Author Ladson-Billings’s (2014) article describes a program developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison called First Wave. This program is an “innovative spoken word and hip-hop arts” program that allows for the understanding of culture (Ladson-Billings, p. 78). She begins by discusses that cultural competence is defined as the ability to appreciate one’s own culture, as well as to gain knowledge about others’ cultures. Furthermore, culture is not stagnant; instead, culture is always changing. The program recruits and financially supports student artists because the founders believe that popular culture (i.e. hip-hop) changes the way humans perceive, learn about, and perform in the world. Popular culture is used to promote conversations about hegemony or neoliberalism. Students who are a part of the program are interested in pursuing careers in education. Yet, in a classroom activity, non-First Wave and First Wave students worked together to create a public performance known as a final cypher. As a result of culturally relevant pedagogy, educators concluded that the “least able students” became leaders of the classroom and largely contributed to the assignment (Ladson-Billings, p. 78). Finally, Ladson-Billings acknowledges that educators must incorporate skills-focused curricula because of state-mandated tests; nevertheless, she believes that it is vital for teachers to also undertake culturally relevant pedagogy because it allows for community and student-driven learning. In addition, Winn’s (2013) article is meant to address English language arts teachers. As an English teacher herself, Winn argues that educators in the English department should adopt a Restorative English Education. She argues that this type of education practice uses literature and writing to seek peace, and prepares students to live in a democratic society. Specifically, Winn refers to what is called “circle processes”, describing that it is a tool that promotes healthy dialogue (Winn, p. 128). These circles dispel hierarchies that are based on social, academic, or cultural power and promote the blending of communities. Sharing literature with one another promotes relationships between peers. Moreover, Restorative English classrooms make sure that every student engages in dialogue, and it rejects the idea of a zero-tolerance policy. This is because Winn believes that under a zero-tolerance policy, students are simply funneled into the school prison and they simply see their peers being policed. She also provides an example of how the Restorative English Education may be used in classroom curricula; an educator may have his/her students bring in a piece of literature (either their own writing or not) to the circle and share it with the group. That piece of literature then becomes the focal point of the discuss. This type of education engages students who are often marginalized, isolated, or removed from the classroom. It also promotes the peacemaking process by having them freely exchange writing and ideas. Lastly, in Leah Beuchley’s (2014) speech she talks about what the word “making” means. Of course, humans’ impulse is to make things. Make is also a type of magazine and a fair that people attend that has been around for nine years. There is a gender imbalance; 85% of Make magazine covers are photos of men and 0% are people of color. Next, Buechley discusses what gets made; electronics, vehicles, robots, rockets, and musical instruments are shown on Make magazine. Thus, Make clearly has a niche audience for their products. The speaker believes that there are a variety of problems with this however. One reason is because Makers are mainly white background individuals, and how homogenous this company is, is a problem. Even though Make’s motto is “Every Child a Marker”, the magazine covers mainly portray images of rich, white males; the magazine does not represent every child, and therefore their goal is unimportant.
I enjoyed reading the two articles and learning about the authors’ discussions. I believe that Winn’s idea of a “circle process” surely promotes healthy dialogues in the classroom. Due to its demand for collaboration and involvement, students stay engaged in the classroom dialogue. The small, private high school I attended implemented this type of teaching into the English curricula. Everyone in the class was given the opportunity to and encouraged to voice their opinions as well as listen to others; we each exchanged our writings and ideas. This type of teaching fostered an environment that was judgement free; this made me feel unafraid to express my opinions and ides.
Questions:
- What is it about these “circle” groups that promotes peacemaking? Why can’t this be done in a typical classroom setting?
- Can the ideas behind a Restorative English Education be applied to other subjects? (I.e. not solely English classrooms).
- Have you read Make magazine before? Before listening to Leah Buechley’s talk, did you ever realize the prevalence of white males portrayed on the magazine’s covers?
UWP 104D 