I am so
grateful that I have always been surrounded by the most respectful friends,
peers and coworkers. As a Muslim wearing hijab, I have been fortunate to have
had very few incidents of hate directed towards me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not
naïve. I am aware that there have been countless more incidents where
assumptions are made about me, or I am silently judged solely on the basis on
how I am dressed.
However, I
recently realized that in the midst of such strong attacks against my religion,
I don’t just want my beliefs to be blindly respected – I want the people around
me to understand why it is that I choose to wear hijab.
To my incredible classmates, we are nearing
the end of a long educational journey! And once you land a teaching job, you
will have the power of creating a positive classroom environment rooted in
inclusiveness, as well as the capacity to influence dozens of students every
single year. And that in itself is such a powerful thing. For those of you who
don’t plan to pursue teaching, I have no doubt you’ll still be agents of change
in whichever direction you go in. And for everyone else, simply speaking up or
counteracting false statements will go such a long way. And if not that, in the
very least- the next time you see myself or another girl wearing hijab, at
least you won’t be left wondering why.
Disclaimer:
keep in mind that everyone you meet will share a different story, and this one
is exclusively my own.
There is no
denying that we live in a very digital world. However, if I’m being completely
honest it took me a while to embrace the idea of technology in the classroom. In
my undergraduate program, I chose to take an elective course on digital media
in the classroom to try to deepen my understanding about the issue. Throughout
the duration of the course we were presented with both arguments: pros and
cons. Despite all the information I was presented with, I was still a bit
skeptical. I would read scientific articles on how brains are being rewired.
Keegan (2012) explained that the common belief is that brains shape technology,
but people rarely considered that technology is shaping our brains.
However,
recently I realized that my skepticism was holding me back from incredible learning
tools which I could be bringing into the classroom. I may only be a young
adult, but I have learned to accept that the childhood children have now is very
different from the childhood that I experienced. It was a shocking realization that youth today
are experiencing the world through a brand new lens. As an educator, I realized
that it is critical for me to “get with the times” so I can not only benefit
from what the digital world has to offer, but allow my students (the digital natives)
to navigate through the digital world in
a way which will benefit them immensely.
The amount
of great educational resources which exist are countless. I am forever amazed
at the innovative tools which have emerged. I look forward to sharing my
discoveries with you in upcoming blog posts. However, taking a step back and thinking about
the 21st century literacies, I thought about this concept in
relation to Digital Literacy. It is defined as “the ability to use information and
communication technologies to find, evaluate, create and communicate
information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills” (Mckee-Waddell, P.
26).” This literacy is so important because there is no doubt that
students will be navigating through the web, so students need to understand the
logistics behind it. As a student, I remember getting several generic lectures
from parents and staff about “stranger danger”. This issue still applies for
children, but now this danger can come from behind a screen. As educators, we
have the best interests of students at heart, but how can we do this if we don’t
immerse ourselves into their world. A digital footprint is also such an
important issue. Students need to realize that every click of the mouse is
being tracked and ultimately cannot be taken back. Living in a 21st
century world means being ready to adapt to the constantly evolving world.
This image really stood
out to me because it put into perspective how digital literacy can be embedded
into countless aspects of the classroom. In the image, it lists three reasons
for teachers to use technology in the classroom:. 1. Adapting
to diverse learning styles
2. Boost
student motivation
3. Enhance
the material being taught
All of these reasons
reinforce just how valuable it can be for a student to be exposed to technology
in a classroom context. Additionally, when reflecting on digital literacy, it
quickly became clear to me that this literacy can be embedded into all the
other literacies. With the digital world, we have access to an infinite amount
of information, so it is valuable that we have the necessary skills to navigate
through it all.
How do you feel about the 21st century classroom? Share your
thoughts below!
As educators, we need to recognize how
powerful education is, and see it as having transformative potential. It may
not be tangible with step by step guidelines, but nonetheless it is possible to
include social justice into our teaching practice. In relation to the 21st
century literacies, I feel that implementing social justice would be a
combination of multicultural, moral, and critical literacy. By allowing students to question the messages
which come their way, they will learn to recognize the inequalities which exist
in society (Harwood, 2008).
An exploration of human rights and social justice in the classroom.
I recently came across a great article which really sparked
my interest. Evans (2008) discussed human rights over a series of four
generations, and how we often forget that human rights are actually quite a
recent development. Just to break it down for you, here is how the article described
the development of the “rights revolution”:
First generation: Establishing principles. The end of
the Second World War led to the founding of the United Nations. The United
Nations Declaration of Human Rights (UDRH) of 1948 was a significant
achievement which shed light on rights asserting dignity, integrity, and
equality.
Second generation: Standard setting. This was a
generation which worked towards translating the moral force of the UDRH into
legal practice. It was recognized that there was not a practical system set in
place to implement and enforce the human rights which had recently been
developed. This movement was launched primarily by Non- governmental
organizations.
Third generation: Coping with the “New World Order”. The
1990s were a very critical time period with all the rapid changes happening
around the world. It was recognized that the world people were living in was
much different than the world they were born into. This time period consisted
of violations which escalated in severity, and was an assault to identities
(gender, language, ethnicity, etc.). The “new world order” was a dangerous time
where power remained in the hands of a few, and others were left feeling
helpless at making a difference.
Fourth generation: Making rights real. Changes continue
to occur internationally, and there are many challenges that are making it
difficult to break the cycle of human rights violations. Many human rights which
were violated through tragic incidents such as trauma, torture etc. can lead to
behavior dysfunctions which will just get passed down if they are not dealt
with effectively (Evans, 2008).
…. You may be
asking yourself, why is this important? As we can see, each of the past few
generations have played a role in the development of human rights. And now - it
is our turn! I found it ridiculous that children do not even know that they
protected by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Personally,
by the time I learned about it, I was no longer a child. The students in our
classroom will be part of the fifth generation, and there is no doubt that we
want those students to shape the world for the better.
Here is a video which explains a brief overview on universal human rights
In order to
progress towards an inclusive social order, it requires educators to address
issues such as race, discrimination, hate and oppression (Bouette, 2008). Although
it is a very difficult and sensitive issue to address, educators have the
capacity to connect with individuals in a way which is not possible with other
professions.
Providing students with a multicultural
education can have such a profound impact. It allows the students to be open minded
towards people of all cultures, but it also allows them to challenge the
existing inequalities which exist in society. I feel that challenging these
inequalities and taking an active stance against them will be what the fifth
generation contributes to society.
For anyone who would like to learn more about social justice in the classroom, click here for some awesome ideas which help transform these ideas into practice.
References:
Boutte, G. S. (2008). Beyond the Illusion of Diversity: How Early
Childhood Teachers Can Promote Social Justice. Social Studies, 99(4),
165-173.
Evans,
D. G. (2008). Human rights: four generations of practice and development. In
A.A. Abdi & L. Shultz (Eds.), Education
for Human Rights and Global Citizenship (pp. 25 – 38).
Harwood, D. d. (2008). Deconstructing and
Reconstructing Cinderella: Theoretical Defense of Critical Literacy for Young
Children. Language & Literacy: A Canadian Educational E-Journal, 10(2),
1-13.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Hey everyone! Welcome back to my blog – as I start a new semester,
I am excited to continue documenting my learning journey.
As a teacher candidate, I am constantly being introduced to such a
wide range of new concepts or teaching pedagogies. I am committed to
being open minded to everything that comes my way, but I must admit… it can get
a bit nerve-wracking to be exposed to so many different ideas knowing that it
will be my responsibility to convey these ideas to a classroom full of
students. However, some of the new concepts are just brilliant and I get
excited just thinking about being able to implement them.
Walking into a class, it is clear that the traditional idea of
literacy is not sufficient to engage students or equip them with the skills
they need to be critical and active members of society. To process information
in our present day society requires much more than being able to read a
newspaper. Fortunately, that is about to change!
Recently, I was introduced to the concept of21stcentury literacy. Students
need to be equipped with the skills to understand the multi- media culture. I
was very excited to see that the new literacies included: critical, media,
character, environmental, global, etc. Not only will these new literacies
broaden the horizons of literacy, but it will allow students to be critically
literate. Critical literacy is absolutely crucial right now. There is no doubt
that children as young as toddlers are very skilled at navigating through
technology such as iPads. However, we need to ensure that they have the tools
to maneuver through the virtual world. This includes being aware of the biases,
and different sources from where information comes from.
One of the really valuable aspects of 21stcentury literacy is global literacy.
“Global citizens are individuals who not only have knowledge (and context
knowledge) but also have developed a number of key values and skills including
critical thinking and empathy” (Broom, 2015, pg. 3). I was surprised to learn
that a country as multicultural as Canada, has a very incomplete curriculum.
The curriculum is aimed towards fostering nationalism and pride in Canadians,
which results in students gaining very minimal knowledge in other nations.
Students cannot be expected to become global citizens if they lack the
historical knowledge which underlies current world events.
An idea which really resonated with me from my last class was
recognizing that my role as a teacher is not about teaching my students all the
content, it is about equipping them with the skills so that they themselves can
thrive in an environment which is constantly changing.
Reference:
Broom, C. (2010) Curriculum in the age of
globalization. Canadian Social Studies, 43(1)
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