Learning with an Attitude Connections

In Patrick J. Finn’s piece Literacy with an Attitude; he speaks about powerful literacy and what it entails. He talks about how the lower class and even some of the middle class are being taught functional literacy, which was based around compliance. Where as powerful literacy, encouraged critical thinking about complex ideas.

 

As I read Finn’s piece I felt that it really connected well to Delpit. I thought that it really tied into the “Tweet” assignment from class the other day. In my tweet I wrote, “The culture of power should be taught not protected. The struggle of kids outside it, are at a disadvantage.” Delpit wanted the culture of power to be taught to everyone. And that it was the teachers job to teach the codes of power to children who don’t learn them at home. As I was reading I ran across a quote that ties them together nicely and actually connects well to an experience I had in my service learning. “I didn't say to an errant student, 'What are you doing?' I said, 'Stop that and get to work.' No discussions. No openings for an argument.” Like Delpit talks about, how teachers should not be asking questions while talking to a child rather then being direct and explicated on what you want them to do.

That quote ties into my experience at my service learning where a second grade student in the class I am placed in was trying very hard to hug me and I stopped him and told him “ No, I can not hug you. It is against the rules. If you want we could high five?” leaving no room for an argument and telling the student to rules and that he had to follow them. Overall I enjoyed the reading this week and felt that Patrick Finn’s piece really connected well to Lisa Delpit.

This week I added a Hyperlink to a website that has some information about Patrick Finn and some of his other works.