School Violence and Africentric Schools

I was deeply disturbed today while reading the paper. The topic of violence in schools has been prevalent in Toronto these past few weeks, since the release of a report on that subject that was initiated after the shooting death of 15 year old student Jordan Manners, the first shooting fatality on school property in the history of The Toronto District School Board. The report has 126 recommendations on how to make schools safer. Some of them are logical, feasible, and easy to implement, and I sincerely hope that efforts are made to follow some of the directives of the report.

Running parallel to this situation has been the demands for an Africentric school to open in Toronto, a specialized school that will teach an African-focused curriculum. I will not focus on the many reasons I think this is a bad idea (basically I think that any form of division and segregation is misguided and backwards, and the idea of an African focus seems too broad, as though ever student of African descent will have the same experiences, as though you can reduce all the diversity of the African Diaspora into one essentialist “African”).

Although this disturbs me, what I find truly disturbing is the fact that groups are connecting these disparate situations. Basically, people are using the increase of violence and the apparently pervasive “culture of fear” in our school systems to renew calls for racial segregation in our school system. A recent newspaper spread had these articles side by side, their thematic connection made clear by their placement. I was shocked and saddened to see this, and I wondered if the undertone of racism was intentional, or is the culture of racism so pervasive that people just assumed the connection between race and violence is just assumed. Whatever the reason, whatever justification one could make, I think that connecting these issues is incorrect, and does not serve the needs of our students appropriately. Misguided half truths are not helpful, especially given the import of the situation. After all, the only thing at stake is the next generation. No big deal for some, I suppose.

ESL and EQAO

When it comes to leveling the playing field for ESL students working on the standardized tests such as EQAO and the Grade 10 Literacy test, there are a few things that can be done, both before and during the test.

There are programs available for students to give them practice on writing standardized tests, and on answering the sorts of questions that standardized tests ask. These usually run before or after school fore a few weeks shortly before the EQAO test. The ESL teacher could be responsible for running this program for the students. It is my understanding that many of the resources are available from the EQAO or ministry web site, so it would not cause an excessive planning burden.

During the writing of the test there are many accommodations that students could use. They could be allowed to have a dictionary, or a vocabulary sheet with them. They could also have the length of time for the test extended. Students might also be able to have the use of a scribe, so that they can just explain their answers, and not have the extra burden of trying to write them out. They could also have the opportunity to write the test in a small group environment, or alone using a privacy carrel if necessary.

In these ways ESL students might have the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge they have.

Ramifications of Teaching an Anti-Racist Unit

Rationale

The school I work in is very multicultural, with a wide range of students from a variety of backgrounds. The students generally get
along well, but, as in any group of 400 students, there are conflicts that arise. These can sometimes be along racial lines, but, of course, they are not limited to this. The school does make an effort at multiculturalism, as evidenced by the posters for Black History month, and the yearly Multicultural festival, but these are usually nothing more than simple celebration, with no input or analysis given. At no time are students asked to critically examine the role of race, or racism, in society. They have no consciousness of their own racial identification, nor do they feel this has any connection to their schoolwork. I hope to see what effect, if any, teaching a specific anti-racism unit will have on the class.

Materials

The main resource that will be needed is simply an anti-racism unit that can be utilized as a course of study for the two weeks. I will adapt “The Kit: A Manual by Youth to Combat Racism Through Education”, produced by the United Nations Association in Canada as the main focus of the unit. There are several different activities that encourage students to think concretely and critically around the notions of race and racism.

Sources of Evidence

The following is a partial list of some of the kinds of sources of evidence you may use. It is meant as guidance only. There are many other sources of evidences.

I will begin by having the students work what they think of in terms of racism, and the climate of racism in the school and community. This will be a base line, and can be compared at the end of the unit. I will also have students write a journal about their ideas around racism. During the unit, I will take careful observations notes, and expect some amount of written work/refection work. I will once again have them complete this survey and write a second journal response at the end of the unit.

Literature Review

In considering this project, I was struck by several additional questions. While I initially wanted to know how students would react to the Anti-Racism unit, I was also unsure how to teach it, and what links to the curriculum I could make, I wondered, if challenged, how I would defend using class time to work on this. Could I take the stance that anti-racist education can actually assist in students learning? I knew that I could effectively tie my idea to the Standards of Practice, notably: (i) Seeks and effectively applies approaches for helping students’ cognitive, affective and social development, (ii) Addresses issues of equity and diversity by planning appropriate experiences, (iii) Communicates information from a bias-free, multicultural perspective, (iv) Encourages feedback, risk-taking, questioning and experimentation by establishing a non-threatening learning environment, (v) Modifies programmes to fit student needs by making topics relevant to students’ lives and experiences and (vi) Chooses pertinent resources for development of instruction to address student needs. I was comfortable that I would at the very least be working in an area that is considered important enough to be discussed at great length in the Standards of Professional Practice, but I was still hoping there would be some possible connection to the effectiveness of students education. Before beginning my project, I looked at what the research had to say.

I was surprised at the lack of Antiracist Education research that has taken place. While Multiculturalism articles are prevalent, it would appear that there is little in the way of educational research on this topic. While not a total loss, I was surprised by how little information there was on research and effects of multicultural education. While there were many articles looking at implementing a curriculum, there was little scholarly study available.

I first wanted to know what exactly Anti-Racist education was, and how it differed from multiculturalism. I discovered that
“Racism is the denial of the fundamental moral equality of all human beings. It involves the expression of attitudes of superior worth or merit justifying or underpinning the domination or unjust advantage of some groups over others. Antiracism as a value involves striving to be without racist attitudes oneself as well as being prepared to work against both racist attitudes in others and racial injustice in society more generally.” (Blum, 1992)

This is an excellent definition of antiracism, but I still wondered how it differed from Multiculturalism. On the surface, these two ideas would appear to be very similar. They both have a focus on character education, they both deal with race and ethnicity, and they both have been the subject of great debate over the past few decades, but they are very different in terms of content and focus. It can be said that “…a distinction is often drawn between ‘multiculturalism’ and ‘antiracism’. The former is usually associated with a concern to develop more culturally diverse and sensitive curricula, while the latter stresses the need to confront inequalities in power, to identify and deconstruct the racist structures that shape students’ lives.” (Gilborn, 1995) So there is an obvious and clear difference between the two. While diversity and sensitivity are certainly things to be admired, having multicultural days would do little to progress students in terms of actively thinking about racism and the effect it has in their lives, or preparing them to confront racism, whether it applies to them or someone else. It seemed clear that antiracism was going to be the more effective form of education to effect a true change in students’ perceptions and attitudes. It also seemed clear that it was going to be more emotionally difficult for a white male such as myself to teach. And still I wondered, how could I justify it? How could this be included in a curriculum, and what changes could I hope to effect?

These questions were largely unanswered by the research I found, but they did take me into an interesting side area, as to how teaching and thinking about antiracist education could effect me. As a teacher, I could be subjecting myself to changes. According to the research “…teachers who undergo antiracism professional development will manifest positive changes in his or her identify as a White Person.” (Martin & Baxter, 2001) This line of inquiry could lead me into interesting places, and cause me to reflect on my practice thus far in my short teaching career.

I started my research by first trying to get an idea of the students’ opinions of racism and its possible effect in their lives. I originally intended to discover their stage of Racial Identity Development, but upon reviewing the test, I realized that this was not appropriate. I decided to focus on a more general survey and go from there.

Process

After giving the students the initial survey, I was heartened to see that the results were generally positive. Most students did not feel that there was a problem with racism in the school, and very few had had any problems with it. None had been attacked physically, but the majority of the students had concerns that they were not comfortable talking about harassment or discrimination while at the school. I had them write a journal entry, reflecting on the theme of racism, what they thought about it, how it effected them, if it effected them at all, and what they can do to make the class, school, and society a less racist place. I was surprised that in such a diverse school, the students had not considered racism or race relations, or the negative impact it can have on society. Interestingly enough, students considered it to be a problem for other countries, such as the United States. More than one student took the position that while the U.S. had a problem with racism, none such problems existed here. I was really interested in this, wondering how they came to this opinion. After collecting these initial observations, I was ready to attempt my antiracist unit.

I conducted a series of ice-breakers, gently introducing the concept of racism. One of the activities I used was a cultures game, were students are randomly given cultural identities (Orange Culture, Red Culture) and a series of taboos, attitudes, and salutations. They are exposed to thinking about cultural identity in a safe way, in that the “cultures” are obviously made up, and the taboos are totally unreal. Students are given the opportunity to try to interact with other cultures, and view the difficulties that can ensue when taboos and salutations do not mix. After this, we have the opportunity to discuss what we have done, and how it was effective, difficult, what was interesting, frustrating etc… This was a very remarkable and eye-opening lesson, because the students really understood quickly what the point of it was. They had some discussions that applied this lesson to everyday school life, and interacting with different people. The lessons then went to specific discussions on racism, what can be done to combat racism, why racism starts, stereotyping, and a reflection of Canada and whether or not it is racist. We had an interesting lesson that was a silent conversation, students had to write responses to an collage based around the topic of oppression. Students who do not generally like to participate in active discussions were given the opportunity to express themselves in a different way. To finish, I assigned another journal entry, and gave them the survey again, to see if their feelings had changed significantly. While there was not a huge amount of difference between the first survey and the second, there was obviously more consciousness in the students. They were no longer willing to just sit and let racism happen, and would be more vocal if they saw examples of racism, or racist situations taking place. Probably the biggest change that occurred was within myself. In teaching this unit, I decided to forsake teaching curriculum expectations, and I generated very few marks during this process. I was initially quite worried about this, and worried about being a white man teaching antiracism to multicultural classes. I was worried that I might say the wrong thing, that something I did would be misconstrued or misunderstood, that the students might initially think that I was in some way trying to propagate racism, instead of fighting it. What I discovered is that as the unit progressed, both myself and my students began to be more comfortable with the subject – the discussions were stilted and difficult in the beginning, but as the unit concluded, we all became highly engaged in discussions and debates. I did not worry about generating marks, because I was generating ideas and important discussions in my students. I think that is more valuable than another trite writing assignment. I was able to collect several pages of detailed notes based upon my observations of student interaction, and what is fascinating upon reading it over is how supportive and positive the students were being with one another during the unit. The attitudes, behaviors and work ethic that were on display during this unit was very heartening for a teacher to see. They were in many ways challenged, and showed themselves to be up to the challenge. What was the most interesting thing for me was that between the two classes I teach, one is noticeably stronger in almost all areas. They are usually more polite, focused academically superior. However, in working through this unit, I noticed a great change in my weaker class. Once we began the process, they were enthusiastic to begin, and were more focused during discussions, role-plays and all of the work this unit entails. I couldn’t help but wonder if they were just waiting for an opportunity to prove themselves in other ways. It made me consider how, as a teacher, sometimes we have to go against what seems easy, seems to be the status quo, and try to do our best to actually teach these kids, even if we think it will make us uncomfortable. It does no one any favors to not challenge these students in different ways, and it can actually make a profound and noticeable difference. In the future I will try to incorporate a lot of these ideas throughout my teaching year, and begin the process much, much earlier.

If this minor study can effect any sort of change in these students, I truly feel that efforts like this should become commonplace, and perhaps the students will begin to actively confront racism, not only in school, but at home, in their communities and for the rest of their lives. The change in these students was slight, but measurable, and perhaps they will be able to affect a slight, but measurable change in their communities, a change for the better.

Bibliography

Batten, Susan T,; Leiderman, Sally A. (1994). Planning an Anti-Racism Initiative. San
Francisco: Levi Strauss Foundation
This writing gave me some ideas about the usefulness and effectiveness of planning an antiracism unit, and some general tips on how this could be effectively undertaken.
Blum, Lawrence A. (1991). Antiracism, Multiculturalism, and Interracial Community;
Three Educational Values for a Multicultural Society. Boston; Massachusetts
University.
This writing gave me effective definitions of racism, and how antiracism could be effectively taught in an interracial community.
Gillborn, David. (1995). Racism, Modernity and Schooling: New Directions in Antiracist
Theory and Practice. San Francisco; American Educational Research Association.
This writing gave me an effective definition of the differences between antiracism and multiculturalism, and how to focus on antiracist education.
Martin, Paula S.; Baxter, Anthony G. (2001). Mentoring African Middle School Students:
Applying Principals of Antiracism Education to the Problem of Closing the Black-
White Achievement Gap. Houston, Texas: National Association of Latino and
Hispanic Studies
This writing gave me some evidence of the positive educational value of teaching antiracist education.

ESL Internet Sites

The ubiquity of ESL internet sites can be seen with just a simple Yahoo search . The sheer volume of responses you will receive is testament to how the internet is impacting pedagogy in general, ESL learning specifically. There are many great benefits to this for the teacher. Lesson planning has never been easier, nor has researching a subject. If you need a lesson on passive voice for a level six student it is as simple as doing a quick search, and there you have it! Lessons lessons lessons galore! Like magical manna from heaven!

There is of course a dark side to this. There is an old computing axiom that that goes “Garbage In, Garbage Out”. The sad fact is that many of these web sites are in fact garbage. The difficulty for the teacher is to figure out which of these sites are useful, and which af these sites are junk. The ready made lesson plans can be ineffective, or worse, designed in such a way that is contrary to your teaching style. It could be like trying to fit into another person’s shoes. Not always the most comfortable thing to do, What is worse is that it could be a lesson that is not properly targeted to the learning needs of your student or students. The lesson could be too hard, too easy, or just generally dull and uninspiring, having no connection to the world of the students. This is not the way to teach.

Even very good, well thought out web sites can have drawbacks. Teachers can become too reliant on having the students use the web sites, and thus have no way of properly assessing the learning of the students. Plunking a learner down in front of a computer, no matter how great the site is, is not a replacement for a proper lesson. Unless the student understands how the site is connected to real world learning, there is no use for it.

The biggest drawback is finding inaccurate information, and replicating it. English grammar can be a tricky business, and there are many pre-designed worksheets an lessons that do not accurately convey the nuances of the grammar accurately, and can in fact be just plain wrong. Believe me, there is nothing worse than having a student point out errors on a worksheet that a teacher has taken from the internet. Not very good.

So, while there are of course many different ways to incorporate the internet and into your teaching, the texts and lessons you use must be carefully chosen and vetted to ensure that you are presenting an effective lesson to the students.

Introduction to Poetry Through Song – Extended

Language Arts Lesson Plan #1 & 2

Title of the Lesson: Introduction to Poetry Through Song

Curriculum Area: Language Arts Unit of Study: Writing, Grammar

Background Information: Where does this lesson fit into your overall unit planning — introductory, middle, culminating?
Introductory lesson on the unit or poetry as a method of social change.

Learning Expectations: What skills, knowledge, attitudes/values do you expect your students to learn?

Knowledge and Understanding:
• Read a variety of fiction and no-fiction materials (poems)
• Explain their interpretation of a written work, supporting it with evidence from the work and from their won knowledge and experience
• Analyze Media works

Assessment Strategies: How will you assess the learning expectations?

Observation
Anecdotal notes
Work Samples.

Indicators: How will you know that your students have achieved the expectations? What will achievement look like?

In class participation during discussion.
Able to understand rhyme and rhythm
Quality of poem produced/worksheet created

Modifications: How will you change the lesson to meet the needs of individual students?

Mark poems at appropriate grade level for their I.E.P.
Extend time for working on poems.
Individual help for those that need it.

Materials/Resources: What will you need to prepare in advance?

Teacher Resources
CD of mixed music (variety of songs, genres, rhythms etc…), worksheet #1, Portfolios to distribute, Table of Contents mock-up, glue, overhead sheets

Student Materials
Notebook, utensils, ears

Equipment
CD Player, overhead projector

Teaching Strategies:

Reading and Listening for meaning
Reflective Discussion
Creation of creative work

DELIVERING THE LESSON

15-20 minutes Mental Set:

Play the CD of mixed music. Pause between tracks to give a brief explanation of the clips. Place lyric sheets on overhead.
1. Gil Scott-Heron –“The Revolution Will Not be Televised”
2. Grandmaster Flash – “The Message”
3. Public Enemy – “Bring Tha Noise”
4. Bob Dylan – “Hurricane”

Ask students what this diverse group of songs have in common. Move the discussion to the subject of poetry. Materials/Resources

3-5 minutes Sharing the Purpose/Objectives:

Explain that we will be doing a unit on poetry. Get feedback on what students think of poetry, what they like, what they don’t like, what they know, what the don’t know. Ask if they think that poetry is important or interesting to them. N/A

Body:

1. Read the Tupac Shakur poem “The Rose That Grew From Concrete”. Ask them how they feel about the poem. Read other works from the Tupac Shakur book. Brainstorm ideas about the author of the book. Reveal that it is in fact 2Pac.
2. Listen to tracks from the Rose CD. Discuss the themes of the work. Explain how we are going to discuss the concept of poetry and music as a source of change and social justice.
3. Brainstorm ideas about problems in Canada, in their lives, in their neighbourhoods. What makes them angry and upset.
4. Distribute the portfolios. Tell them that the cover is theirs to decorate, and point out the table of contents on the back cover. Explain that they should fill it out daily.
5. Distribute Worksheet #1 – have them think about what makes them upset, emotions, and possible rhymes they can use. This will be homework, if necessary.

Closure:
The worksheets will be considered homework, and added to the homework board, and their planners. Their planners will be checked upon dismissal as they leave the class at the end of the day.

*Grouping: W = Whole class; S = Small group; I = Independent

ESL and the Ontario Ministry of Education

When reviewing the ESL/ELD resource guide created by the Ontario Ministry of Education, it is readily apparent that there is a serious and sustained effort, at least at the theoretical level, to utilize current second language acquisition theories and research findings related to English as a Second language education. The document is replete with advice and recommendations that would resonate with anyone who has studied language acquisition theory at all. The list of factors influencing second language acquisition has many references to concepts that are directly connected to theoretical approaches, for example:

• the age of the student on arrival;
• the length of time the student has lived in Canada;
• the student’s level of first-language literacy;
• the student’s previous exposure to English;
• the language or languages spoken in the student’s home;
• the presence of learning exceptionalities.

This list has obviously been written by someone who is well informed with theoretical foundations of ESL/ELD, and has several excellent ideas of possible difficulties for students.

The large variety of different support structures, from Reading Recovery, Booster programs, in class teaching, ESL-only classrooms also point to theoretical foundations. Different students are going to going to react to different learning environments, depending on the stage they are at. Some students are going to need a dramatic intervention, while others will just need a small amount of occasional, targeted, support. This clearly shows connections to a variety of different theories.

The guide also includes a section on the stages of the acculturation process, which can be an invaluable guide for helping students. For anyone who has ever gone through culture shock, well, it can be a terrible thing. I can only imagine ho horrible it could be for a school aged child dealing with unfamiliar expectations and an unsupportive teacher. This can be a key period for a student, one of the most difficult transitions in their lives, and if it does not go well for them, they can end up even more resistant to English, and their new environment.

The list of strategies to support ESL/ELD students is, if not exhaustive, at least very comprehensive, and based on existing research. From adaptations, to integrating the student, to even small things like finding a specific role for the student to help with socialization.

In theory, this document is a wonderful, well informed guide to help students adapt to Canada, filled with good ideas to help them. The reality, with under funded ESL/ELD programs, I do not believe the classroom experience is everything it could be for our newly arriving students.

The Role of Parents in Education

Recently while keeping some students late for detention, my host teacher and I were surprised by a visit from a student’s mother. This student is a regular at detention. His homework is never completed, and if miraculously he finishes it, it is an unreadable mess. He spends his time in class doing almost anything possible but working. His planner is filled with complaints from all of his teachers about unfinished work, poor attitude, and generally, not being a model student. Really, not being a student at all. I had wondered previously “Do his parents not care? Why don’t they see that he never does any work?” Well, a visit from his mother sure set me straight.

While serving detention with three other students, this student was supposed to be copying six questions from the black board. He had missed the last social studies class, so Mr. Walcott (the host teacher) wrote them again for Abdul’s benefit. He had a full period (50 minutes) to write them out, plus about 15 minutes of his detention time. In the hour, he had managed to write down only four questions.

When his mother came in, I was at first concerned. I was afraid that she might initially be upset that we were keeping Abdul late after class. She spoke briefly with my co-teacher, and then had an extended, angry conversation with her son. Although they were speaking Somali, I was pretty sure I could translate the conversation almost word for word, and it was not going well for this student. His mother was furious at his progress in school so far. When she was shown his unfinished work, she promised to come to school every day and work with him until everything was finished. I was shocked at how much Abdul tried to lie to make the situation seem like it was not his fault, but when presented with page after page of unfinished work, his mother just silenced him, siding with the teachers at every turn. At one point she got me involved, stating “Here you have TWO teachers, and still you cannot get the work done!” They left that day, his mother promising to keep Abdul on task and focused. Never again, she said, would he not finish his homework.

Reaction

This situation made me consider strongly several notions of Critical Pedagogy. I was interested in the dialectic that was presented in this situation, the pull between the student and the parent, and the student and the teacher. This situation was based on the struggle between power (teacher and parent) and weakness (the student). The student had a belief, that he was in the right, that the teacher was wrong. The power base of teacher and parent had the opposite belief, and worked in harmony to silence the child. Although it is true that he is disruptive, and not a focused student, it is possible that there are mitigating factors that were not listened to, not heard, as the yin of the powerful silenced the yang of the weak. I was also aware of the idea of Cultural Capital, as applied to this situation. I wondered how this woman’s culture and experience made her immediately defer to the teachers’ opinion. Would the situation have been different had it been his father? What if, instead of being lower income newcomers to Canada they had been rich 4th generation Canadians? How would these differences affect this situation, and who would have the Cultural Capital as these situations changed?

The most important part of this situation, for me, was the fact that initially I wondered why his parents did not seem to care about their child’r progress in school. Now I wonder why I thought that. It is apparent to me that this mother wants nothing but success for her son, and she is willing to work hard to help him achieve that. This situation made me ask questions about knowledge, cultural differences and similarities, and my role as the teacher of a diverse classroom.