5/30/2019 0 Comments Research Pre-TanzaniaI initially chose this course because I have never been to the continent of Africa. Now with extensive research and preparation for this course, I am excited to present at the IASE conference in Magamba. This educational research stimulates my goals in teaching overall and I hope to continue to further my knowledge in new practices and cultures. I read the book “A Girl Called Problem,” by Katie Quirk. In summary, the book discusses the story of Shida, the Swahili word for “problem.” She is 13 years old and is forced to move with her entire Tanzanian community to a new foreign village that is significantly larger than her current village that she resides in. The story unfolds to share Shida’s new experiences, from instances like her mother being accused of being a witch, to her struggle with the misogynist culture against young girls like herself attending schools. Ultimately, this book gives insight into the country’s view of family traditions, cultural practices, and the prioritizing of the earth’s resources. I gained perspective on the cultural practices of Tanzania. They value family, their land, and their country. The book ultimately influenced me to think in a more selfless way and never take my education for granted. The film I watched was titled “Darwin’s Nightmare.” The documentary was produced in 2004 and structured around the fish production in Tanzania. It was a film that demonstrated how this production of fishing in Lake Victoria affected the people in Tanzania. The film provides numerous interviews from different Tanzanians, as well as Europeans involved in the market. Specifically, the Nile Perch fish dominates the waters of Lake Victoria and this is what Europeans went to purchase from Tanzania. It was very vivid in the images of the people and overall was a great depiction of the society. My perspective was influenced by the different classes that were shown in the film. Many people including children were depicted as very poor and slept on the ground outdoors. Many have no option to become educated whatsoever. It opened my eyes to Tanzania and it being a developing country. I hope to continue to learn more about this country what we can do to help when we arrive. Postcolonial context holds a major position in the current educational curriculum. Leon Tikly said it involves “extending analysis beyond the economic and political to embrace issues of culture and identity and to address profound questions about the nature of knowledge itself” (Tikly, 2009). With the publication of textbooks for school districts, the foundation of students in postcolonialism have their materials written by many committees that look nothing like themselves. Furthermore, the lack of diversity with administration shines through in reading the materials. Students identified as minorities are unable to comfortably relate to what they are learning because of the fact that they do not see anyone like themselves in the curriculum. On a larger scale, people with cultural differences to the majority have a constant history of representing the oppressed in society. Colonist oppressors took land from Native American Indians, and it is evident that similar actions continue. Families with low socioeconomic status are usually in that state because they have inadequate resources and support. These resources are often controlled by systems of the majority that do not support differences in cultural identities. As educators, we must work to find an inclusive curriculum for our classroom communities. We must share cultural reciprocity throughout our teaching so that our students have a foundation to be culturally educated and understanding individuals. The Brownell article we looked at discusses inclusion for students with special needs or disabilities. The article titled "Recognizing Professional Responsibilities to Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Classrooms" looks closely at teacher requirements for students with disabilities. It shows the context of inequities when these requirements are not met. Overall, the article was beneficial to create awareness and educate professionals in education. Zaretta Hammond's book opens with a chapter called "Climbing Outside of the Gap: Supporting Dependent Learners to Become Independent Thinkers". This chapter goes in depth with a framework to provide academic rigor for students that identify as English language learners, poor, or students of color. Often times these students are neglected proper instruction due to behaviorist practices in the classroom. Hammond says that with culturally responsive teaching, student's brains will begin to mediate learning effectively. The framework to implement this rigor included awareness, learning partnerships, information processing, and community building. This research, as mentioned above, has definitely stimulated my drive for teaching. The research completed thus far has shaped my perspective of this trip. I want to absorb all of the new information I learn from the travel to Tanzania, but also be able to return with a stronger sense of different educational practices from a continent very different from mine. Although we identify as educators, we often complete more learning than that of our students.
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