Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African-American Students

Professor Gloria Ladson-Billings University of Wisconsin Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African-American Students Researchers conclude that students are less likely to fail in school if they feel positive about their culture and majority culture. (Ladson-Billings, 11)

What do we mean by the word culture? Individuals vary within all cultural groups. There is a dominant culture and many subcultures. Culture is an integrated set of norms by which human behaviors, beliefs, and thinking are organized. Culture is a set of standards and control mechanisms with which members assign meanings, values and significance to things, events and behaviors. TEACHER’S CULTURAL LENS How do you interpret the world based on your cultural experiences? What cultural skills, beliefs, values, and behaviors do you bring to your interactions with the world? How will you view difference?

Key beliefs and values in mainstream American culture (Spindler, 1963, 1990) 1. Puritan morality (respectability, thrift, duty) 2. Work-success ethic (hard work defines our worth) 3. Individualism (leads to self-reliance, free to act, and originality) 4. Achievement orientation (set higher and higher goals) 5. Future-time orientation (sacrifice today for the future) 6. Equality of opportunity (everyone gets a fair chance to participate) 7. Value of honesty 8. Openness of the American socioeconomic structure — “upward mobility is possible” based on merit 9. Sociability

If students can’t read, teachers can conclude that they have limited abilities. But generalizations about cultural difference in learning styles give teachers a different explanation for failure. Native Hawaiian children have a “talk story” style of expressing themselves at home. Traditional reading approaches are not as effective when teaching young Native Hawaiian students to read. Teachers who incorporate the “talk story” in reading lessons are more successful. Professor Kathy Au (UIUC graduate in Curriculum and Instruction) and now teaches at the University of Hawaii

Cultural Mismatch- (Tozer, 421) can occur in schools for Native American students (generalizations about a culture): In general, the larger Native American culture is: Not a competitive people, but cooperative. Values tribal life over acquisition of material goods. Native American Learning styles: They learn at home by observation, not trial and error. Interpreted by teachers as lack of initiative They learn respect for elders, limit direct eye contact. Eye contact expected.

Teaching Approaches--culturally relevant or culturally responsive teaching, multicultural approaches 4:40 Professor Gloria Ladson-Billings

Cultural Subordination Theory focuses on the relationships between the child’s cultural group and the dominant society; the power relations between different social groups. Awareness of cultural subordination of some minority groups supports a move from a cultural deficit model to a cultural difference model in schools. Cultural Difference Theory— Cultures are different ASSET THEORY OF DIFFERENCE One is not better than another All cultures contain skills and behaviors Recognizes the multicultural aspect of American culture Seeking success in mainstream culture, while retaining other cultural connections.

According to Ladson-Billings what main views do culturally relevant teachers hold about learning? (Tozer, 430 and Ladson-Billings, 33): 3:40 CAUTION: These look simple, but are complex ideas. Conceptions of themselves and others. Recognize that culture impacts everyone’s learning. Conceptions of social relations. Social relations impact motivation, why we learn, interpretations, how the community views the school. Conceptions of knowledge. Knowledge is constructed, useful, changing, linked to experiences.

Ladson-Billings suggests that all of us learn and understand through cultural filters. Recognize the role that culture plays in how we see the world. “The way we read the world is culturally mediated.” Know thyself, and understand others. RECOGNIZING CULTURE AS PART OF THE PROCESS OF LEARNING

One of the most important theories of Chapter 13 is Cultural Difference Theory, which has led to the development of Culturally Relevant Teaching Approaches Direct classroom implications. Asks teachers to examine their own cultural filters and how these filters influence teaching. Addresses how students learn. Provides a profile of a culturally competent teacher. 4:40 What is culturally responsive or culturally relevant teaching?

Ladson-Billings conducted a one-year study of 8 of the most successful teachers in minority schools. What was the cultural reference of the 8 teachers in her study? 5 Black 3 White 8 teachers All 5 African American teachers demonstrated close cultural reference with the African American community 1 white teacher had a bicultural orientation 1 white teacher had a African American orientation 1 white teacher had a white cultural reference BUT in school sought out African American teachers and encouraged students to share their cultural background in the classroom.

Cultural reference means- the cultural group that the teacher most closely identified with, who were her friends inside and outside of school, what kinds of social activities did she participate in, which neighborhood and communities did she frequent.

Cultural Referents- How integrated in daily life?

No simple recipe Culturally Relevant Teachers According to Ladson-Billings (E-Reserves) ***Two pages in Chapter 13 See Tozer page 430 and 431 “Education that is multicultural and social reconstructionist” Emphasis is on WHAT and HOW we teach. Believe in the intellectual capacity of all students, all students are capable of success. Hold beliefs about minority students that all can learn (and hold them to high expectations). See themselves as part of the community in which the students live. See teaching as giving back to the community. Maintain fluid, equitable teacher/students relationships. Demonstrate a connectedness to all students. Develop a community of leaders among students. Encourage students to learn collaboratively Is passionate about learning. Views the curriculum critically. Scaffolds or builds bridges that facilitates students’ learning. Believes that assessment needs to be multifaceted. Committed to providing readiness and support necessary for learning.

Why is Ladson-Billings concerned about the education of minority students? African Americans still dream of quality education for their children. Achievement gap of minority students Poor outcomes for many minority students--higher dropout rates Resegregation of schools since 1980s (de facto separate schools) means greater isolation for all students Low funding in many schools serving minority Few teachers of color (less than 10%) Lingering effects of cultural deficit theory on teachers (no attention to structural inequalities, teaching approaches, school practices and policies)

As a researcher interested in teacher education, Ladson-Billings asked: Are schools really attending to the education of minority students? Do cultural differences matter in the learning process? Are teachers being prepared to work with students from different cultural backgrounds? She hopes that culturally relevant teaching approaches help all teachers work more effectively with students from different cultural backgrounds.

Can cultural background and race/ethnicity be ignored in the classroom? Ladson-Billings maintains that: 3:40 Cultural background and race/ethnicity are part of a student’s identity. Given the significance of race and color in American society it is impossible to believe that a classroom teacher does not notice the race and ethnicity of the students (Ladson-Billings, 33). Ladson-Billings advocates an awareness of cultural differences in planning and instruction.

What does Ladson Billings mean by “dysconsciousness”? Dysconsciousness means, as teachers, we recognize the privilege of some children and the disadvantage for other children, but we fail to challenge the status quo, or accept PRIVILEGES FOR SOME AS A GIVEN OR INEVITABLE (Ladson- Billings, 32). ENID LEE suggests challenging the status quo in schools: Curriculum changes that study the SOURCES of discrimination Involving students in social change in their neighborhoods Giving minority parents more voice in school decisions Examining who is hired at a school Equipping students and parents to combat racism and ethnic discrimination.

Multicultural Approaches to Teaching Enid Lee suggests that Anti-Racist, Multicultural Education means to examine the biases of our own education, Examine what is considered “normal” (Is normal excluding some people?). Ask: Who benefits from the status quo? How can more people benefit from social institutions?

What does this statement mean to you? Ladson-Billings believes that culturally relevant teaching does not represent a kind of separatism, reverse racism, or special privileges to the African American community, but rather compares culturally relevant teaching to middle-class demands on schools to serve their communities.

Ladson-Billings believes that teachers should not treat EQUALITY as SAMENESS.

Cultural Relevant Teaching Not an easy prescriptive method of teaching.

CULTURAL DIFFERENCE THEORY Cultural difference theory respects and values differences. Cultural Mismatch- (Tozer, 421) can occur in: Subject matter Learning styles Ways of knowing and demonstrating knowledge Attitudes toward authority Modes of behavior Socializing patterns--Speech Patterns, Manners, Values When there is a mismatch, then some accommodation is needed for learning to occur.