FNED 502 Blog

Teach Out Presentation

This week's blog post is on a reading regarding  Intersectionality  as well as a short video on what it is to be an  ally .   In the reading on  Intersectionality  was the first time that I had heard the term.  In the text intersectionality is defined as " the social, economic, and political ways in which identify-based systems of oppression and privilege connect, overlap and influence one another."  Like the figure to the right demonstrates, intersectionality is when different parts of our identity meet and often times people are experiences multiple oppressions.   The authors suggest bringing intersectionality into the classroom. Teachers can use an intersectional lens to better relate to and affirm all students, and to help understand power and privilege. After reading the article I have thought of specific ways to implement and teach intersectionality in the classroom, since examples are usually beneficial for my understand...

Color Insight vs. Color Blindness I plan to teach a small group of my colleagues about power privilege and difference in American culture, including in schools.  I also plan to teach them how color insight is the better version of color blindness.   I think because we teach such a diverse group of students it is very important for our teachers to understand that seeing our students’ color needs to be a priority in order to validate their life experiences. We as teachers also need to be aware of how privilege exists and teach our students about it in order to work towards dismantling it. I plan to create a power point presentation that uses the readings of Johnson (2001) and Armstrong and Wildman (2013) to teach these concepts.

Talking Points: A student's home language is a part of their identity.  Discouraging the use of the home language can negatively affect the dynamic between a family.  This needs to be seen as an incredible loss that should be protected against all.(Rodriguez, 2004) "The key is the true appreciation of the different linguistic and cultural values that students bring into the classroom" (Collier, 2004, p. 223).  Seven guidelines for teaching emergent bilinguals: Be aware that children use first language acquisition strategies for learning or acquiring  a second language. Do not think of yourself a remedial teacher expected to correct so-called "deficiencies" of your students. Don't teach a second language in any way that challenges or seeks to eliminate the first language.  Teach the standard form of English and students' home language together with an appreciation of dialect differences to create an environment of language recognition in the c...

Privilege, Power, and Difference (Johnson, 2001) In this article, Johnson (2001)  argues that privilege exists and in order to work towards dismantling it, we need to first recognize it exists and recognize the power that certain groups have in (American) society, starting with looking at our own privilege status.  Privilege exists even if you don't feel like it does.  Johnson (2001) encourages people to use "the words" (i.e. white privilege, racism, oppression, dominance in order to better understand, acknowledge, and become a part of the solution to the problem of privilege and power of certain groups of people. Differences and the power certain groups of people hold are socially constructed. Those who have privilege based on race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc. have the "luxury of obliviousness" to the privilege they have.  They don't have to think about it.  With each category of privilege, there is at least one g...

This week's blog post is based on a a movie entitled Going to School.  The short movie focused on the LA Unified School District and the law suit against them for non compliance with many components of the IDEA law.  IEP’s were not being followed or even created, special education services were not being provided in a timely manner, nor were children being identified for these services (Here is one girl's  story  of here experience in the LA Unified School District receiving special education services). Many students were segregated into special schools instead of their neighborhood schools providing the services the students were entitled to by law. The movie interviewed many different parents, students, teachers, and special educators within the school district to get their take on how special education services are handled in this district and the struggles that families and students have gone through in trying to get their children the services they n...