When we were asked to make a list of “learnings we enjoyed” last Thursday, I wasn’t sure that I completed the task correctly. As the instructions were being given, I figured my list would contain concepts and facts and ideas learned in school. What I ended up with was a more personal list of skills I have developed and understandings I have come to about myself and the world (for example, how to do research, how to plan and execute a fun camping trip, and realizing I don’t have to agree with and follow everything my parents do).
As I read this brief section of The Book of Knowing and Forgetting by Frank Smith, I realized that what I had listed were all examples of classic learning. The skills and understandings fit the criteria on page 5, in that they are continual (for example, I am continually learning how to be a better researcher), inconspicuous (after all my years of camping as a kid, I didn’t realize how much I had picked up about what supplies are necessary and what makes the best site), and associated with growth (for example, I have a much more critical view toward the institution of religion my parents raised me in). And Smith’s idea that “we learn from people around us with whom we identify” was made obvious by the names listed in the margin of Wednesday’s notebook entry. The names are all of people that I would quickly identify as having a major positive influence on my life.
Absent from my list were things that I have learned “officially” - all 50 states and capitals, how to multiply fractions, and the chemical formula for sugar. Discrete knowledge and skills like these were not really enjoyable (aside from the reward of getting a good grade on a test). As official learning theory says, these learnings were hard work, intentional, individualistic, assured by testing, and intellectual activities that required memorization. And aside from multiplying fractions, which I do when I cook or bake, it takes great effort to recall all those states, capitals, and elements from the periodic table.
While reading, I was curious about what Lisa Delpit might say in conversation with Smith, considering her belief in the importance of intentional teaching about the culture of power and code-switching. (From the lists on page 5, intentionality is associated with official learning.) But with further thought, realized just how much her philosophy aligns with Smith. They both recognize that learning is taking place all the time - especially “things that we might be better off not learning, such as the fact that there are certain things we should expect to be able to learn, or that we have certain (usually fictitious) learning deficiencies or disabilities” (3). Delpit would say that in the case of students of color or students with diverse linguistic backgrounds, every time a teacher punishes a student for their word choice or bleeds red ink correcting every punctuation and grammar mistake on an essay, those students are learning that they are not normal, wrong, and inferior (when it is not actually a matter or "right" or "wrong," just "different). So although certain intentional teaching about the codes of power must exist, Delpit and Smith would agree that it must be done in the context of learning from the people around them. Students cannot memorize a formula for code switching. Traditional pen and paper testing will not prove their understanding of the way power is enacted in the world around them. See Delpit's Rethinking Schools article "The Real Ebonics Debate" for even more about how teachers might approach classic and official learning of language.
Though my students are not very racially or linguistically diverse, they do vary in gender identity, socioeconomic status, family structure, learning style, academic readiness, and extra-curricular interests. I need to keep in mind that these students are always learning something - and it may or may not be the academic content or skills that are listed in my objectives on the board. Whether it is the texts I use, the attitude I take toward certain topics, the way I interact with different students, the time I give to particular conversations, or the order in which I explain the requirements and grading of an assignment, the students are learning something about what is “normal,” what is valued, and whether or not they fit in with that. I will continue to incorporate open-ended reflection questions at the end of individual lessons and longer units of study as a way to check what else I am teaching and the (not so) hidden curriculum that is being learned.
Brittany,
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that you chose to look at Smith's learning criteria through a Delpit lens. (We always seem to come back to her it seems...) I think it is true that Delpit and Smith would agree even though their ideas seem at first to be on different tracks. When Smith uses words and phrases like "a social activity" and "growth", I think they tie into Delpit's philosophy exactly. Delpit acknowledges that the rules and codes of power exist, but she also understands the knowledge of their existence as ultimately social in nature and an opportunity for growth through realization.
I also think your idea about continuing to use open-ended reflection questions definitely helps us to gain insight (as teachers) into the hidden curriculum of our classrooms.
Brittany,
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that you chose to look at Smith's learning criteria through a Delpit lens. (We always seem to come back to her it seems...) I think it is true that Delpit and Smith would agree even though their ideas seem at first to be on different tracks. When Smith uses words and phrases like "a social activity" and "growth", I think they tie into Delpit's philosophy exactly. Delpit acknowledges that the rules and codes of power exist, but she also understands the knowledge of their existence as ultimately social in nature and an opportunity for growth through realization.
I also think your idea about continuing to use open-ended reflection questions definitely helps us to gain insight (as teachers) into the hidden curriculum of our classrooms.
Brittany,
ReplyDeleteWhat struck me about our learning conversation last week, was how fondly I remember learning each item on my list, and how seamlessly those things became incorporated into who I am. I also did not list anything "academic" that I learned in school, which I think is kind of the point. I found it interesting that you included choosing to take a more critical view of the religion you were handed by your parents and family, because I believe that learning has a component of growth-or shift to it that we cannot underestimate, you are literally in a different place after learning, than you were before. I struggle the most with giving students enough latitude during responses to completely formulate their position, as I too eagerly want to connect, and validate, I fear I am teaching them to limit their answers, and strive to comply, rather than think, and feel, to listen and invite change.