Hope and Healing in Urban Education: How Urban Activists and Teachers are Reclaiming Matters of the Heart

Hope and Healing in Urban Education: How Urban Activists and Teachers are Reclaiming Matters of the Heart
Ginwright, S.

Ginwright argues that culturally responsive teaching along with a relational pedagogy facilitates healing among students in urban areas. Effective teaching and learning that is responsive to culture along with effective engagement with personal processes (forgiveness, courage, joy ect.) are crucial in the learning process.

Relational pedagogy focuses on creating quality relationships with young people. The articles discussed three important lessons.

  • Critical reflection is the reflection on situations and the most important lessons young people should learn. It considers spiritual, social, and political forces that shape our decisions.
  • Forgiveness is a transformative practice that opens up possibilities for humane connections.
  • Restoration is a repairing and rebuilding when harm is done. It is the process of making things right.
Healing centered pedagogy goes beyond the usual strategies of enforcing rules and regulations and focuses on changing people's hearts. Healing practices need to take place in the classroom. Successful healing strategies improve school climate and improve learning.

Change happens on the inside.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Deculturalization of Native Americans

Image
"Deculturalization and the Claim of Racial and Cultural Superiority of by Anglo-Americans"  by: Joel Spring  Spring argues that European leaders invaded Native American lands with the attitude that the Native American culture was inferior to their own. The Native Americans were stripped of their culture through the education system put in place by Anglo-Americans so that they would willingly sell their land.  "The Indian Boarding Schools"  by: Michele Bollinger  In her text, Bollinger focuses on the Indian Boarding Schools from the 1870's to the 1960's. She argues that the Indians endured treacherous conditions in these boarding schools from very young ages.  Torture of the Native American Culture These two texts emphasize the torture that was done to Native Americans and their culture by the Anglo-Americans. The Anglo-Americans were hungry for land and power and they took advantage of a culture that did not emphasize land and wealth. They
Read more

Stay Woke and Mighty Times

Image
Films: "Stay Woke" a film by Hudson and Houston with executive producer Richard Cohen "Mighty Times" a documentary directed by Peabody and Laurens Grant "Stay Woke" and "Mighty Times" are both films that chronicle the protest against unequal rights and actions towards black people. There has been a struggle of oppression faced by black people starting long, long ago. Both films show a movement brought up by anger for an unjust system. "Mighty Times" documents the children's march movement in Birmingham in 1963. Thousands of children were put in jail in just a few days. They were peacefully protesting for their freedom. "Stay Woke" documents the "Black Lives Matter" movement starting in Ferguson in 2015. This movement protests for police to stop killing black people. This movement was greatly influenced by social media. Neither movement is hateful. They have come about because of black people who are &q
Read more

Schools, Prisons, and Social Implications of Punishment: Rethinking Disciplinary Practices

"Schools, Prisons, and Social Implications of Punishment: Rethinking Disciplinary Practices" Pedro A. Noguera Noguera argues that school punishment is often in the form of exclusion and is most prevalent for minorities especially Blacks and Latinos. This is very similar to adult punishment. Schools do not seem to try to change this pattern of ostracism. The need this punishment to keep control. One principal even stated, "Kids like him just can't be helped." Students take on the labels that the people around them give. They therefore know that their education is compromised and will indeed live up to the expectations of defiance. Students are "sorted" in schools based on academics and behavior. However, taking all the "behavior problems" out of classrooms does not diminish the behavior issues in classrooms. Other students step up to the task! In order to diminish classroom behavior issues, students need to be engaged in learning. It
Read more