Tuesday, June 1, 2010
100+ Educational Strategies
After reading just the first chapter I had to laugh because I can identify several teachers for each of the teacher types discussed. I think this will be an excellent book to read because not only will it help us be better teachers of children of color but it will also give us insights into ourselves and our preconceived ideas about the different races that we encounter. I know people like to say "I am not prejudiced" but that is ludicrous because we all have prejudices of some kind. It is the nature of the beast called man.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Honestly, the first chapter was a hit to the gut. I was fuming, thinking this is not describing me, but soon realized that I, too, needed improvement with cultural sensitivity. Was I orginally in denial? Maybe so. I feel that we all can improve upon what we have including such sensitive subjects as prejudice. As Terry states above, we all have some form of bias whether we acknowledge it or not. It may not be race, or social class, but clearly, humans have a critical nature. Therefore, after this realization, I cooled down and read the book with an open mind. I enjoyed it! The crux of the strategies revolve around concepts of relationships and respect. It's that simple, yet it does take effort and a willingness to change.
ReplyDeleteI can see how people were offended by the first chapter; however, he was an equal opportunity offender with his blanket comments about the fallibilities of all teachers. Respect is definately the center of the points that he tries to make. I would take some of them with a grain of salt. I, for example, am not going to take my students out for weekend trips, but I do spend time after school with them.
ReplyDeleteI feel that is is important to do as the book says and have posters of African American and Hispanic leaders/authors etc. hanging in your classroom. It is a practice I have done for years. Another strategy that I would be interested in looking into is the "putting the desk in the middle of the room". I can't imagine having my back to someone. However, I do like the idea of putiing all the students desks in a circle.
ReplyDeleteMaybe a swivel chair in the center of the circle, but not your desk.
ReplyDeleteI thought the author had some very good ideas. I copied many pages and plan to make several posters. He really gave some good examples on how to raise expectations and the confidence of students in the classroom. He also gave some good advice on handling male students who learn differently than female students. Positive attitude and positive attention will be my MO next year.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of all the posters especially the ones that show the statistics of the professional athlete and the rapper. So many of our students think this is the answer. While we don't want to squash their hopes we want them to be realistic and have a backup plan.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Terry. I have had so many students who want to be a sports star but do not realize the statistics are very low. I like the idea of posting pictures of other careers for all students who put education first. Of course this excludes nascar. Sorry, I had to add that.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this book. I could write about many of the strategies, but I will keep it at just three. First, I really liked the idea of displaying the Peters Map. It clearly shows how the US is not the center of the world which most of us believe (including myself). Second, I think making your room more homey with plants and a classroom pet is a great idea. I know my room looks quite plan. The final strategy that appealled to me was the G/T Area. I think this is a great idea for Math Classes, since all students work at a different pace. The chess set and other thinking games are a terrific idea. I will definitely try this one.
ReplyDelete