1. What do you think of the "brain based" research mentioned in the Bruemmer article? Do you find it convincing?
2. Do you think the average high school English class demands emotional and intellectual responses that are more comfortable or "natural" for girls? If so, why do you think we do this?
3. How do you think English teachers might help close the "gender gap" in literacy achievement?
4. Discuss some reasons why multicultural literature should be included in secondary school curricula. What is the point? Ideally (or hypothetically), how might it affect the identity development of adolescents?
5. I really want to know what you think of the chapter from the Alfred Tatum book, _Black Males and the Reading Achievement Gap_. Thoughts?
Janet
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8 comments:
1. I related a lot to the Bruemmer article purly from experience. I have found that when I introduce more hands-on approaches to texts that the boys in the class are more interested. I made the comment before that I especially liked the brain-based approach to Lord of the Flies . I incorporate similar final projects including a physical display of the island that includes specific landmarks and an essay explaining the process of building, a description of the significance of each landmark, and any problems that arose throughout the process. I am generally convinced by her findings in the gender research. It is an amazing experience as a teacher to hear my students bragging about how awesome their project is (especially from the boys).
2. I would say that most of the questions that I pose in class are more comfortable for the girls, but I try to word my questions so that I will get responses from both genders. Going back to Bowmann's article concerning reading logs, I can say that my boy responses are more general and less deep than girl responses. The reason that many "average" teachers demand responses that are more natural for girls could be because more than not, the teacher is also female. This is just a guess. However, I find myself getting responses from boys when I ask more straight-forward questions. For instance, boys will respond more to questions regarding someone's actions, while girls respond more to questions about someone's emotions. This sounds stereotypical, but again, this is just from my experience.
3. By adjusting lessons that are beneficial to both genders' interpretations of texts, we can begin to embrace and narrow the "gender gap" that is everpresent in today's classroom. Without addressing the issue as "gender," a good start is addressing each student as having individual needs regardless of gender.
4. I strongly believe that multicultural literature should be included at every level of education. In the secondary classroom, multicultural literature can help students to be more accepting of the diversity surrounding them. As a teacher at a predominately white school, I feel it necessary. Ideally students can see that even though a person's skin color is different, he or she has the same types of obstacles in life including that of identity, domestic issues, and the joy of growing into an adult. It is also important that students be educated about the reasons that certain cultures have different customs and traditions than they themselves have. All in all, it is necessary because it is relevant to the melting pot that the U.S. has become.
5. This is hard for me to address this article, being that I teach at a school that has between 4-10 black students out of approximately 800 (the DOE website says 4, but I know we have a few more than that). I teach three of these students, and they are some of my top scoring, so this is especially tough. I can see where the author is coming from regarding a predominately black school. I may sound harsh, but as I was reading, I felt like I was being reprimanded for the way I teach, like Tatum was assuming that no teacher knows how to teach "these" students. Not once have I made a comment about basketball or rapping when talking about the completion of homework or learning process. More thoughts on this... It is a good idea, as he suggests on p. 34 (298) that teachers should seek out professional development to address this aspect of teaching. It is important, and again I will focus on students as individuals regardless of gender or race, for us to continually find new ways to adapt and successfully get through to our variety of students. I am interested to see Tatum's findings on the differences between black and white, male and female, TEACHERS regarding the appropriate way to teach African American males. And what about the females? I felt that this was a very one-sided chapter. I am not saying that the issues discussed were irrelevant, but I would have liked to see more from both sides of the spectrum.
When I teach African American literature, I hit on all different types with a focus on roots. We look at slave narratives, modern poetry, jazz and blues music, modern music, etc. and look at the history and what makes it unique to our culture. I may not be a pro with this unit, but I try to encompass it from all different angles.
I would love to hear what others thought in response to this article. Can't wait until Tuesday! I have forgotten what Purdue and the rest of you look like, it's been so long ;).
1. Well, I already commented on the "brain based" methods in my last post. However, I will commment a little more on Janet's question, as I really do find it convincing. I like the "Lord of the Flies" project choices in the chart as they appeal to different styles of learners: hands-on, spatial, writers, computer etc. While they can be inticing to boys, I think they could be useful in a co-ed classroom, as well. As I stated earlier restricting English projects to simply essays (as was the case in my high school experience) tends to stifle creativity. While some may choose the essay approach, allowing different projects that appeal to all styles allows them to create an end project that fosters critical thinking.
2. Allowing choice and independant projects is one way to close this "gender gap." I also marked some of Bruemmer's methods for breaking the class session into segments: journaling, daily reading guides, group work, and whole class discussion. I think breaking up the period and moving from one activity to another helps to keep the interest of boys, even more so. From my experience, boys tend to get bored with sitting and listening for long time periods.
3. I do think the average high school English class demands or promotes responses that foster emotional and intellectual discussion/responses. I do think it's natural when thinking about English, as novels explore characters, humanity etc. They naturally foster discussion of emotions, love, hate, humanity, class, gender etc. And girls are naturally more comfortable with discussing feelings etc.
4. Maybe by incorporating some books that are more plot based, adventure or boy type books, or using the boy book club idea as mentioned in the articles; teachers can get boys more interested in reading and discussion. This kind of brings in my boy book for last week "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." I am sure everyone knows the plot, so I won't bother going through it. But, while re-reading it I thought about how plot driven and action oriented the book was. How, the book has to be particularly interesting to YA boys. I had forgotten how many adventures and crazy mishaps Huck and the runaway slave, Jim, have on their raft, before they reach Aunt Sally's house and meet up with their old friend, Tom Sawyer; where more adventures take place. As Tom is always interested in being a hero and the glory of adventure. However, there are so many details that the plot can be hard to follow sometimes. It would be an excellent book to chart out or make use of a reading guide while teaching it. It's also another "boy gang" type of book, although set in the past, Huck is an orphan and independant in his travels. His Pa is a terrible role model, drunk and in jail most of the time.
5. Another great aspect to "Huck Finn" brings up this week's topic of race/ethnicity etc. When Huck runs away he travels with a runaway slave, Jim. Because this book was written in 1884, the reader really feels like the relationships between blacks and whites, the attitudes towards race etc. is authentic. Mark Twain did a great job in making the characters authentic, mostly through language and in particular dialect. Twain noted in the preface at least six different authentic dialects used in the text: Missouri Negro dialect, backwoods Southern dialect, and four modified versions of the last. Without this, the book would just be another adventure story and wouldn't be as rich, nor would the characters be as believable.
The relationship that Huck forms with Jim makes the book wonderful, too. Huck knows that it is not accepted by society for him to befriend a slave, however he finds himself developing a stronger friendship and love for Jim the longer they travel together. A theme of the book is crossing racial boundaries: Huck finds that Jim, a black man, becomes the closest thing to family for him, aside from Tom Sawyer. Through Huck the reader learns a lot about class, race, social status and the overall importance of loyalty and friendship. Earnest Hemingway once stated "All modern literature stems from ths one book." While I don't know if I would go that far with it, "Huck Finn" is definately a teachable classic, with many good life lessons.
Staci
1.I found Bruemmer’s study pretty interesting, but I’m left to wonder how generalizable her findings are—I think her ideas raise more questions than they answer, and I’m not convinced that this neurobiological approach would be appropriate in a different kind of setting with a different group of students
2.I think that the study of language arts has been feminized, and I’m fascinated by how and why this happens. The correlation between gender and academic disciplines is one of my research interests; I want to find out why some subjects are considered feminine (e.g., language) and some are considered masculine (e.g., science and math).
3.The perception of a “gender gap” in literacy depends greatly upon how we conceive of literacy, and which types of literacy we value in academia. Gaps in literacy are inevitable; no matter how you divide or subdivide the demographics, some group will always under-perform as compared to some other group with respect to any given kind of literacy.
4.The theme of “cultural authenticity” resonated throughout the articles on multicultural literature, and I’m struggling with the idea—aren’t artists supposed to be able to convey authentic representations of identities they themselves do not inhabit? Then again, who can represent the cultural experience of an Asian-American (to give one example) more accurately than an Asian-American? What is the “right” blend of artistic skill and cultural authenticity? If cultural authenticity is a measure of artistic merit, how can any contemporary writer possibly achieve cultural authenticity while writing fiction about, for example, the civil war or ancient Greece? Multicultural literature should be an integral part of a well-rounded, liberal education—every student should learn about as many different cultures as possible (education is the greatest weapon against prejudice and intolerance)—but then the question focuses on who has the right to speak for a given culture? (I’ll have more to say about this in the post I’ll write about the novel I read for this week.)
5.In the chapter from Tatum’s book, provocative statements like “conflict often exists between institutions and black males because those in the establishment lack understanding, or misunderstand, the cultural-specific behaviors exhibited by black males” (p. 31) and “schools are hostile and unpredictable environments for many black males” (p. 33) sound an awful lot like statements such as “It’s a black thing—you wouldn’t understand.” This attitude seems to inhibit dialogue and communication rather than facilitate it. Tatum’s ideas about what’s necessary to “get through to” black males (acknowledging and coping with the “cool pose,” eliminating micro-aggression, avoiding psychometric warfare, implementing sound educational placements, overcoming barriers to learning, addressing multiple literacies) would apply to just about any adolescent. He does a good job of identifying some issues that might be particularly relevant to the educational needs of black males, but his strategy isn’t necessarily tailored just to black males—he appears to be advocating strategies for effective pedagogy that would work for most adolescents, regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender.
1. I think Bruemmer brings some interesting insights to the table about how learning takes place, but I don’t necessary think this research should pigeonhole boys. For every unit I teach I incorporate various learning opportunities such as: creative writing, pictorial/comic strip journal, persuasive essay, dramatic (or not so dramatic) interpretation, art/craft projects, PowerPoint presentations, etc. I have both male and female students that are able to answer those “straightforward” questions, but I also have both male and female students who are able to dive deeper into material and connect on a different level. I’m not comfortable saying that boys learn this one way and girls learn this other way. Reason being, I have several female students whose brains go into a “rest state.” I can see it happening. I think it’s important to offer all students the opportunity to create meaning and understanding in a way that is valuable to them.
4. As Lisa mentioned, I also believe that multicultural literature should be present at every level of education. I believe students (especially the secondary level) should be exposed to the realities of war, poverty, prejudices, immigration, assimilation, white privilege, crime, peace/ liberation, power, overcoming obstacles, cultural experiences, etc. The safest way to expose students is through literature. As teachers, we can’t predict every comment or question a student may bring up, but we can prepare/preface them for the literature we are asking them to read and reflect on. I think multicultural literature’s place in the classroom is invaluable; it forces students to think about the world differently.
For this week’s YA selection, I read The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. It is about a young girl, Esperanza, growing up in one of Chicago’s ethnic neighborhoods. Each chapter introduces the reader to either a person in Esperanza’s life or an event. The chapters are almost like short stories and could possibly be used independently; the novel itself doesn’t really have a plot per say. Cisneros addresses stereotypes outside and inside the Latino community, quality of life in this neighborhood, belief systems/worldviews, horrifying struggles of poverty, abuse, drugs, rape, etc., but also the struggles of growing up: making friends, wanting a boyfriend, trying to fit in, etc. It’s a wonderful story that I would recommend.
This week I am finishing up Bad Boy a memoir by Walter Dean Myers. While this book is like an autobiography, Myers reflects on his childhood growing up in Harlem, the struggles he faced as an African American, his family relations, observations, and his joy for reading and writing. It is an AWESOME YA novel. So many issues are discussed, including race, gender roles, identity, literacy, adolescent tendencies, and pretty much everything we've discussed thus far in class. It is somewhat hard to summarize because it is his childhood recollections, but generally he talks about his feelings growing up how he did and how he was looked at throughout this period in his life. It is definitely a good multicultural book. More on this in class...
Janet’s questions
1. Rereading the Bruemmer article I realized the article has some aspects that make me uneasy. I disparage neither the issues she addresses nor her method of examining group responses based on gender. However, her own verbiage raises questions. There are several places which she uses the word “tend”. Boys tend to one thing, girls another. This implies a range of responses, thus needs, across both genders. If there are tendencies, sure, its good for teachers to be alert…but I would hope they would be alert despite the gender ‘tendency’. What then, does gender add? In another place she says “These techniques can be helpful to any student, but they have been particularly useful with the boys in my classes” (39). By using the word ‘but’ she implies both some knowledge of girls responses and a differential use based on gender. Unless I missed something, her students were all boys. While I personally believe what we are as individuals is determined by both nature and nurture, I don’t delude myself that it is anymore than belief. To me, when she uses the chart adapted from Gurian, Henley, and Trueman, she muddies this issue by including estrogen and testosterone. Her goals are worthy, the brain research she quotes is interesting, but her verbiage is sloppy and her tone borders on essentialist.
2 & 3. I think that pleasure is an integral aspect of becoming an avid reader and a requisite first step to becoming a proficient reader. If during the course of students’ education texts that fail to engage them are consistently chosen, they won’t value reading. I think the die is cast long before high school English and only marginally connected to an emphasis on canonical works. Moby Dick is not exactly chic lit. I hated it; Both my son and husband loved it. Neither of them liked Great Expectations; I loved it. Nor do I think the manner in which students are required to respond in HS English is ‘girl like’. I see many 311 students, mostly women, who are not comfortable evaluating and writing about literature. I think gender might be more of an issue in elementary and middle school. Most teachers are women. Too often, I find my 311 students (I have to watch this in myself also) perceive their beliefs, knowledge, and aesthetic to be representative of the larger culture. Teachers relying on their own tastes or a standard curriculum for literature to share with their classes aren’t likely to present books that represent a broad spectrum of interests. Those students who don’t relate to the texts probably won’t read as much. This might contribute to both self and teacher identification of these students as nonreaders. I don’t see an answer other than offering a wide array of both texts and methods throughout all grades. Texts should include both fiction and nonfiction.
4. All the articles addressed the need to present both authentic literature and enough background information to understand it. This provides minority students to ‘see’ themselves in and thus better relate to the literature. It would also hopefully help overcome stereotypes. The benefit I most embrace is lightly touched in the White-Kaulaity article: Raising critical arguments, actively engaging the controversies surrounding choice of materials, provides a conduit to synthetic thinking. Which arguments do I accept and/or reject? What drives me to one view or another? Of course critical examination of canonical works can do this also, but I don’t think it is as provocative. What if a teacher walks in to class and announces, “We are going to read this book because it is the ‘fair’ thing to do? That elicits all sorts of questions that demand investigation. What makes it fair or not? Aren’t we supposed to cover ‘good’ literature? What makes something good? Addressing McLaughlin’s confusion about the sense of ownership (p285 of the packet), the teacher could take a book away from a student saying, “You can’t read this. You aren’t Native American. This story doesn’t belong to you nor could you understand it.” This also generates inquiry. How do we come to understand a work of literature? What do we need to do to enhance understanding?
5. When I first looked at this chapter I was disappointed. This week I read Walter Dean Myers’ Somewhere in the Darkness, and I was hoping for something to help me better understand the aesthetic sensibility embedded in the literature. I found the chapter title belies its contribution to literary evaluation. The novel depicts both an adolescent in the midst of deciding who he is and a man already molded by the turmoil described in the article. Many of the same issues-the suspicions, the watchfulness, the anger, the coolness, the longing-are addressed in both the article and the novel. We see these two characters respond just like Tatum suggests. We also view the painful results. I recommend this story.
1.Bruemmer's article about "brain-based" research appeals interesting to me. I do believe that biological differences have led to distinct learning preferences between boys and girls. But according to my observation in teaching YAL to secondary students in Taiwan, girls seemed to be more flexible and easier to develop empathy toward the characters than boys (no offense!). When we read novels like“The lion, the witch, the wardrobe”,"Dear Mr. Henshaw","There’s a boy in the girl’s bathroom",and "Holes", both genders engaged in the activities and the reading itself pretty nicely. However, when it comes to "Ramona and her sister" and "Walk two moons", boys find it hard to relate or empathize to the characters, especially those who don't have female siblings. So, we teachers design more hands-on activities for the female novels to keep the boys attentive to the stories. I agree with what Gurian, Henley, and Trueman assert that male brains tend to need "more and varying stimulants to keep them attentive"(p.221).
2.I've never sit in any high school English classes in the U.S., so I can only respond to this question from what I experienced in the EFL high school English class. The design of our high school English textbooks usually contains several units: culture, travel, science & nature, and literature. Therefore, it doesn't only cater to a specific gender.
3.There's no standard procedure to close the gender gap in their literacy achievement. I think the needs of the particular group of students we're facing in class should be the main key and concern. That is to say, first we should try to poke around and figure out students’ preferences and interest in literacy learning, so that opportune activities can be designed according to their preferences and be more effective in their literacy development. Second, releasing some agency to the students is also important. Boys or girls should both have some control over the selected readings. After all, one learns the best when he/she is engaged in the context. Third, the atmosphere of cooperation between boys and girls should be encouraged. They each need to know how to utilize their own specialties to help others overcome the weaknesses in learning.
4.Globalization is now a popular term to people all around the world. With the advance of technology and transportation, the boundaries of nations are rapidly diminished. Being aware of the language, culture, and history of people from other cultural backgrounds is an advantage to reach a benign communication and interaction. For teenagers, due to their limited life experiences, they might not know much about the world or people aside from their own. Therefore, including (authentic) multicultural literature in the curriculum can help teenagers see what’s going on in other parts of the world and how youngsters similar to their age see themselves in their own culture and society.
5.The part Tatum talks about addressing multiple literacies resonate with me. In spite of the problems resided in the students, schools or the curriculum should undergo some adaptations. What students are good at or familiar with out of school can enhance their literacy development if teachers show they understand and "care" about it. But anyway, what Tatum addressed about multiple literacy should not only relate to black males, it should be applied to all struggling students. If students can see what they learn at school connect to real-life usages, or vice versa, they will show more willingness and motivation to learn.
However, I have different opinion about the micro-aggression Tatum mentioned (p.296). He believed teachers might do or say some minor things that can anger the black male students. This might not always be the case. It depends on the context, the rapport of teachers and students and the tone teachers say such things. Looking from another perspective, letting students do what they like (basketball) after completing the assignment, or making them understand they too can do math well if they possess the same attitude while doing something they favor a lot (rapping) is in a way encouraging black male students to take advantage of their strengths to overcome the weaknesses.
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