February 2017 draft: do not quote without authors’ permission
Linda Reece
February 2017
Manuscript Draft—Culturally Relevant Teaching in the Face of Fake News: Engaging
Middle School Students in Conversations about Refugees, Immigration, and
Citizenship
**This paper was originally going to be a Case Study using Feminist theory to look at
how two women were empowered by sharing their stories of escaping dangerous
regimes to seek asylum in the United States. In the weeks following the inauguration
of President Trump, I couldn’t help but change the focus to more of a pedagogical
piece on the importance of social studies teachers listening to the voices of our
students—especially during challenging times such as these. It is, therefore,
definitely a rough draft as the focus has changed—feedback is welcomed!
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‘‘The Party told you to reject all evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final,
most essential command.’’—George Orwell, 1984
The above quote from Orwell’s famous novel, 1984, captures a dystopian
society where history is distorted to reflect the whims of the governmental “Big
Brother”; the novel’s protagonist, Winston Smith, attempts to record truth in hopes
of challenging the government’s narrative. As with many dystopian works, 1984
ends on a dark note with Big Brother using force to ensure Winston succumbs to the
authority of the State (Orwell, 1949). Recently, Amazon reported skyrocketing sales
of 1984-- and other dystopian-themed novels of government control— due to the
stark shift in the relationship between the new Trump administration and the
American press, referred to by the president as disseminator of ‘fake news’ (Tuttle,
Jan. 25, 2017). In only a few short weeks, the new American President has stirred
fear in the hearts of many citizens—from both ends of the political spectrum--with
rhetoric and executive actions that threaten to undermine the democratic principles
upon which our nation was founded: Freedom of Speech and immigration.
As adults struggle to make sense of the ‘new normal’ of behavior within the
Executive branch of American government, our nation’s children are experiencing
anxiety and uncertainty about the safety of their world and the role of the
government. It is in times like these that social studies educators must create and
support classroom communities where current events are discussed and critiqued.
This paper will discuss ways that social studies teachers may utilize principles of
Culturally Relevant Teaching to build community, conversation, and understanding
among middle school students with the goal of creating critical thinkers who will
stand strong as a compassionate citizenry. Drawing upon interviews and
documents developed by rising 8th graders participating in year one of a three -year
academic summer program, connections between inquiry methodology using CRT
will be explored as program participants researched and critiqued events during the
2016 Presidential election cycle.
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The Role of History Teachers in Connecting Students with the Past
History teachers are information gatekeepers who (ideally) critically digest
and then utilize facts and information found in the historical record in order to
educate the nation’s children. Unfortunately, in many instances, historical accuracy
is sacrificed for nationalism in the textbooks and curricula teachers are required to
use. American textbooks and other school materials have regularly omitted or
‘whitewashed’ American aggression and dishonorable acts. Howard Zinn (2003)
posits that ‘atrocious acts’ are often framed in the view of necessary for progress; in
addition, horrific events are often minimized due to the large number of events
students are covering in social studies. Zinn wrote:
One reason these atrocities are still with us is that we have learned
to bury them in a mass of other facts, as radioactive wastes are buried in
containers in the earth. We have learned to give them exactly the same
proportion of attention that teachers and writers often give them in the most
respectable of classrooms and textbooks (p.9).
While frequently minimized in K-12 school curricula due to the focus on reading,
math, and high stakes testing, we believe “history holds the potential, only partly
realized, of humanizing us in ways offered by few other areas in the school
curriculum” (Wineburg, 2001, p.5). It is the humanizing component of history
education that intersects with critical thinking in students to develop
knowledgeable decision makers. It also serves to inoculate students from the
continuous onslaught of social media-based “news” sources. Scholars have included
events from history that emphasize the humanity beneath the atrocity McDaniel
(2015) uses documents from the “Christmas Truce” of WWI to show soldiers from
opposites sides playing sports and singing songs for a brief moment during a shared
religious holiday; LaVallee and Waring (2015) frame discussion on the nadir of race
relations by the impact on sharecroppers living in the South to give students a
glimpse of how decisions made by leaders impact citizens’ daily lives.
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The Education of Citizens and the Social Studies
Social studies educator, Walter Parker (2005), focuses upon citizenship
education as a seminal purpose of social studies education for K-12 students. In a
pluralistic society, citizenship education principles are based upon tenets of equity
and social justice. Effective social studies teachers create classrooms where
students “live” these principles—from the playground to the curriculum. Creating a
classroom community requires teachers to be deliberate in all aspects of classroom
life and these teachers must:
• Increase the variety and frequency of interaction among students who
occupy different social positions. • Orchestrate these contacts to foster
deliberation (discussion with an eye toward decision making) on shared
problems. • Aim for competent deliberation, not blather, and for inclusive
deliberation that gives voice to those typically excluded. Keeping diverse
students apart by various systems of segregation, hard and soft, keeps
schools from turning even the first key (Parker, 2005, 665-666).
Social studies educators who foster the development of positive citizenship
participation are those who include discussion of those who have struggled as well
as those who have been in power over the course of history. Facilitating classroom
discussions where students research and then discuss current events, inviting
parents and other community members to talk to students, and embarking on
community service projects are three ways social studies teachers help students
understand the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and the Social Studies
Research has shown that curricular objectives and teaching practices that do
not reflect common understandings among students or that marginalize students
from different backgrounds result in less student engagement and lower scores on
standardized tests (Banks & Banks, 2004; Irvine, 1992; Nieto, 2004; Richards,
Brown, & Ford, 2007). Culturally Relevant Teaching (CRT), in contrast to more
traditional approaches to teaching content, is based upon the premise that teachers
who relate academic content to students’ lived experiences and world views have
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more success in engaging students in the learning environment, developing critical
thinking skills, and promoting student self-efficacy. According to Ladson-Billings
(1995), this type of teaching is tailored to, “Collective, not merely individual
empowerment” (p.160). Richards, Brown, and Forde (2007), list the following as
the types of classroom activities that promote student engagement through
responsive and culturally relevant instruction:
Acknowledge students’ differences as well as their commonalities…
Educate students about the diversity of the world around them…promote
equity and mutual respect among students…motivate students to become
active participants in their learning…assist students in becoming socially and
politically conscious (p. 66-67).
As social studies is the academic content area where students learn about the lived
experiences of famous Americans, it is also the best place for students to share their
own life experiences and personal stories.
‘Fake News’ and the role of Social Studies Teachers
Beginning during his campaign and now daily, President Trump and his staff
continue to tout the press as ‘dishonest’ and replete with ‘fake news’. I attended a
Trump campaign rally in February 2016, where then candidate-Trump called on the
audience to turn to the media present and “boo them” (personal notes, February 3,
2016). Many of us thought at the time this behavior was simply the attention-
seeking behavior of a former reality TV personality. However, the intensity of the
president’s attacks on the press has only increased since the election. When asked
by MSNBC news reporter Chuck Todd why Trump White House staffers publicly
stated his inaugural ceremony was the most widely attended in history when fact
checking easily revealed the statement to be false, Trump advisor Kelly Ann Conway
responded with this: “You’re saying it’s falsehoods {White House statements}….
Sean Spicer, our press secretary—gave alternative facts.” (Todd, January 22, 2017).
From seemingly innocuous issues—such as inaugural attendance—to serious issues
such as Russian hacking—this current President casts most news organizations as
‘liars’. Most recently, the President tweeted, “The media is the enemy of the
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American people” (New York Times, February 19, 2017). This has been a tactic of
other regimes, typically much more repressive, as a way to discredit any
information contrary to the statement of the government. Many Americans are
responding to the president’s animus toward the media with confusion and concern,
with senators from the president’s own party expressing concerns that dictators
“get started by suppressing free press” (Krasny & Donahue, February, 19, 2017).
One of the most basic and powerful freedoms within our American
democracy is the first amendment—that which protects freedom of speech,
including freedom of the Press. While this freedom is not boundless—e.g., one may
not yell “fire” in a crowded theater—the free flow of information and the
protections therein provide an important foundation for checks on the power of
those entrusted with positions in government. Throughout our relatively short
history as a nation, American writers, reporters, and authors have contributed much
to the historical record. Social studies teachers utilize many of the primary and
secondary sources to bring students an authentic glimpse into our nation’s history.
Critical analysis of documents is essential as children in American public schools
learn the requisite critical thinking skills that will enable them to become informed
citizens.
As social studies educators, our role is to foster a learning environment
where students engage critically with each other, using primary and secondary
sources related to events in American history to support their understandings and
to challenge them to learn from the past to become productive, compassionate
citizens. As world politics and communication become more global, social studies
teachers face an even larger—and, I would argue—more high stakes task of helping
students understand America’s duties and responsibilities toward her global
neighbors. Throughout the history of American democracy, the system of checks
and balances—the delicate dance among the Executive, legislative, and judicial
branches—has served to promote democratic ideals and has (at most times in
history, at least) served to support its citizens as well as international neighbors
seeking safety from persecution and war.
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The ‘Muslim ban’ and Immigration
Donald Trump’s flurry of Executive Orders have shocked the nation and the
world; the order most directly impacting those attempting to flee persecution and
chaos is “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States”
(Myre, January 31, 2017). Some of the refugees impacted by this executive order
risked their lives to help American soldiers in their home countries; many of these
people who sacrificed their jobs, homes, and possessions to escape danger may be
returned to the danger due to the president’s order. In the three weeks since this
order was issued, refugees have been turned away at American airports, and legal
arguments ended with a stay of the order being issued. This stay allows refugees to
once again enter the United States. As the US Dept. of Justice fights with attorneys
saying the ban is discriminatory, teachers in the counties surrounding my university
are left with many frightened legal immigrants; students and aid workers scurry to
return to the States in case the order goes forward; and refugee families already
here fear they will remain separated from family members approved to come to the
US but who may be detained by this order.
Signed into action without the knowledge and input of many federal
agencies, implementation of the order was chaotic and confusing, and resulted in a
temporary halt by the Ninth Circuit Court. For the moment, travelers approved and
vetted for asylum are being allowed to enter the United States. Emboldened by the
president’s vow to appeal the court ruling, state governments are now detaining and
deporting illegal immigrants in great numbers. In my home state of Georgia, in a
region where the economy is heavily dependent on the work of laborers who are
often new immigrants, children and families are very fearful about deportation.
As Americans, the manner in which we treat our neighbors—whether they
live next door or they live in Aleppo, Syria—has been guided by our basic belief that
America is a leader in the world with regard to helping those in need. As our new
executive attempts to replace this ethos of compassion with “We’re going to be first
and strongest in everything!”, it becomes increasingly important for social studies
teachers in America’s public schools to create classroom communities where the
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free exchange of ideas occurs in a respectful safe environment; where culturally
relevant teaching practices provide spaces for students to learn from each other—to
understand and empathize with the lived experiences of their classmates. This
paper examines the use of Culturally Relevant Teaching (CRT) practices during an
academic summer program targeting ‘at promise’ rising 8th graders from local Title
One middle schools. Issues of immigration, citizenship, and refugees were explored
with the goal being to tie current events in with social studies curricula to engage
students in critical thinking.
How can social studies teachers inform and also calm the fears of the
students they teach, in the wake of the administration’s strong anti-immigrant
stance? As the K-12 American school population continues to become diverse, how
do teachers engage students--- of all backgrounds—in the business of critical
thinking with regard to how the decisions made throughout our nation’s history
impact current events? How do we assist students in parsing through the deluge of
information coming from media outlets and social sites? As a former K-6 social
studies teacher who currently teaches social studies methods and ESOL content
courses to undergraduate and graduate teacher education candidates, I propose that
social studies teachers must begin by building a classroom community with
students; this provides a foundation of respect and caring upon which new learning
and critical discussions may occur. In this paper, I describe how the use of Culturally
Relevant Teaching practices with middle school students participating in a summer
academic program led to powerful understandings of the immigrant experiences
following students’ discussions of their own immigration stories.
Summer Scholars Institute for ‘At Promise’ Students
The Summer Scholars Institute (SSI) was established to provide
disadvantaged students in the Gainesville College (now UNG) eight-plus county
service area with a free three-year academically rich summer program designed to
support them through their transition from middle to high school and on to post-
secondary education. The program currently recruits “at-promise” rising 8th graders
from Hall, Habersham, Jackson, and Gainesville City school systems who are first-
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generation college prospects attending Title One schools and whose family incomes
indicate a low SES (socioeconomic status). Students and families commit to
successfully completing three consecutive four week (15 days) summer sessions
with the Summer Scholars Institute. Prospective participants are selected from lists
of students recommended by school counselors and teachers.
SSI teachers design and implement a curriculum integrating STEM, Language Arts,
and Social Studies subject matter in hands-on, project-discovery lessons, field trips,
and activities that emphasize student problem-solving and critical thinking. The
curriculum also includes information that connects their classroom studies with
future careers and preparation pathways. UNG interns (preservice undergrads who
are in the Teacher Education program) receive a stipend to assist teachers and also
mentor students.
In Summer 2016, the Essential Question guiding instruction, conversations,
and research among students and faculty for humanities and STEM areas of Summer
Scholars was: How does movement—both voluntary or involuntary-- impact (or
determine) one’s life choices? Students examined the impact of famous Americans
who were involved with major change that involved movement. Topics of study
included: Westward Expansion, Native American Removal Act, the Civil Rights
Movement, and public school segregation and desegregation. Individual and small
group activities in social studies that students completed included: reading
biographies on selected famous Americans (each student selected readings of
interest); researching the life experiences—from childhood to adulthood—of the
person (or persons) studied; and documenting their own stories through poetry,
journaling, short story, or song.
As a class, we also looked at global issues of movement and diaspora;
students were especially interested in the refugee issue in Syria and other areas of
the Middle East. Using Culturally Relevant Teaching strategies, UNG interns and I
led discussions and activities where students could express their views on both the
refugee crisis and the issue of immigration here in the States. Students created
propaganda cartoons based on a topic of their choosing; they analyzed each others’
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cartoons and also debated the meaning of cartoons published in news articles from
different outlets.
Following a hands -on class activity (Population Education lesson on
“Push/Pull” factors of movement), students, interns, and the teacher discussed what
factors make families want to move. Immigration was touched on, with students
commenting how negative they felt then candidate Trump was in referring to
immigrants. At that point, one of the UNG interns—a 32 year old Cuban-American
who escaped Cuba with her family at age 14 on a small raft—shared her story of
growing up in Cuba. Selena (a pseudonym) described watching her mother being
arrested for civil disobedience in refusing to vote in the elections where only one
candidate was on the ballot. She described not having milk or bread and how she
and her sister were sickly and how she almost died of an asthma attack as the
medical services were non-existent. The beautiful—and candid way—Selena shared
her story with 18 middle school students was powerful. As she told her story of
physical pain and hardship, along with the loss of her beloved grandmother, another
student walked over to Selena and hugged her. This student, Johanna, then shared
her story of being robbed at gunpoint at age 9 while trying to flee a gang and crime
ridden town in Northern Mexico. She and her mother escaped the robbery while
others were not so fortunate. They made it to the airport and were able to fly to
Georgia to meet up with Johanna’s father.
Following these powerful testimonials, other students in the class began to
share their stories. While not as intense as that shared by Selena and Johanna, the
stories shared a common theme of strength and resilience. Whether surviving a
move following divorce or moving as a result of job change or to find better schools,
the bonds between students grew as they shared their stories. New friendships
were formed as a result of shared experiences; compassion toward classmates was
evident from that day forward. The content we discussed for the rest of the
semester was filtered through the lens of personal experience and struggle.
Students in the class asked about what they could do to help immigrants and
refugees; a grass roots level project emerged. While we only had a week to research
how to help refugee children and families, the students set goals to continue their
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work this summer (2017). Culturally Relevant Teaching encourages teachers to
begin with the students—what they know, what their experiences have been, what
they are passionate about—in order to engage them with academic content. The
ways Summer Scholars students ‘blossomed’ as they shared their experiences led to
meaningful research, debate, and action in the social studies.
Discussion—I am currently working on this section.
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References
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