Task 1
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Task 1: Critical Commentary
1
Jessica Garcia
Schools as Communities of Care
3/13/23
Task 1: Critical Commentary A: Identify three videos from the attached “Task 1 Video List” found in the Supporting Documents” section
Video 1: “Writing a Cooperative Paragraph” – 2
nd
Grade
Video 2: “Developing Drug Awareness and Resistance Skills” – 6
th
Grade
Video 3: “Determining the Influence of Media on American Culture and Stereotypes” – 12
th
Grade
B: Video Observations Reflection
B1: Cultural Needs: In the first video, it was evident that the teacher took the ethnicity and heritage of her students into consideration. She integrated their culture into the less by using the text Burro’s Tortillas
, a text aimed at the Hispanic children in the classic tale The Little Red Hen
. Additionally, she used the tune from the Hispanic song “La Cucaracha”, creating a song on capitalization. The second video addresses tobacco and alcohol ads targeting specific cultures. An example was the alcohol ads that were directed toward men, as most are, by showcasing women in minimal clothing. The male students in the video were able to recognize the direction and target of the advertisement. Many students voiced their concern of the alcohol
Task 1: Critical Commentary
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ads as encouraging this type of negative behavior, as to make them cool for consuming these products, stating “He who wears the crown”
(Atlas, 2014)
. The teacher in the third video address students’ cultural needs by encouraging them to share their own experiences and points of view on stereotypical views on culture in the media. She is providing them with a safe space to verbalize their feelings and discuss topics of complexity. The students were given the space and knowledge to address the cultural stereotypes within major companies, i.e. Disney. The students pinpointed the lack of democracy in Lion King, the barbaric views in Aladdin, and even the surprising revoking of gender norms in Princess and the Frog. The teacher pointed out that companies like Disney are afraid to stray from what they know, even if it portrays such stereotypes, “as it has provided them with their $80 million success”
(Atlas, 2014)
. Social Needs: The social needs of students are being met in all three videos, by teachers and peers. Whole group and small group discussions were highly encouraged. The students were provided with the space and opportunity to be truthful in their ideas and thoughts, while interacting accordingly. The teachers accommodated their students and classroom, facilitating group activities, and providing an enriched environment. In the second grade class (first video), students were divided into small groups, reading, summarizing, and correcting passages. This gave students ample opportunity to interact appropriately with one another. The classroom in the second video had no desk. 20 6
th
grade students sat on the floor, discussing media portrayal, in a relaxed environment. By having this
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type of classroom, the students are put in a better position to speak to each other, move around
freely, and have a sense of comfortability. Finally, the last video showed students were encouraged to work in small groups with open discussions. By having a circle group discussion, the teacher is giving the students a comfortable place to speak freely while she encourages them to elevate one another’s ideas. They are given a safe place to express their thoughts and feelings on many controversial topics, i.e. cultural and religious stereotypes, and racism. Emotional needs: The teacher in the first video met the emotional needs of her students
by ensuring them that mistakes are normal and acceptable. She purposefully made mistakes and let the students correct her errors. This encourages the students to learn from there mistakes, while also boosting their confidence in their abilities, through praise and acknowledgement for their contribution. In the second video, the teacher creates an environment in which students respect each other’s views and opinions by listening, which meets their emotional needs. Everyone is given the opportunity to speak and share their thoughts. This ensure each student feels that their thinking is valuable to the conversation at hand. The third video showcases the teacher’s ability to meet the emotional needs of students the best of the three videos. She is emotionally invested in the thoughts and opinions of her students. She shows them how important their opinions are on these controversial topics by actively listening and encouraging them to speak their minds. Her investment in how they see the topics gives them a sense of importance, which is vital to their emotional needs. As a
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student shares a story of her friend dealing with bullying and hate, the teacher can be seen being emotional, giving that emotional connection to the student. When a student can connect
with a teacher like that, they feel safe, and their emotional needs are met in the classroom. B2: The three teachers in the selected videos did a wonderful job meeting the needs of their students on a cultural, social, and emotional level. However, teachers can always do better, as we are never perfect. In the first video, the teacher did a good job meeting the needs of the Hispanic students by using those text, but there were being cultures and backgrounds in the classroom that were not met in that moment. It should be mentioned that it is almost impossible to meet the cultural needs of each student in a lesson such as the one viewed here. In the second video, the teacher could have used this opportunity to speak on peer pressure in terms of alcohol and drugs. It is known that drug use typically begins from introduction from friends. This was clearly a missed opportunity to speak about it and meet the
needs of emotional and cultural, when looking at a group of students like a culture in itself. The third video did not show boys in the group. This leads me to believe that the boys may have missed out on this vital conversation, meaning their emotional needs were not met. However, if the boys were in a different group, it should have been shown that the teacher also participated in a conversation similar, meeting their emotional needs as well. B3: Strategy 1 – In the second video, “Developing Drug Awareness and Resistance”, the culturally sustain pedagogy practice that I learned was the absence of desks. The students were
seated on the floor, grouped in clusters of students, in a relaxed manner. In the description of the video, the teacher noted that her class is culturally diverse. Additionally, they are also
Task 1: Critical Commentary
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diverse in their learning abilities. This type of environment allows for students to connect with others differently from themselves. Throughout the lesson, each student was addressed and given a chance to have their voice heard, making a connection with everyone. The students were engaged and enjoyed participating. The students all seemed comfortable with the teacher, with their groups, and with their level of participation. This created a safe and inclusive
environment, leading to a fun and enriching atmosphere.
Strategy 2 – In the third video, “Determining the Influence of Media on American Culture
and Stereotypes”, the culturally sustain pedagogy practice that I learned was the vulnerability and safety of the classroom. Students felt comfortable expressing their thoughts on how the media portrays different cultures and even their own experiences. They felt valued and heard as their teacher sat on the floor and discussed their ideas with them. The learning was contextual to the topic as students dug into the discussion. The teacher becomes visibly emotional while a student speaks of the struggles of her friend, ensure she feels valued and heard. B3a: In my classroom, as I am currently teaching 3
rd
grade in a Title 1 school, I would incorporate these practices by making my lessons inclusive for all cultures and ethnicities of my classroom. To ensure that I accomplish this, I will be asking more unrestricted questions, letting the students really express their thoughts, getting to know how they analyze and rationalize various topics. Second, as already incorporated into my classroom, I will be implementing more floor time. As students enjoy movement and various seating, I will be bringing them to the floor
more often for discussion. Something I have yet to do is let them work in their groups on the
Task 1: Critical Commentary
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floor. It is custom to work in groups in my classroom, however, letting them choose where to sit
might give them the bit of freedom and comfortability that they crave. B4: They ways I tend to approach some of the topics above is by sending home topics for
students to discuss with their caregivers. With sensitive topics, as in video 3, there is a need to involve the caregivers. They can help support the students’ emotional needs at home, as well as give them guidance and support to feel comfortable discussing them in the classroom. It is also important for caregivers to simply be aware of what their student is learning. Another opportunity that I provide for my caregivers is to be a presence in our classroom. Caregivers are
extremely important in a child’s life and that does not stop because they are in school. I send home a letter at the beginning of the year that invites parents to spend a few hours or an entire day in our classroom whenever they feel the need. I am constantly looking for ways to involve caregivers, as I teach in a community with a lack of caregiver involvement. B5: I would like to involve the community in the execution of the selected strategies by asking members of the community to come be a speaker on their culture, religion, and experiences. I would love for my students to learn about various cultures from people of said cultures. It is so important for students to learn about and understand these cultures from people of these cultures. There is so much that can be taught by others, of which I do not have firsthand knowledge. I will also be asking the community to donate items for our floor discussion activities. Pillows, blankets, and rugs would really amplify floor work in the classroom. It would make the activities more comfortable, and the students would get excited about the new additions. Additionally, by doing this, it could start the school off on a path of having more culturally sustain pedagogy practices.
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References
Atlas. (2014). Determining the Influence of Media on American Culture and Stereotypes
. Retrieved from Atlas: https://atlas.nbpts.org/cases/203/
Atlas. (2014). Developing Drug Awareness and Resistance Skills
. Retrieved from Atlas: https://atlas.nbpts.org/cases/163/
Colorin Colorado. (2014). Writing a cooperative paragraph
. Retrieved from Atlas: https://www.colorincolorado.org/classroom-video/writing-cooperative-paragraph