Readings: Building a pedagogy of engagement for students in poverty and The Myth of the “Culture of Poverty”
The article about building a pedagogy to help engage students in poverty was really informational. It gives you strategies to use in the classroom with students in low-income areas. Some of the strategies that really stood out to me are enhance family involvement and express high expectation through higher-order, engaging pedagogies. Enhancing family involvement is important. Teachers should have many opportunities for families to be involved since many may work two jobs, cannot afford child care or do not have transportation to the school. Having high expectations is something that teachers should have for all students. Standards should not be lowered based on socioeconomic status and in the classrooms the students should have access to dialogic, inquiry-driven, collaborative pedagogies.
The Myth of the “Culture of Poverty” is about the myths that are placed about students from low-income areas. I really liked the quote at the beginning of the article, “Instead of accepting myths that harm low-income students, we need to eradicate the system wide inequities that stand in their way (Gorski, 2008).” Some of the myths that are mentioned in the article are poor people are unmotivated and have weak work ethics. This is not true, many of them are working two or more jobs, and 83 percent of children from low-income families have at least one employed parent. Another myth stated in the article is that parents are uninvolved in their children’s learning. Low-income parents hold the same attitudes about education that wealthy parents do. Many low-income parents have to work long hours and sometimes two or more jobs which makes it hard for them to attend school functions. The article goes on to talk about promoting classism. It lists ways in which teachers can do this in their classroom. The one that stood out to me the most way about technology. It stated that if you are going to give students work that requires a computer that they must be given time throughout the day to complete the assignment because some students may not have access to a computer at home.
Both articles were about students of poverty and how to make sure they succeed in school. This is something that the Boys and Girls Club is all about. They are given a “Power Hour” to complete their homework. While at the club, all students have access to a computer and the internet. I have seen many students use the computer to complete assignments given by the teacher. While working with the students this week, I asked them to help me with my SEED activities. For one of them, I did a pretend and write. I asked the students to pretend they were a character form their favorite book or movie. They were then asked to write a letter to another character in the book or movie. I set high expectations for all the students who were asked to help me. I was very impressed with the responses I received from the four students. One student really impressed me with the use of imagination while writing her letter. I believe this is important for all students not just ones who come from low-income families. One of the things I really liked about what their Coach does, is she has a “Wall of Fame” and she encourages all of her students to do the best and make better grades. The other students then vote on the three students who will make it to the “Wall of Fame.” I am not sure how often she changes the names but all the students are excited to see who makes the wall. I believe this is an excellent example of setting high expectations for all students. After reading these articles, I would like to find more ways to help include all family members in the education of the students. This is something I am going to look more into as a preservice teacher.
The article about building a pedagogy to help engage students in poverty was really informational. It gives you strategies to use in the classroom with students in low-income areas. Some of the strategies that really stood out to me are enhance family involvement and express high expectation through higher-order, engaging pedagogies. Enhancing family involvement is important. Teachers should have many opportunities for families to be involved since many may work two jobs, cannot afford child care or do not have transportation to the school. Having high expectations is something that teachers should have for all students. Standards should not be lowered based on socioeconomic status and in the classrooms the students should have access to dialogic, inquiry-driven, collaborative pedagogies.
The Myth of the “Culture of Poverty” is about the myths that are placed about students from low-income areas. I really liked the quote at the beginning of the article, “Instead of accepting myths that harm low-income students, we need to eradicate the system wide inequities that stand in their way (Gorski, 2008).” Some of the myths that are mentioned in the article are poor people are unmotivated and have weak work ethics. This is not true, many of them are working two or more jobs, and 83 percent of children from low-income families have at least one employed parent. Another myth stated in the article is that parents are uninvolved in their children’s learning. Low-income parents hold the same attitudes about education that wealthy parents do. Many low-income parents have to work long hours and sometimes two or more jobs which makes it hard for them to attend school functions. The article goes on to talk about promoting classism. It lists ways in which teachers can do this in their classroom. The one that stood out to me the most way about technology. It stated that if you are going to give students work that requires a computer that they must be given time throughout the day to complete the assignment because some students may not have access to a computer at home.
Both articles were about students of poverty and how to make sure they succeed in school. This is something that the Boys and Girls Club is all about. They are given a “Power Hour” to complete their homework. While at the club, all students have access to a computer and the internet. I have seen many students use the computer to complete assignments given by the teacher. While working with the students this week, I asked them to help me with my SEED activities. For one of them, I did a pretend and write. I asked the students to pretend they were a character form their favorite book or movie. They were then asked to write a letter to another character in the book or movie. I set high expectations for all the students who were asked to help me. I was very impressed with the responses I received from the four students. One student really impressed me with the use of imagination while writing her letter. I believe this is important for all students not just ones who come from low-income families. One of the things I really liked about what their Coach does, is she has a “Wall of Fame” and she encourages all of her students to do the best and make better grades. The other students then vote on the three students who will make it to the “Wall of Fame.” I am not sure how often she changes the names but all the students are excited to see who makes the wall. I believe this is an excellent example of setting high expectations for all students. After reading these articles, I would like to find more ways to help include all family members in the education of the students. This is something I am going to look more into as a preservice teacher.