I've been collecting refs. on studies on culturally compatible curriculum
along or close to Lisa Delpit's line. I'm attaching them below for those
who are interested (I'd also be interested in learning other refs. too).
Eugene, I like very much your sharing of the child's math-doing (being
mistaken as an instance of "learning disability") in your student teacher's
school. It reminds me of Wiggenstein's story about how people can count in
different systems, engaged in different forms of life and have different
ways of seeing and doing things. Unfortunately, modern, technological
society, as it has developed to this date, will no doubt previlege the
"mainstream" ways of doing things/of speaking--the "mainstream" form of
life--as the only "correct" one or "natural" one, suitable for maintaining
a capitalist, global market economy.
In the English-speaker dominant society (e.g., in the US) the struggle to
acquire English resources by ethnic minorities and/or immigrants
constitutes the focus of study in most of the reseach literature (e.g.,
culturally compatible and/or responsive curricular development, bilingual
education). This has been the primary source of insights I've been drawing
on. However, in a recent discussion with Ron Scollon, I came to confirm my
hunch that the situation in the Asian Pacific post-colonial societies are
so different that we have to develop our own paradigm of research here
though not excluding the benefits of drawing on the existing literature in
the West. What that will look like remains uncertain and tentative, but
one thing seems very clear: here we have a peculia situation: the
ethnic/linguistic majority speaks a language that is seen as having a
secondary status in relation to English, a language from the outside
imposed on us as a necessary "international language" for maintaining the
economy (ie. for international trade, finance and commerce). The global
domination of English seems to be something that we have to live with and
can only try our best to make the best of it for we seem to have no other
choice.
To me, it seems that the world is getting more and more homogenized in a
peculia way, with the middle and technological professional classes in
different nations/ethnic groups being more and more alike than the middle
and the working classes are within the same national/ethnic group boundary.
The gap between the forms of life engaged in by the different social
classes are getting bigger and bigger while the middle classes tend to
conform more and more to a global technological, market culture/ values/
ways of speaking, living and seeing; and this becomes the "better way".
The traditionally accepted role of the middle-class educational researcher
and school educator in this complex matrix is a problematic one. To search
for our role in face of the consequences our position tends to lead us into
is an urgent task.
Personally, I have a HUGE sense of helplessness--being a small piece in a
large machine on which I can have very little impact in changing its course
of action, and yet one cannot simply give up. There are the
recommendations of the critial pedagogy educators... but that doesn't
prevent me from feeling that it's like applying a bandage to someone who's
critically ill. The working classes are trapped in the symbolic domination
of the new global high class (the high priests of our 21st century
technolgical temples), unfortunately often with their own cooperation and
collaboration, or so it seems... We make research papers out of their
suffering (sorry, it sounds too strong; but we have to face it; can we make
it otherwise? yes, but perhaps not always possible; something I keep trying
to figure out how). Sorry for a not-too-optimistic note... I'm optimistic
within the confines of pessimisim though :)
Angel
-----------------
angel lin, phd, assistant professor, dept of english, city university of
hong kong; e-mail: enangel who-is-at cityu.edu.hk
-------------------------------------------------------------
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>Hi Mike and everybody--
>
>I think it is not a question whether a hidden curriculum should be taught in
>school (or anywhere else). There is no choice because hidden curriculum is
>always there. The question is where the teacher should design curriculum
>with awareness of its part being hidden from the teacher and students. In
>the examples provided by Nate, Maria, Judy, and Nelson, some parts of the
>curriculum designed by the teacher can be intentionally hidden from the
>students. For me, the primary issue here is the issue of teacher's
>manipulation versus providing sensitive, respectful, and critical guidance.
>What do you think?
>
>Eugene
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Mike Cole [mailto:mcole@weber.ucsd.edu]
>> Sent: Saturday, April 04, 1998 7:18 PM
>> To: xmca who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu
>> Subject: Applied Delpit?
>>
>>
>>
>> Dear Xmca-ers,
>>
>> Are there any examples of curricula which adopt Lisa Delpit's
>> view that kids should be taught the hidden curriculum of the school
>> (or which adopt other forms of explicit instruction about dominant
>> forms of instructional culture?). I assume that Goldenberg and Gallimore's
>> work on instructional discourse falls into the latter category, but
>> cannot find a handy article/ref and my assumption could be wrong. It
>> sure wouldnt be the first time!
>> mike
>>
>
>