As I was reading the first chapter of this book, I was reflecting on and analyzing some of my past experiences. I couldn’t help but think of some of the young people I have worked with in schools and in my community. These young people would be those who were considered “deviant” or “bad” and were always getting in “trouble”. I reflected on their life experiences. Many of these young people had not experienced all of the qualities Bracher describes as being essential to having a sense of oneself as a force that matters in the world. These qualities include continuity, consistency, agency, distinction, belonging and meaning http://www.amazon.ca/Radical-Pedagogy-Identity-Generativity-Transformation/dp/0230621112/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330715535&sr=1-12 p 6.
Often you hear people saying that children are “bad”. My father always said that you should never tell children they are “bad”, because they will begin to believe it and act that way. I guess he wasn’t far off the mark! Understanding the role of identity makes it much easier to understand why some children constantly act out in a negative way. If they are always receiving negative attention then that is the type of attention they are going to seek. It becomes their identity to themselves and to others. They feel the need to maintain their identity and receive the feedback they are expecting from others who are recognizing their behaviours, even if it is negative. For these children, this feedback confirms that they are type of person they believe themselves to be http://www.amazon.ca/Radical-Pedagogy-Identity-Generativity-Transformation/dp/0230621112/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330715535&sr=1-12 p 4.
Not only does this type of identity have an effect an individual’s relationships in society, it also affects their learning. Learning must support identity in some way. When people are involved in behaviors such as crime and substance abuse that is what they are interested in learning about. These behaviors contribute to problems in society. Bracher states that “motivation can be lacking when students get all of the identity support they need from other sources”. Many individuals involved in behaviors such as crime and substance abuse get the support they need from their community of practice. They, therefore, have no motivation to attend school for academic reasons. Bracher also points out that individuals involved in these groups will resist academics and learning for the sake of their identity and how it will appear to others http://www.amazon.ca/Radical-Pedagogy-Identity-Generativity-Transformation/dp/0230621112/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330715535&sr=1-12 p 5.
There are many challenges placed on individuals in our society, and they have an impact on our identity. It is difficult to keep up with the latest trends in clothing, hair styles, cars, houses, body image, etc. We feel pressured to have all of these trends as part of our identity in order to “fit in”. This may contribute to individuals participating in negative behaviors because they know that they can’t keep up and make it part of their identity. They begin to find other ways to get recognition and other ways to have an effect on the world. Bracher provides some excellent examples of individuals seeking recognition in his book, including the shoplifter who felt like in the moment they were committing the crime everyone was watching them, and everyone was waiting for their next move http://www.amazon.ca/Radical-Pedagogy-Identity-Generativity-Transformation/dp/0230621112/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330715535&sr=1-12 p12.
Prior to reading this book, I would never have thought of a shoplifter as seeking recognition or wanting everyone to be watching them. It is sad for me to think that these individuals feel that the only way for them to get recognition and attention is to resort to crime. Another example Bracher used was of teen mothers who like the attention and recognition they receive from their family, friends and others when they are pregnant and when they have young children http://www.amazon.ca/Radical-Pedagogy-Identity-Generativity-Transformation/dp/0230621112/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330715535&sr=1-12 p12.
I think as educators, we are starting in the right spot by learning how identities affect learning, “To enhance learning and to reduce our most serious social problems, it is thus crucial that educators, policymakers, and the general public come to understand more fully the nature of identity and its needs and the way these needs motivate both the learning and the failure to learn and also contribute to our social problems” http://www.amazon.ca/Radical-Pedagogy-Identity-Generativity-Transformation/dp/0230621112/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330715535&sr=1-12 p6.
By providing identity support as opposed to threatening or questioning one’s identity, we can support their learning by learning how identities affect learning, http://www.amazon.ca/Radical-Pedagogy-Identity-Generativity-Transformation/dp/0230621112/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330715535&sr=1-12 p5. Learning must support identity in some way. This is very difficult to do, especially when another’s identity is based on negative behavior and that is who they believe themselves to be. However, if we can make their learning relevant, they will be able to learn better. Bracher suggests through supporting identities and enabling learning, we can provide opportunities that will allow people to engage in self-description and expression of attitudes through small group discussions, individual conferences and in writing. This will give attention and respect to their opinions and attitudes while supporting their identity http://www.amazon.ca/Radical-Pedagogy-Identity-Generativity-Transformation/dp/0230621112/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330715535&sr=1-12 p 8.
As per our discussion in class, many times the students and individuals who seem to be the most “troubled” are the ones who need the most attention and care from us, but they are also often the ones it is most difficult to give it to. However, we all have a role to play in working toward a better society. As Bracher suggests, understanding and supporting identities by recognizing their impact on learning will allow us to reduce some of our most serious social problems, and as educators we all have the ability to do this! http://www.amazon.ca/Radical-Pedagogy-Identity-Generativity-Transformation/dp/0230621112/ref=sr_1_12? s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330715535&sr=1-12 p 6.
No comments:
Post a Comment