Challenging Cultural Biases

I really enjoyed this article and think that the course that this instructor provided would be really beneficial to all students. I think we need to learn to view the diverse students in our classrooms as assets that can help enrich our science teaching. Each student brings their own perspective to the classroom which can help us think in ways that we might not have. It is essential to draw upon students' understanding and cultural background like the article states. I think this is the way we can really get our students excited and engaged in science. Science as we have talked about is a culture of its own, and I think a way we can begin to bridge that gap is by allowing access through the strengths of their own culture.
Another aspect of the article I really related to was the analyzing of ones own cultural bias. I feel that if you aren't asked the important question, and really required to look at your own beliefs you may not even know that you are approaching diverse learners with this stereotypical view. It is easy to judge everything by our own culture, and I think what can make us stand out as teachers is by not doing that. I know that I have taken the first step to really look at my beliefs, and want to use instructional practices that don't view students only through the dominant culture. This class and articles have really opened my eyes to this.

Counter-Narratives

I really enjoyed this article and the fact that it took a positive perspective on teachers and students in urban schools. I find that this article is the complete opposite to the one we read called "Unemployment Training." There are good teachers in urban schools, which I knew all along! I hope that maybe some people in the field would read this article and develop an optimism about urban schools. I student taught in a urban setting and loved it. I also feel that the techniques the teachers used in this article are critical to all teachers. If a teacher in a suburban school doesn't build relationships with their students they too will not be successful. I feel as if the problem is that too many times teachers go into urban schools with preconceived notions of what the students and school are going to be like that they don't even attempt to use what they students like, get to know them, and require hard work of them. So what if they live in the city, they are still children that need and can learn. I wonder how the tables would turn if all the really good and dedicated teachers decided to teach in urban setting instead of shying away.