The article Toward a Theory of Anti-Oppressive Education was an interesting read. The article claimed students are oppressed in school because a group of victims (which Kumashiro called the "Other”) are treated in a harmful way. The beginning of the article grabbed my attention because counter evidence was provided to the myth there is not oppression in school. For instance, on page 27 Kumashiro claimed minority students were subject to dangerous infrastructures and insufficient resources. Kumashrio also claimed research suggested that racist and sexist prejudices and stereotypes affect how teachers treat their students. My big question that I do not feel was answered was how to teachers treat their students differently and to what extend? For instance, do the schools try to steer females away from taking sciences or automotives classes? Do Caucasian teachers treat their minority students like second class citizens? I know that Kumashiro’s information is true from information in my other classes, I just want more information.
I took one critical thing away from this reading: that curriculum, pedagogy and instruction harms the “Other.” Kumashiro argued that schools can increase prejudices and stereotypes against the “other” due to a lack of knowledge. Teachers do not attempt to help students to “unlearn” their prejudices and stereotypes. Outside of the school, students learn about the “other” through many outlets: the media, Internet, family, movies, television and friends, just to name a few. This spreads prejudices, stereotypes and myths a just society should attempt to distort through education in the schools.
Throughout the reading, I wondered how I could integrate content into my Social Studies classes to eliminate oppression of the “Other.” Kumashiro offered many suggestions such as including specific units on the other and attempting to integrate entire lessons about the “Other” into the entire curriculum. My big question is in what ways can I integrate lessons about the other? I want more ideas and techniques I could use to integrate the “Other” in my class. I want more ideas on how to integrate the curriculum. Integrating feminist movements or racism into one of my history classes would be easy, but what about the history of those with disabilities that are also oppressed?
Charlie
16 years ago
2 comments:
In regards as to how you can integrate the "Other" in your Social Studies class, I think it may be just as simple as asking your class the famous question: What was left out or not mentioned? Many, many history books do not tell the "whole" story and it may sound simple but just asking your class what they think was left out could start up a whole conversation on who was involved in the Holocaust and which sides were interviewed and which sides weren't. I know that you directed your question specifically towards including a unit on people with disablilites and I think it is possible to start out talking about Roosevelt and then venture into why he wouldn't reveal his disability on camera and why he didn't think his public would understand. Also, if you wanted the lesson to dig a little deeper, what is interesting (but not satisfying) is the progress of institutions and help for people with disabilities. I was recently in a summer course deisgned for teachers who will be teaching students with disabilities and we watched this depressing, yet, very interesting film on the history of people with handicaps. I hope this information is of help to you. Otherwise, just google the idea - you never know what will come up!
~Angela Roslawski
I came across the same question that you did as to what teachers are doing that prolongs this oppression (i.e. what they are saying or not saying). I would love to find out more about the things that I can do as well as shouldn’t do in order to put an end to oppression or at least an end to it in my classroom. I am sure that we will be learning more about this as the semester goes on, but I have always thought about this kind of thing as being a problem for me. Although we all want to be equal and fair to all of our students and if you ask most teachers they say that they are, having been in the school system I think that we all know that this is not true. And I know that I probably won’t be perfect either, because I think that all teachers have kids they like and kids that they don’t, but I want to know as much as I can about making my classroom seem like a safe place where everyone is welcome, no one is prejudged, or looked down upon for where they came from or who they are.
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