[Xmca-l] Re: Teaching in social context

Tue Mar 17 13:25:29 PDT 2015

The contents of standardized tests, and associated curricula, are 
drenched with the social and cultural politics of the test makers 
("they" or "them" as the teachers and students I work with call them) 
who work to make broad questions that reach across cultural difference - 
a "culture of no-culture" that is really just the reproduction of 
white-patriarchy.

However, in the case of the students' testing experience below this 
seems to have backfired. What a wonderful negotiated reading! The 
reading of "cursing" highlights the disconnectedness of test content 
from students own language practices.

I have been impressed by the work of Eric Gutstein 
(http://www.radicalmath.org/docs/1997JRME.pdf), ethnomathematicians 
(http://csdt.rpi.edu/teaching/publications.html), and others who seek to 
draw on students' community resources and practices to better in-school 
education and challenge the culture of no-culture, while also helping 
teachers and students confront economic and political injustices that 
their communities face.

What the Chicago Teachers Union continues to show us is that for 
education to be respected and relevant to students, teachers need to 
draw on the resources situated in students' communities and need to 
stand with working-class parents in their fights for higher wages, 
social services, and neighborhood employment.

peace,
Michael Lachney

On 2015-03-17 15:29, Glassman, Michael wrote:
> I think the difference is that this time there is much more push back
> against this type of thing.  Those with control of the megaphone are
> bringing back the same old hits, but perhaps people aren't buying in
> to them that much.  The student and parent revolt against standardized
> testing.  The #Blacklivesmatter.  The mayoral election in Chicago.
> 
> We certainly do live in interesting times.
> 
> Michael
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu
> [mailto:xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu] On Behalf Of Greg Thompson
> Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2015 3:23 PM
> To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
> Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: Teaching in social context
> 
> @mike - sadness.
> 
> 
> On Tue, Mar 17, 2015 at 1:13 PM, mike cole <mcole@ucsd.edu> wrote:
> 
>> Sure looks and feels like the late 1960's, culture of poverty deja
>> vu-ing all over again.
>> Goes right along with re-segregation of our schools, overt violence
>> against people of color, and biological "explanations" that threaten
>> to become self-fulfilling prophecies.
>> mike
>> 
>> On Tue, Mar 17, 2015 at 10:51 AM, Greg Thompson
>> <greg.a.thompson@gmail.com
>> >
>> wrote:
>> 
>> > but Mike (other Greg here), I think Paul was particularly picking up
>> > on
>> the
>> > fact that this was part of a "district wide mock test".
>> >
>> > I thought that this kind of cultural and socioeconomic bias in
>> > testing
>> had
>> > been chopped at the roots by the myriad of critiques of this sort of
>> thing
>> > back in the 80's and 90's? I would have at least thought that the
>> problems
>> > with a passage like this would be obvious to test-makers today. Or
>> > has
>> that
>> > all been forgotten?
>> >
>> > More evidence that we are back to the beginning?
>> >
>> > [and btw, I'm perhaps even more baffled by how this got integrated
>> > into a 3rd grade test. Seems a bit beyond what my kids could have
>> > handled in 3rd grade.]
>> >
>> > -greg
>> >
>> >
>> > On Tue, Mar 17, 2015 at 11:13 AM, mike cole <mcole@ucsd.edu> wrote:
>> >
>> > > Greg--- Not to mention people being caught in the rude.
>> > >
>> > > Seems like the grumpy quality of the narrative is being picked up
>> > > on,
>> but
>> > > hard to tell.
>> > >
>> > > *The Secret Garden* is antiquarian by American standards, having
>> appeared
>> > > in the latter part of the 1900's. I note there is a modern TV
>> > > series
>> > about
>> > > it.
>> > >
>> > > Paul - Would it be permissible to incorporate some of the TV, so
>> > > the
>> kids
>> > > get a richer interpretive object and mix it with reading?
>> > >
>> > > mike
>> > >
>> > > On Tue, Mar 17, 2015 at 10:01 AM, Greg Mcverry
>> > > <jgregmcverry@gmail.com
>> >
>> > > wrote:
>> > >
>> > > > A hoe, a gardener named weatherstaff  and a mistress, Oh how
>> > > > meaning
>> > > could
>> > > > be misconstrued. And I am not even considering the mansion which
>> > > > few
>> of
>> > > > your wife's students have any real cultural reference point.
>> > > >
>> > > > On Tue, Mar 17, 2015 at 12:54 PM Dr. Paul C. Mocombe <
>> > > > pmocombe@mocombeian.com> wrote:
>> > > >
>> > > > > My wife teaches 3rd grade at an inner-city school.  Today the
>> > students
>> > > > > were tested on a district-wide mock test and they came across
>> > > > > the
>> > > > attached
>> > > > > passage.  Half the class came up to her, and said that they
>> > > > > can not
>> > > read
>> > > > > the passage bcuz they are cursing in it...
>> > > > >
>> > > > >
>> > > > > Dr. Paul C. Mocombe
>> > > > > President
>> > > > > The Mocombeian Foundation, Inc.
>> > > > > www.mocombeian.com
>> > > > > www.readingroomcurriculum.com
>> > > > > www.paulcmocombe.info
>> > > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > --
>> > > It is the dilemma of psychology to deal as a natural science with
>> > > an
>> > object
>> > > that creates history. Ernst Boesch.
>> > >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > Gregory A. Thompson, Ph.D.
>> > Assistant Professor
>> > Department of Anthropology
>> > 880 Spencer W. Kimball Tower
>> > Brigham Young University
>> > Provo, UT 84602
>> > http://byu.academia.edu/GregoryThompson
>> >
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> --
>> It is the dilemma of psychology to deal as a natural science with an
>> object that creates history. Ernst Boesch.
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> --
> Gregory A. Thompson, Ph.D.
> Assistant Professor
> Department of Anthropology
> 880 Spencer W. Kimball Tower
> Brigham Young University
> Provo, UT 84602
> http://byu.academia.edu/GregoryThompson