Literature Across Cultures: Dibert, Morgan: Week 1 Blog

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Dibert, Morgan: Week 1 Blog

I would like to start off by saying, I do believe that both of these articles are extremely relevant to this time. Even though they were written in 2005, a lot of the problems teachers were having in 2005 are ones that we are still having now. All educators are struggling with how to include multicultural ideas into the classroom without it feeling forced or feeling inappropriate. I know this is something that I struggle with as a teacher based on the culture that I identify with. I always want to make a welcoming environment for my students and allow for them to be able to see themselves in the texts we are reading. That means a I need to start pushing the envelope and introducing my students to more diverse cultures and identities. Both of these articles were extremely interesting to me. As a teacher, we are always taught to bring in multiple perspectives while teaching. After reading the article, Multicultural Literature and Discussion as Mirror and Window? by Jocelyn Glazier and Jung-A Seo, I am realizing the importance of it more than ever. This article talked a lot about the importance of students being able to connect to what they are reading. It talked about how students will comprehend a text better if they can see themselves in it. “ Text must be both a mirror, allowing students to reflect on their own experience, and as a window, providing the opportunity to view the experiences of others (Glazier, A Seo, 2005). The teacher in this article introduced different multicultural texts to her class to see how they would see themselves. One of her students, Julie, was able to connect with the text Ghost Dance and therefore the text was a “mirror” for her. One of her other students, Mark, felt he learned more about his peers through the reading, making the text more of a “window”. What was interesting about all of this was how many of the students could not quite define what their identity was. I am a fourth grade teacher and the school that I’m in is predominantly white. I think many of my students would struggle with this identity as well.

The question that comes to mind is can someone have multiple identities? Could those identities be based on family? Could it be based on socioeconomic status? Could it be based on other life experiences?

References:

Glazier, J., and Seo, J.-A. (2005). Multicultural literature and discussion as mirror and window?. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy.

2 comments:

Rachel MeyerJune 5, 2024 at 9:12 AM
I also thought both articles were relevant to teaching current day. I struggle with incorporating this into my classroom and I hope I can learn how to do this better because just like you, I want my students to feel welcomed in my class and that they belong. I do understand hat students need to connect with what they are reading and we need to do this beyond just having them read a cultural diverse text. I thought Julie was able to really have her students connect to that book and do so many things with her students to have them connect with it and truly understand it. I believe someone;s identities could be based on all of the following things you said and it is truly up to the person on how they identify with their own culture and why.
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JenJune 11, 2024 at 9:15 AM
One really helpful way to create a safe, welcoming environment is to ask questions and go ahead to say that I don't have all of the answers, either, since there aren't really answers as we typically think of them in the classroom. This is about what we've seen, lived, and believe, and those are not wrong or right; rather, they just are. When I say that and show it, students feel more comfortable sharing beliefs, perceptions, and experiences.
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Post Week 4: Pre- and Post-Conceptual Perspectives

Some thoughts to help you brainstorm your post: Nineteenth-century travel writing caused those who read about other cultures to formulate their ideas about those cultures directly from the writing, so much so that if a person chose to travel to a country he or she had read about prior to travel, the traveller was often disappointed in the actual country and culture. In our current technological existence, our ideas of what places and people are like can certainly be informed by how they are depicted in text and on the multitude of screens we use to interface with the world. What informs your perspective? How might the ways in which we experience people, ideas, issues, cultures, and so on, be impacted by how we learn of them? Are the benefits and drawbacks to the use of the technology available to us? What might some of those be, and why?

Your post is due Thursday at 8 pm.

Responses should be posted by Sunday at 10 pm.

Post Week 2: The Way to Rainy Mountain

The critical text which accompanies your primary reading for the week explores ways in which we as teachers might use other cultures' literatures in our classrooms to move students from superficial, stereotyped perspectives to a fuller understanding of not only individuals from other cultures, but themselves, too. In your blog post, share with your colleagues how you might incorporate ideas from the article in your own teaching.

Your post is due Thursday at 8 pm.

Your responses are due Sunday at 10 pm.

Post Week 1: Questions on Reading

You've been asked to post a question on the readings as your blog post. Here are some ideas to help you get started: You may have noted the publication dates of the readings and wondered why you're reading articles written in 2005. The reason is that the issues raised and discussion in each of the articles are applicable 16 years later. Do you agree? Disagree? Both? Explain why and pose a question to help your reader understand what you find to be the same or different. Or, if one of the two of the readings stands out to you, explain why that’s the case, but also post a question based on what stands out. Or, if something is confusing or problematic for you, what do you find confusing or problematic? With what do you agree or disagree? Be sure your question is open ended so that your colleagues can use it as a basis for discussion.

As you frame your question, be sure to summarize the article, then provide context for your question. Cite the text appropriately.

Questions to be posted by Thursday.

Responses (to at least two colleagues) to be posted Sunday.

Week 5: Toward a Social Justice Ethic: What is an American, Anyway?

How do the issues examined in the article affect you as a teacher and as a person living in today’s world? What is the importance of having a voice? Of being heard? Are there differences in your response based on the role(s) you inhabit? Teacher, parent, individual community member, brother, sister, child, global citizen, and more—we inhabit many subject positions. Are there ways to bring those needs/expectations/responsibilities together?

Posts are due by 8 pm Thursday.

There is no set number of required colleague responses this week, but you are expected to read all posts and to respond as class discussion.

Post Week 6: Article Summaries and Commentary

In this week's reading, you met a narrator who draws the reading into a short story with a decidedly hushed, slower tone. The couple introduced to us has experienced an unimaginable loss. How might that loss be affected by their cultural dislocation? Draw on the supplemental readings as you consider the question.

Your post is due Thursday at 8 pm. As was the case last week, there is not a set number of responses, but you are expected to demonstrate through responding that you have read and engaged with all class posts.