Paulo Freire
In chapter one"Engaged in Pedagogy" of Teaching to Transgress, the author claims that engaged
pedagogy does not consist only in the empowerment of students, but also in the empowerment of
teachers. In other words, educators should not expect students to take risks they are not willing to take,
or to share in any way they would not share. Relating confessional narratives to academic discussions
demonstrates how experiences can illuminate and enhance our academic understanding.
Although, educators must practice being vulnerable in the classroom,but can educators loose authority
in the classroom by being vulnerable?
To illustrate the desire of marginalized groups to break from the hold of the status quo, the author of
"Teaching Progress" uses the example of water with dirt in it. When you are living in one of the
richest country in the world, you can waste resources that you consider impure, but we don't take in
consideration what people in other countries must do to obtain water. I linked this to white privilege,
because both are invisible to those who have it but visible to those who don't.
In addition, in chapter one"Engaged in Pedagogy" of Teaching to Transgress, the author states that
students expect educators to offer them information and make connections between what they are
learning and their overall experiences. How can I ensure I offer my students information that is
meaningful to them?
Hi Marcia,
ReplyDeleteI liked the questions you posed in your blog.
1. can educators loose authority in the classroom by being vulnerable?
Personally, what I have noticed not only being an educator myself but discussing with others is that most of the time it seems that students in turn respect the educator more when they are being vulnerable. They are showing their students that they care about them on a deeper level and that they want to also share their life with them. Older students used to always tell me, "Ms. I can tell that Mrs. So and So doesn't care about us so why should I?" Students are very observant and I think that showing your vulnerability doesn't typically lead to any lack of authority.
2. How can I ensure I offer my students information that is meaningful to them?
I agree that it is vital to have students working with and learning about information that is meaningful and authentic. I think a way to do this is by getting to really know your students and their interests. Finding ways to incorporate their interests into the mandated curriculum. I also have students fill out surveys telling me the things that they want to learn about and I make a conscious effort to incorporate that into lessons and units. Also, allowing students to explore and find the answers on their own and letting them select the means in which they will use whether it through interviews, research, literature, etc. They then can be the teachers and instruct the class, my students love when they get to teach their peers.