Community

The word I decided to focus on was community. From the video we watched in class we saw how these boys needed a sense of a positive community and that’s why they went to Africa. There they were able to not be tempted to make poor choices and a lot of the students got on the honor roll, something they would probably have never thought possible before.

The theorists we have been studying have all been inspired by a sense of community. For example: Dewey believed that the teacher should discuss the students’ interests and knowledge with them so they know what to teach them and elaborate off of. If the teacher tried playing the know it all and assumed what was best for the students without getting to know them, they wouldn’t be very successful. I think of that as a sense of community because it is building upon everyone’s knowledge to move forward.

When it comes to privilege I think of how a lot of middle class classrooms can have a sense of community within the class by just having discussions. White teachers often teach the mainstream white culture and thus leaving other students of different backgrounds to struggle more from lack of connection to their own cultural background. It’s the privilege white people have had (including myself) of having a sense of community built into my classroom because I fit in. It’s important to implement multicultural education into the curriculum to expand that sense of community to encompass all students. The boys in the film didn't have the privilege normally and were given a chance to have that privilege where they would study in a country where they would be surrounded by other people of their skin color and have small classrooms to address their needs. This would also go along with Delpit because she discusses how different races learn differently from one another. By knowing that African Americans need the teacher to be more authoritative or that Asian students are taught to be humble and not freely share out their answers, teachers can accommodate to all students and make them all feel comfortable and ready to learn.

Community is very crucial in child development and students need to know that it’s okay to express opinions and ask questions. That sense of community from student-centered practices is what helps educate everyone, including the teacher. My understanding of pedagogy in the classroom is that it is community based learning. A teacher functions off of his or her students. By being able to listen to students and teach in different ways to accommodate to them, the teacher is improving him or herself and becoming a better educator.