Approaches for learning and understanding the histories, identities, and literacies of students by Nicole Guthrie

Questions for learning students' histories

nicolerguthrie — 2024-06-30 18:25:49 UTC

What are the histories of my students' schooling/school experiences?

What are the histories of my students' families/cultures?

What are the histories of our students' wider histories in their communities, in society, and in the world?

Who are their people?

How did they practice literacy and language historically?

nicolerguthrie — 2024-06-30 18:29:41 UTC

What are ways in which my students see and define their own lives?

How are my students defined by others (+ and -)?

If negative, how can we provide learning spaces to name, critique, and push back against such views?

If positive, how can we provide learning spaces to help them trust and believe in the ways others see them?

Whom do my students desire to be in their future?

How do my students see their most desired future versions of themselves?

How can my classroom instruction enable and cultivate these identities?

nicolerguthrie — 2024-06-30 18:59:33 UTC

How do my students practice literacies at home and in their communities?

What language(s) do they speak?

What is the purpose of literacy and language in their lives?

How were literacy and language cultivated historically with their families and ancestors?

nicolerguthrie — 2024-06-30 19:04:37 UTC

Listen to and trust the child.

Engage in teacher action research to assess your own practice and pedagogy.

Ethically seek knowledge about students.

Ask students to write their autobiographies and personal narratives.

Interview parents or family members of students who are culturally different than you.

Study the curriculum and explore ways to make studies meaningful to students, their families, and communities.