“There is no doubt that culture, and cultural differences, are often in focus during many descriptive reviews. Children and adults are never solitary individuals, immune to the social and cultural forces around them…Gaining understanding of the cultural norms and assumptions we bring as teachers, as well a those brought by each of the students in our class, is an often difficult task but is essential to providing a learning space that is welcoming and caring and sets up all students for academic and social success. Yet discussions about these topics, even among colleagues who have known and worked with each other for many years, can be sensitive and at times distressing…A protocol, such as that offered by the descriptive review, is a tool that can create a space for discussion around such issues.” (154, Knoester)

By reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of descriptive review, Knoester establishes a strong argument for the multiple benefits inherent in the process including a multiplicity of perspectives and a chance to premeditate and reflect on instruction. The passage above applies these basic theoretical assumptions of descriptive review to cultural advocacy and culturally responsive teaching in the classroom setting. Continue reading Confronting Implicit Bias Through Descriptive Review →

“Finally, an effective teacher who is able to inspire students by getting to know them can actually do a great deal to overcome anti-academic tendencies. They can do this by getting students to believe in themselves, by getting them to learn how to work hard and persist, and by getting them to dream, plan for the future, and set goals.” Noguera “Joaquin’s Dilemma”

Personally, I may have been an immigrant but I did have it easier in school because on the outside I was white. In 3rd grade I had entered my first public school after being at a predominantly white-Italian Catholic school. It vastly different – not everyone was expected to do well. I was called the teacher’s pet because I was one of the few that actually did the work and was a “goody two shoes”. Continue reading Teachers: Don’t “Yuck” Students’ “Yum” →

This week I chose a passage that succinctly describes the benefits of a descriptive review:

“The Prospect Center processes are also useful and are more widely associated with the powerful and respectful way they allow teachers to assess children, not as students with “deficits” of understanding but as full human beings making sense of the world. Perhaps the greatest contribution the protocol offers in this regard is the sensitive and specific questions they offer presenters when preparing their framing question and presentation.” (Knoester 149)

I chose this as my most valuable passage because unlike some other passages, it does not merely describe proper protocol for a descriptive review, nor does it advocate for them as a useful administrative tool – something to be used to assure productive staff meetings. I feel it gets to the true core of why this author so heartily endorses descriptive reviews: because they require teachers to appreciate the full humanity of their students, and figure out ways to help that human being given their new perspective on him or her. I particularly like the line about assessing children “not as student with ‘deficits’ of understanding but as full human beings trying to make sense of the world.” It sounds like the obvious way we all know we should see our students, but too often we do in fact approach our students from a deficit-based angle. I also like the alternative that it offers to the deficit-based model – that our students are not principally students but rather “human beings trying to make sense of the world” – as we all are. Even if I don’t remember some of the more procedural advice this article provided, I will always remember and try to apply that one phrase to my students, and give descriptive reviews of my students to myself.

Adolescents At School: Chapter 2: Joaquin’s Delemma

“… As he grew older, Joaquin felt the need to project the image of a tough and angry Black man. He believed that in order to be respected he had to carry himself in a manner that was intimidating and even menacing. To behave differently – too nice, gentle, kind, or sincere – meant that he would be vulnerable and preyed upon …”

I encourage any of you that are not from New York to take a stroll through our so called “worst neighborhoods,” such as; Brownsville, East New York, South Side Jamaica, or Far Rockaway. I mention these specifically because they are neighborhoods that I am familiar with. There are many other neighborhoods within the five boroughs that people may call “bad” or “the hood,” for many reasons that I will not touch upon in this paragraph. I encourage you to hang out in these neighborhoods right after the school day is over. You will see people of all ages. Count the smiles. This passage that I highlight relates to the everyday life of a student in “the hood.” I have seen children put on angry faces and look me in the eye while holding their mother’s hand. The image of the “tough Black/Latino” is very real and alive in our NYC streets and schools. There are unwritten codes and laws in our society, constructed by society, that are followed by society. Those most vulnerable to these unwritten codes are children in schools.

Learning to Describe, Describe to Understand

When we conduct descriptive reviews of children in our reflective seminar, these undergraduates often express surprise at how much they thought they knew about their own students, but were perhaps wrong, or they noticed how they jumped to characterizations before they sat down and really took the time to describe what they saw of a particular student in various situations. (Knoester, 151)

I have heard the saying for a hundred times — “it’s essential for the teacher to know her students.” All the strategies and activities that the teacher carries out in the class are expected to satisfy students’ needs, and it is true that the effectiveness of all these activities is based on the extent to which the teacher know her students. But how?

I always hold this question, “how can a teacher get to know a particular student in a completed way?” I assume that it happens all the time that a teacher knows about her students only partially, or she just defines her students by observing one or two events or even highly affected by the first impression. For example, I have seen a video, talking about a young female teacher who felt that one black student in her class looked scary (he was in fact a good student in any sense) always kept a distance with this black student, without even trying to know him. So it is really meaningful that Knoester points out the difference between how a certain student really is and what the teacher thinks he is. The teacher should never define her student in a short time, from one aspect, but should do a descriptive review on what she observes under different situations. Only by doing so, can the teacher draws a full image of her student and get to know his or her interests, talents, needs and learning beliefs, then the teacher could modify her lessons according to specific needs and beliefs. She can also offer additional help according to what she knows about her students — In my opinion, it is the fundamental step to create a harmony and effective classroom.