Blog6 Literacy with an Attitude
Literacy with an Attitude
Author: Patrick J. Finn
I am going to focus in on the authors argument and teaching methods
Argument: Finn's first teaching job was at the Carol Jason Banks "Upper Grade Center" in a black neighborhood. It was on the South side and 400 eighth grade students were separated from the highest to lowest reading scores. His argument changed throughout but my main focus was his teaching methods. He was from the working class therefore he said he knew how the working class and poor kids related to authority. He was strict and his classroom was always quiet. Finn used methods of control while he taught. Many things affect students learning and simple things can throw students off track. When an authoritative figure asks "What are you doing?" when you have an assignment in front of you it allows you to argue back and make a statement. As that takes the power from a teacher, we need to know how enforce rules and expectations so students have more respect and are in a way forced to learn. Finn argued that he would say "Stop that, and get back to work". This statement leaves absolutely no openings for an argument. He made assignments easy and gave extra credit so it was very possible to be successful in his class. Obedient students always passed, because the work was just that easy. Disobedient students often failed simply for not doing the assignments that were once again "easy" Always having something for your students to do allows them to think critically throughout the day and prevents problems in the classroom in a variety of ways. It's important to know how to talk to your students so they are aware your in power and respect you as their teacher during the duration of the school day. In order to do all of that you need to understand different cultures and understand where people came from and how they may have grew up.
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| Quiet Classroom |
Very insightful! Yes, the way teachers talk to their students demonstrates their level of authority and their awareness of it (Delft's codes of power)
ReplyDeleteTotally, the language and tone when speaking to students really matters ALL the time. Even when you are frustrated, remaining calm in a low voice often has more positive results. Through inspiration, students can build on their own problem solving skills and succeed.
ReplyDeleteThe role of power in the classroom is definitely apparent here. It's funny though, one has to ask, is power necessary in certain situations?
ReplyDeleteI appreciate how he starts the text with his own personal experience in a working class school before defining the different social levels of education. It was surprising to see how drastically different the schooling is in the more socially powerful schools where the children have the ability to even teach themselves.
ReplyDelete