Friday, October 31, 2008
Week 11 Discussion of Paper Topics
This week, I would like you all to discuss your paper topics for you final paper. Feel free to pose questions to the rest of the class to get feedback on what they think about things. The goal is to share your thoughts and help each other clarify ideas for the final paper and the proposal.
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31 comments:
According to Linda Flower, “local publics offer university partners a distinctive space for engagement in which we too, can act as rhetors – not as the experts with answers but as orchestrators and documenters of a more just, generative, and transformative public dialogue” (6). I would like to write about the function / role / ethical responsibilities of teachers and student-mentors in community literacy programs. So far, I’m thinking along the lines of intercultural dialogue / mentor as the “Other.” My first question is: does this fall within our paper guidelines? Also, is there enough information available to make some kind of argument? Any feedback appreciated.
Anna: I think your idea sounds good, but maybe narrow it down a bit. I’m in the same situation, where I have a strong overall idea, but need to focus it in more. Maybe just choose one of the following concepts to really focus on: function - role - ethical responsibilities. One of the three, given the framework you describe should be enough. Do you agree?
I am considering focusing my paper on the ramifications of being a female community literacy practitioner. Similarly, I’d like to explore what differences are inherent when working with female community literacy participants. I think all of our readings so far have dealt with these issues in some way or another and I will be able to use our readings to help support my arguments. I think my challenge will be narrowing this down to create a more focused argument. Any thoughts/input/feedback appreciated.
Jill – I see what you’re saying - as I continue to work over this paper in my head I’m starting to lean toward the study of ethics. I will most likely look at the learning institutions, teachers/facilitators and students to examine where it works, doesn’t work and why it matters.
I think you are on to a good thing going the gender direction. Judging from the textbooks we’ve read, women practitioners are well represented in the field - so you have material straight off. I’m trying to think of the female initiated stories we came across: Shirley at CLC and Gloria Yearby in Chicago (Coogan’s project) were fairly vocal. As an aside, the Clothesline Project is a personal favorite – though I’m not sure if it falls within community literacy because it is used to promote awareness of domestic violence. Dr. Wilkey would have to confirm. I’m all out of ideas – I'll try and come up with some more by Thursday.
I think your ideas are excellent Anna. I was considering writing on the ethics involved in community literacy. But, I’m also considering the idea of empowerment in community literacy, especially for women. Flowers covered “Scripts of Empowerment” questioning whether the “poor, excluded or marginalized, and oppressed, themselves [are] wresting power from the rich, the privileged, and powerful” or if they’re being “given” “membership or agency” or if the privileged are developing the capacity to advocate for others or if whether “privileged and excluded” are “achieving together” power of solidarity. In a setting such as battered women or women recovering from addictions, or programs such as “Women’s Salon” and “First Step Recovery Program for Women in Over-the-Rhine. I’m thinking of taking it from the angle of power structures in society, i.e. placing community women at the center of the learning process and basing their lessons in understanding power structures in society.
The problem is, Jason and I were discussing his ideas about subaltern groups and he made some excellent points. So now I keep struggling with ideas about the subaltern and whether any voice can actually be given to a group and still have it be their voice. I’m still thinking about another angle that I haven’t exactly figured out how to articulate. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
The community in which I am interested in participating is the boy community. I know that several may argue that this is not a real community. However, I disagree. As Flower states, “the most significant feature of a community is not what or where it is (with the shifting features and overlapping boundaries) but how it functions” (Flower, 2008). The community in which I am interested in working is not a “physical” place, but rather an ideological society, or population, found within the educational structures of our country.
I believe that boys and their preferences, their likes, and their desires are ignored and passed over by teachers because the female teachers do not recognize the merits of a “boy genre.” This has created an unequal playing field for boys and girls in education. Fraser argues that “in stratified societies, unequally empowered social groups tend to develop unequally valued cultural styles.” I posit that this is evident in classroom assessments of reading skills in which girls consistently outperform the boys due to the fact that the girls share a similar value system with teachers because the large majority of teachers, especially in elementary school when reading is first taught/introduced, are females. Because most teachers are female, they do not recognize or value the literacy achievements and interests of boys.
Whereas girls are more inclined to be interested in “gentle worlds inhabited with fairies, babies and friendly animals,” boys want to shock and amaze their audience with violent humor, outrageous events, and chaotic plots (Marschall, 1997). Often what boys value as “good literature” is the complete opposite of what their female teacher values as such. As a result, the female teacher imposes her values of literacy on them, and they turn away from those school-based literacy ideas and fall further behind their female peers.
I have witnessed this happen during my years of teaching, so I plan to recount numerous anecdotes and analyze those situations to use as evidence and support for my paper. The anecdotes/stories/situations I plan to look at involve interactions with female teachers, as well as those with male students. Should I place equal emphasis on both, or should I focus more on one angle?
Any other suggestions?
Jill:
I like your idea of gender and it's influence/impact/effects on projects.
I never read about it, but saw on tv where a teenage girl opened up a clothing store for girls who were homeless (maybe in foster care). The cool thing was that all the clothes were donated, and all the girls who came in were able to "shop for free."
I know it may be stereotypical, but I think that is a case where the idea was originally gender related -- girls and shopping.
For my final paper, I want to focus on the term empowerment. I’m hoping to use examples from our readings and from my project on the Appalachian culture to show the strengths and weaknesses in the approaches to empower a community. I wonder how to empower a community that may not see themselves as oppressed. In the little research I’ve done on the Appalachian culture, I see a lot of scholars dealing with they feel is an oppressed community, but I haven’t come across a lot of texts where the Appalachian people are expressing a need for empowerment. Obviously I have a lot of research to do & couldn’t possibly get it all accomplished by the time this paper is due, but I’m really interested in the idea of whether a community is oppressed because we, as scholars, see them as oppressed or if there really is a political oppression. My thoughts are always going back to the canon and who is included/excluded. Appalachia is not represented in the canon, but do the people of Appalachian really care about that? Do they see themselves as oppressed because their literature isn’t given the high regard in literary studies that we feel they deserve? What makes a community oppressed? I’m not sure how this will turn into a paper, but I suppose it is a start.
Jill: I love the idea! The feminist perspective in community literacy is not one we’ve touched on & I believe there would be a lot to say on the subject. Since we’ve dealt with several women working in community literacy, it would be interesting to see how they navigate through working with communities that may not always welcome strong women. An idea to think about might be how you empower a community when you are a minority.
Rabe: I have a question for you as a male teacher. Did the boys in your class outperform the girls because you were more in tune with the way boys learn than the girls? Or is it more than just the teachers that are geared more toward the way girls learn versus the boys, like the textbooks, structure of the class, etc.
Anne: I believe there is plenty to pull from our readings to support an argument about the roles of teachers & student mentors in a community literacy project. I think the most difficult part would be to narrow it down to just a few aspects.
I'm not sure how I could turn this into a paper yet, but I'm really interested right now in the measurability of the success of community literacy projects where personal empowerment and cross-cultural dialogue through writing are the professed endpoints of the projects. I like the idea of that type of project, but understand that, in terms of funding and perception of success, those types of projects can be "tough sells." In that respect then, it could also be said that I'm interested in the process of artifact creation for Coogan-esque / expressivist projects. I should be able to use our readings to pretty clearly draw on for this, though I'm going to need to research some alternate community projects for additional context.
Rabe - I really like what you're thinking about using as your topic.
In doing our oral history project, speaking with Rod opened my eyes to a lot of things. Prior to my visit with him my interest was marginal in experiencing anything hands on in Over-the-Rhine. However, speaking with him; witnessing this person who didn't know who I was, open up and tell me everything about his life and struggles was inspiring. The desire to get involved and help people in similar situtaions was suddenly created. This was by far one of the most powerful things I've been involved with so far as a student.
I'm interested in how to fuel that feeling in others, how I can take that experience, that motivation that I feel and engage others. I want to find a constructive and interesting way to work on this engagement. I'm searching for a way to supply people with knowledge about people who need help, while also giving them the tools to turn that into an empathetic desire to take action.
Short of that, how I plan on creating this type of 'plan' is unknown. Does this fit into the 'theory' aspect of the paper? I'd appreciate any suggestions.
First, I'm still somewhat confused about what all to include in the proposal, because my fear is that it will just be a summary of my paper, or is that what I'm aiming for? For those of you in professor Kent-Drury's class, I think the examples she provided of abstracts may be helpful in writing this proposal. What do you all think? With that said, I am thinking about writing my paper on the issue of reciprocity in service learning projects. Paula Mathieu argues that "a problem that persists throughout much of service-learning scholarship is the continued reliance on traditional methods for evaluating programs, which center on students". I think that in order for a service learning program to be considered successful, one of the foremost goals should be the experiences and achievements of the community partner.
What I am having trouble with is, what exactly about reciprocity I am addressing, or trying to prove. I can take examples from the readings we've done in class and also the article I did for my article review to show just how much service learning projects tend to focus on students or I could use examples from the readings to talk about ways in which the focus of the service-learning project could have been shifted to the community partner. I'm not sure though if either of these ideas seem too broad or if they are on track.
I’m constantly reminding myself that when a text mentions a “classroom” the author is not referring to a middle school classroom, but a university classroom. Obviously, the needs of students differ primarily due to the difference in age, but aside from that element, I feel that I identify with researchers who express a need or desire to change the framework of a Language Arts class to reflect the evolutions the students are experiencing in society. From our first text of the course, I understand these researchers to be referred to as “radical;” however, I prefer to think of them as realistic and informed. As a teacher, I do find value in communicating the significance of some classic works of literature; however, the reading, interpreting, analyzing of text does not benefit or overlap with real world know-how enough to outweigh the benefits of students who are proficient in the context of citizenry.
I would like to focus my Final Paper on the notion of student empowerment and determine whether or not there has been any research theory published pertaining to the notion of enabling students to become more effective writers and citizens before they reach the university level. Based on the assumption that teachers have been educated to appropriately handle the scenario of students internalizing societal issues, developing an educated opinion and equipping them with the knowledge necessary to fully understand advocacy and become comfortable with inquiry and action.
I’m constantly reminding myself that when a text mentions a “classroom” the author is not referring to a middle school classroom, but a university classroom. Obviously, the needs of students differ primarily due to the difference in age, but aside from that element, I feel that I identify with researchers who express a need or desire to change the framework of a Language Arts class to reflect the evolutions the students are experiencing in society. From our first text of the course, I understand these researchers to be referred to as “radical;” however, I prefer to think of them as realistic and informed. As a teacher, I do find value in communicating the significance of some classic works of literature; however, the reading, interpreting, analyzing of text does not benefit or overlap with real world know-how enough to outweigh the benefits of students who are proficient in the context of citizenry.
I would like to focus my Final Paper on the notion of student empowerment and determine whether or not there has been any research theory published pertaining to the notion of enabling students to become more effective writers and citizens before they reach the university level. Based on the assumption that teachers have been educated to appropriately handle the scenario of students internalizing societal issues, developing an educated opinion and equipping them with the knowledge necessary to fully understand advocacy and become comfortable with inquiry and action.
Jason,
I struggle with your notion as well. Often, it is hard to measure success in these types of contexts. Just a suggestion - maybe places like Children's Inc. who sponsor Service Learning projects would at least be able to provide you with some data. Maybe things like graduation rates, GED obtainment? I don't know, just an idea...
K
Rabe: You have a really good idea there. This is something I've always been interested, in that classroom are geared to the 'sit, listen, watch, and learn' and not the hands-on active side of it which would pertain more to boys. I think there is a lot you could do with this topic as far as how parents of school children feel about the issue. Also, I'm not familiar with the exact schools--but there are many that focus on different aspects of gender learning that cater more toward certain needs. I suppose this isn't any substantial suggestion, I just wanted to say I think you have a great idea!
I am thinking of exploring Linda Flower's idea about the importance of working "with" a community, instead of working "for" a community. I was part of a community discussion group last week on what to do with the Jacob Price site in the Eastside of Covington when it is completely demolished in 2010. The Housing Authority had hired an outside planning group to hold focus groups with residents of the community to hear their thoughts about what should be done with the site. However, the meeting went much differently than the consultants had planned and there was much outrage from members of the Eastside community. Many of the residents stood up and expressed so many of the same exact concerns that have been addressed in our readings. One of the prominent community members even said, I quote, "you need to quit making plans for us and instead do it WITH us." It was very interesting to witness firsthand some of the same things that I have been reading about all semester.
Anna:
The topic of ethical responsibilities of teachers and student/mentors is an excellent one. I suggest you discuss Bruce Herzberg's "Community Service and Critical Teaching" (College Composition and Communication, v45 n3 p307-19 Oct 1994). Emily from our class wrote a great review of this article; you might want to ask her if you can look over it.
I think using Flower's understanding of intercultural inquiry to help you theorize the issue of ethics is a good idea. You probably want to look to detail specific scenarios that raise ethical dilemmas for students and teachers. Think of these scenarios as anecdotes that you can then reflect on using relevant ideas and concepts from our class readings.
Another thing you might want to consider: How does Coogan's article offer an alternative to Flower's notion of intercultural inquiry when it comes thinking about ethical responsibilities and goals in service-learning? What implications might this hold for teachers and student-mentors?
Jill:
Female/gender implications and issues in community literacy is a timely topic. There is one book in particular that you should probably get a hold of: Women's Ways of Knowing by Mary Belenky et al.
This book is a classic from the 1980's and has been cited numerous times in women studies. It is a classic seminal text when it comes to theorizing how women think and communicate. This book could act as a key point of departure in your theorizing about how a female presence might impact the work of community literacy.
Jennifer:
Your post in and of itself raises some excellent issues for you to explore when it comes to theorizing women and empowerment issues in community literacy. I really like what you have to say about Flower and the different options she raises for understanding relations between dominant and marginalized groups.
Also, focusing on a women recovery program like First-Step would be fascinating, although I don't know how much you could do with that in this paper this semester; it would be a great fieldwork project for next semester, however.
The problem of how to encounter the subaltern, which Jason seems to be raising, really goes to the heart of our course when it comes to theorizing how we are to relate to "the Other." I would argue that it is not a matter of us "giving voice" or "speaking for" the "Other". Rather, it is about finding the most ethical and just ways to "encounter" and show that encounter in our writings and research. So, Jason is right: in our writings and research as academics and students, we can not "give" absolute voice to the community members we work with. Rather, we can only work to demonstrate how best to work with them. The "voice of the Other" that is ulimately portrayed in our writing and research, is necessarily, to a large extent, a product of our own discursive histories as academics, students, women, men, etc. . .
Rabe (Clifford):
Very thorough account of your proposal for the paper. Amie's feedback is very much worth keeping in mind. In your paper, you will need to isolate the identities, actions, and pedagogies of female teachers from other factors that might be encouraging boy students to behave in the "negative" ways that they do. So, you will need to account for the "negative" behavior of boys in other ways than in only the ways in which female teachers treat them. This will help you avoid coming across as "blaming" female teachers for all the "negative" and "counter-productive" behavior of boy students.
Aime,
The question of who is "oppressed" or what social groups or communities are "oppressed" is something that is very important for community literacy practitioners to consider. Your right, it is not necessarily straightforward the extent to which Appalachian folks consider themselves "oppressed". (For that matter, many African-Americans and women refuse to see themselves as part of an "oppressed group.")
You might want to think about the fact that just because people from a particular community or social group say that they are not oppressed or not in need of "empowement" doesn't necessarily mean that that community or social group isn't oppressed as a whole. So, you need to develop a theory or argument for what counts as "oppression." What are the characteristics or qualities that make up an "oppressed group"?
Answering this question is something you can do in this paper and then apply to the Appalachian community. I suggest you go back to Flower and read over her use of Nancy Fraser's and Iris Marion Young's ideas.
Jason:
How to measure the success of a communty literacy project in line with something like what Coogan is trying to do is something that is well worth considering. And, being sure to discuss as part of the outcome of such a project as involving a created artifact of some sort will be essential.
You might want to frame it all in terms of ways of using writing and designing artifacts to build community. Focusing on the concept of community will give you a coherent term for measuring the outcomes of a project. Although community remains an abstract term, you can still ask, "Does this project do a successful job of building communty across cultural differences (or the cultural divide)? In answering this question, your paper will also work to develop an understanding of community that could add a lot to the research.
Melissa:
Your idea is very much a theoretical issue worth exploring. The whole problem of finding ways to motivate people to care and desire to take "empathetic action" is very much at the center of community literacy work. You might want to begin your paper by detailing and describing your experience with Rod. Communicate what it was like for you and use it as a calayst for exploring the proper motivations and desires for engaging in community literacy work.
To help you theorize all this, I suggest you go back to Flower and her discussion of Cornel West's work, particularly his notion of "prophetic pragmatism." This will give you a good start and solid foundation for further analysis.
Brandi (blee):
My sense is that following Dr. Ken-Drury's model of an abstract would work, although I suspect that the proposal you write for me will be longer. Spending more time providing background info, more context, and a strong justification/rationale for your final paper is something I would expect.
As we talked about in class, focusing on the concept of reciprocity is an excellent way of addressing a whole set of issues in communty literacy/service-learning including, who are we actually empowering? Students or community members? As you note, Mathieu gives an extensive argument for how and why community members have been getting the short end of the deal. Be sure to cover her argument at length in your paper.
Flower also talks a lot about reciprocity. It would be interesting to explore the ways in which Coogan provides an alternative to Flower's notion of intercultural inquiry.
I suggest you begin by critiquing the different models of reciprocity that can be found in our readings. In doing so, you will find ways to question the extent to which particular scenarios that Flower, Coogan, and Mathieu describe actually empower community members and not just the students. To the extent their models and examples fail to show community members being empowered, you can suggest some alternatives.
Kristi:
One author you should check out in the of education is Michael Apple. He talks about the prospects of teaching democracy and empowerment in primary and secondary schooling. He has published numerous books. Another author is Henry Giroux. He is perhaps the foremost theorist on education and democracy in our public schools. He too has published numerous books.
Finally, here is a book you should check out: Teaching for Social Justice edited by William Ayers et al. It is a collection of essays from the journal Democracy and Education.
None of the authors above deal with writing or literacy exclusively, although the Teaching for Social Justice book has a number of essays focusing on writing and literacy in the classroom.
Hope this helps.
Emily:
Starting off by providing a re-telling of that meeting last week could be a great way of setting up your proposal and final paper. Analyzing the discourse in that meeting could be very effective, even if you do not have the direct quotes and will probably have to paraphrase and summarize much of it.
Turning to Flower to help you theorize your work with Jacob Price and community is a good idea. You might want to interview a few people for this final paper. Also, I encourage you to reflect on your own experience in this final paper and spend time reflecting on your own positionality within the framework of your work in Covington.
Aime,
"who you callin' opressed?"
Look at Phil Obermiller's sociological studies where urban Appalachians (Urbalachians) is concerned. His research indicates a resistance of Appalachian migrants to self-identify at Appalachian. I'll bring a couple of books on 11/13.
Also look at Back Talk from Appalachia: Confronting Stereotypes: Dwight B. Billings, Gurney Norman, Katherine Ledford.
RABE:
It might be good to look at the 70s / 80s feminist efforts in targeting young girls to improve their educational opportunities. Seen as successful, recently some feminists are now making the same effort for boys (who are now the ones "left behind").
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