In chapter 8, Takaki discusses the experience of the Chinese immigrants during the late 1800's. While the discrimination and racism experienced by the Chinese parallels the experiences of many other immigrant groups during the same period, Takaki mentions that some of the hatred and anger the Chinese experienced was due in part because the tremendous influx of Chinese immigrants meant fewer jobs for "native" Americans. I reflected on how this similar theme still plays out today, with racist attitudes towards certain groups developing because of their perceived ability to "steal" jobs that we previously done by a different group. In particular, there is some racism towards some of the Hispanic groups who have immigrated to the US because they are willing to do work at a cheaper rate than other groups. I also reflected on how race, as a social construct, prevents people from seeing that everyone is in the same boat and keeps different groups of people from uniting under one cause.
For a lesson plan, I would have my students read the section of Takaki that discusses the growth of "Chinatown" sections in certain cities. I would then present information that discusses how another immigrant group developed their own section of a particular city (i.e. Greektown in Chicago) and compare and contrast. Finally, I would take a students on a fieldtrip to Chinatown in DC and have them write a report on what they saw and see if it resembles anything that Takaki mentioned. In addition, I would present students with a description of Chinatown in DC as a reference in which to develop their ideas.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Takaki Chapter 7 and Wineburg Chapter 4
To spice things up a bit, I will do my reflection on Wineburg. Continuing in much the same fashion as when Takaki, I underlined what I thought were key points, read the cover of the book to get the author's viewpoint, and asked myself questions as I read. With Wineburg's chapter, though, I found myself doing something a little different. Instead of asking myself superficial questions such as "how can I relate this material to my students" or "what issues would be beneficial for my students to investigate," Wineburg's discussion on how to properly contextualize history inspired me to ask more salient questions such as "what do my students know about contextualization" or "how can I even approach to teach my students about contextualization?" I continually found myself drifting off and asking myself the question "if you were an administrator or consultant designing a curriculum, would you continue down the road most schools take when designing a social studies curriculum, or would you develop something that would allow students to contextualize more?" In essence, I was contextualizing Wineburg's discussion by considering the viewpoint of students, teachers, and administrators.
One of the issues I contend with as a new teacher is how to teach the material the way I want to while fulfilling standards. Currently, in the rush to fulfill standards, teaching students to contextualize is difficult because of timing and resources. Is what Wineburg proposing actually doable in most schools? If I were an administrator, how would I try to accomplish what Wineburg discusses? These were some of the questions I was asking myself while reading chapter 4.
I was also disappointed with the history teachers responses to the information Wineburg presented (I noted that with a :( in my book). I felt that the physics teacher did a much better job contextualizing the material, so much so, I wrote questions in my book about discipline training and how much attention should be paid to how teachers are trained and what courses they should be qualified to teach. Once again, I drifted off to my stint as a make believe administrator and pondered whether or not the type of discipline training should be considered when certifying teachers or designing curriculum.
For my lesson plan, I would have students research current immigration policy and some of the reasons why some people have argued that greater control must be exercised over immigration. Hopefully, my students will uncover the argument made by some that America is becoming "less American" because the influx of immigrants, particularly those from Latin America, has had an indelible impact on political, social, and economic issues. In essence, some Americans feel that the US has been invaded by immigrants and that the US is becoming increasingly Hispanic. I would then present Takaki's findings where he illustrates the sentiment of Mexicans living in California when Anglo settlers started moving into California. I would have students compare the two scenarios, asking them what are the similarities and differences and what information can we gleam from Takaki's investigation that might shed light on current immigration issues.
One of the issues I contend with as a new teacher is how to teach the material the way I want to while fulfilling standards. Currently, in the rush to fulfill standards, teaching students to contextualize is difficult because of timing and resources. Is what Wineburg proposing actually doable in most schools? If I were an administrator, how would I try to accomplish what Wineburg discusses? These were some of the questions I was asking myself while reading chapter 4.
I was also disappointed with the history teachers responses to the information Wineburg presented (I noted that with a :( in my book). I felt that the physics teacher did a much better job contextualizing the material, so much so, I wrote questions in my book about discipline training and how much attention should be paid to how teachers are trained and what courses they should be qualified to teach. Once again, I drifted off to my stint as a make believe administrator and pondered whether or not the type of discipline training should be considered when certifying teachers or designing curriculum.
For my lesson plan, I would have students research current immigration policy and some of the reasons why some people have argued that greater control must be exercised over immigration. Hopefully, my students will uncover the argument made by some that America is becoming "less American" because the influx of immigrants, particularly those from Latin America, has had an indelible impact on political, social, and economic issues. In essence, some Americans feel that the US has been invaded by immigrants and that the US is becoming increasingly Hispanic. I would then present Takaki's findings where he illustrates the sentiment of Mexicans living in California when Anglo settlers started moving into California. I would have students compare the two scenarios, asking them what are the similarities and differences and what information can we gleam from Takaki's investigation that might shed light on current immigration issues.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Takai Chapter 6
Takaki Chapter 6 and Wineburg Chapter 3
I found Takaki’s chapter on the emigration of the Irish particularly interesting because I was not familiar with the entire story of the emigration of the Irish and their incredible struggle for political, economic, and social equality. It’s quite moving, inspiring, and dispelled some of the myths or stereotypes that often plague the Irish.
While reading Takaki, I conceptualized the story of the Irish by recalling scenes from Martin Scorcese’s movie “Gangs of New York.” The movie outlines some the struggles Irish immigrants faced while trying to make a new life in New York City, particularly racism, discrimination, poverty, and the riot caused by discriminatory draft policies. As I was reading, I was filtering through the images and story lines of the movie and trying to make connections between the movie and Takaki’s investigation. Not only did using the movie as a reference enhance my conceptualization of Takaki, but it also increased my critical analysis of the book as I constantly questioned where Takaki obtained his research and how the viewpoint of an academic might differ from the viewpoint of a film maker. While conducting this process of referring back to the movie to help me conceptualize, I considered how beneficial this would be for my students and how to better incorporate film in my class.
For my lesson plan, I would divide my class into three groups and assign each group a section of Takaki. Takaki has divided chapter 6 into three sections and I would assign each group a section. Each group will read the section, select roles (i.e. Irish immigrants, landlords, politicians, businessmen) and do any additional research to prepare them for the lesson. To add a kinesthetic component to the lesson, I will require each group to perform a 10 minute skit on their assigned section. The purpose of the skit is to have the students role play the people, struggles, policies, agendas, actions, ideas, etc., that affected Irish immigrants. By performing the skit, the instruction is differentiated and I will be able to assess what the students have learned by gauging what they mentioned/performed in their skit.
I found Takaki’s chapter on the emigration of the Irish particularly interesting because I was not familiar with the entire story of the emigration of the Irish and their incredible struggle for political, economic, and social equality. It’s quite moving, inspiring, and dispelled some of the myths or stereotypes that often plague the Irish.
While reading Takaki, I conceptualized the story of the Irish by recalling scenes from Martin Scorcese’s movie “Gangs of New York.” The movie outlines some the struggles Irish immigrants faced while trying to make a new life in New York City, particularly racism, discrimination, poverty, and the riot caused by discriminatory draft policies. As I was reading, I was filtering through the images and story lines of the movie and trying to make connections between the movie and Takaki’s investigation. Not only did using the movie as a reference enhance my conceptualization of Takaki, but it also increased my critical analysis of the book as I constantly questioned where Takaki obtained his research and how the viewpoint of an academic might differ from the viewpoint of a film maker. While conducting this process of referring back to the movie to help me conceptualize, I considered how beneficial this would be for my students and how to better incorporate film in my class.
For my lesson plan, I would divide my class into three groups and assign each group a section of Takaki. Takaki has divided chapter 6 into three sections and I would assign each group a section. Each group will read the section, select roles (i.e. Irish immigrants, landlords, politicians, businessmen) and do any additional research to prepare them for the lesson. To add a kinesthetic component to the lesson, I will require each group to perform a 10 minute skit on their assigned section. The purpose of the skit is to have the students role play the people, struggles, policies, agendas, actions, ideas, etc., that affected Irish immigrants. By performing the skit, the instruction is differentiated and I will be able to assess what the students have learned by gauging what they mentioned/performed in their skit.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Takaki Chapter 5 reflection and Wineburg Chapter 2 Reflection
As I was reading Takaki Chapter 5, I reflected on the some of the material I discussed with my students and came up with some ideas as to how to better present the material for next year. In particular, one of the misconceptions my students had about Southern Whites is that they were all landowners and were supportive of slavery. As Takaki notes, that is not entirely true. I made copies of this chapter and placed it in my "good idea" file so I can use it next year.
As I read Takaki, I'm find myself reflecting on what I have taught my students and how might I use some of Takaki's research for future classes. His approach is vastly different than the approach taking by the county approved textbook. As I come across the differences, I make notes in the book about what they are and how I might incorporate them in class.
Wineburg's examination of teaching social studies in school is particularly fascinating because it raises some poignant issues concerning what we teach students and how the social studies curriculum should be developed in schools. I teach high school psychology and have just finished a unit on the social development theories of scholars like Piaget and Erikson. While certainly interesting and noteworthy concepts, I found myself asking the question "are high school students really capable of understanding such abstract concepts" and "will they even remotely remember these people/concepts after the test is completed?" I personally believe that the book mentions these concepts and names to simply inform students about what/who they are and not to help students construct knowledge. It's as if we simply firehouse students with information so they can succeed on Jeopardy and not because we want them to generate/create content or knowledge.
To apply Wineburg/Takaki in my Psychology class, I would reference Takaki's mention of Dr. Samuel Morton's research on the size of cranium capacities and the impact it has on intelligence/behavior. The science of measuring one's cranium to help determine behavior is called phrenology. Much like Historians who study historiography, my first unit in psychology deals with how psychology has evolved and how psychology used to be studied. I would use Dr. Morton's research to provide contextual evidence to my students about how individual behavior used to be determined and contrast it with how we study behavior today. Dr. Morton's research is a great case study to use because most students, even with their limited knowledge of psychology, would never even consider using cranium size as a determinant of intelligence or behavior.
As I read Takaki, I'm find myself reflecting on what I have taught my students and how might I use some of Takaki's research for future classes. His approach is vastly different than the approach taking by the county approved textbook. As I come across the differences, I make notes in the book about what they are and how I might incorporate them in class.
Wineburg's examination of teaching social studies in school is particularly fascinating because it raises some poignant issues concerning what we teach students and how the social studies curriculum should be developed in schools. I teach high school psychology and have just finished a unit on the social development theories of scholars like Piaget and Erikson. While certainly interesting and noteworthy concepts, I found myself asking the question "are high school students really capable of understanding such abstract concepts" and "will they even remotely remember these people/concepts after the test is completed?" I personally believe that the book mentions these concepts and names to simply inform students about what/who they are and not to help students construct knowledge. It's as if we simply firehouse students with information so they can succeed on Jeopardy and not because we want them to generate/create content or knowledge.
To apply Wineburg/Takaki in my Psychology class, I would reference Takaki's mention of Dr. Samuel Morton's research on the size of cranium capacities and the impact it has on intelligence/behavior. The science of measuring one's cranium to help determine behavior is called phrenology. Much like Historians who study historiography, my first unit in psychology deals with how psychology has evolved and how psychology used to be studied. I would use Dr. Morton's research to provide contextual evidence to my students about how individual behavior used to be determined and contrast it with how we study behavior today. Dr. Morton's research is a great case study to use because most students, even with their limited knowledge of psychology, would never even consider using cranium size as a determinant of intelligence or behavior.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Takaki Chapter 4 Reflection
As I continue with Takaki, I still utilize the method of underlining key sentences that either highlight his main idea or provide details that support his main idea. I find that more often than not, the main idea/argument the author is examining is located within the first view paragraphs . It is often posed as a question or is phrased in a manner that directly states what the author is investigating in the proceeding pages. The supporting details are often located in the paragraphs proceeding the introduction of the main idea and are used to support the author's purpose. I locate these details by paying close attention to the first sentence of every paragraph because in a well written argument, the first sentence of every paragraph should provide a clear idea of what the following information contains. The supporting details are anecdotes, research notes, statistics, or primary source data that support the author's argument. If I get confused, I will read the supporting details and refer back to the main argument.
Once I discovered what Takaki was investigating, I started to activate my prior knowledge of the removal of the Native Americans by asking myself questions. How were they removed? Who sanctioned their removal? What happened after their removal? I did not write these questions down, but simply held a dialogue with myself. In addition, I was reflecting on what details/topics Takaki discussed in Chapter 4 that may be useful to me in my classroom. I think the letters from tribal chiefs he cited that described what the Native Americans had to endure when crossing the country during winter is extremely poignant and provides a viewpoint of the removal that is not found in most textbooks.
I would use Takaki's discussion on the impact of the railroad to illustrate to students that the railroads did more than connect east and west and stimulate the economy; the railroads forced people to immigrate, migrate, assimilate, increased tensions between whites and other groups, and had other unintended consequences. The rise of the railroad is often celebrated in history books, but as Takaki mentions, the railroad also brought some pain and despair and had far reaching consequences.
Once I discovered what Takaki was investigating, I started to activate my prior knowledge of the removal of the Native Americans by asking myself questions. How were they removed? Who sanctioned their removal? What happened after their removal? I did not write these questions down, but simply held a dialogue with myself. In addition, I was reflecting on what details/topics Takaki discussed in Chapter 4 that may be useful to me in my classroom. I think the letters from tribal chiefs he cited that described what the Native Americans had to endure when crossing the country during winter is extremely poignant and provides a viewpoint of the removal that is not found in most textbooks.
I would use Takaki's discussion on the impact of the railroad to illustrate to students that the railroads did more than connect east and west and stimulate the economy; the railroads forced people to immigrate, migrate, assimilate, increased tensions between whites and other groups, and had other unintended consequences. The rise of the railroad is often celebrated in history books, but as Takaki mentions, the railroad also brought some pain and despair and had far reaching consequences.
Curricular Unit
The unit covers Reconstruction to 1897 and is designed for a 9th grade History class. The unit will be presented in 11 sessions over a period of three weeks and is adjusted for block scheduling.
The unit is meaningful to me because some of the cultural, political, technological, and social elements of the period can be easily related to students (i.e. the invention of the phone, labor rights, voting rights for all male citizens) and some the developments of that period helped lay the groundwork for contemporary ideas towards culture, society, politics, and technology.
Some of the big ideas students should develop an enduring understanding of after completing this unit are:
The political impact of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments and their impact on African-Americans
Identify the political, social, and economic impact of Reconstruction
Students will examine the factors of production in order to describe the role of land, labor and capital in the growth of industry
Students will identify the geographic conditions of the Westward Expansions and analyze the societal implications of the Westward Movement on minorities and women
Evaluate the impact of westward expansion on Native Americans and their responses to the destruction of the buffalo, military conflicts, and the Dawes Severalty Act (1887).
Students will examine important inventions of the late 1800’s in order to explain how improvements in technology led to an increase in industry in the late 1800’s
Students will analyze the impacts of the railroads on the economy in order to examine the rise in industry in the late 1800s
By the end of the lesson, students should be able to write essays on the previously mentioned topics and pass a unit test. Throughout the lesson, I will have students write journal entries/reflections in class on the various topics as well as administer quizzes that will reinforce/asses student knowledge on the essential topics. The goal for the unit is to improve the writing ability of students, to illustrate that what occurred over 100 years still has a lasting impact, and to familiarize students with segments of African-American history that are critical to understanding the present.
The essential question of the unit is what were some of the important cultural, political, social, and technological developments during Reconstruction to 1897 and how those developments affect modern day society.
Students will be assessed by having to write essays, complete quizzes, conduct exit tickets, and through oral questioning. Writing essays will demonstrate not only what the students have learned, but will also give notice of the ability of students to write and if they are engaged with the material. Quizzes will assess mastery of content knowledge and how well students are keeping up with the material. Exit tickets and oral questioning done at the end of each period will clue me in as to whether students understand the material and if a review of certain material is required. Finally, a unit test will be administered at the end of the unit.
The knowledge and performance skills need to be sequenced with exit tickets/oral questioning done at the end of each period to check for understanding. Quizzes and writing assignments will be conducted once a week to check for content mastery, writing ability, and whether students can apply knowledge. Spacing quizzes out to about once a week will make certain students are exposed to the material more often, creating less time between the introduction of material and the unit test. Also, having students write once a week will help them refine and practice what they learn. Finally, my unit on Reconstruction will expose students to content they will encounter in the Government class their sophomore year.
Instruction can be differentiated when students discuss inventors such as Thomas Edison, Samuel Morse, Alexander Graham Bell, etc. Students can break up into groups and create a poster that contains a picture of what the inventor made, a description of what it is, how it improved American industry/society, and how we see the invention applied today.
I would incorporate cultural resources into the unit by identifying someone in the community who is part of a trade union. During the unit on Reconstruction to 1897, students will discuss trade unions and their importance. I would bring someone from the local community who is part of a trade union to discuss the benefits of a trade union, how one becomes part of a trade union, and the overall importance of a trade union. Also, to bring someone in from the local community who is a member of a trade union will set a sound example for students with regards to furthering education beyond high school as members of trade unions are often skilled workers who received specialized education/training.
The materials needed will be a textbook, notebook, a journal, poster board, markers/crayons, and ancillary resources such as videos and primary sources.
The unit is meaningful to me because some of the cultural, political, technological, and social elements of the period can be easily related to students (i.e. the invention of the phone, labor rights, voting rights for all male citizens) and some the developments of that period helped lay the groundwork for contemporary ideas towards culture, society, politics, and technology.
Some of the big ideas students should develop an enduring understanding of after completing this unit are:
The political impact of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments and their impact on African-Americans
Identify the political, social, and economic impact of Reconstruction
Students will examine the factors of production in order to describe the role of land, labor and capital in the growth of industry
Students will identify the geographic conditions of the Westward Expansions and analyze the societal implications of the Westward Movement on minorities and women
Evaluate the impact of westward expansion on Native Americans and their responses to the destruction of the buffalo, military conflicts, and the Dawes Severalty Act (1887).
Students will examine important inventions of the late 1800’s in order to explain how improvements in technology led to an increase in industry in the late 1800’s
Students will analyze the impacts of the railroads on the economy in order to examine the rise in industry in the late 1800s
By the end of the lesson, students should be able to write essays on the previously mentioned topics and pass a unit test. Throughout the lesson, I will have students write journal entries/reflections in class on the various topics as well as administer quizzes that will reinforce/asses student knowledge on the essential topics. The goal for the unit is to improve the writing ability of students, to illustrate that what occurred over 100 years still has a lasting impact, and to familiarize students with segments of African-American history that are critical to understanding the present.
The essential question of the unit is what were some of the important cultural, political, social, and technological developments during Reconstruction to 1897 and how those developments affect modern day society.
Students will be assessed by having to write essays, complete quizzes, conduct exit tickets, and through oral questioning. Writing essays will demonstrate not only what the students have learned, but will also give notice of the ability of students to write and if they are engaged with the material. Quizzes will assess mastery of content knowledge and how well students are keeping up with the material. Exit tickets and oral questioning done at the end of each period will clue me in as to whether students understand the material and if a review of certain material is required. Finally, a unit test will be administered at the end of the unit.
The knowledge and performance skills need to be sequenced with exit tickets/oral questioning done at the end of each period to check for understanding. Quizzes and writing assignments will be conducted once a week to check for content mastery, writing ability, and whether students can apply knowledge. Spacing quizzes out to about once a week will make certain students are exposed to the material more often, creating less time between the introduction of material and the unit test. Also, having students write once a week will help them refine and practice what they learn. Finally, my unit on Reconstruction will expose students to content they will encounter in the Government class their sophomore year.
Instruction can be differentiated when students discuss inventors such as Thomas Edison, Samuel Morse, Alexander Graham Bell, etc. Students can break up into groups and create a poster that contains a picture of what the inventor made, a description of what it is, how it improved American industry/society, and how we see the invention applied today.
I would incorporate cultural resources into the unit by identifying someone in the community who is part of a trade union. During the unit on Reconstruction to 1897, students will discuss trade unions and their importance. I would bring someone from the local community who is part of a trade union to discuss the benefits of a trade union, how one becomes part of a trade union, and the overall importance of a trade union. Also, to bring someone in from the local community who is a member of a trade union will set a sound example for students with regards to furthering education beyond high school as members of trade unions are often skilled workers who received specialized education/training.
The materials needed will be a textbook, notebook, a journal, poster board, markers/crayons, and ancillary resources such as videos and primary sources.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Takaki Chapter 3
(Editor's note: It's been a long weekend. Went to Connecticut for a wedding and between the travel, overdone steak, and the terrible drivers on 295, I am in no mood to be entertaining. You can complain to management, but I doubt that will get you far.)
Chapter 3 in Takaki had a couple nuggets that I could definitely share with my students. First, his examination of how it wasn't just Blacks who were slaves, but the Whites who were indentured servants could also be considered slaves sheds new light on common held beliefs. This is an interesting point as it challenges what most students, and teachers for that matter, believe concerning slavery in Colonial America. To integrate this into a lesson, I would do a "KWL" Chart, first asking the students what they know about slavery and then asking them what they would want to know about slavery. After completing the "KW" part of the chart, I would do a guided reading lesson on Takaki's discussion concerning the indentured servitude of whites. After the reading, I would do the "L" part of the chart and ask the students what they learned from the lesson. Hopefully, the students would learn that it wasn't just Blacks from Africa who served as slaves in the colonies.
Another nugget from Takaki was his investigation of why blacks were selected to become slaves and how the colonies moved away from having whites serve as indentured servants. Takaki mentions that as the landowning elite in the Colonies became more aware of class differences, they decided to create a "scapegoat" that would direct the attention of oppressed whites towards blacks and slavery and away from class differences. With the focus of attention shifted towards blacks and slavery, elite landowners could rest assure that their social and political status would remain undisturbed.
This would be an excellent lesson for my students because this examination begins to reveal racism as a social construct, one that still separates individuals today. To start the lesson, I would provide some employment statistics from my home state...the great state of Ohio. Currently, Ohio is suffering tremendous unemployment and the effects that tend to follow, i.e poor schools, run down towns, limited social services, and limited opportunities. I would provide the statistics without informing my students of the race or ethnicity of the group I am referring to. I would ask the students to guess what group I may be talking about. Hopefully, they will not answer "white" and steal my thunder. By explaining to them that groups of other races and ethnicities suffer the same ills as those in inner cities, students should recognize that certain issues are not just a "white" or "African-American" problems; rather, they are problems suffered by many people and that we tend to classify it as a race issue because if everyone realized that they suffer from the same problems, some people at the government level would have a serious problem on their hand. Race, in short, is a social construct that prevents people from organizing efforts and working towards a common goal.
As noted in a previous post, I tend to underline important information as I read as a method of monitoring how I think. I took the time the other day with my AP Psychology students to do a similar metacognition exercise. First, I described metacognition and why it is important. Second, I modeled what I do as I read to give them a better understanding. I took an opinion piece from the Washington post a few weeks back called "Rose Colored View of All Blacks Schools" written by Mr. Gilmore, legal scholar at Howard University. Mr Gilmore examines school integration and how Washington D.C.'s Dunbar High School flourished during segregation and whether or not contemporary African-American students would flourish under as similar model. I choose this article specifically because it was a topic they could identify with, it wasn't particularly difficult to read, and it could generate some very opinionated responses. I thought using this criteria for the first attempt would help ease my students into the exercise.
I set the parameters by having the students use various symbols to annotate whether the agreed, disagreed, were surprised, or confused by certain information. In addition, I had the students write what surprised them about the article, what new information they learned, and what one question they had for the author.
Overall, the students responded well to the exercise. I'm not sure if it was because it was a break from Psychology related material or because I told them it was an exercise I routinely due in graduate school, but they seemed to be acceptable of the exercise and would like to do another one again. I felt pretty positive about it as well because it helps broke the routine and introduced my students to college level material, which is motivating for some.
Chapter 3 in Takaki had a couple nuggets that I could definitely share with my students. First, his examination of how it wasn't just Blacks who were slaves, but the Whites who were indentured servants could also be considered slaves sheds new light on common held beliefs. This is an interesting point as it challenges what most students, and teachers for that matter, believe concerning slavery in Colonial America. To integrate this into a lesson, I would do a "KWL" Chart, first asking the students what they know about slavery and then asking them what they would want to know about slavery. After completing the "KW" part of the chart, I would do a guided reading lesson on Takaki's discussion concerning the indentured servitude of whites. After the reading, I would do the "L" part of the chart and ask the students what they learned from the lesson. Hopefully, the students would learn that it wasn't just Blacks from Africa who served as slaves in the colonies.
Another nugget from Takaki was his investigation of why blacks were selected to become slaves and how the colonies moved away from having whites serve as indentured servants. Takaki mentions that as the landowning elite in the Colonies became more aware of class differences, they decided to create a "scapegoat" that would direct the attention of oppressed whites towards blacks and slavery and away from class differences. With the focus of attention shifted towards blacks and slavery, elite landowners could rest assure that their social and political status would remain undisturbed.
This would be an excellent lesson for my students because this examination begins to reveal racism as a social construct, one that still separates individuals today. To start the lesson, I would provide some employment statistics from my home state...the great state of Ohio. Currently, Ohio is suffering tremendous unemployment and the effects that tend to follow, i.e poor schools, run down towns, limited social services, and limited opportunities. I would provide the statistics without informing my students of the race or ethnicity of the group I am referring to. I would ask the students to guess what group I may be talking about. Hopefully, they will not answer "white" and steal my thunder. By explaining to them that groups of other races and ethnicities suffer the same ills as those in inner cities, students should recognize that certain issues are not just a "white" or "African-American" problems; rather, they are problems suffered by many people and that we tend to classify it as a race issue because if everyone realized that they suffer from the same problems, some people at the government level would have a serious problem on their hand. Race, in short, is a social construct that prevents people from organizing efforts and working towards a common goal.
As noted in a previous post, I tend to underline important information as I read as a method of monitoring how I think. I took the time the other day with my AP Psychology students to do a similar metacognition exercise. First, I described metacognition and why it is important. Second, I modeled what I do as I read to give them a better understanding. I took an opinion piece from the Washington post a few weeks back called "Rose Colored View of All Blacks Schools" written by Mr. Gilmore, legal scholar at Howard University. Mr Gilmore examines school integration and how Washington D.C.'s Dunbar High School flourished during segregation and whether or not contemporary African-American students would flourish under as similar model. I choose this article specifically because it was a topic they could identify with, it wasn't particularly difficult to read, and it could generate some very opinionated responses. I thought using this criteria for the first attempt would help ease my students into the exercise.
I set the parameters by having the students use various symbols to annotate whether the agreed, disagreed, were surprised, or confused by certain information. In addition, I had the students write what surprised them about the article, what new information they learned, and what one question they had for the author.
Overall, the students responded well to the exercise. I'm not sure if it was because it was a break from Psychology related material or because I told them it was an exercise I routinely due in graduate school, but they seemed to be acceptable of the exercise and would like to do another one again. I felt pretty positive about it as well because it helps broke the routine and introduced my students to college level material, which is motivating for some.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)