3 Things I learned
1) I never thought of social class and socioeconomic status as different things. After reading this section, I learned they are different, but I also had trouble understanding the difference. I had to re-read the section a few times to gain a better understanding. With that, I learned that social class is something people are generally aware of, whereas socioeconomic status was not. In addition, social class is more subjective and can be based off one’s upbringing and socioeconomic status can be measured, changed, and is based off an individual’s work, education, and occupational prestige.
2) Although Canada is considered one of the richer countries in the world, 1/7 children in Canada live in poverty. I learned that poverty causes children to suffer developmentally, medically, socially, and academically, and children in poverty are also twice as likely to be held back in school. With these facts, I wondered what I could do to help support students I may have who are living in poverty. I learned that students in poverty or low-SES are often assumed as “not bright” and are therefore given lower expectations. This results in lower quality educational experiences, causing them to have lower self-esteems. I believe as teachers, we should not let someone’s SES interfere with the quality of education a student receives.
3) Page 221 discusses culturally relevant teaching. I learned that this type of teaching goes beyond what people typically associate “culture” with. It encourages teachers to understand what works or doesn’t work for students, as well as teaches ways to connect with and teach every student. This can be done by providing materials or setting up activities, and being involved in the students’ learning through interaction and not just observing. I believe this is an important and beneficial way of teaching as it includes opportunities for social development and cooperation, allows students to see themselves represented in the classroom, and encourages students to develop an open-mind.
2 Connections
1) The section in which they discuss culture as an iceberg made me think of my experiences of learning about culture in elementary school. What the reading referred to as “the tip of the iceberg” is mainly what my teachers would focus on. For example, we would be assigned a country to do research on and all we would focus on was food, language, music, clothing, and holiday traditions. Because of this, we end up missing out on what else these cultures have to offer, which the reading refers to as “below the surface” such as, childrearing beliefs, rules of eye contact, roles of men and women, conception of cleanliness, concept of personal space, facial expressions, definitions of respect, etc. I believe that if we want to teach about cultures in our classrooms, we should not just focus on the tip of the iceberg, but what is below the surface, as well.
2) A section on page 195 discusses stereotypes of Asian students in North America. Because I am an Asian born and raised in Canada, I was really able to connect to this section of the reading. Growing up, I have noticed that people did stereotype me as smart and hardworking. People often assumed that I was good at math and wanted to pursue a career in the medical field; they were also surprised whenever I spoke and would say things such as “you speak really good English for an Asian”. In addition, when people found out that I did not fall into the stereotypical Asian category, I would be referred to as a “white-washed Asian”. Just because a person does not fall into the stereotypical categories does not mean they are “white-washed” or “not a real Asian”. With that, I believe that expectations for students should not be based off of their race, gender, or any other group that is stereotyped.
1 Question
Tracking refers to students being assigned into different classes and academic experiences based on achievement. With that, my question is – is tracking really a sign of poor teaching or does it benefit students who are having difficulty in certain classes? Can tracking be modified/changed so that students can succeed without being disadvantaged?