Literacy With Attitude: Patrick Finn
Argument - The author Patrick Finn argues that teaching the concept of justice, more specifically social justice should be taught in schools through the form of literacy. Throughout the story, he alludes to the concept of dangerous literacy, which to my understanding is literacy that challenges the status quo, and says things that most people will not want to hear. He argues that these types of literary works are important to be brought into the classroom to try to break the ice in getting comfortable talking about these difficult concepts that need to be brought up.
This is highlighted when Finn talks about his time as a professor to graduate students. he explained that these students were older than your typical students. This meant they had their own political opinions, so when he introduced this "Dangerous Literacy", there was pushback from students on both ends of the political spectrum. However, I think this is important because it sparks conversation. Even if you do not agree with these literary works, bringing them up will spark some type of conversation, and having these uncomfortable conversations in a safe space like a classroom, can help break the barriers to such an uncomfortable topic that many people do not want to talk about. Having a diverse group of ideas in an educated environment can help people to understand perspectives, which is why the idea of bringing up these dangerous works are so important in the classroom.
Comments - The part that stood out to me the most is when he talked about what he learned most from his teachers. He explained that his teachers taught him to not feel superior in any given situation. Do not question people's intelligence and motives so much that you do not listen to their stories. This stuck out to me because it is something that I agree with. there can be tines where you think that you know everything about a topic. However in most cases, you don't know what you don't know. The only way you gain knowledge is by listening to others, especially when they are talking about personal experiences. No matter how educated you are, you are never more educated than someone with first hand experience. It is important to give those people the spotlight in certain cases, and to try to learn from them. Shutting off people who are trying to share their story is not only doing a disservice to them, but to yourself as well.
HyperLinks - https://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/dangerous-reading
I like the point you make which is that someone with first-hand experience will always be more knowledgable on a topic than someone that is an outsider to it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Megan and with your last sentence, too.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Megan and how it is a very good point
ReplyDeleteI like how you said that the only way to gain knowledge is to listen to others.
ReplyDeleteI'm echoing others here, but I think the idea that you will never be as knowledgeable on a subject as someone who experiences it first-hand is a really good thing to keep in mind, and I like that you bring a focus on it here.
ReplyDeleteI agree with how you said that teachers need to learn more from students
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff -- how does this connect to ideas about social class?
ReplyDeleteI think it was good to add about teachers learning from students, I think not enough teachers realize that they can learn alot from their students.
ReplyDeleteI agree that bringing up the uncomfortable conversations in a classroom can be a great way to expand your knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI like how you brought up how teachers need to learn more from students I agree with that. If teachers can learn from students they can really have a better understanding of eachother.
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