Blog Post #2: Introduction to Critical Pedagogy
Blog Post #2
What is Critical Pedagogy and Why Does It Matter? Read chapter 1 of the Wink text and respond to the following prompts:
Response Title: Learning about Critical Pedagogy
I wholeheartedly agree "that education is in critical condition." I dream of a classroom where all standardized tests are used as lining for bird cages, but I'm afraid that will only ever be a dream. Although that is not the focus of this chapter, I needed to mention it because of how strongly it resonated with me, and how I believe that critical pedagogy ("teaching and learning that transforms us and our world for the better") is the only way that I can overcome - or at least not be so overwhelmed by - the challenges of working in a profession so filled with bureaucracy but which is also building our future leaders, thinkers, lawmakers, scientists, doctors, workers, parents, and teachers.
I admit it rather shocked me that Dayna did not do any of the required writing assignments throughout the semester in the story that Wink presented. I would understand if she had used her watercolor in place of the final assignment, but you can’t simply abandon the rules to pursue whatever you want. I feel that Dayna should have participated in earlier assignments rather than asking Wink to “trust the learner.” Although Dayna’s outcome was well developed, the professor had no way to check her progress and help her through struggles or challenges. Had Dayna been struggling, she would have had no means of recovery since she only submitted a final assignment. It is very likely, to, that Dayna might have had an even better grasp or understanding of the material had she kept up with the assignments during the semester. I would hope that I would be understanding and supportive if any of my students came to me with an alternative idea for completing an assignment, but I don’t believe my students could learn absolutely nothing from completing an assignment the way I have it described in the syllabus. I hope that I can address the different learning styles of all my students throughout the course of a semester or year without a student feeling the need to completely abandon the structure I have created.
Wink’s reflection on how her children learned to read, leading to her late-blooming passion for reading, quite delighted me. I have been reading since around the age of three, and have been hooked on books my whole life. I used to get in trouble for staying up at night reading with a flashlight under my blanket. I don’t remember if I learned the letters and sounds first, or if I worked backwards from the stories and pictures, but I find it interesting that, even at so young an age, the way in which we are taught something affects our attitude towards it. I was the opposite of Wink in school – I read every assigned page and then some! I completed chapters and assignments ahead of time; I worked extra problems; I even got old textbooks from teachers or yard sales and worked all the problems in them. I couldn’t get enough! I loved, and still love, to read, because reading is an integral part of who I am and how I learn. For reading and all other subjects, it is obviously important to make sure that each student is connecting to the material in a meaningful way, otherwise they will drudge through their school experience much like Wink, maybe making good grades but never going beyond an assignment to pursue learning for the sake of learning. Literacy is crucial to every subject, and as a science teacher and a book lover I feel the need to find ways to promote literacy and make reading more enjoyable for the students in my classes – even if that means deviating from “normal” topics.
Wink brings my fears to light: “While intrigued by [discovery, exploration, and inquiry], many teachers find themselves at a loss in terms of how to structure these kinds of learning experiences in their crowded, assessment-driven classrooms.” I am one of those intrigued teachers. It is obvious that the students learn better when they are actively engaged rather than passively receiving the information. So how do I begin to unlearn my experiences and find ways to actively engage my students?
Most of my educational experience has been based on the transmission model of pedagogy, akin to the behaviorist theory of learning. The teacher talks while the students take notes and try to understand as much as they can. I hope that this is not how I am categorized as a teacher. I feel that I will try to plan my lessons using the generative model, what I would call the inquiry or constructivist method. I would like my students to work together with me to develop their own knowledge and understanding, with me guiding them. I want them to get their hands dirty, ask each other questions, and want to know the answers simply because they are curious. I want them to teach each other the material until they know it better than I do. The only times I can remember feeling like this in a classroom were generally in a laboratory setting, and a few times in English classes as we used different methods to explore our understanding of themes in novels. My earliest clear memory of this was in 4th grade, when we were asked to make an interactive book report over a book we had read during the summer. I chose Jacob Have I Loved and used an oatmeal canister to build a book capsule, and added characters from the book. I cut the side, and when you unrolled the side I had (unskillfully but painstakingly) drawn one of the critical scenes. I also remember a time in an AP English course where we had to draw a representation of the poor guy who turned into a bug in Kafka’s Metamorphosis. Hopefully as I read more of Wink and other educators, I hope that I will learn how to take this generative model and develop it into the transformative model, where the students will take their knowledge out into the community, into the world outside the classroom, and use it to transform the way they live and interact with others. The only time I feel I have experienced this is in one assignment for AP English Literature. We had read Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and decided as a class to do a Reader’s Theater. We elected classmates to be specific characters and chose which lines we felt were important to the story. Finally, after scripting, casting, and a bit of costuming, each class filmed their versions and we spent time viewing the creations of the other classes. The videos were also made available to teachers in other English classes and our Speech/Oral Communications and Drama classes. Besides taking ownership of our own learning experience, we also shared what we had done with others outside our classroom. (Side note to my classmates about this one – if you’ve never read the book, I HIGHLY recommend it. Had I picked it up myself I might have found it pretty depressing, but if you read it with an open mind and an ability to find the crazy humor in some tragic situations, it is actually funny. My favorite line was actually a whole chapter: "My mother is a fish." Anybody read it and agree/disagree?)
As far as learning/unlearning/relearning goes, I have tried to recall a specific instance in my education where I feel that this cycle happened, but nothing comes to mind. I’m sure it has happened, but I probably did not articulate it and so it does not stand out. If I think of something, I will come back and add it.
What is Critical Pedagogy and Why Does It Matter? Read chapter 1 of the Wink text and respond to the following prompts:
- Describe your initial response to what you read. What surprised you? What stuck out to you? What questions do you have?
- Dr. Wink focuses in this section of the text on 3 pedagogical models. What is your understanding of each of the models? Where have you seen these models in your own lived experience?
- When have you learned, relearned, and unlearned? What was the experience like for you?
Response Title: Learning about Critical Pedagogy
I wholeheartedly agree "that education is in critical condition." I dream of a classroom where all standardized tests are used as lining for bird cages, but I'm afraid that will only ever be a dream. Although that is not the focus of this chapter, I needed to mention it because of how strongly it resonated with me, and how I believe that critical pedagogy ("teaching and learning that transforms us and our world for the better") is the only way that I can overcome - or at least not be so overwhelmed by - the challenges of working in a profession so filled with bureaucracy but which is also building our future leaders, thinkers, lawmakers, scientists, doctors, workers, parents, and teachers.
I admit it rather shocked me that Dayna did not do any of the required writing assignments throughout the semester in the story that Wink presented. I would understand if she had used her watercolor in place of the final assignment, but you can’t simply abandon the rules to pursue whatever you want. I feel that Dayna should have participated in earlier assignments rather than asking Wink to “trust the learner.” Although Dayna’s outcome was well developed, the professor had no way to check her progress and help her through struggles or challenges. Had Dayna been struggling, she would have had no means of recovery since she only submitted a final assignment. It is very likely, to, that Dayna might have had an even better grasp or understanding of the material had she kept up with the assignments during the semester. I would hope that I would be understanding and supportive if any of my students came to me with an alternative idea for completing an assignment, but I don’t believe my students could learn absolutely nothing from completing an assignment the way I have it described in the syllabus. I hope that I can address the different learning styles of all my students throughout the course of a semester or year without a student feeling the need to completely abandon the structure I have created.
Wink’s reflection on how her children learned to read, leading to her late-blooming passion for reading, quite delighted me. I have been reading since around the age of three, and have been hooked on books my whole life. I used to get in trouble for staying up at night reading with a flashlight under my blanket. I don’t remember if I learned the letters and sounds first, or if I worked backwards from the stories and pictures, but I find it interesting that, even at so young an age, the way in which we are taught something affects our attitude towards it. I was the opposite of Wink in school – I read every assigned page and then some! I completed chapters and assignments ahead of time; I worked extra problems; I even got old textbooks from teachers or yard sales and worked all the problems in them. I couldn’t get enough! I loved, and still love, to read, because reading is an integral part of who I am and how I learn. For reading and all other subjects, it is obviously important to make sure that each student is connecting to the material in a meaningful way, otherwise they will drudge through their school experience much like Wink, maybe making good grades but never going beyond an assignment to pursue learning for the sake of learning. Literacy is crucial to every subject, and as a science teacher and a book lover I feel the need to find ways to promote literacy and make reading more enjoyable for the students in my classes – even if that means deviating from “normal” topics.
Wink brings my fears to light: “While intrigued by [discovery, exploration, and inquiry], many teachers find themselves at a loss in terms of how to structure these kinds of learning experiences in their crowded, assessment-driven classrooms.” I am one of those intrigued teachers. It is obvious that the students learn better when they are actively engaged rather than passively receiving the information. So how do I begin to unlearn my experiences and find ways to actively engage my students?
Most of my educational experience has been based on the transmission model of pedagogy, akin to the behaviorist theory of learning. The teacher talks while the students take notes and try to understand as much as they can. I hope that this is not how I am categorized as a teacher. I feel that I will try to plan my lessons using the generative model, what I would call the inquiry or constructivist method. I would like my students to work together with me to develop their own knowledge and understanding, with me guiding them. I want them to get their hands dirty, ask each other questions, and want to know the answers simply because they are curious. I want them to teach each other the material until they know it better than I do. The only times I can remember feeling like this in a classroom were generally in a laboratory setting, and a few times in English classes as we used different methods to explore our understanding of themes in novels. My earliest clear memory of this was in 4th grade, when we were asked to make an interactive book report over a book we had read during the summer. I chose Jacob Have I Loved and used an oatmeal canister to build a book capsule, and added characters from the book. I cut the side, and when you unrolled the side I had (unskillfully but painstakingly) drawn one of the critical scenes. I also remember a time in an AP English course where we had to draw a representation of the poor guy who turned into a bug in Kafka’s Metamorphosis. Hopefully as I read more of Wink and other educators, I hope that I will learn how to take this generative model and develop it into the transformative model, where the students will take their knowledge out into the community, into the world outside the classroom, and use it to transform the way they live and interact with others. The only time I feel I have experienced this is in one assignment for AP English Literature. We had read Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and decided as a class to do a Reader’s Theater. We elected classmates to be specific characters and chose which lines we felt were important to the story. Finally, after scripting, casting, and a bit of costuming, each class filmed their versions and we spent time viewing the creations of the other classes. The videos were also made available to teachers in other English classes and our Speech/Oral Communications and Drama classes. Besides taking ownership of our own learning experience, we also shared what we had done with others outside our classroom. (Side note to my classmates about this one – if you’ve never read the book, I HIGHLY recommend it. Had I picked it up myself I might have found it pretty depressing, but if you read it with an open mind and an ability to find the crazy humor in some tragic situations, it is actually funny. My favorite line was actually a whole chapter: "My mother is a fish." Anybody read it and agree/disagree?)
As far as learning/unlearning/relearning goes, I have tried to recall a specific instance in my education where I feel that this cycle happened, but nothing comes to mind. I’m sure it has happened, but I probably did not articulate it and so it does not stand out. If I think of something, I will come back and add it.
- Julia H.’s comment
I also found her experience with reading interesting. I was actually the opposite. I love books as a child. I would make my parents read the same books over and over, so much so that I'd memorized them (I'd actually tricked an aunt into thinking I could read when I was about 3. Couldnt read a stop sign, but I knew the book.)As I grew older I fell out of love with books because I HAD to read so much.
I've only re-developed a love of reading in the last few months. I realized that if I want my own child and my own students to love reading I need to demonstrate that same passion.
Reading Dr. Wink's experience with late-readers and the different ways students learn to read also made me think of some of my students. I dont teach reading, so I don't know how they are being taught, but I wonder if "we" are teaching our students the same way and not considering they may learn in different ways...
Mary B.’s comment
Yes, Yes on the standardized tests lining the bird cage. I have to agree unfortunately that it will never come to fruition.
I too was a bit shocked when Dr. Wink wrote that Danya did not complete writing assignments till the end of the semester. I also understand that learning style played a massive part in why Danya did what she did.
Janelle S.’s comment
I am in the same boat with you on the way she handled Dayna! I was also shocked that she allowed her to just simply tell her to trust her and so she did. I would not have been able to do that. Especially with everyone else doing the assignments. Would it be "fair" for her to give her as good of a grade as the other students in her class?? I would have been happy to give "alternative" assignments but she just didn't do anything till the very end. To be honest, I am still wrestling with this perspective that she had with Dayna.
Donna W.’s comment
You have a very strong start to your blog. It reminded me of a piece a friend of mine just published today, so I thought I would link it here for you - http://www.edusanity.com/2014/02/20/coming-to-a-school-near-you-data-walls/
After you have fun with that, let's return to your question - "So how do I begin to unlearn my experiences and find ways to actively engage my students?" GREAT QUESTION! I have some ideas for you, but before we hit my ideas, I need you to know that Wink chapter 4 and our last weekend together will be full of even more concrete ideas.
And yes, even Wink herself states, "more and more educators focus their pedagogy on discovery, exploration, and inquiry. While intrigued by these ides, many teachers find themselves at a loss in terms of how to structure these kinds of learning experiences in their crowded, assessment-driven classrooms.” Again, your own history of observing teachers and the culture of schools may work against you in terms of implementing this model. And this model is HARD TO IMPLEMENT CORRECTLY. You really have to know what you are doing, have the kids "with" you (rapport, ets), and be willing to take some risks. It's not just about turning kids lose. It is about creating highly structured learning environments for them to explore while you monitor-monitor-monitor and adjust-adjust-adjust.
So ideas... First idea.... start small. Maybe just 1 or 2 projects a year with the goal of taking positive action in the real world with and for your students. And you may not even think about this model your first year until you feel more comfortable with your curriculum and your school environment. But always keep it in the back of your mind.... the goal here is taking positive action in the real world as well as taking into consideration a critical awareness of all the influences around the teaching and learning situation.... kids, teacher, classroom, school, culture(s), "system," news and media, history and culture, etc. and how they impact what is happening.
So that leads me to idea #2. Keep your vision of this model in place. What you might also ask is.... if there is proof that these alternative methodologies are successful why is it such a struggle to implement them into the traditional school system?
Well... there are many reasons, but three big ones spring to the top of my mind... first, the cultural archetype of teacher as "sage on the stage" is so entrenched that we know most teachers revert to that model within 6 months of starting teaching EVEN WHEN they know about all these other models and ways of teaching. The second reason is that the system of standards and tests and accountability actually encourage more traditional approaches and our students are used to traditional approaches. So teachers and students may struggle to move into these "other types" of learning situations. The third reason is that this is just a hard model to implement. Even Wink herself states, "more and more educators focus their pedagogy on discovery, exploration, and inquiry. While intrigued by these ides, many teachers find themselves at a loss in terms of how to structure these kinds of learning experiences in their crowded, assessment-driven classrooms.” Again, your own history of observing teachers and the culture of schools may work against you in terms of implementing this model. And this model is HARD TO IMPLEMENT CORRECTLY. You really have to know what you are doing, have the kids "with" you (rapport, ets), and be willing to take some risks. It's not just about turning kids lose. It is about creating highly structured learning environments for them to explore while you monitor-monitor-monitor and adjust-adjust-adjust.
I think the teacher's style of teaching does depend a lot on the topic being taught, the students' needs, the teacher's own knowledge and preferences, etc. But I do also wonder if teachers are being as critical as they need to be in selecting their approach to the classroom. I know I for one tend to fall in certain "ruts" and need to be jostled a bit to think about what I am doing sometimes. I might recommend just keeping this book and coming back to re-read it next summer. Maybe after a year on the ground (as it were), you can reconsider some of these ideas. Maybe spend a year getting your legs under you, build relationships in your district, then start small. One project a year might not rock the boat (for starters).
Idea #3. Even Wink had to do a few things to make her methods work. She had to build relationships (with administration, with parents) and she had to prove that she was a professional, knew what she was doing, and was making decisions based on the needs of her kids. Once you get that reputation in place in a district (in most districts anyway), you can make more decisions and have some more autonomy. But you do have to build that from the ground up by being professional and communicating and advocating. It's a slow process at start.
I have to end this response by telling you that your rang all my bells. Jacob Have I Loved was my favorite book in 6th grade. I just have read it 50 times that year. And I re-read As I Lay Dying every 2-3 years. It is an absolute favorite of mine from the point that kid drills holes in the mother's coffin and through her face. Ahhh! Love it!