This week I read three different readings that all shared a perspective on the use of the word queer and sexual identity. Queer sexual identity marking is both similar to and distinct from other forms of sexuality marking because of many reasons. One of the main differences is that often “heterosexual marking behaviours are motivated from an individuals desire to express that they are not gay” whereas queer identity markers are expressing they are queer, not that they are not straight (“As a Sort of Blanket Term”, 1339). Another way that they are different is that people are more accepting of people with a heterosexual identity than people with queer sexual identity markings. The reading also mentioned that their “findings support the notion that queer was used to describe sexual and gender identity” where as heterosexuality describes only a persons sexual identity, Any form of sexuality marking is similar because it does define a persons sexual identity.

Integrating queerness in the classroom has always been a controversial topic for me. Because I believe in the Bible, I find it hard to understand and accept queer sexual identities and believe it is not something to be brought into the classroom. I want my classroom to be a safe and inclusive environment, but I also need to stay true to my beliefs. I will encourage my students to not be judging of one another, to be caring and loving towards each other regardless of sexual identity. I will discourage any negative language using words like “gay” or “no homo” in the same way I would discourage swearing. I do not want to teach about sexual identities because I feel the classroom is not the right place for it, it is more of a personal matter. I find it hard to respond to this question as it is still something I am thinking about and trying to figure out how to still have an inclusive and safe classroom without compromising my beliefs.

The teacher implications for allyship would be similar to my response above. This is still something I am thinking about and find hard to respond to. I would like for the school to remain impartial to this topic (although I know that only representing heterosexual identities is technically biased in and of itself). I am interested to read other responses on this topic and learn more about what other people think.

This week the reading focused on how the literacy we read in the classroom shapes how we read the world. This applies to not just literacy, our entire schooling shapes how we read the world based on actions, implications, and even unintentional biases. When I was in school, the students with disabilities were separated out from the regular classroom for most of the classes during the day up until grade 9 when they would be permanently separated from the regular classroom. This caused me to think that students with disabilities are different than me and should be treated very differently. This action led me to believe that people with disabilities should be separated from the rest of society which really is not fair. Most of the literature I read in my English classes were about white family’s written by white men (Shakespeare) and sometimes women. This applied to almost all of my classes. Learning about famous white male scientists, historians and authors shaped some of my biases about what a woman, or people of other ethnicities can and cannot do. Most of our Indigenous perspectives felt like they were being forced into the classroom and were pulled out of thin air. We did read quite a few Indigenous poems but the reading made me think about how we could have been asked more applicable and deeper thinking questions about these poems. Another bias or lens that I bring into the classroom is that white teachers work better with white students, the same goes for African American or Indigenous. The reading mentioned that although it is helpful to share culture and traditions, there are problems with assuming that this is the case (p. 77). Often students will identify in a few different categories of ethnicities and might need another perspective to connect with.

Some single stories that were presented in the school were about white heterosexual people getting more representation and attention in the classroom. My schooling did not mention very much about different ethnicities either. I did not learn about Asian, African American, Indian or any other ethnicity other than the Indigenous peoples. The only book I read about racism was The Help which I read on my own time.

This week I read two different chapters regarding mathematics and different cultures. The first chapter was about Aboriginal values and how they view mathematics and the world. This chapter made me think about my experience with mathematics in school and whether or not the math curriculum was oppressive to non-white students. I remember my math classes being focused on the Eurocentric view of math. There is only one right answer and often only one way to get that answer. Very rarely, would I be taught another way to get an answer and often this was not the fault of the teacher. The curriculum has math set up in a way that focuses on one specific unit at a time and if a teacher is using a textbook for their class then it is difficult to weave in other ways of getting the answer, mostly because of the time crunch. My high school math classes were very fast paced and did not have a lot of time to spend on a variety of methods. After reading this chapter I find myself asking why did the European way of doing math get determined as the norm or the right way? This could definitely be oppressive to students who are not used to doing math that way. For example, the Inuit students in the lecture were not able to answer questions in a base-10 system because they learned in base-20. The standard test they were given was not fair.

The second chapter focused on the differences between the Inuit way of doing mathematics and the European way. One way that the Inuit people view math differently is within counting. As I mentioned earlier, “the Inuit have a base-20 numeral system” and in addition to that “each number has different forms according to the context” (page 57). This way of counting is different from the European way that uses abstract words to represent our numbers. A second way that the Inuit culture is different in regards to math is with their sense of space; “They have learned to ‘read’ snowbanks and assess the direction of the winds”(59). The Inuit are also known for building inuksuit to help them find their way. Thirdly, the Inuit measure differently. They do not use the standard ruler in inches and centimetres. Instead they use parts of their bodies; “still today, Inuit women use certain parts of their bodies to measure length–for example, the palm when making atigi (parkas)” (59). Another way they measure differently is when it comes to their calendar; “the traditional calendar is neither lunar nor solar, since it is based on natural independently recurring yearly events” (59). These different types of mathematics are just as relevant as the European types and should be taken into account when it comes to the curriculum.

This week I read ” ‘We are all Treaty People’: The Contemporary Countenances of Canadian Curriculum Studies” and watched three videos about Treaty Education. The purpose of teaching Treaty Ed where there are few or no First Nations, Metis, or Inuit people is a very important one. People often have preconceptions about Indigenous people and create a racist view because they have not been taught proper Treaty Ed. If we do not teach Treaty Ed, the cycle of oppression will never end. Dwayne mentions in his video “On what Terms Can We Speak” that “We can’t proceed without looking back”. If we as a society do not acknowledge the past, then we can never truly move forward. Claire states that “the focus needs to be on our non-Indigenous students” because these are the students missing the Indigenous perspectives in their home life. During the video where Mike and Claire discuss Treaty’s in the curriculum, Claire mentions an 8 year old saying that they would not have been able to breath because they are allergic to mold and Residential schools where often moldy. This comment proves that although elementary students are young, they are able to deal with troubling things, sometimes better than adults. Teaching students when they are young and open-minded helps prevent oppression in the future.

The fact that we are all treaty people has an impact on my understanding on the curriculum. If we are all treaty people, then learning about Treaty Ed is important for everyone. Claire mentions that Indigenous students do not need to learn Treaty history, most of them already know. They want to be treated equally and they want their peers to understand who they are and where they come from. Teaching Treaty Ed within the curriculum allows for students to understand their peers better and become more inclusive citizens of society. Mike mentions that “this is not going to become less important” and so it is crucial that Treaty Ed is being constantly implemented into classrooms today.

This week I read two articles about culturally relevant pedagogy. “Culturally relevant pedagogy and critical literacy in diverse English classrooms: a case study of secondary English teacher’s activism and agency” by Anne E Lopez and “Placing elementary music education: a case study of a Canadian rural music program” by Julia Brook both outline how culturally relevant pedagogy can be incorporated in the classroom.

The first article by Anne E. Lopez begins by outlining how Meriah’s (a secondary teacher) “agency and activism in a secondary English classroom [….] build[s] cross-cultural understanding and increas[es] student engagement through culturally relevant pedagogy and critical literacy” (76). Lopez writes that the school where Meriah taught was usually quite diverse and included students from all over the world but the class where Meriah incorporated cultural pedagogy was mostly composed of white students. Meriah decided to bring spoken word poetry into the classroom which was interesting because “she had never done performance poetry with predominantly white students” (82). This got students talking about the social issues that the different races of their school face everyday. Student began sharing their thoughts through journaling and opened up to the class only when they were comfortable. The topic of race made many of these white students uncomfortable as it is not often talked about. Lopez writes that “it was important for Meriah to acknowledge the discomfort of some students and she allowed them to have time to reflect” (83). The next step was allowing the students to construct their own performance poetry based on their personal experiences. These teens wrote about struggling to fit in, being bullied and not feeling like they are good enough writers.

I really enjoyed reading the different spoken word poetry that the students made and would like to incorporate that into my own classroom. I also love the idea of using creative writing to talk about social issues that students may be facing in their personal lives. Relating to the previous reading we did, hip hop is another way to incorporate culturally relevant pedagogy into the classroom. I could also play music from different places in the word, making a game out of it or just playing it during independent work. Another idea is to allow students to bring their culture into the classroom like traditional dances, music, art, food and their personal history.

The other article by Julia Brook explained how music programmes can reflect the community in which the students live. Brook writes “the importance that music education plays in these communities by providing a place for students to make music and by presenting performances the the community can enjoy highlights the role that much has–allowing for students to be in culture, rather than learning about culture” (293). I like the point about allowing students to be in culture instead of just learning about culture. Everything is better hands-on! This article also outlines the culture of Winkler, Manitoba and how Christian beliefs and traditions as well as rich agriculture tradition are a big part of the community. Brook explains that “the music programme at Parkland [a school in Winkler] aims to support the traditions of the community, while at the same time introducing students to different ideas and experiences that do not counter the community’s beliefs” (296).

When I am a teacher, there are many ways I can contribute to the sense of place for my future students. Specifically, I will talk about my hometown, Nipawin Sk. Nipawin has a very large Ukrainian community so bring Ukrainian dance and music into the classroom helps my students to learn about their place. Nipawin also has a large Indigenous presence and incorporating Indigenous dances and music is another way to bring culture into the classroom. My hometown is also quite country and so bringing in folk dances like the two step or learning to jive is another way to incorporate culturally relevant pedagogy.

This week, I read the article “Critical Hip Hop Pedagogy as a form of Liberatory Praxis” by A. A. Akom. The author writes about how using hip hop as a tool in the classroom allows for students to connect with a creative outlet that has roots in African American culture. Akom writes “I argue that the use of hip hop as a liberatory practice is rooted in the long history of the Black freedom struggle and the quest for self-determination for oppressed communities around the world” (Akom, 53). This statement helps the reader to understand that hip hop is more than just dance. Hip hop is a way for people to express themselves and explore African American culture. It is also a way to bring culture into the classroom. The author also believes that hip hop can be used to illuminate problems like “poverty, police brutality, patriarchy, misogyny, incarceration, [and] racial discrimination” (54).

This article has some very interesting insight towards using hip hop as a more historical part of the curriculum instead of a solely art focus. The author explains that it engages students with the real world because it brings up issues that African American people are still facing today, especially within hip hop music. I think that hip hop could be an effective tool to raise awareness about these types of issues. I am not sure if hip hop will be able to change anything though. Although, raising awareness does often bring about change. Using hip hop in a history class, teaching about the many influential African American people through hip hop music, and allowing students to create their own dance or song might be a creative way to incorporate hip hop into the curriculum. History class is often a class where students are asked to read the textbook, watch a video and answer some questions. If a more hands-on approach and active pedagogy can be added, then I don’t see why not! Another place where hip hop may be incorporated into the curriculum is English. Creating song lyrics is kind of like creating poetry. Student may be asked to created a short segment of lyrics within the hip hop genre about African American issues. This might be another active and somewhat fun activity for students to do in a traditionally non-active subject.

“Curriculum Policy and the Politics of what should be learned in School” by Ben Levin brings up the idea that curriculum is shaped from more than just outcomes. Levin writes that “politics is the primary process through which public policy decisions are made (Levin, 8). Levin is explaining that the decisions that shape the public curriculum are influenced by politics. Everything in government, including education occurs in the shadows of elections (Levin, 9). Politics in education may determine two things: which subjects are included and what content is being taught. Politicians are constantly being bombarded with demands and requests to do things the way someone else wants. It is the same with curriculum. Educators are being asked to please everyone with what they teach. The curriculum must be inclusive, must be respectful and must represent everyone equally. The biggest problem with creating an education curriculum is that everyone has gone to school and so everyone has an opinion and knowledge about what should be taught.

“The Saskatchewan Way” explains how the curriculum should be set up in Saskatchewan. The article starts off by saying that curriculum is complicated. It is made up of so much more than just knowledge and subjects. The curriculum is the basis for how the next generation will grow up seeing the world. “Directions” was a report of the Curriculum and Instruction Review committee about ensuring students were prepared for the future (pg. 6). This document provided a rationale for educational change (pg. 7). It explained about what the curriculum needs to include. The curriculum should be inclusive, be principle-based, be well-resourced, be respectful, be informed by appropriate academic and professional literature, be genuinely committed to listening to diverse perspectives, be professionally led, and demonstrated collaboration among educational partners (pg. 8)

This week I read two perspectives on what it means to be a good student. “A History of Education” by Painter addressed a more traditional view compared to “Against Common Sense” by Kumashiro. Painter writes about how a student must be trained to have a good moral nature in order to be a good student (pg. 2). Painter writes about two different cultures and their connection to education. Chinese classrooms have no comfortable furniture and the product method is the main teaching style. Severe discipline is used for any student that does not conform to traditional classroom protocols such as sitting quietly, writing, reading, and paying attention. This type of education is called ancestral education (pg. 13). In this case, the Chinese people are defining a good student as someone who can meet outcomes and memorize information. Painter also talks about India’s education system. The cast system in India controls education quite a bit (pg. 17). Classrooms are usually outside and consist of the whole student body at once. Their first lessons are drawn in the sand and discipline is much milder than the Chinese. Their teacher must be of a certain cast in order to be classified as a good teacher. Being a good student in India means you pay attention in class but have more opportunity to be outside in nature learning. Kumashiro defines a good student as someone who can understand the political implications of what is being learned and critically examine what and why we learn.

In Painter’s definition of what it means to be a good student, the students who are able to write essays well, and sit still are benefitted the most. Students who have a hard time sitting still and learning by reading and listening will struggle to be “good” students. Kumashiro writes about a student called M and how M was rowdy, didn’t like to sit still, and had trouble listening but would focus on creative projects with less structure. In a similar way, Kumashiro mentions a student called N. N questioned the teacher on whether they enjoyed what they taught or just followed the curriculum. N essay’s were last minute and sloppy but N’s creative writing projects were well done. Both M and N benefitted from a less structured and more creative curriculum but would be labelled as bad students in both China and India.

A good student is shaped by historical factors because of the original product model. The product model was designed to create the perfect factory workers. Students would sit in rows quietly working on independent projects, taking notes, and study for exams. This shapes how good students are seen today. The education system still expects students to be quiet in class, to listen to the teacher, to not talk out of turn, and to work on very structured assignments. Most classrooms are even still organized in rows. Kumashiro mentions that although this method may not work for everyone, losing all structure would end in chaos. It is important to find a balance between the two.

Art-based education is something that has been debated for a very long time. The two sides to the argument being art should be implemented in every subject area or art should be completely cut from the program. But does art-based education really make a difference? Or does it distract from the actual curriculum? An article written by Andrew J. Schneller titled “Outcomes of art-based environmental education in the Hudson River Watershed” does a study in hopes to answer these questions. Schneller mentions that he believes “[t]he pedagogical tools available for teaching [art-based] environmental education are varied, allowing for innovation in classroom practise and instruction” (page 19). Art-based education is meant to help students grow in their creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving skills. The article mentions that learning with traditional pedagogy (taking notes, reading a textbook, answering questions, and then being tested) limits the opportunities students have to better understand the material. Schneller says that as time goes on, some educators are realizing the value of art-based methods and are even talking about different ways of approaching it in the curriculum. Instead of adding art classes to STEM, educators are saying STEM would be better off being added to an art curriculum. Art is beginning to be a much bigger priority but why? Why is art suddenly becoming a focus in the curriculum?

In the article, Schneller does a study of grades five and six students in upstate New York private schools. There were two groups. One group (the treatment group) had done the art-based program and other other group (the control group) did traditional pedagogy during their environmental class. Each group looked at the Hudson River Watershed, studying how the watershed works and how humans have affected it. The treatment group spent time creating a large mural of the watershed as well as doing other small art-based projects. The control group used traditional methods and learned only in the classroom. The results were astonishing. The treatment group scored twice as good as the control group. The treatment group’s knowledge scores improved from the pre-test to the post-test by 100% whereas the control group scores only improved by 25%. The mural and art projects helped them to understand how humans affect the watershed. They could visualize pollution and endangered species going extinct. One of the most interesting parts of the study was the parent response. One parent had asked her daughter what the project was about and the daughter answered that they were learning how to encourage people to keep the river clean. Surprised, the parent mentioned that she knew about the mural and figured her daughter would only want to talk about the art project side.

I would like to do some more research as a next step regarding art-based education. I think it can be added to much more than just the environmental curriculum and would like to find other studies to see its impact. Does art-based education really make a difference in how students learn in all subject areas or just environmental? Are all students understanding the required material or do art projects distract from the curriculum?

https://www-tandfonline-com.libproxy.uregina.ca/doi/pdf/10.1080/1533015X.2019.1617805?needAccess=true