Perspectives on the Social Curriculum - Case Study Example

Running Head: CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Class Management Case Study: Perspectives on the Social Curriculum Student’s name Course Tutor’s Name Date Introduction The Estacado High School (EHS) case study is a reflection of how cultural dimensions represented by the students, teachers, and the community where a school is located interact to affect the social curriculum and the different dimensions adopted by the teacher to negotiate with students and manage the class. This essay will focus on the role of the teacher in classroom management and the need for the teacher to have a grasp of the cultural dimensions that affect the student. This essay is based on an argument made in the case study by Powell et al. (2001, p. 21) where the authors indicate that for students to learn successfully, teachers “must connect with the students on a personal, compassionate level”. To connect with students on a personal level, the teacher arguably has to be willing to ‘walk in the students’ shoes’ in order to understand their out of and in school experiences, as well as their worldviews. Notably, and as reflected in the case study by Powell (2001, pp. 230-255), students are required to learn whatever is imposed on them by the curriculum. Teachers are not even afforded some flexibility to fine-tune the curriculum to fit individual students in specific socio-cultural settings. However, it still remains the teacher’s prerogative to provide a sense of connection between what students are taught and their lives, especially in relation to their futures (Elias, 2006, p. 8). Notably, education and teaching are inherently social processes (Parrish & Linder-vanBerschot, p. 2). This means that a teacher works in a social setting, and may have to adjust to the cultural dimensions in the school where he or she teaches in order to connect to the students on a personal and compassionate level. This essay will analyse the EHS case study, and will reiterate the importance of the teacher recognising the learners’ cultural dimensions. Notably, the teacher cannot expect to change each and every student’s cultural dimensions; however, the teacher has a duty to understand, create ways to reach out to students within their cultural dimensions, and if need be, adapt to such cultural dimensions in order to create the rapport necessary for student learning. Parrish and Linder-vanBerschot (2010) argue that “for instruction to do the most good for students, instructional providers must be cognisant of the cultures of their learners and how those cultures manifest themselves in learning” (p. 2). Pirola-Merlo (2003) puts the foregoing more precisely by indicating that teachers need sufficient information and understanding about students’ cultural backgrounds if they are to effectively “fulfil their duty of care to students” (p. 42). This is reflected in the case study where Powell (2001, p. 231) indicates that what is taught by the teachers passes through personalised filters before individual students learn it. Such filters are mainly cultural-based, since they are dictated by the in- and out-of school experiences that the students go through and which effectively shape how they perceive things. The teacher’s critical role in fostering teaching approaches that acknowledge the importance of cultural filters is seen in the examples of two teachers at EHS – Dave Dickerson and Delores Martinez. These two teachers do not seek to control students; instead, they take the initiative to understand their students at a personal level, and this helps them in building good and fruitful relationships. Something worth noting about the two teachers is that they do not try to make students conform to their own expectations. They do not demand promises, and neither do they preach or impose guilt on the students. Instead, they are empathetic and this arguably provides students with a genuine sense of safety. But perhaps more important is the fact that teachers should acknowledge their own cultural conditioning. In the case study, the majority of teachers were from a white middle class background. That meant that they did not share the same perspectives with their students, who were from a minority multi-racial background in the Lubbock area. Pirola-Merlo (2003) has spoken into this subject by proposing that teachers should make a deliberate effort to recognise their own cultural biases, stereotypes and limitations, since such awareness influences the interaction that they have with students from a different culture (p. 42). At EHS, this would have involved the white middle class teachers acknowledging that their socialisation had placed in them in some cultural constructions, which specifically were white middle class constructions. Weinstein, Tomlison-Clarke and Curan (2004) suggest that teachers can benefit from five components, which they identify as: “(a) recognition of one’s own ethnocentrism and biases; (b) knowledge of students’ cultural backgrounds; (c) understanding of the broader social, economic, and political context of the educational system; (d) ability and willingness to use culturally appropriate classroom management strategies; and (e) commitment to build caring classroom communities” (p. 27). When teachers recognise their own biases, assumptions and ethnocentrism, they stop perceiving their own culture as neutral. They also begin to accept and appreciate that in order to reach out to students, they must communicate in a culturally acceptable manner to the students. For this to happen however, teachers need to understand the students’ cultural background. As Weinstein et al. (2004, p. 28) indicate, the teachers’ development of cross-cultural interaction skills depends on their knowledge of the students’ cultural backgrounds. Weinstein et al. (2004, p. 28) indicate that etiquette, deference, rules of decorum, and how the students’ cultures celebrate accomplishments and sanction behaviour are critical areas that every teacher in a multicultural setup should understand. Other areas that are equally important include: motivational systems, social taboos, value orientations, relational patterns, communicational styles, learning styles and achievement standards (Sheets & Gay 1996, p. 92). Another important consideration that emerges in the case study is that students have multiple first languages. This means that their comprehension or even their verbal use of the English language varies from one student to another. Gay (2003, p. 1) has argued that in cases where the race, ethnic or language dominance of students and their teachers is not similar, teachers have to recognise and acknowledge the cultural divide. They also have to prepare for an active classroom teaching method, where the language needs of different students are taken into consideration. Specifically, teachers need to adopt what Gay (2003, p. 131) calls “good multicultural teaching”, where teachers honour the identities, contributions, and cultural and ethnic experiences of the students. Hackett (2003, p. 329) has also emphasised the need for teachers to embrace multiculturalism by arguing that effective teachers know how to link their classroom lessons to the personal and collective out-of-school experiences that their students go through. However, this does not just happen; rather, it is the consequence of a teacher deliberately developing a strong understanding of the different cultural backgrounds of his or her students (Hackett, 2003, p. 329). Nieto and Bode (2008) suggest that multiracial education should include seven characteristics namely “antiracists, basic, important for all students, pervasive, education for justice, a process and critical pedagogy” (p. 44). According to the two authors, teachers need to embrace the fact that education is not fixed or static and accept the concept that effective education needs to be flexible, rigorous and inclusive. Managing the mixing of values to enable students interact more with the teacher Ambrosio (2003) indicates that “teaching is learning” (p. 37). The author backs up his argument by stating that through teaching, teachers slowly integrate knowledge into practice. They do this through reflective mental habits that enable them to alter their teaching practice according to what they discover about their students (Ambrosio, 2003, p. 37). To manage the mixing of values represented in a class, it is important to understand multicultural theory and put it into practice. Ambrosio (2003, p. 37) argues that multicultural theory is a reservoir of cultural insight. He further indicates that multicultural theory enables teachers to “intelligently address pedagogical issues as they arise” in everyday teaching scenarios (Ambrasio, 2003, p. 37). The importance of having a multicultural understanding is supported by Gay (2006, p. 365), who states that teachers who do not have multicultural competence face challenges guiding diverse groups of students. As a result, their classes may be characterised by disorder, chaos, bullying, alienation, disrespect and name-calling among other problematic behaviours (Gay, 2006, p. 366). Multicultural competence is a necessary skill for teachers who intend to equip their students with the ability to embrace multiculturalism (Gay, 2003, p. 4). According to Gay (2000), culturally competent teachers “validate, facilitate, liberate and empower ethnically diverse students by simultaneously cultivating their cultural integrity, individual abilities and academic success” (p. 43). In the case study however, teachers at EHS have to put up with a standardised curriculum. This therefore means that they do not have the flexibility to use a culturally relevant curriculum. However, and as noted by Oran (2009), teachers can adapt their pedagogy to be culturally relevant. Specifically, teachers can empower culturally diverse students by cultivating their educational success as well as their individual abilities and cultural integrity (Gay, 2000, p. 43). Managing the mixing of values therefore arguably requires teachers to honour the students’ diverse viewpoints, and at the same time, refrain from promoting their (teachers’) cultural perspective by presenting them as universal beliefs. Coming from the dominant white middle class social group for example, I have to make a deliberate decision to refrain from presenting my beliefs as the universal beliefs. Glanzer (2008, p. 525) has written about this subject and has argued that teachers have to recognise the moral teachings, values, principles and virtues about which a specific society has no disagreement about. Such set of values can then be upheld as the beliefs in a specific culture. However, the schools as well as teachers working in them should be fair enough to recognise that different students have diverse values which they uphold, and such values affect the kind of vision the students have for the future. Effective management of such values by teachers requires them to understand that education is not equivalent to students sacrificing their social networks, ethnic identity or cultural heritage. As Dingus (2003) notes, all teachers need to learn to respect the culture, identities and social networks to which students belong. Education should thus be offered from such an understanding. Interestingly, once students recognise the teacher’s efforts to meet them at their own levels, they are more willing to open up and even explain some of the cultural things that a teacher does not understand. The teacher’s initiative therefore inspires trust and confidence from the students, who then acknowledge the fact that if they need educational help, they must be willing to open up to the teacher who is offering them such help. Another way in which I plan to manage the mixing of values so that students can interact with me as a teacher more genuinely is to adopt the three reasons suggested by Gatto (2009) as necessary in cultural competence by teachers. According to Gatto, teachers should aspire to: “make good people; make good citizens and make each person his or her personal best” of their students (p. xvi). Arguably, making good people out of students requires a cultural understanding of just what ‘good’ is. Specifically, it involves understanding the values of a specific community and their culture. The ‘good citizens’ concept also has cultural interpretations especially considering that the societal needs of Lubbock region in Texas are different from the societal needs in other regions in the US. Focusing on the ‘who’ aspect of the learner, as opposed to focusing on the ‘what’ aspect of what needs to be taught, is also another viable way of managing the mixing of values in a class so that students are able to genuinely interact with the teacher. Oran (2009) argues that for teachers to create quality learning experiences, they must obtain knowledge about the students’ background. This is reflected in Powell’s (2001) case study where one of the identified teachers indicates that he goes out of his way to understand the out-of-school experiences of his students. In particular, teachers must be willing to incorporate the students’ cultural knowledge with their cultural experiences and living situations in order for education to be relevant to the students (Oran, 2009). Gay (2000, p. 23) and Hall (1981, pp. 16-17) support this argument by indicating that communication – i.e. the sending and receiving of information – is shaped by the cultural context in which it occurs and in which the people sending and receiving the information have been brought up. Additionally, teachers need to appreciate that culture is a key factor that shapes the students’ thinking process. Consequently, a teacher who intends to mix values in a manner that encourages students to interact genuinely with him or her must be willing to invest some time in understanding the host culture and how communication happens in that particular culture. If students are convinced that the teacher understands and appreciates their culture, they are more likely to interact with him or her more openly. Teachers also need to recognise that students are not passive consumers of knowledge. Ambrasio ( 2003, p. 34) specifically argues that students make meaning from what is taught to them based on their individual social construction, which is mainly affected by predominant cultures surrounding them. As such, teachers are advised against perceiving students as “passive recipients of socially sanctioned truths” (Ambrasio, 2003, p. 34). Teachers can even go ahead and give students the platform to challenge the intellectual and moral authorities of the prevailing dominant culture (e.g. in other regions outside Texas), and by so doing, the students feel empowered enough to interact genuinely with the teachers. Also more important for teachers is the need to understand the “intended and unintended consequences of their instructional designs” as indicated by Parish and Linder-vanBerschot (2010). According to Ara, Margaryan and Collins (2003, p. 41), understanding such consequences is vital for any teacher who intends to foster genuine interactions with his or her students. Failure to acknowledge the unintended consequences of teaching methods may lead to a breakdown in communication between the teacher and the students, which effectively would compromise the teacher’s ability to foster a classroom environment where students interact genuinely with him or her. Conclusion From the EHS case study, it is obvious that effective teaching of multicultural students is a responsibility that requires a lot of initiative from individual teachers. Much as a school can have guidelines on how to effectively teach the students, teachers need to be proactive enough to find the cultural aspects that affect students in their out-of-school environments. Understanding such cultural aspects helps teachers to adjust their pedagogy to fit into students’ cultural aspects of communication and meaning making. The second part of this essay indicates how I will manage the mixing of values so that students can interact with me more genuinely. The argument in this section underscores the importance of inspiring trust among students, first by understanding their culture, and secondly by accepting that students interpret what is taught to them from a cultural perspective. References Ambrasio, J. (2003). We make the road by walking. In G. Gay (Ed.), Becoming multicultural educators: Personal journey toward professional agency (pp. 17-41). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Arya, K., Margaryan, A., & Collins, B. (2003). Culturally sensitive problem solving activities for multi-national corporations. Tech Trends, 47(6), 40-49. Dingus, J. (2003). Making and breaking ethnic masks. In G Gay (Ed.). Becoming multicultural educators: Personal journey toward professional agency (pp. 91-116). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Elias, J.M. (2006). The connection between academic and social emotional learning. In M.J. Elias & H. Arnold (Eds.). The Educators guide to emotional intelligence and academic achievement, pp. 4-14, Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Gatto, J.T. (2009). Weapons of mass instruction – A school teacher’s guide through the dark world of compulsory schooling. Gloria Island, BC, Canada: New Society Publishers Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research and practice. New York: Teachers College Press. Gay, G. (2003). Becoming multicultural educators: Personal journey toward professional agency. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Gay, G. (2006). Connections between classroom management and culturally responsive teaching. In C. Evertson & C. Weinstein (Eds.), Handbook of classroom management: Research practice and contemporary issues (pp. 343-370). New Jersey: Erlbaum Hackett, T. (2003). Teaching them through who they are. In G. Gay (Ed.), Becoming multicultural educators: Personal journey toward professional agency (pp. 315-340). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Hall, E.T. (1981). Beyond culture. New York: Ramdom House. Nieto, S., & Bode, P. (2008). Affirming diversity – The sociopolitical context of multicultural education (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Oran, G. (2009). Culturally relevant pedagogy. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/culturally-relevant-pedagogy/ Parish, P., & Linder-vanBerschot, J.A. (2010). Cultural dimensions of learning: Addressing the challenges of multicultural instruction. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 11(2). Retrieved from . Parrish, P. & Linder-VanBerschot, J.A. (2011). Cultural dimensions of learning: Addressing the challenges of multicultural instruction. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 11(2): 1-19. Pirola-Merlo, S. (2003). Influences on children in the classroom. In S. Pirola-Merlo (Ed.), Relationship management in the primary school classroom: Strategies in the legal and social context (pp. 37-54), Frenchs Forest, NSW: Prentice Hall. Powell, R. (2001). Diversity and management: The case of Estacado High School. In R. Powell, J. McLaughlin, T. Savage, & S. Zehm (Eds.), Classroom management: Perspectives on social curriculum (pp. 230-257). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice-Hall. Sheets, R.H., & Gay, G. (1996). Student perceptions of disciplinary conflict in ethnically diverse classrooms. NASSP Bulletin, 80(580), 84-94. Weinstein, C.S., Tomlinson-Clarke, S., & Curran, M. (2004). Toward a conception of culturally responsive classroom management’, Journal of Teacher Education, 55(1), 25-38. Read More