Haley's FNED 502 Blog

Before I moved to Providence, I didn't know much about English Language Learners and the special regulations and rights that are given to them. In a lot of research I have read and conversations that I have been a part of, there has been much debate about immersion as an effective way for EL students to both learn content and language (I couldn't remember specific research I have read in the past, but this  results page  has some interesting papers I browsed through). I say this because EL education in Providence is immersion-based (as opposed to a bilingual approach) and teachers are strongly discouraged from providing any sort of translation in students' native languages (but, I also can only speak to the experiences of those at my school and friends at other schools). The reason I bring this up is because I was really interested in the Hesson and Toncelli article and did not know about this change in the ESL regulations. The article was really relevant to conversations...

"But I who am bound by my mirror    as well as my bed see causes in colour as well as sex" I forget (more frequently than I would like to admit) that the LGBTQ rights movement has been actively fighting for as long as it has. One of the questions on the lesson plan outline that was meant to be asked to students actually gave me a little perspective. The Stonewall Riots occurred in 1969, the end of the decade that saw the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Both important parts of our country's history and both taking on new forms in the 2018 age. In full transparency, some of my first thoughts while engaging with the texts and videos were "How can I incorporate this information or these significant historical events into my middle school classroom?" And it honestly brought up a common struggle I think I continue to have when discussing or engaging with different kinds of social issues. I teach middle school math, how can I incorporate queerness in...

As I sat on Sunday morning reading this week’s articles on whiteness, I was struck by how similar the narrative was to a long conversation I took part in just a day earlier (as did three other people in this class, so my blog may not be the only mention of this). As a Teach for America Corps Member, I am required to attend professional developments throughout the month where we always have “DEI” or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, sessions. Yesterday’s DEI session focused on something called “detours,” which are attitudes, behaviors, and actions that occur when dealing with conversations around race due to white guilt, denial, or defensiveness. The term detour is used because people “detour” conversations about race to focus on things less uncomfortable or difficult. In the Picower reading, the section Tools of Whiteness list several statements or sentiments the participants conveyed to ease their white guilt or reassure themselves or others that they were not racist. One part...

Several readings from this week not only provided information about the Black Lives Matter Movement, but addressed the many myths and criticisms that surround it. Started in 2014 as a response to the Trayvon Martin shooting, the international movement began as a commitment to end police brutality and has grown to be an " affirmation of Black folks’ humanity, [their] contributions to this society, and [their] resilience in the face of deadly oppression." However, despite their work toward equality, many see the organization as only deepening racial tensions in the United States. "Counter-movements" like All Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter have risen out of response or even retaliation for what they perceive is an attack on non-black citizens and specifically police officers.   I find it discouraging that these responses come about due to major misconceptions regarding the movement's true intentions. A quote from the Pitt article that I found particularly en...