“One of the great challenges facing multicultural education today is the widening gap between its conceptualization as a redistribution of power and privilege in all aspects of schools and schooling and the practice of well-meaning, left-leaning educators who implement it in ways that recycle, rather than overturn, systemic power imbalances.” Christine Sleeter
Week 1 Agenda
LLSS 315 Class Webpage, Spring 2012
Welcome to our LLSS315 Class this Spring 2012
1. Barnga Simulation Game (Post reflection to your webpage)& Culture
2. Instructor's Philosophy (share reflection with instructor)
3. Google Earth Place Activity
4. Add LLSS 315 Webpage to professional portfolio (Give URL to Instructor)
5. Syllabus review
6. Week 2 update: White Privilege Conference
7. Course Text: Fundamentals of Teaching English to Students of Other Languages
I really enjoyed the Bargna game. It was fun but it also showed us all how important communication is. We did not know that each group had a different set of rules which made it even more difficult to and communicate without actually speaking. When Anna Marie moved to0 our group she caught on quickly that we had different rules then they did. I felt bad at first because we all gave her a look that said she was wrong. This could reflect real life because since so many people are different and have different set of life rules others may think their way is wrong when really it is not wrong at all. It is just different from what they are used to. I’m sure Anna Marie probably felt confused and alone at first but once she caught on she accepted our rules and left her rules at her original table.
ReplyDeletePlaying the game taught us how to interact with differences and still be able to try and play the game. This game was a true reflection of life because although all humans come from different cultures, we all find ways to coexist with one another. We all put our differences aside. Maybe in life you will meet people who do things that you are not comfortable or familiar with, but it does not mean their way is wrong. It is simply a different perspective. This game also showed that it was hard to communicate without language. I’m sure as a teacher if I have students that do not understand me correctly it will be frustrating and challenging to find other ways to explain things. I really enjoyed the game and the lessons about how to be more open and learn new ways to communicate.
Thank you, Amanda, for your thoughtful introspection. Communication is very complex as you have stated. Although we rely on communcation, the art and act of communicating is sometimes elusive as we constantly refine our interactive space with others. You are a patient listener and by that virtue, are posed to become better at communicating with others. Thank you, Frances
DeleteThe Bargna game was a great way to experience communication barriers. It certainly was challenging to explain rules of a game nonverbally. What I found particularly interesting was the way that each person dealt with their frustration in not understanding the rules of the game they did not expect. For instance, some people simply relied on attitudes of other original teammates to plat efficiently while others broke the rules and spoke or drew.
ReplyDeleteThis game is representative of language and cultural barriers that we will encounter with our future students. Although and the surface all students seem the same they each have a unique story and experiences that they will use in their educational careers. Likewise, we must be patient when bridging communication barriers as teachers.
Thank you, Lacey. Yes, I agree that the emotional level of how your peers responded was interesting. You totally 'got' what this simulation was all about, besides playing cards at 8:30 in the morning! "Communication is culture and culture is communication" (as Hall describes it) and ever changing and dynamic as we interact with others.
DeleteThank you, Frances
The Bargna game was interesting because it put us in a situation that we don't usually experience;we didn't understand what was going on when we switched to the other team and we couldn't ask questions to find out.So I felt confusion and helplessness.I think it's important to remember that feeling because it might be the way students in our classroom are feeling;the schoolyear is just starting, they are in a new classroom and maybe a new school,maybe they don't speak English very well, maybe they don't get the chance to ask a question, maybe they are too shy.For us future teachers,it's important to encourage open communication and really pay attention to every student to make sure that he/she is not stuck in that confusion feeling.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Florence.
DeleteYou probably can empathize with the affective feelings of confusion and helplessness as you acculurated to American language and culture many years ago. You bring a valuable insider perspective reflecting on how we negotiate communicative space with different language learners. Your personal experience will be an advantage for you as a teacher in the classroom working with diverse students.
Thank you, Florence
I enjoyed the Baranga game we did as a group. It made me more aware to how students react to new situations where they are having problems communicating or understanding. The game was a very profound tool in making it known that we all cope with situations differently,even though, we as a group were experiencing the same situation. My initial response was to argue that the other players were not following the rules, which is what we do as a society when we think our understanding of the rules is the correct interpretation. It was very ethnocentric of me to assume that the two games were the same. I realize that if I would have just sat at the other game and observed first, instead of coming to it with a preconceived notion, that I could have figured out that the rules were different. This is very true in a classroom, not all classrooms have the same rules but that does not mean that one class is superior and the other is inferior. The same is true when it comes to students, we all have our way of coping with new experiences. I have a better understanding of myself from this experience as well as some insight to how future students feel when they are confused or can't communicate well. What an impact a game of cards had on me. BARANGA!
ReplyDeleteBut you had such a good attitude! It was fun to play with you because you were willing to adapt. I felt bad that I couldn't tell you the difference in our game but we were still able to enjoy the game because of our attitudes towards one another.
DeleteGood afternoon to all of my classmates. I too enjoyed the Baranga game and the different lessons we each took away from playing the game. I know I did not have much to add to the discussion part of the day but isn't there a time when listening is all you want to do? The last class session was that day for me. As you all will see, I love to share and express ideas and when I feel that I can contribute, I will definitely talk. I do too much of talking and sometimes not enough listening. I listened to all of the comments and agree with your thoughts on important issues. I have experienced being different in a an all one culture setting before. I was the only Native American in an entire elementary school but the people that were around me did not make me feel different, I was accepted and to some point special because of the questions that made me unique as a Native American. I understand that it is not like that everywhere else but as future educators, I hope that we can learn to accept the differences and adapt where needed. See, I told you I would share and I do apologize if I seemed not in touch with you all. Welcome to UNM and so far I have enjoyed all of the courses offered. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteThe Bargna game was fascinating because it gave us, the players, a true experience of not understanding what was going on within a “group” that we were not familiar with. This is a simulation of life experience in many different situations- starting a new job, starting a new school, getting married and entering your spouse’s family, or having your parent get married and becoming a step child, traveling, moving- especially into an area with a different dominant language. When we have an established set of “rules”, we think that that’s how it is, that we are “right”. However, “right” isn’t always the same thing in a new “group”. With a lack of communication, the frustrations compile because the “outsider” doesn’t know what’s expected and cannot just ask what’s going on. Diversity is so much more than just language, yet language is a tool that we as humans have to connect with one another, to help each other to understand what’s going on and to be accepted.
ReplyDeleteOne simple sentence of explanation would have made your experience at the other table more enjoyable. If one person could have said "our rules are different" you could have adapted and played by their rules and would not have felt like the "outsider". I liked your statement about "language being the tool that we humans use to connect with one another" connections are so much easier through verbal communication but sometimes are more meaningful through non-verbal communication. A shrug and a facial expression between myself and a new person at our table showed empathy and understanding on a deeper level than simply saying "don't worry about it we play by different rules you will get it". Non-verbal communication is definitely a cultural language that also applies to your comment about connecting with one another.
DeleteI really enjoyed the game because it helped us break the ice and really get a conversation flowly about how the group dinamics work in each group because neither group knew that each group had different rules. This game is a great way to get our students to understand that we are all different and that we all interperat things differently. Another reason I like the game is because we can use games and other tools to make a subject interesting to students who otherwise might find it uninteresting. As a teacher I want to make sure my students find all subjects interesting.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Katrina.
ReplyDelete"Play is the rehearsal for life," as Koste says, and is a natural strategy of learning anything, I agree! Thank you for your persistence in posting your reflection.
Thank you, Anna Marie! Your insightful reflection is quite profound in understnading the nuances of what a game of cards could help you experience. Thank you for being able to articulate your perception of what you learned form the simulation so well. It seems as if you already reading our course text!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anna Marie, Frances
Dear Phyllis, Thank you for sharing this great insight:
ReplyDelete"I know I did not have much to add to the discussion part of the day but isn't there a time when listening is all you want to do?" You have much insight to contribute in our class and we look forward to hearing your humble and appreciated perspective throughout our discussions.
Thank you, Phyllis
Dear Miranda,
ReplyDeleteyour descriptive words about the Barnga Game are so accurate: "simulation of life experience in many different situations." Yes, language is a tool and is is a technology we use for expression on so many levels. Benjamin Whorf said: "Language is the greatest show man [people] put on." Isn't that the truth and yet language is so elegant yet so tricky! Thank you for your insightful reflections that connected the simulation to the "So What" of the game. You got it! Thank you, Frances
I absolutely loved the game! I learned so much about myself and so much about my classmates in a short amount of time. I enjoyed looking around the room observing the other students and their reactions. I especially liked watching Miranda when she moved groups. She was in my group in the beginning and won almost every hand. She was confident that she knew the rules and understood how to play the game. She was the first player from my group to move over to the other group. Her facial expressions showed how much she wanted to understand what was happening and how hard she was willing to work to find out. She was respectful to the other group members and was invested in learning their game. For me it was a lot less about communication and more about how we treated one another. There are so many times in our lives we enter into situations where people have very different ideas, values and standards of living. Instead of bantering back and forth or attempting to convince one another whose idea is better or who is right, quiet observance can bring understanding and a new perspective. Playing the other game without knowing the rules caused me to watch carefully and attempt to learn something new, without judgment. Instead of judging the other group I tried to realize that their game was simply different, not wrong. This is an important part of moving from tolerance to acceptance and can be easily transferred to the classroom. Students don’t want to be simply tolerated for who they are and how they do things; they want to be accepted and want to learn how to accept others. I do not believe that bad behavior is necessarily a skill set that is being taught; rather I believe that it is reinforced by lack of consequences and poor alternative behavior options. This game could be used to show children how they can teach each other and create acceptance within their own classroom for children of different background whose families may “play be different rules” at home. I doubt I will be able to use this in my classroom because I only plan on being a substitute but I definitely plan to use it in some facet of my life in the future!
ReplyDeleteDear Alecia,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your reflective and thoughtful insight in making connections to the Barnga Game. I enjoy the way you take in and listen during class. I notice you are the only one who writes things down in your notebook. Your awareness of moving beyond tolerance to acceptance and respect is the beginning of a culturally relevant perspective.
Thank you for also commenting to other posts above. I do hope you can attend the White Privilege Conference in Albuquerque even if it is for a day. You would be enegergized with the discussion, keynote speakers and youth in attendance.
Thank you for all your contributions in our class, Alecia!
Hello Frances, I have been posting some ideas and comments on my blog but I have not received any replies back. Am I doing the blog posts correctly? Help.
ReplyDelete