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

Standard English

Standard English: What it isn’t

I have to admit that after reading this article, I still am not sure what Standard English is. At the same time, I have a better understanding of what it isn’t. I thought that the author’s decision to write the article by explaining the common misconceptions of Standard English has left me more confused than if she had just attempted to define Standard English. However, I will write about my interpretation and potential problems with the idea of Standardized English.

What I can’t seem to comprehend is the idea that there can be more than one Standard English. But if there is more than one Standard English, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of what is Standard English. If you have more than one standard of the same thing then you really haven’t established a standard at all. It seems to me that establishing a standard based on varying dialects is actually working to create different languages all together. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of trying to create a standard?

At the same time, we do not need to establish the one superior version of English that we can all agree is the standard. With so many different countries and unique regions now speaking English around the world, we will never be able to agree on a true standard. English has already evolved too much from its spread out of Britain. Complicating the idea of standardization even more, in my opinion, is that every English speaking region believes that there English is superior to anyone else’s. In this sense, we can have many different versions of standardized English. I would not consider either of them to be Standard English with a capital S because there is not one version that ranks above the rest.

My other concern with the idea of Standardized English is the creation of a hierarchy based on a person’s ability to speak in the established superior version. There is power in language. If we devalue one group of people’s way of speaking and establish another as better, we stand to do the same in other aspects of society. We will begin to perceive a person of being of lower status based on the way they talk and use the English language. I believe that in this sense, language becomes a hegemonic device as one group is able to establish dominance over another. For these reasons, I have concerns about the idea of Standardized English.

Growing in leaps and bounds!

Looking back at my first term as a student teacher, it is amazing to see how much I have I have learned already. I remember my first day in the classroom how nervous I was. I couldn’t even imagine myself getting in front of a classroom full of students as a teacher. It’s not that I get nervous when public speaking, in fact public speaking is an asset I have as an aspiring teacher. I was nervous because of the image I have of what a teacher should be like. To me teachers were these all-knowing people who had an answer to everything. I was almost overwhelmed with the pressure of teaching. Things began to change. Through interaction with students in small groups and during work periods, I began to develop an understanding of how to communicate in a classroom setting. I felt like I was actually helping students with their learning. Was I actually teaching!?

A few weeks into my first term as a student teacher, my co-op teacher asked me if I wanted to lead a lesson. I was excited at the opportunity, but again also nervous. I didn’t really have much time to prepare and brush up on any background information. It was a History 30 article on the fur trade. My task was to read the article and explain what the author was saying. It went really well!  I read it with a good teacher voice and didn’t stumble over words. My biggest fear was sounding like a bad reader. Teachers are never bad at reading out loud. Periodically I would be given the opportunity to lead a reading or even sometimes a lecture/ note taking lesson. I could actually feel myself develop as a teacher with each time in front of a class. It was really cool!

Just last week, my last day in school for the term, I felt as if the students trusted me as their teacher. My co-op teacher was away and the class had a sub. The sub was running late, so I was given a key to the classroom by the office staff. It felt awesome! It was like a symbol of my development as a teacher. With the sub late, I began the class using the note left by the co-op teacher. I liked that feeling of being the real teacher, even if it only lasted for 5 minutes.

During all of the classes that day, the students were given work periods on upcoming essays. When the students had questions about their assignments, they came to me for help. I felt as if I had earned their trust through my role as a student teacher. I would also like to say I gave the students great advice for their papers. Many of the students were struggling with referencing in Chicago style. I happen to be a pro at this; a product of years of history paper writing. By showing them reference tips, I had real effect on the success of the students.

After reflecting on my first term, I was surprised at how much I have learnt about teaching. I’m already looking forward to my internship.

We are life long learners too

Today I came to the realization that becoming a teacher will be a lifelong journey. To say that anyone can master the art of teaching would be naive. We will always be presented with different situations that we will have to adapt to. I have come to realize that one of the best skills we can develop as teachers will be the ability to read our school environment and the students in our class. We will have to be able to cater our class to meet the needs of our students. Easier said than done. Take for example this conversation I had with a few students.  

Last week I had been helping one of my history classes with a French Revolution simulation assignment. The class was divided up into the 3 estates and were to come up with a list of complaints for King Louis. The idea behind the assignment is that the students will realize that on all issues the 3^rd estate is out voted by the other two, and they will have uncovered the beginning causes of the French Revolution. When asking students how the simulation went, they responded with comments of dissatisfaction. They told me in a history class they like when the teacher talks and they take notes. This caught me by surprise as I thought students hated lectures and notes.

Upon further reflection I realized that to meet the needs of all students we need to gauge the learning styles of our classes. But at the same time, we may have many different learning styles in one classroom. We will have to use a variety of techniques in order to ensure our students meet the learning outcomes and reach their full potential. We need to create an inclusive school environment and this includes including everyone’s learning preference.  It is possible that there are some students in the class who learn better through simulation activities. When it comes time to design lesson plans and activities, I will have to take into account all of the different learning styles of the class. For as long as I am teaching, I will always have to come up with new approaches to teaching similar lessons. We have to be active in our reflection throughout our teaching career. Our teaching will always be evolving.