The Influence of Positionality

Can we ever truly be unbiased? This week’s reading asked us to explore this notion. I believe that a person cannot separate their own positionality from an area of study. To arrive at complete objectivity in science is impossible. A person’s worldview will always influence their perspective. In the area of scientific research, this inescapability of perspective is what influences the areas we choose to study and the reasons we study them. As well, any analysis of results is subjected to the person’s viewpoint. The person can take measures to ensure they remain as objective as possible, but there will always be an element of subjectivity in any scientific finding. In today’s society, I think we believe that science has the ultimate objective stance and we do not consider the positionality of the scientists.

In the group discussion about the articles, we talked about the motivation to conduct science. I argued that in today’s society, we have lost the curiosity factor in science. It seems as if today, in western societies, people are only interested in science if there is a financial benefit. I’m not sure if we study the natural world simply to understand it better. For example, most geological studies conducted in Canada today are in the area of resource development. When scientists need funding in order to undertake a study, often they have to prove that there will be a benefit to the group putting up the money.

I would also like to talk about the role of standpoint. As I am more of a social science person, I have a cool example of standpoint theory being used in a sociology study. A sociologist was interested in gang culture. Rather than try to observe and write about Canadian biker gangs as an outsider, this researcher was granted access to the gang as member. This gave him an outsider-insider perspective and made for a more compelling look at gangs in Canada. Although he was unable to completely shake his outsider perspectives, his role as one of the gang members was as close to “going native” as a researcher can do. This gave the closest unbiased account as possible. Since we can never truly be unbiased in our position, the insider-outsider perspective of standpoint theory is as close as we can get to arriving at an objective understanding.

Science and the search for the truth

In this week’s article On fact and fraud: Cautionary tales from the front lines of science, Goodstein asks the reader to consider the value we place on science given the numerous examples of fraud. The main point I took from this article is the danger that exists amongst lay people accepting the word of scientists without any other information. In our society, we place science on a pedestal and accept the word of science as the ultimate truth. But as Goodstein shows us, this is often not the case. He has shown the reader a selection of scientific cases that were proven to be invalid but the results of these experiments already had an effect on ordinary people. Lay people don’t have the opportunity or often the courage to question the findings of science and we are often forced to accept the word of scientists as being absolute. The scientists mentioned in the article may have had good intentions and their fault was that they already knew what they wanted their experiment to say before it even started. At the same time, we have to consider the word of scientists who do not have good intentions and allow their position of esteem to be purchased. The best example of this is scientists today that deny climate change in the face of undeniable evidence. I believe these scientists are using their position and the trust people have placed on their words to manipulate the public and support big business. As University of Saskatchewan Professor Paul Orlowski points out, these are the same scientists who were denying the link between smoking and cancer only a generation before. From the examples provided by Goodstein and the continuing scientific debate on climate change, we can see that the findings of science are often not an absolute truth.

The Goodstein article also reminded me of another issue in science; the validation of research under unethical means. As a history guy, I was thinking about human experimentation conducted by the Nazi’s during the Holocaust. To what extent should we use any Nazi research? If the findings are valid, but were gathered during unethical means, can we use them as scientific knowledge?

 

Math is a Wonderfull thing

After completing Math B30 in high school, I swore I would never take another math class in my life. Math has always been a struggle for me and I just could not grasp the concepts. The way I learn and know information has always been in an analytical way. This way of knowing explains why I always excelled in Social Studies and English classes. I could never just accept a math formula or equation as being “just the way it is”. I remember giving math teachers a hard time as I would always ask why a concept in math is the way it is. They would always tell me it just is and please learn the process. For a learner like me, I would have benefited from the progressive math instruction style. Rather than leaving math as an arbitrary process, progressive math instruction helps show students why a concept in math is the way it is. This approach to math instruction should help students who have struggled in the drill and practice method.

In relation to my past math struggles, I found it strange that I have been providing math help at my co-op school this year. But here is the great part; I am actually a pretty good math teacher! I think my skill in helping students learn math can be attributed to my past math struggles. Now as the teacher, I have to learn and understand the math for myself as I am helping a student understand it. It is beneficial to the student to be learning the math concept alongside the teacher. As I am coming to an understanding, I am explaining my process for knowing the math concept. The student is able to follow my process and then form their own understanding.  

Why teach and study history

I chose to share this comic this week because it represents how I view the role of teaching history in school. It is beneficial to society if we are able to have a common understanding of our past. After all, it is our past that has shaped our present and will continue to influence our society in the future. At the same time, I realize that there is power located in the viewpoint that is represented in the telling of history. There is no doubt that people are able to spin the way the retell the events of the past to further their own interests. But if we can teach students to be able to do their own critical thought in a history class, then we prepare them to draw their own conclusions and not accept those of others.  That is the value that history class has. It is not about remembering names, facts, and dates. It is about crafting the ability to analyze information and discover what it means to society today.

Analytical skills have incredible value even outside of the classroom. As important events unfold in our world today, it is essential that people are able to think critically about what they are witnessing, or more often being told through media and government sources. That is why I felt this cartoon reflects my views on history. If we know about the past, and develop skills to study our society then we are working to create a more equitable world. 

I believe that studying history can help propel positive social change. Although history has been used to maintain power and the status-quo, it can also be used to change to world. As a history teacher, it is my job to find different versions of the past. As history geek, I am all for the teaching of the official story provided whom ever. There is value in learning about the most powerful people in society throughout history. We can’t ignore this part of history just as history used to ignore the voice of the minority. Rather than just provide the view of the dominant group, history class needs to also present students with the perspective of other groups in society. For me, I always found the perspective of ordinary folks to be the most interesting when studying history. When hearing stories of leaders and powerful people, I always wanted to know how the events affected the other members of society. I will try to create history lessons that provide this perspective.

I think, therefore I am...

This adaptation of the famous Descartes perfectly describes the power of thought in our society today. I believe that although our individual knowledge and ideas are influenced by society, our thoughts also have the power to inspire social change. In this sense, new ideas and voices of minoritized groups are a threat to the status-quo. An individual with the freedom of thought is a danger to the dominant groups in society. If we are going to create a more just and equitable society, we need to encourage and accept the ideas of minoritized groups. For example, by not considering the feminist perspective in epistemology, we discredit the sex of the knower as important and thus silence their voice and ideas. In our construction of what is knowledge, we only get the perspective of males. Feminism does more than just advocate for the voice of women in society; it gives voice to all other groups not represented.

As a teacher, one of the most valuable skills I can develop in students is the ability to think critically. I will encourage my students to think outside the box and challenge ideas that are considered to be truths. To do this, I will bring in numerous perspectives and ideas about any topic we study in class. I believe that by giving voice in the classroom to different groups, I am creating an environment that encourages free thought. I want to arm students and citizens with the most powerful weapon to challenge inequality in our society; thought.

 In closing I would like to share a quotation I saw from a recent teacher protest against standardized testing in Seattle. “Teacher our children to think outside the box, not fill in a circle”    

Language and Intelligence

The articles I read for this past week’s class has taught me an important lesson. As a teacher, I cannot make judgements about students based on their ability to speak Standard English. Now, I have to admit that before learning more about different forms of English, I was guilty of placing a judgement about intellectual ability on a person based on their level of Standard English. From this I can see how I have been socialized into acquainting intelligence with Standard English. After this week’s class I feel a sense of liberation from an unjust belief I used to hold. I have a great example from another part of my life that I believe illustrates that Standard English has no bearing on intelligence.

With my part time job in a lumber yard, I have had lots of interaction with people who speak slightly different than I. The majority of the customers I interact with are working class people who did not attend University after high school. Although many of these people do not use Standard English as their daily communication language, they are very much intelligent people. For example, their ability to problem solve and create in the construction industry far exceeds what a person “without intelligence” could do. As they excel in the trades, they make me, a university educated person feel inferior due to the knowledge they bring to our conversations. Although I am able to articulate better in Standard English, this skill does not have relevance in a lumber yard. In fact, when I go to work, I notice myself speaking differently than I do at school or at home. Subconsciously I do not want to sound like I don’t know what I am talking about when I speak with contractors so I subconsciously begin to emulate their way of speaking.

From this example within my own life, I can see how a person’s level of Standard of English is not a reflection of their intelligence. It is our society that has placed a higher value one on form of English over another. I believe my example illustrates that class issues also have an impact on how we value language use. As a teacher, by recognizing the association between social stratification and language, I believe I am helping to eliminate inequality in education.

  

African American Vernacular English

Our class discusion on African American Vernacular English reminded me of this youtube video. Although it plays on sterotyoes, I think it is a good example of switching between types of English based on geographic and race group assosiation. It is also cool because it is about a substitute teacher; a job that I can see myself having in the near future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd7FixvoKBw