On Thursday (9/16) we heard our first narrative about a teacher who was insensitive to an ESL student, the problems that caused in the student developing confidence in class participation, and how that was later reversed by an inspiring teacher. Many thanks to our reader. As a class we looked at Aristotle and the idea that education involves not only acquiring knowledge but facilitating self development, especially through understanding the virtues or the Golden Mean. (Image of Plato and Aristotle by Raphael). We also gathered in groups to discuss questions from the reading.
Just a reminder to those presenting their narratives on Tuesday, please e-mail me your work Monday night.
Also, please post on this prompt for ideas, readings and discussions from the 9/16 and 9/21 classes.
Hope it stops raining so we can enjoy the view from our Tuesday classroom, 1325!
After hearing the narrative from one of our classmate, I found most ESL students share similar experience. I was also in ESL during elementary school, and it was very difficult for us during reading time when our accent or pronunciation becomes a problem. We don’t speak English at home, so teachers should understand and be patient with ESL students when we encounter a problem. Now that I think back, I don’t think my teacher meant to embarrass me in front of the entire class. Maybe it was the way she approached the situation wasn’t the best way. What I’ve learned from these embarrassments is that, the 10second giggling in class is only worth a small part in my life. It is okay to make mistakes as long as we learn from them.
ReplyDeleteIn class, we discussed the contributions different cultural traditions have on Canadian education. Because Canada is an immigrant-based country, what makes us unique is we bring our history and previous experience together from our origin and share them with other Canadians. For instance, we still have French-immersion classes and Catholic schools. If in the future, I do decide to become a teacher, I would not want to leave my history as a Chinese-Canadian behind so I can avoid being bias or bring values to class. I would want my future students to be open, accepting and respect the different values we all share. Thus, this can contribute some factors of progressivism and other philosophical orientations causing a balance in the classroom. It will be a challenge to have complete balance of every philosophical orientation but there is no harm in trying, I think.
Based on the past two classes I was a bit anxious about the narratives and having to present them to the class. I was not sure what I was going to write my narrative on or what I wanted to do it on. However as students presented their own personal narratives to the class, I was able to connect with the students in relationship to a couple of them. The one presented on Thursday about a high school student who was veiled due to her religion shared her story about not being accepted and being judged. This was very challenging for her and I was able to connect with this issue because I know how hard it is for students who don’t fit in, in high school. High school is a time for teens to be able to find their self identify and they try so hard to fit in and when they aren’t accepted and judged it’s a hard obstacle to face. Because this girl was considered out of the norm and different based on her personal appearance, teens saw her as abnormal and different. Yet this division ,between who or what is normal or abnormal, is socially constructed by those who have the power to do so in society. Teens especially, forget that the people constructing these norms and values have developed these perspectives based on their own opinions. However, since our society is constantly changing and shifting people need to be considerate of others who do not fit the norm and place themselves in other people’s shoes before they judge people.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading the story by Sherman Alexie, “What you Pawn I will Redeem.” Based on the discussion questions that were written on the board, I was able to relate with the question that dealt with the stereotypes associated with Aboriginals. My group ended up discussing the general negative stereotypes that are associated with Aboriginal people in Canada. We came to an agreement that Aboriginals are seen as lazy, living in poverty, substance abusers and dirty (ect). Although there may be many more these are the ones we predominately focused on. Many people in society forget to ask “why Aboriginal people are in these situations?” I think that it is important for people in society to understand why people are in these situations and what are the contributing factors before pointing the fingers and shaming them.
I should be working on my own narrative now, however, I feel compelled to speak about my experiences as both an ESL student and as a visible minority (or a majority in Richmond) in Canada after Shiva’s (I’m sorry if I spelled your name wrong.) story.
ReplyDeleteMoving to Canada was a real shock to me. At that time, I was 12 years-old and spoke absolutely no English (except for the very easy “How are you?”, “I’m fine. Thank you, and you?”, etc…). I was ‘thrown’ into an environment where everyone looked and acted so differently from my former classmates. The first day of school has always been scary for me. That first day of school in Canada was ‘horrifying’. I had no idea what people were saying and stayed close to my younger brother the whole time during recession. There were many nights when I would just sob in bed in anticipation to return to that very unfamiliar place the next day.
As I picked up on the basic conversational skills, I started to make friends with ‘my own kind’, the ‘Chinese’ people. There was no way the other people in class were going to make friends with me. However, they did ‘interact’ with me in one way or the other by throwing trash at me and calling me names, racially discriminating names, which I didn’t realize until my friends told me what they meant in Chinese. Often times, I wouldn’t realize that they were making fun of me and would smile at them when they talk to me or recognize my existence. Realizing that I was constantly being made fun of my English was very hurtful.
Ten years later, my English, depending on whether I am nervous or not, is just as fine as the native speakers’. I could speak up in class and go through job interviews with no difficulty. However, because of the painful experiences in my early years, I can never completely enjoy the life as a student. Even until now, I am still experiencing what I experienced as a kid, racial discrimination. It is sad, but true, that racism still exists today in our community.
The narratives read in yesterdays class were very thought provoking. I was never in a situation throughout my school years where I was unable to relate culturally or have any trouble communicating. I was raised in an English speaking home here in Vancouver and was educated in my native language. It was incredible to listen to these stories. It opened my eyes to the struggles that so many children, including several of my own friends, have been through. I certainly have a new found appreciation for all of these people and their courage.
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to touch on the reading material from Tuesday night. I really liked it. It too left me in a position of being unable to relate but very appreciative of the opportunity to take a glimpse into this world. The thing that struck me the most was the amazing sense of humor through out the piece. The optimism and charitable nature of this individual when faced with such dreadful prospects was refreshing. There wasn’t a moment that I felt Jackson was feeling sorry for himself and despite his many questionable decisions karma seemed to look after him in the end. It’s a nice message.
After our discussion on the goal of education, how education can transform a society and different teaching philosophies, I looked back at my own learning both inside and outside of the classroom. There are two main forms of classroom management the first is behaviourism and the second is constructivism. Behaviourism: a system where an individual either receives rewards or punishes in order to modify their behaviour or habits. Constructivism: a system where the individual is encouraged to become part of the learning experience and engage with the material for their own happiness and personal growth. Both of these strategies can be used throughout life, yet when I look back to my own up bringing I find that at a young age there was a focus on behaviourism and then as soon as I took pride in my own work the focus shifted to constructivism. In my opinion behaviourism is best used primarily to teach children what is right or wrong and to initially get young students to participate in class. Once a student starts taking pride in their work, without any expectations in return for completing a task, and wants to put the effort in to learn more and to gain new experiences they are taking the constructivism approach. I have found that the constructivism approach to learning is much easier if a student is passionate and has a general interest for the subject.
ReplyDeleteI really loved the short story we read in class on Tuesday. At first I was confused how it related to education, but since I reflected on it I feel it has taught me that in class you need to be accepting of others, not to pass judgement or use stereotypes and to be honest. I found that Jackson was very honest and open and I was able to relate to the character as if I hearing the story straight from his mouth. You will never know why someone might be put in a difficult situation (in Jackson’s case homeless and an alcoholic) but you should treat everyone with respect, like the way the officer, pawnbroker and the woman who sold him the lotto ticket, and you may be surprised by their generosity and charisma. Jackson shared everything he had with those who needed it and he treated everyone with respect. These are all qualities everyone should strive for and try to share those attributes in others.
Hi class,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I would like to say that I really enjoyed hearing the narratives that were read on Thursdays and Tuesdays classes. Each presenter did a great job. It is remarkable how even though all narratives were extremely good and well thought of, still each one differed from the other quite a lot. However, even though the stories were different each person had so much emotion when they read their story aloud. I must say I really enjoy listening to the narratives, I believe that you get to know a person better when you listen to what they have to say, and how certain things make them feel. One thing that I took away from Tuesdays class, and that I actually really believe in, was said by the last presenter( about the contest), every individual gets affected by a positive or negative experience in either a positive or a negative way, that's why I agree with the last narrative read that 'we must be happy with what we have, because there are so many more worse things in life out there'.
Next I would like to discuss the story 'What you Prawn I will Redeem'. What first comes to mind when thinking about that story is that I really enjoyed it. Jackson is definitely an interesting character, and it is hard not to like him. I like that he is generous,genuine, and funny. However, I can not relate myself to him, or his values in life. For example when he goes spending all that money, of course he was being generous by buying alcohol, but it just seems like he loses interest fast in the long run.
Overall great week, and I really look forward to more narratives!!
I was particularly troubled while listening to two of the presentations in class on Tuesday. Those of the students who spoke of the negative reactions they experienced in their early school days. What was especially disturbing in their accounts is that these unfortunate episodes were engendered as much by the behaviour of their teachers as by that of their class mates. What motivated these teachers to behave as they did cannot be excused by suggesting that they were having a bad day. Their actions were on going and, from the accounts given, it would seem that some form of cultural or religious prejudice formed the basis for them. The greatest failing of these teachers was in stereotyping their pupils, and in not taking the trouble to view them as individuals with emotions and fears common to all human beings. In addition these teachers failed to empathize with their students by not remembering their own difficult experiences at school. It is very doubtful that they never encounter any.
ReplyDeleteEven within a mono-culture being new in class can be an exceptionally difficult time. Concerns about what others will think of us, will we make friends, will the teacher be nice, can be all consuming for a young person. And these feelings are universal. How much more difficult to have the added burden of coming to terms with a new culture and struggling with a new language. It is important for teachers to be sensitive to their pupils’ discomfort. The question of what should be the aims of education are inextricably tied up in this. A love of the subject being taught, a deep understanding of it and how to transmit it to their pupils should unquestionably be the major goal of those who teach. However, there are many factors which will have a negative impact on this endeavour; not least the mental well being of their pupils.
It should be the teacher’s responsibility to put their pupil’s at ease by providing learning scenarios where they can interact with their peers and come to know them better. In a multi-cultural society such as Canada this will also require teachers to pursue an understanding of the varied ethnic background of their pupils. Just how varied these are can be seen in Table 5:1 on page 157 of the textbook. It is important for the teacher to take the diversity of their class into account in order to make their lessons comprehensible, and meaningful, to those who may not be familiar with mainstream culture. This would be particularly important if a student were found to be experiencing difficulties in learning, or seen to be isolated or bullied. That bullying should have no place in schools is easier said than done, but a good teacher should be watchful for it and not neglect to take action to protect those who are victims of it. The teachers who featured in the two presentations demeaned their pupils through their own ignorance and prejudice. As such they, themselves, were equally guilty of bullying.
The conversation after reading the story about Jackson Jackosn really did not sit well with me this evening. I think it ties into a theme that was brought up in a narrative this evening as well. My small group discussion tone was very victimizing of First Nations people and almost had a “it is sad that they are like x, y, and z.” Interestingly enough the story itself did not put me in this mindset and the question around does this story perpetuate the stereotypes of First Nations did not generate a clear answer. I think the story celebrated many redeeming qualities of Jackson’s character or potentially some First Nations groups at large. My problem with the group discussion this evening was that it made this issue into something simple when really it is quite complex. As human beings I think we tend to want to categorize and place people into boxes but what happens when we don’t fit into the subscribed box?
ReplyDeleteThis applies to gender, race, community, religion etc. When we create these perceptions of how thing ought to be or how people ought to behave it becomes highly problematic. As someone in class shared in their narrative this evening that they did not quiet fit into a category because they wore an article of clothing. My interpretation was that they felt a sense of discrimination or alienation and people wanted them to fit in their idea of desired appearance. The tone of our conversation this evening seemed as though it was taking pity on First Nations and the language used seemed victimizing. Of course these needs to be tremendous respect drawn towards the atrocities that many First Nations have gone through but when using language of victimization and pity it just furthers the relationship of power or subordination and domination. How do we navigate this tricky line of respect but not perpetuating? It is certainly difficult. However if you have ever experienced not fitting into a category it can be extremely tumultuous to even think that these categories still exist in people’s concept of reality. It also relates to Foucault’s concept of power, which is that we are always in power and under power at all time. We need to look at the immediate consequences of our perceived oppressive thought (ie women make less then men, or African Americans in the USA have a shorter life expectancy) but feeding it pity just feeds it further. A delicate balance indeed.
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ReplyDeleteChapter 5 does a good job of examining various existing perspectives about the aim of education and the role of schools. It is very challenging to decide what the aim of education in a global sense in the 21st century means. It is even more difficult to decide what teachers should teach and what to ignore. One thing is for sure that as the world changes and we advance in all parts of society and life our schools need to follow. The fundamentals such as, literacy, math, science and art should remain but be taught in a more relevant and meaningful way. Other issues such as personal, emotional, physical wellbeing of students should be accounted for in different and innovating ways. To say that schools should not teach the whole child is to deny that children as human being are emotional. It is to deny that their emotions, family circumstances, culture, background, ethnicity and experiences determine and impact who they are and how successful they will become. Should we assume that the differences in ethnicity, language, social class, gender, religion are automatically barriers for learning? NO! We must turn these barriers into assets. Take disadvantages and make them into assets.
ReplyDeleteSchool is a child’s second home. Children spend most of their waking hours at school; therefore school becomes a vital role in either enabling or disabling a child’s well being and future. Of course it might seem like too much to ask teachers to nurture students as whole individuals and account for their every need but we must not forget that our future as a society depends on the education and the well being of today’s children. Though it’s ideal I believe that in order for this to happen teachers need to be provided with limitless resources, and support. There also should be a system in place to filter out bad teachers. Teachers who are IGNORANT, misinformed, change resistant and lazy!
To comment on my own narrative and some of the responses that followed, I would like to say that it is very very important to be open minded and to ASK QUESTIONS about the things that are different, rather then just assume. Assumptions are hurtful and wrong, they lead to misunderstandings and reflect ignorance. Teachers must create a classroom environment that is safe, nurturing and encouraging of questions.
I really like the idea of “Character Development is the key education” from Aristotle. I never think of education from that perspective. From what I have experienced throughout my school years none of my teachers approach the students based on that thought. Everything I learned from school were from the books or materials provided by the teachers. The school I went to is somewhere between Perennialism and Essentialism. I was pulled out of Science or Art class for ESL, but I must take English and study Shakespeare when my English was still poor. My math teachers would compete with their colleagues for whose student scored the highest grade on provincial exam or AP calculus tests. I was struggling and frustrated till a point that I do not understand the purpose of going to school. I have met some people that are the top students in their class, but many of them do not have the sense of becoming a virtuous person. Schools and books may be essential for education, but I think it is part of the teacher’s job and the school system to educate and to model the idea of well-being and well-behaved.
ReplyDeleteThe story “What You Pawn I will Redeem” gives me thoughts about being homeless and being “living the privileged life.” Jackson from the story is very generous and kind to people around him. He share his joy with others and respect the order of the society. He knows that he has to work for the money to redeem the regalia of his grandmother. He tried many ways to come up with the money although he spent most of them on alcohol. In contrast with Jackson, many people that live in our society have homes to go back to and beds to sleep at night, however, many of them have chosen to commit crime for selfish reasons. Jackson valued almost anything people offer him, even just a smile. Many of us nowadays do not consider things we have as treasures, we consider them as the basic needs of our lives. Regardless of cars, houses and money, many of us need love and healthy relationships for living. We tend to take things for granted and forget about the relationship we have with our loved ones is what makes us strong and gives us the meaning for life. Respect for others can help us maintain healthy relationships among people living in the society, it can also helps us understand each other in this multicultural peace country.
Thursday Sept 16, 2010
ReplyDeleteDuring the in-class group work, a list of questions regarding our current education system was discussed. The first question, however, is the main focus of this journal. In my personal opinion, pinpointing the most important goal of education may only be possible if the main purpose of our lives has already been analyzed and concluded. Boiling it down to a more scientific point of view, the ultimate reason behind all individual and social qualities, whether learnt or inborn, would be the survival of the whole species. Humans’ process of learning, which could also be referred to as their education, starts from the very beginning of their lifespan. The first educator of infants is their environment: sound, light, shapes, touch, etc. Shortly after, the next step usually begins at home, by children’s parents: universal goals, acceptable behaviour, emotions, family, integrity, honesty, and so forth. Then in institutions like kindergartens the social skills are formed and polished to an extent. The academic world, however, starts typically after the age of six. Being most vulnerable to social harms, children continue their journey within our education system, where not just the academics, but also the ways of life must continue being taught. Education must not be for the sake of education, but for the sake of survival, prosperity, happiness and real success in life. There is a problem, however; people’s definition of happiness and success vary from individual to individual, so the tools to reach that state of being will be different as well. This means at least the first steps for acquiring absolutely every kind of knowledge must be taken, or offered, in our schools. Narrowing down the options for what should be or should not be the focus of our education system is not only verging on impossible, but could also be very dangerous for the future of our species.
Tuesday Set 21 2010
On Tuesday’s class after listening to Shiva’s narrative I could relate to her story being her sister I was in the same situation as her, constantly being teased for the way I express my religious beliefs. The reaction of the teacher’s being so accepting of my decision to take off my veil was hurtful because I felt like they didn’t take the time to understand the reasons behind my choice to cover my hair or even get to know me as a person. They just accepted and applaud me for making the choice to be the same, just to fit in.
Tuesday's class was very riveting thanks to the narratives and the short story by Sherman Alexie. Shiva's narrative, especially, really got me thinking. I couldn't believe that she was subjected to that extent of discrimination in high school. High school is a place where, let's face it, nobody really feels like they fit in. No matter how popular or rejected a student is, insecurities always manage to pop up. Being a visible minority doesn't help the situation, especially when your peers are not yet mature enough to accept your differences as unique, not wrong. It was really sad to hear that Shiva met eye-to-eye with her peers only after removing her head scarf. As she said, it wasn't a burka, or a gown of some sort, it was a simple cover that left her face exposed. In addition, she matched the cover with her fashionable clothes. Now, what were the students' motives behind discriminating against this fairly discreet cover? The fact that it was different. Anything that looks slightly out of place is branded "wrong" by immature youth. Failure to open their eyes to variety can lead people to cruelty, as in Shiva's case. Although their actions were wrong, the students can be forgiven because being young, naive, and sheltered, they still have time to learn socially acceptable behaviour. The teachers, on the other hand, have no excuse. The principal's seemingly complimentary gesture of putting his arm around his student and pointing out her beauty minus the head scarf is anything but nice--it is ignorant and rude. He should have seen her beauty with the head scarf and without, instead.
ReplyDeleteSherman Alexie's short story also intrigued me. It is not often that one is given an autobiographic, controversial story like this to read. The fact that this was a true story really opened my eyes to what goes on in, basically, my back yard. I am fortunate enough to live in a safe part of Vancouver, where all my basic needs are met with no problems. Whenever a problem does arise though, it seems like the end of the world sometimes. My problems have never measured up to the extent of Alexie's, though. Walking through the downtown east side never fails to remind me of how fortunate I am; stories like the previously mentioned one do the same. Unfortunately, all of us have opportunities that some of these people will never have. Privileges like going to school, having a job, and living in a house are luxuries we take for granted until we are again reminded that poverty does exist, whether we see it or not.
After hearing the first few narratives I realized that a lot of people go through similar experiences. I feel as if I can easily relate to the narratives I have heard so far and it makes me realize that everyone faces adversity in their life at one time or another. Some people let it get to their head and some people fight through it and become better as a result. So far everyone has been able to fight through their adversity, which is very good.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading "what You Pawn I Will Redeem". I really liked the character of Jackson Jackson. He somehow managed to put a positive spin on things when, in reality, his life was far from being positive. It made me realize that most of us, me included, take many little things in life for granted. Jackson was very determined to turn every situation he was faced into a positive experience.
Hey class,
ReplyDeleteHow are you?
Today in my post I will discuss about the narratives and the story we read.
I have never seen anyone being so honest in front of public. Something I could never do.
I am also a new immigrant to this country. I never went to school here and started straight from university. The high school I went to was a private international school. We were taught to live as a world citizen rather than discriminating. I think as Canada has so many immigrants coming in every year they should have schools based on that concept. May be that could resolve some of these issues and improve understanding among students for other culture and reduce discrimination.
Now I will talk about the story we read. I did not find it a fun story. I think he made unachievable goals. He lost his house, wives and life but he is still running after her grandmother's stolen object. I think he needs to get his priorities straight and make practical goals. There was one good thing though, I think it was an interesting way to draw attention to the condition of Native Indians in US.
Essentialist philosophies posture that schooling should be practical; providing children with sound instruction that prepares them to live life. I could not agree with this more, I often find it disturbing that most of the things I perceived the British Columbia educational system to value were predominately impractical. The Perennial curriculum in my opinion plays an important role in the formation of young minds attending secondary school for the sole purpose of attending university. Secondary schools never enriched their courses for the purposes of a more practical education for students who sought such a path. There were of course auto mechanics, woodwork, drafting, and metalwork available, however why didn’t the educational system recognize that they could have enriched these courses to better prepare certain pupils for a future environment that badly needs skills related to a more’ industrial/ information technology hybrid’ orientated world.
ReplyDeleteWhy didn’t they streamline those into courses that emphasized more practical subjects such as math for trades, math for plumbers and electricians, or even computer network programs that spent more time with students developing their knowledge how to successfully program computers and built its practical foundation in society? Why didn’t the BC Ministry of Education take more initiative to encourage the potential of so many students that could have benefitted from programs that sought the development of trades and the discovery of future trends in information technology that we all knew was inevitable? They could have apprenticed and repaired the school while learning.
Skilled trade and technology occupations are constantly in demand and are arguably some of the best paying occupations in the current ‘job market’. Not all students benefit from studying the classics and in my opinion not all have the aptitude or interest to study them. What practical purpose did the more perennial aspects of school structures and functions in the BC Curriculum serve to so many that lost the opportunity to potentially offer so much when they were perhaps marginalized for being disinterested in the curriculum forced upon them. BC Secondary School curriculums while I attended high school silently looked down on trades and technology and reluctantly provided a progressive attitude towards them. They postured only that the study of Arts, Science or Commerce at University would lead to the path of occupational salvation. Is this the fault of perennial philosophies and a lack of a more essentialist curriculum? Or did the ministry think it was doing the best for its future job prospects. Judging from the current state of today’s wild economic restructuring they failed and are still not ‘getting the point’.
The Ministry of Education should be preparing students earlier how to find their niche in the job market. This is something I believe is not being emphasized early enough and is unfairly marginalizing and suppressing the smarts of those who cannot perform in a perennial environment and also to the detriment of those who can. The study of the dialectic is not for everyone. But even those who excel in a perennial environment could benefit from a better understanding of a progressive and essentialist curriculum that will help them better adapt with the ever changing needs of the job markets of the future. Why weren’t high schools encouraged to consult with local employers to aid those students who clearly were not functioning learning perennial pedagogy, most of who ended up alienated or having to discover on a long cold path that they were gifted with knowledge that the mainstream would never provide them with.
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