Week 5 T2P

I Text, Therefore I Am...

If students can carry aspects of their personal youth culture into learning environments, they are more likely to become engaged, independent thinkers. Kids today embrace a multi-sensory, multi-tasking approach to nearly every activity. Through media and technology, they are invited to be participants and not just recipients in the flow of information. They are presented a constant menu of options from which to consider and partake, and they’ve become expert at prioritizing and cataloging--selecting what’s meaningful to them at the moment, while storing away the rest. In the YouTube video Youth, Technology, and Learning (2009), 15 year old Megan says, “When I’m doing homework, I’ll be texting, watching T.V., listening to music. You’re used to like doing ten things at once. ” She goes on to say, “In school, it’s all really hard when you can only concentrate on one thing and you can’t do anything else… (lectures) are like its in slow motion. They’re must be different and quicker ways to learn”. Morgan, another freshman, adds that the best way to learn is “physically and hands on…when someone’s teaching you and you can do it at the same time.” She points out that when they’ve had labs in class as opposed to note taking, she feels as though she has learned and remembered much more. Vygotsky would agree that the scaffolded, social nature of hands on learning is optimal, where feedback is instantaneous and the learner can absorb the social contexts of what's most familiar, in this case, interactive exchange. Duncan-Andrade reminds us that often students’ youth culture already contains seeds of critical thinking that should be cultivated and not ignored. As a teacher, I must value what kids bring to the mix as learners and recognize one thing they absolutely possess is the ability to operate successfully in a multi-sensory environment. I believe that if students feel competent and in some control of how they learn, they will be more motivated to persevere (Self Determination Theory). I will strive to incorporate this skill into interesting, dynamic lesson plans that engage and challenge my students while improving my own abilities to speak their language, keep up with the technologies and see things from their perspective as well as mine.

I'm Emo, Your Emo

If those students who reside outside the social landscape of their peers can explore their own identities in a safe and meaningful way, then they will be more likely to develop positive self-esteem and self-efficacy. In the YouTube video emo, teens, emo cutting, emo suicide, high school, urban emos (2008), urban high school students explore the relationship between being “emo” and cutting. The video starts out with a teenage boy relating the many kids he knows who cut themselves, “They complain about their lives…they try to commit suicide so many times and they still haven’t succeeded…it’s for attention.” Another girl agrees that cutters aren’t trying to kill themselves and speculates on the addictive nature of cutting. A third girl explains about being emo (emotional, with problems) and how it is really a perception that others have about you. She says, “No one wants to be emo, it just sort of happens. People call us emos because we are different. It’s a stereotype. You don’t decide that you are emo; it’s what other people are saying. I’m not going to admit it…” Teenagers often have a difficult time coming to terms with their own identities and accepting their own differences. As a result, they view themselves in terms of what others think. In Maslow’s terms, many teenagers who do not have their basic needs of love and acceptance met cannot progress to the level of self-esteem. In fact, in the case of cutters and “emos”, these students often replace self-actualization with what others expect and stop there. The visible scars of cutting are symbols of compliance, a plea for acceptance of what outsiders expect. I understand that I will need to help these particular students find their own identities, independent of their peers. One way to do that is to use content material and curriculum to explore the differences among people as a whole. Another way is to identify the “bridgers” within the class who can help reach out to those on the fringe. Most importantly, as a caring teacher in Nell Nodding’s model, I need to try and know my students. Hopefully, if they believe that I value and respect what makes them different, it will help them to feel more confident about understanding and accepting who they are.

Listen to Me!

If young adults feel as though their opinions, views, and ideas are valued and respected by the authority figures in their lives, they will be more encouraged to participate meaningfully in the bigger world around them instead of shutting it out as irrelevant or intimidating. In the YouTube video Sit Down for Your Rights: The Morton West Story (2008), students held an anti-war sit-in at an Illinois high school. Thirty-eight students were suspended and threatened with expulsion. The sit-in was the idea of Matt who wanted to show “them that peace is possible, that it is not a dream, it can be a reality.” The prevailing thought by the students was that nobody was listening and something more attention getting needed to happen. One girl said, “I didn’t think it would work, at first. I figured the police would just come and nobody would be heard.” As the word spread and more students joined, authorities within the building began to threaten the students with expulsion. The emphasis shifted from what the students were trying to say to how they were saying it. From the perspectives of the students, the administration was neither valuing nor respecting what they had to say. Eventually, widespread publicity and the intervention of many of the parents and notables such as Jesse Jackson prompted the school administration to rescind the punishments. For the students, it was important to know that their parents and people outside the school were supportive and in the end, it legitimized their actions. Matt said, “It proved to me that if you stand up and say something, people will listen.” Andrade-Duncan would contend that students have a lot to say about the world around them and it’s our job as educators to help them articulate their opinions in constructive and appropriate ways. I agree with Duncan-Andrade that when we as teachers (and parents) value and respect what our youth has to say, and encourage dialog and debate, we can empower them to become a critical participant in their world.