In this portfolio project, I did a book study on Other People's Children by Lisa Delpit with four other Music Education students. We read the book, discussed its content, and thought of questions and ways to apply these ideas into practice. Our final product was a collaborative book study document containing a book review, chapter summaries, key points, and discussion questions.
Reflection
My favorite quote from this book was “I pray for all of us the strength to teach our children what they must learn, and the humility and wisdom to learn from them so that we might better teach” (Delpit, 2006, pg. 183). I believe that this quote encapsulates my main takeaway from this book: in order to teach others who are different than myself, I must listen and ask questions. Only then can I begin to understand the culture of those around me and seek to teach them in a way that is beneficial and empowering. I am not the expert because I am the teacher, rather learning is a two-way process between the teacher and the student as they exchange information on what is best to equip the student for skills to further themselves in the dominant culture. Finding identity is not losing yourself to the dominant culture, but it is understanding the codes of the main way and then transform it to fit your own needs and cultural styles.
As a current teacher, I need to be aware of the different backgrounds and experiences that my students and peers have. I need to look beyond what this society’s social norms are and ask question to students and parents about why things are occurring the way they are. Instead of getting mad, I can listen and learn about other cultures and support my students rather than only thinking my method is the best method. In the future, I hope to teach students from a variety of backgrounds. This book has taught me that it is okay to not know everything, which is a reassuring and humbling fact. However, I cannot stay in ignorance; now that I recognize these issues of inequality, I have to research and put all my energy into better understanding the backgrounds my students are coming from so that I can help them succeed. I loved having a long, spread out amount of time to study and discuss a single book. It was encouraging to meet with other Music Education Majors and talk about relevant issues in the world of education. It was enlightening to hear about their perceptions of multicultural music education and see them begin to understand the importance of diversity in classrooms. We are so privileged, and I think it is so easy to immerse ourselves in the issues of our daily lives when there is a world around us crying out for help. I think that the book study process is only as enriching as the amount of effort everyone is willing to put into it. If one person reads the required chapters, but the others do not, there is no way to discuss what the key points are and what is confusing. I enjoyed writing summaries and key points so that I could conceptualize and then articulate the information I had learned better, but it was difficult because I had never done something as thorough as this. Overall, I had a good book study process experience, but I think there was so much more room for enriching discussion if all members had put in the same effort. Comments are closed.
|
Davina MiawOn this page, I will present examples of my scholarship in the form of reflective essays and philosophical assignments. Archives
November 2019
Categories |