mixsy trinidad ehs 220--building a sustainable community: education and social work dr. hannah...
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Mixsy TrinidadEHS 220--Building a Sustainable Community:
Education and Social WorkDr. Hannah FurrowOctober 15, 2009
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York
Puerto Rican background
Attended NYC public schools, was the first in her family to graduate from high school
Acquired Spanish at home, learned English in school
St. John’s University: B.S. Elementary Ed. (1965)
New York University: M.A. Spanish and Hispanic Literature (1966)
University of Massachusetts: Doctoral Degree in Curriculum Studies, Multicultural and Bilingual Education (1979)
http://www.people.umass.edu
Multicultural and Bilingual Education
Curriculum Reform
Teacher Education
Puerto Rican children’s literature
Education of Latinos, immigrants and other culturally and linguistically diverse student populations
Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education (1992)
The Light in their Eyes: Creating Multicultural Learning Communities (1999)
What Keeps Teachers Going? (2003)
Why We Teach (2005)
Human and Civil Rights Award – Massachusetts Teacher Association -1989
Teacher of the Year Award – Hispanic Educators Association of Massachusetts - 1996
Educator of the Year Award – National Association for Multicultural Education - 1997
Outstanding Educator – National Council of Teachers of English - 2005
Enrique T. Trueba Lifetime Achievement Award for Scholarship, Mentorship and Service - 2006
Could not identify with any of the characters she read about in the books she read as a young child
Her teachers asked her mother to only speak English to her at home
When she thought about becoming a lawyer, “A Puerto Rican girl thinking about being a Puerto Rican lawyer…Ridiculous” (Franquiz 2005, p.166)
From a very young age, Sonia recognized that there was something different, something missing, and some things that needed changing
She was able to be successful in school but only because she was allowed to hold on to her cultural roots
She knew from a young age that she wanted to be a teacher and that in order for students to be successful they had to be true to themselves
Sonia Nieto is a strong advocate of multicultural literacy for all teachers and students. (Franquiz 2005)
“It was at P.S. 25, for example, that I learned that one could be academically successful and bilingual, and that being bicultural was an asset rather than a deficiency.” (http://www.eslminiconf.net)
Has not really collaborated with any one person on this topic
Has used teachers and students in her books to illustrate improvement/biases in the education of non-native speakers of English
Her best inspiration has been her interaction with students and teachers in the field
Establishment of positive learning communities (Osborne, 2000)
Learning is influenced by cultural differences and the context in which it occurs (Osborne, 2000)
Heritage Language and Cultural Norms are integral to language and curriculum (Franquiz, 2005)
They are aware when the materials that are used are “too low”
They like being challenged
They want to be taught as if the curriculum were “in an all-White school” ( Nieto, 1994, p. 414) – expectations would be high for everybody
Avoid the “chalk and talk” method, where text books are the dominant teaching material (Nieto, 1994)
Lack of imagination, leads to boring classes (Nieto, 1994)
Enjoy working in groups, provides for collaborative effort, generate ideas and active participation (Nieto, 1994)
Do not just add ethnic tidbits to the curriculum (Franquiz, 2005)
A high quality education does not come from a curriculum with just one perspective (Franquiz, 2005)
Resist stereotypes so that it does not become “holidays and heroes for fun, food, and festivals” (Kitagawa, 2000, p.160).
Be conscious of stereotypes as they are discussed (Kitagawa, 2000)
Do not be afraid to discuss differences, if they are avoided stereotypes will be formed anyway (Kitagawa, 2000)
Must truly believe that these students are capable of high levels of achievement
Teachers need the opportunity to look deeply into themselves and their biases and values because they bring these to the student they teach (Frangquiz, 2005)
Help students think beyond official curriculum, about values, attitudes and beliefs that exist about and between one another (Franquiz, 2005)
Affirming diversity is a key to children’s learning (Kitagawa, 2000)
“We need to think of differences as adding to everyone’s education. It is really crucial to think about diversity as a benefit.” (Kitagawa, 2000 p. 158)
Really know your students, who they are and where they come from
Nieto (1994) says, “Students are able to reclaim the voice they need to continue their education successfully” (p. 417)
Students are free to be who they are, no longer are afraid of being different
Maintaining culture and language has a positive impact on academic success (Nieto, 1994)
All students, regardless of background, are able to learn from each other
They become educated people from learning that differences are good and are to be tolerated
Opens up new horizons for all involved
Enhances their relationship with their students
The need to create powerful learning environments for their students
Their own continued professional development will be an inspiration to their students
Students are aware that their teachers really do care to truly know them
Franquiz, M. (2005). Education as political work: An interview with Sonia Nieto. Language Arts, 83(2) 166-171.
Kitagawa, M. (2000). The light in her eyes: An interview with Sonia Nieto.Language Arts, 78(2) 158-163.
Nieto, S. (2006). Why we teach: How teachers broaden the vision of what
counts. School Talk, 11(3) 1-3.
Nieto, S. (1994). Lessons from students on creating a chance to dream.
Harvard Educational Review , 64(4) 392-426. Osborne, B. (2000). The light in their eyes. Anthropology and Education
Quarterly, 31(4) 207.