[Xmca-l] Re: "learning loss"

[Shirin Vossoughi]

Thank you Diana ~ Really appreciate hearing your reflections! Given the
conversations that have happened here as of late, I also strongly push back
on the idea (sometimes expressed in our fields) that race is a U.S. issue.
There are ofcourse specific historical and contemporary manifestations of
white supremacy and racial hierarchy in the U.S. context, but these are
deeply global concerns that require careful attention from scholars of
learning.
Shirin

On Mon, Jan 18, 2021 at 3:32 PM Diana Arya <darya@education.ucsb.edu> wrote:

> Dear Shirin and all,
>
> Thanks so much for sharing this article!  Yes, there are many of us who
> find it problematic when we read that students have "lost" an "average X
> months of learning" . . . the econometric machine is hard at work, and some
> of us are starting to see an additional underlying agenda that supports the
> marketing of new curricula and hence profit. And meanwhile, the
> longstanding need for real transformation in education is left unaddressed.
>
> I particularly liked the following:
>
> "Deficit thinking also defines the ways of speaking and knowing
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://blogs.umass.edu/jdrosa/files/2015/01/Avineri-et-al.-2015-Bridging-the-language-gap.pdf__;!!Mih3wA!TSmCyas87McxqNpyYt8qhxlgVa0VjT0sXfTsk_mTEF6OgQeJLVGEsQItwlrQCPaet78B8Q$>
>  of youth of color as problems rather than cultural-historical practices
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.3102/0013189X032005019?casa_token=ZDcGRDAYyGIAAAAA:jN6rz4ui3sURlBdpgIRun06M00e7ENMGeM9buR3hEa9tHtdRu4kwQX8-JEWLqxDUx8SqNf45Pa4fGA__;!!Mih3wA!TSmCyas87McxqNpyYt8qhxlgVa0VjT0sXfTsk_mTEF6OgQeJLVGEsQItwlrQCPYYbo4TtA$>
>  essential for ongoing, deep learning
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-07157-029__;!!Mih3wA!TSmCyas87McxqNpyYt8qhxlgVa0VjT0sXfTsk_mTEF6OgQeJLVGEsQItwlrQCPY4LqbZXA$>.
> In fact, basing education on one way of speaking and knowing undermines
> critical thinking and individual and collective well-being
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/multiple-ways-knowing-beth-warren-shirin-vossoughi-ann-rosebery-megan-bang-edd-taylor/e/10.4324/9780203774977-19__;!!Mih3wA!TSmCyas87McxqNpyYt8qhxlgVa0VjT0sXfTsk_mTEF6OgQeJLVGEsQItwlrQCPZuSj98Cg$>
> ."
>
> And on this MLK holiday, I will reflect on the authors' final questions:
>
> "As we witness what pandemic-era schooling has further illuminated, what
> lessons will we head? Will we embrace the complexity and diversity of young
> people’s brilliance and promise? What are we invested in and what do we
> need to let go of to create the future we desire?"
>
> IMHO, there is no way to avoid issues of racism and other sources of bias
> in CHAT topics. I acknowledge those in this community who may view such
> sociocultural and sociohistorical matters to be separable (or perhaps
> avoidable), but for many of us who grew up in the U.S. and went to U.S.
> public schools, it is impossible to separate racism and other forms of
> discrimination from activities in the context of learning, which is
> culturally and historically laden and, hence, has documented roots in
> racist/discriminatory policies and practices.
>
> Maxine & Shirin:  You do an amazing job on outlining the enormous task
> before us as educators and researchers. Thank you for your efforts in
> bringing the truth forward.
>
>
> Best,
> D
>
> On Mon, Jan 18, 2021 at 9:15 AM Shirin Vossoughi <
> shirinvossoughi@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Dear all,
>>
>> Sharing an op-ed co-authored with Maxine McKinney de Royston that draws
>> on cultural historical ideas to challenge the increasing narrative around
>> "learning loss" and other deficit ideologies, and to center families of
>> color as educational partners and leaders:
>>
>>
>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://truthout.org/articles/fixating-on-pandemic-learning-loss-undermines-the-need-to-transform-education/__;!!Mih3wA!QxQxXWaVQ6LGtkADBlDXyHGQ_giSMCWUdzrzTUfEk3m7mlrB9Ju_Oy7GskR7YLNA1GnBuw$ 
>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://truthout.org/articles/fixating-on-pandemic-learning-loss-undermines-the-need-to-transform-education/__;!!Mih3wA!V_zce6_iKqDaSj7UBvVR2qFpfRrDGZ4J1l2cSf8ts02DFRY9qwcdVYG42K3tfecDn5vPGQ$>
>>
>> ~Shirin
>>
>>
>>
>
> --
> *Nothing can be changed until it is faced. *(James Baldwin)
>
> Diana J. Arya, PhD
> she/her/hers/they/them/theirs
> Associate Professor and Graduate Diversity Officer, Education
> Faculty Director, McEnroe Reading and Language Arts Clinic
> Gevirtz Graduate School of Education
> University of California, Santa Barbara
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.cbleducation.org__;!!Mih3wA!QxQxXWaVQ6LGtkADBlDXyHGQ_giSMCWUdzrzTUfEk3m7mlrB9Ju_Oy7GskR7YLP9hUWd6g$ 
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.cbleducation.org__;!!Mih3wA!TSmCyas87McxqNpyYt8qhxlgVa0VjT0sXfTsk_mTEF6OgQeJLVGEsQItwlrQCPbO-ZJSfg$>
>
>
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