as you've stated above. Although most teachers do not know what it's like to live a day in the life of their students, it's important to learn as best as you can. But how? In my mind of what my future classroom will be like I feel as though the first couple months should be focused on learning about my students. Through games, activities, and simply discourse. How can you teach culturally relevant when you don't know the lives of who you are teaching? Also, as Dr. Taylor has mentioned in class, making home visits or going to a student's football game or just simply wanting to be involved in the student's life makes them feel appreciated and also helps you learn more about them. Once relationships build, big things start to happen. We can start diving deeper into the inequities faced in society and help shed light on them for our students. Letting them know they can also be advocates for change. Even if we don't correlate with our students ethnically or culturally, we can be a white ally for them to show them that the world isn't fair and we can all work together to help. Making assumptions about students, or people in general, is one of the fundamental issues in this world. Taking the time to open up and share experiences can result in lasting change. And just as the article, and yourself stated, taking small steps can help.
ReplyDeleteMayson-
DeleteI think the best way to learn about your students and their culture is to not fall into the trap of thinking all students will be the same. This applies to any group of people. Not all black people value the same things. The same can be said for white people, christian people, Muslim people, or any other group. I think the best method of getting to know your student is to ask them about their life. This is key because there may be things going on that would appear on the surface as one thing but below the surface be another. I think of the example of the girl with the pocket knife in the class management text. On the surface it appeared she had a weapon but below the surface, she had simply forgotten to take it out of her backpack after camping.
I agree that seeing your families outside of school is very important. I do feel nervous about going into someone's home. I think that although this may allow you a unique perspective into their life, it could be potentially dangerous. I love the idea of meeting outside of the home at sporting events, or even like Dr. Hayes mentioned in the store. We can build these relationships by using services in the community in which we teach. This will allow for opportunity to show parents that you care versus just saying it. It's like that old saying goes. Actions speak louder than words.
Mayson and Melissa,
DeleteI couldn't agree more. Since the Civil Rights Movement some people have owned the concept of colorblindness. They said that they don't see color. Well if your not seeing what color they are then your not seeing who that person is. Their color defined who that are. It's their race, their culture, and everything else that makes them unique. I myself enjoy learning about other cultures and since I do have a black sister, I love learning about her culture. It's what makes her different. We are sisters that look nothing alike, but we are blood and I would never judge her based on the color of her skin. It just breaks my heart that someone would do that to someone. Bring them down just because of the color of their skin. I for one would not have been able to leave during that time because even now when those things occur, they about send me to the edge.
Melissa,
ReplyDeleteYour blog hit the nail on the head about proactive teaching and what it means for our career paths as educators for young children. I find myself constantly wondering how I will ever meet all the needs of every child through my classroom and teaching, and this has been something that worries me when concerned about the impact that my classroom space and the opportunities I help to provide will have on children. The needs of children are so diverse and recognizing the intersectionality of each student with the identities they occupy is an immense responsibility when they are in your classroom. We are the adults who are supposed to be providing them the access and resources to develop critical skills to address inequities that affect them and the world around them, but also to develop positive identities around themselves, while also learning how to be a functioning member in society. With all that said, I can relate to the book and how it describes that we will "Wobble" through the willingness to accept the pose of developing an urgency to be a culturally proactive teacher in the classroom for a diverse student population. In regard to your question of being a proactive teacher, I feel that you need to reposition how you see yourself in order to respond to your student’s needs. Being able to recognize and address your own privilege and positionally can change the way you respond to student behavior and inform your curriculum/practices. I think this can really relate back to what we were reading in "These Kids Are Out of Control" in chapters 1 and 2, when we discussed around teachers not understanding the culture of her students (where they lived, acceptable behaviors and demeanors at home, what they experience outside of the classroom). The better relationships your form and the more you understand your students in a deep, meaningful, authentic way, the better you will be able to shape how you respond to them in the classroom, the kinds of material you bring into the classroom, and the interactions you provide to create lasting learning experiences. I know that as a someone who identifies as a white teacher, I will never be able to relate my experiences to the oppression that my students may have faced or are currently facing in the world today if they occupy a minoritized identity, but I do know that I can work to empathize, relate to, and respond to the experiences my students have had by being a culturally proactive teacher. Going into teaching, you have to see yourself as the learner from your students, their families, and their communities in order to really understand them. In Garcia it is stated, "Rather than simply advocating for a pedagogy that it tolerant, a word that sometimes connotes begrudging acknowledgement or even indifference, you can push for being proactive and anticipatory in your work. This means using what you learn from students and their school community to inform what you do" (Garcia, p. 19). I want to learn from my students what they are passionate about, what they fear, what they notice around them that is unjust or inequitable. I want to learn from them and their parents what they need in order to better succeed in the spaces I provide or what access to different resources I can provide to them or their families. I want to know what goes on in the community, what kinds of connections are made, what do people celebrate, face, or endure together? Through seeing myself differently and understanding that my students can teach me so much more than I know about themselves, my teaching can be proactive and responsive to their individual needs. My question would be, do you think that it would be a critical skill of having students understand their own positionality and how that affects the way they interact in the classroom, as their teacher would work to practice themselves, and do you think this kind of critical analysis and understanding can be used for children from young elementary to older elementary?
Kristen,
DeleteI think it is really important for students to recognize their positionality, not only for the classroom but for life in general. I think that this will allow students to understand that privilege has layers. You can be privileged in one way and not another. The majority of the time when people think of privilege they only look at race. It is important to know, while this is the top factor, it is not the only one. A white male has more privilege than a white female. I also thinks by allowing kids to explore this idea young and grapple with the idea of having layers to how they see the world, they will be able to better accept and appreciate people who may be oppressed in other manners. This will then allow for everyone involved to become agents of change.
I'm not sure how the best way to introduce this idea to young children would be. I think the value in diversity really insists on discourse regarding the "hard topics". If I had to pick a way to introduce the idea of privilege to students and postionality to younger kiddos, I think I would maybe do a step forward, step back game and then say whoever is in front gets to start the race now. Those in back need to wait 15 minutes. I would choose to use questions that are not personal to the student because by physically showing them that they are in an underprivileged position, I think, this would allow for internalization of they are less than.
Kristin, I also find myself constantly wondering how I am going to fit the needs of every student. I think how am I going to know what is enough or even how to begin a lesson to meet the needs of each student and state standard. I also want to learn about my students so I can help them push forward and I want them to know it is okay not to know everything or understand everything on the first attempt. Being a white person I never realized we were in a position of privilege. You commented on Knaus statement of not being able to know what it feels like to be "a young person of color, as a queer youth, or even growing up poor in today's world" because you do not relate. I can say I relate to growing up poor but this does not make me fully understand what a person of color or a queer youth has faced or continues to face in our society today. I guess my point for bringing this up is there is probably something in each students life we can relate to in some way. Maybe feeling left out just touches the surface but it is a start. This can also help students begin to see their positionality and move forward from where they are. Hopefully knowing they can trust and talk to their teacher to help with struggles they may face.
DeleteMelissa,
ReplyDeleteI have found myself thinking differently than I did prior to blocks. In the beginning I felt if we could adapt our teaching to fit the needs of each student in each subject and that would be enough. I have since learned my thinking is only the beginning. I now know teaching with a proactive view is what is necessary to teach our youth in a productive way. Every student needs to be able to connect with what is being taught. I realize some students may still struggle in certain areas but as a teacher we should pay close attention to what makes each student light up and what makes them give up. Also, as a white teacher I need to understand students of color and white students may not think like I do. Therefore, my philosophy's and thinking need to be revisited to support all students. I really thought what Knaus had to say, “I cannot know what life is like as a young person of color, as a queer youth, or even growing up poor in today’s world, but I can learn as much as I can, and develop a team to support me" stresses this thinking. I feel his statement tells us we are all different and we think differently and because of this we cannot teach everyone the same and we cannot think everyone understands the same.
You ask how I could become a proactive teacher and anticipate the needs of students who I may not identify with culturally? Well, I think in order for me to be a proactive teacher and anticipate the needs of my students who do not identify with me culturally I really need to be focused on the big picture, what makes my students tick? What makes my students want to learn? What does my student deal with everyday? In order for me to connect with my students, I need to know about my students within the first week of school. Let my students know I care about them by showing I have taken interest in who they are as a person and culturally. Your second question asks if it's possible to be proactive without knowing and understanding my student's family and cultural dynamics? I feel if I only touch base on the surface, what I visually see, I do not have complete understanding of what takes place behind the doors of a child's home or in their mind. I will need to seek information and in doing this I need to be willing to share information about my life with them. Students are people too and do not want to share information or try to relate to you if you are not willing to relate to them. I feel it is important to treat all people how I want to be treated and if I do not understand situations or behaviors I need to take the time to learn them. I also need to show students I appreciate them and respect them where they are. I feel this will teach students the importance of respecting others as well. My question to you, do you think it is important for children to know they can and should be respected at a young age and they are as important in our society now as they will be when they are older? What are ways you as a teacher can demonstrate respect and proper treatment is important to your young students who want to know their place in society so they can be proactive themselves in their growing?
Heather-
DeleteI think that it is important to show children that they are respected. I think it is very silly to say that just because you are young I don't need to treat you with respect (I know this isn't what you are saying. LOL!). I think that in society we tend to treat children as blank slates who cannot have valid feelings, fears, and knowledge. We may not directly tell them this but we show them constantly. For example, many people force children to speak in public when spoken to. We assume they are being rude if they don't reply. Maybe they are just afraid. The same can be said with hugging or kissing a relative. If the child doesn't want to, many times the adult in their life forces them to. This is sending a really bad message to kids that until they are older, it doesn't matter what they want to do. I know this is a far cry from the respect asked for in the classroom but they all go hand in hand.
As a teacher, I think it is important to build relationships and earn the respect of students. I am not suggesting that blatant disrespect is okay from them either. I think there is a difference in starting a new relationship and just being disrespectful. IF you try to build relationships with kids they will become more engaged and willing to learn because they know you care. They feel like you are being respectful to them. I think that in order to allow students to understand their positionality, we must allow for them to explore their identity in the classroom. This is done by having tough conversations with children about uncomfortable topics. Although it is tough, I think it is imperative that students get to learn how their reality is affected by situations and work toward changing the bad ones in society.
According to Fletcher (2016), "Cultural adultism is a very ambiguous, yet very prevalent, form of discrimination and intolerance towards youth." Here is the website to the article - https://freechild.org/cultural-adultism/
Delete- I would also like to share a personal story really quick - My freshman year of college I tutored at a community center. In the room all the children were NOT allowed to bring food in there. Well, a lot of times I would just eat in front of them. Then when a child would take food out I would tell them to put their food away. This sounds awful now looking back. WHO did I think I was? Back then I would always question why they did not respect me .. um Olivia because you didn't respect them?!?!?!
ANWAYS, the point of this long story is that It is VITAL we start looking at our children differently as-well as OURSELVES! In Chapter 1 of “ These Kids are out of control “, Milner IV et al (2019) pushes educators to reflect on the CONTROL we THINK we have in the classroom. (sorry random caps are my new thing.. I'm feeling empowered) We do not have the right to control every little thing a person does!
Really giving our students that respect & placement in the classroom to speak their truth and make their standpoints is what I feel school is for.
Olivia, thank you for sharing your personal story with us. I like how you now realize this and you know not to do something like this in your own classroom. I also enjoy that you brought other texts into your response. It shows us that all our texts go together. We need to remember that our students are humans too. We should be following the same things we are telling our students to do.
DeleteI want to end it here by saying, " students want to earn your respect, you cannot demand it".
Olivia,
DeleteI went through about the same situation. It was during my freshman year, when we had to a service project for Teaching and Learning I think. I worked at an after school program. I helped them get food, work on any homework that they had, and if everything was done they could play the xbox or wii. The snacks that they got wasn't very much. And their were some kids that they rely on the meals that the school provides them and this snack to get them to the next day. Then those kids would ask for more, but they were only offered one ration. The couldn't get seconds. So, after they had eaten, then I am able to eat. I felt bad eating the extra food that the kids could eat. It made me not want to in front of them because I knew some of them were still so hungry. Thank you for sharing your story.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Bailey, you did a great job summarizing what it means to be a proactive teacher. The quote below, is something I try to emphasize to EVERYONE around me –
ReplyDelete“…. one must start by learning about their own privilege and the personal bias they may hold subconsciously. (Bailey 2019)”
Block 1 & Block 2 have opened so many biases I held on to subconsciously that I never even thought of addressing. This is an essential part of being proactive. I also think it is important that you question why you had these biases in the first place! Being a proactive teacher requires a lot of acting but it enables you to shape the best classroom to conduct learning for your children. In Chapter 1 of “These Kids are out of control “, Milner IV et al (2019) elaborates on the importance of reflection as an educator. For example, reflecting on the injustices our students are facing. Choosing text that elaborates on the injustices and letting your students become the experts & posing questions to expand their thinking. In our other reading for this week, R. Boomer & K. Boomer (2001) it examines the importance of allowing our children to think critical about their text. Which kind of answers your other question Mrs. Bailey, “how is the best way to learn about a student’s culture without making assumptions based on stereotypes.” Creating this culture in our classroom where students critically think and observe their own thinking allows us to examine our children as-well & get an understanding of who they are and what has influenced their thinking… if that makes sense lol.
Ms. McGlan,
DeleteFirst, I got a kick out of the fact that you quoted me. :) It's strange to see your own name and words in a quote with citation.
Anyways, I appreciate you sharing your story above. We ALL have stories like this. I am guilty of telling my kids to go hug their grandparents even when they don't want to. I think that being proactive and reflective do not mean that you won't make mistakes. I actually think it means you WILL make mistakes but you take the chance to learn from them. Zeichner and Liston write in their book "Reflective Teaching" that "Reflective teachers are not some sort of special superwomen or supermen. Reflective teachers are simply and unabashedly committed to the education of all of their students and to their own education as teachers (Zeichner Liston 2014)." I really like the Dewey definition of what it means to be reflective is. In our Reflective Teaching book it says "three attitudes are integral to reflective action: openmindedness, responsibility, and wholeheartedness (Zeichner & Liston 2014)." I think this means you must remain open minded to all possibilities and position. You understand that you are not always right. You are responsible for thinking on how your actions effect others. This includes actions you may not have taken yet. Finally, you must do both of these with their entire heart and not just go through the motions.
@Olivia Thanks for sharing your experience! I can understand how it would be puzzling when the students don't respect you, since you had just been told by (likely) your supervisor to tell them to put the food away. I agree though; the policy shows that the 'teachers' at the facility don't care about fairness. If the students don't like the policy, too bad; they can't change it. It would be puzzling to a young student to not understand why their tutor is allowed to eat while they aren't.
ReplyDelete"...sharing articles with colleagues, commenting on education blogs, participating in Twitter chats about education issues, joining organizations like the National Council of Teachers of English, and participating in local workshops..." (Garcia &O’Donnell Allen 27).
Part of running an engaging classroom in the age of the internet will be staying connected to other teachers' thoughts on how to best facilitate learning. Twitter is a great place for education debate, I found out, because of a 'computers in education' class I took here at IUPUI. We created twitter accounts just for teaching philosophy, and each week we participated in conversations with other teachers that happen regularly on twitter. Educators are able to share activities and new ideas for engaging students in creative ways.
I really like your post. It was definitely very enlightening. It also really goes hand-in-hand about what we’ve been talking about in class. I think for a teacher to be culturally responsive, they have to be proactive. They have to understand what biases and predispositions they carry with themselves before they come into a classroom.
ReplyDeleteMelissa , this was a very thoughtful and informational post thank you! I thought that the information you provided as well as sharing a personal experience gave me wonderful insight into what you were trying to convey. Acting as if a one child fits all model is going to work for our classrooms is quite frankly ignorant and I believe that being proactive in our planning as well as learning from what worked and what did not are two of the most important things we can do as educators. Being ahead of the curve and making sure we know our students enough to feel as if we CAN be proactive is key. Knowing that deeply , in every way we can is what will make us successful as educators.
ReplyDeleteMelissa,
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your quote about having to check you own privilege and bias that you may hold. As a teacher you can't ever misuse your privilege and push you own bias onto a student. So, I love that you made that personal for someone that might be going through something like that. As teachers we sometime may get over involved in our students lives. I know I care way too much about my students and even the kids that I babysit. Their not my kids, but in a way they are. I want what's best for them. I don't want to force my opinion or a certain bias or culture on them that's not their own. We as teachers need to express the myriad amount of cultures that you may have in your classroom. There may be a lot and there may be just a little, but you need to make sure that every culture is incorporated into the lesson, the right way. I don't know about you, but when I first learned about Columbus or Pocahantas. I was given the Disney version (I love Disney and it pains me to say this lol) where it is happiness and rainbows all around. You know, no one get's killed and the bad guy is is looked at as a hero because he discovered new land. The you get the Disney version of Pocahontas and us much as it kills me to say this too, Pocahontas is not reliable at all. It's like our schools are afraid to tell our student's then truth about what really happened in our past. If you don't learn about the pass how are you supposed to not let it happen again. I don't think was was until I took a college level class in high school that I learned the whole truth. I just wish as teachers we weren't censored into not saying what it written in our history. We can't delete what happened, but we can learn fro it and keep moving forward opening new doors that are for everyone. Yes I did just quote a Disney quote, I can't help myself.