When reading both Wink and Cook’s articles, Hade’s ideas of being a tourist continually crept in my mind. These teachers are clearly not giving these students a tourist’s view of history and culture; the students are getting a close in-depth view- actually more like an experience. I think they are avoiding the tourist approach by trying to engage their students in what Wink called “creative conflict” (89). It calls students (AND teachers) to question their assumptions- to embrace discomfort. Cook and Wink are asking their students much more than just to read a book from another culture and be aware that it is there but rather to experience, connect, and create some form of meaning to it. They were challenging their students to do more than just read a novel or poem from history. I think from all the readings we have done in this class, it is clear that students learn best through challenge and experience. Experience and challenge is memorable and impactful- Cook named off many of her students’ future jobs and they all related to the content they learned in her class.
I also think when dealing with a subject so relevant to students’ lives they need to be challenge to have their own opinions, which both teachers do. They want to create advocates, they want them to have their own distinct voice. Cook doesn’t want her students to learn tolerance but rather inclusion; one has to have a strong voice for that because we are taught tolerance. Wink wants to transform her students’ apathy to feeling and creativity, and she noticed her students showed the most feeling in uncomfortable situations. Cook states that “education is about learning to live in a world community, about communication, and questioning and listening” and I think today that would a pretty good education to get, but to get it I think teachers have to challenge their students.
Lastly, we have to think about how we could take Wink and Cook’s ideas into our classrooms. I think most importantly we have to question and experience our own thoughts and assumptions. We cannot ask our students to do something we cannot do ourselves- also we are supposed to be good models for our students, right? I also think we have to come up with a creative way to expose our students to different history and culture. Cook was extremely creative; I would have loved to be in her class. I think we need to create fun ways to for to students to be exposed to but also be able to think critically about the work. Once we have them thinking critically, they will then be on their way to forming their own opinions. I think it is hard to know how I’d really go about helping my students find their voice and opinions but I do know that I will need to challenge then and have them not just read the content but experience it.
Bethany: I also thought of the "tourist" method of teaching literature when I read Cook's article, but wasn't sure how what she does differs from the tourist method. I suppose she does try to help her students experience a place, rather than just read about it, but what if there are still some students not engaged in her methods? Would they still be getting just a tourist point-of-view?
ReplyDeleteI too believe that students need to have their own voices. Sometimes students are "brought up" in education believing that there is a right answer. This may be our faults as educators. We need to make it more apparent that they should have a voice. Great blog Bethany!
ReplyDeleteI also thought about the tourist approach when reading Cook's article. I think you are right on to note Cook's creativity. That is probably the best thing to use to try to engage students in meaningful ways and avoid the tourist approach. I do think that some students will only get the tourist point of view simply because they choose not to engage. Hopefully, in a classroom that is highly creative, students that might not engage well with some literature, will with others. But, I'm sure it will be an ongoing challenge to keep students engaged at meaningful levels.
ReplyDeleteI like how you mentioned that students need to form their own opinions by thinking critically. Most of the times, students go into class and just wait for the teacher to tell them what they need to know, but that isn't really learning. Students have the ability to maximize their critical thinking, and it is necessary as teachers to challenge our students to think this way. I also like how you mentioned that experience is the way to make students think critically. It is so important to include our students voices in the classroom and as teachers, we can even learn from their experiences.
ReplyDeleteI love how you connected the tourist articles and discussion to the readings. Both teachers did a great job getting their students involved and thinking critically about what they were learning. They challenged their students and made them feel uncomfortable sometimes, but it ultimately helped them become better students. Even by the students challenging the teachers, it showed them all to have a voice and to not just be tolerant of what they are learning.
ReplyDeleteI never used to realize how much, as an English teacher, I will be teaching so much more than books! History, culture and community are just three of the broader concepts you named that we will be teaching to students. I agree with you that we need to come up with creative ways to interest our students, but also to make sure it is relevant and they are thinking critically. I want to make my classroom an environment in which students know we will be hashing out ideas and challenging their preconceptions on a daily basis. It sounds like a heavy task, but I want to make my students want to learn in that way.
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