Chapter Summaries
Chapter 1: Skills and Other Dilemmas of a Progressive Black Educator
In this chapter, Delpit discusses the “progressive” techniques and concepts that she learned in college, including holistic methods of integrating reading and writing, such as the writing process approach to literacy. The author maintains that black students do not advance with this method, and that the direct teaching of skills is crucial to their success. Delpit suggests that black educators recognize that black students are already fluent and are anxious to teach them the “correct” conventions so that they can achieve success in mainstream white society. The author closes the chapter by stating that “progressive” advocates should listen to and respond to the suggestions and ideas of teachers of color concerning skills oriented instruction for black students.
Chapter 1: Skills and Other Dilemmas of a Progressive Black Educator
In this chapter, Delpit discusses the “progressive” techniques and concepts that she learned in college, including holistic methods of integrating reading and writing, such as the writing process approach to literacy. The author maintains that black students do not advance with this method, and that the direct teaching of skills is crucial to their success. Delpit suggests that black educators recognize that black students are already fluent and are anxious to teach them the “correct” conventions so that they can achieve success in mainstream white society. The author closes the chapter by stating that “progressive” advocates should listen to and respond to the suggestions and ideas of teachers of color concerning skills oriented instruction for black students.
Chapter 2: The Silenced Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People’s Children
In this chapter, Delpit discusses “the silenced dialogue” that she perceives as a persistent and troublesome problem in the American education system. The author relates how nonwhite educators have passionately spoken out about being left out of the conversation concerning how to best educate children of color. Delpit examines the issues that create these complete communication blocks through the lens of her theme, “the culture of power.” The author suggests that although she believes that a culture of power exists in this country, she does not advocate for passive mass compliance, but rather “a diversity of style” and that each cultural group should be allowed to maintain its own language style. Delpit asserts that educators must assume the responsibility to teach black children about the codes of power while also recognizing individual diversity. This must be done within the context of “meaningful communicative endeavors” and as a mutual effort between students of color and adults who share their culture.
Chapter 3: Language Diversity and Learning
In this chapter, Delpit discusses “language diversity as it affects the learning environments of linguistically diverse students” and offers suggestions for alternatives to be used in various settings. The author suggests that teachers should recognize and validate the linguistic form a student brings to school while also nurturing the development of Standard English, “the language associated with the power structure” and “the language of economic success.” Delpit believes that educators should develop a perspective that celebrates diversity in the classroom through shared activities that enhance an appreciation for linguistic pluralism. Some of the suggested activities include listening to audiotaped stories narrated by people from different cultures and reading children’s books written in the dialects of various cultural groups.
Chapter 4: The Vilis Tokples Schools of Papua New Guinea
In this chapter, Delpit relates her experiences regarding the education system in Papua New Guinea. The author centers her discussion around the topic of the extreme diversity found in this country, which is characterized by a geographically differentiated population with over 700 indigenous languages spoken. However, since the inhabitants were previously part of an Australian colony, English is the official language of the country. Delpit explains that although the people of Papua New Guinea have been vested in literacy acquisition for quite some time, the task of achieving a literate population has been difficult because teachers were required to teach in English. According to Delpit, the biggest problems stemmed from “disruption to social relations between young and old rural communities”. To solve these problems the Vilis Tokples Pri-Skul system was developed, in which children learn both their own native languages and customs in addition to English. This arrangement allows children to succeed in both the world of their village as well as the outside world.
Chapter 5: “Hello Grandfather”: Lessons from Alaska
In this chapter, Delpit discusses the unique nature of literacy education in Alaska, which has been compared to the literacy problems of blacks in inner city communities in the United States. The author observes that she learned lessons about connectedness and context while living in Alaska that helped her to “better understand some points of classroom cultural conflict.” Delpit proposes that educators realize that students of color bring different types of understandings about the world than those whose home lives are more similar to the worldview associated with Western schooling. The author asserts that “the practice of literacy, typically a solitary endeavor in academically oriented Western societies, can also promote alienation in communities that value collaboration and interaction,” such as those in Alaska.
Chapter 6: Teachers’ Voices: Rethinking Teacher Education for Diversity
In this chapter, Delpit discusses the issues involved in restructuring the teacher education programs in the United States so that diversity is addressed and validated in appropriate ways. According to Delpit, research shows that there is a decline in minority participation in the teaching force, caused by many factors, including that educators feel victimized by their institutions and diminished in importance. The author relates the personal experiences of teachers of color, who confirm stories of discrimination, bias, and negative experiences with stereotypical attitudes. Delpit suggests that teacher education programs be reinvented to accommodate the perceptions of black teachers, who often feel isolated, unvalidated, and insignificant. The author maintains that to remedy the situation, we should seek to diversify our faculties and reduce isolation by organizing minority students into cohorts, teams, or support groups.
Chapter 7: Cross-cultural Confusions in Teacher Assessment
In this chapter, Delpit discusses some of the new teacher assessment models being offered as part of the educational reform movement and offers suggestions for alternatives to these models. The author expresses her concern over assessment methods that standardize performance, as she believes that quality teaching cannot be replicated in the same way for every context or cultural setting. In addition, Delpit maintains that a “one right way” philosophy penalizes teachers of ethnicity who do not teach in mainstream schools dominated by middle-class white students. These cross-cultural confusions imply that teacher assessments must acknowledge that teachers from communities of color approach teaching in a different manner, preferring to first establish a relationship between themselves and their students before introducing content. According to Delpit, “research suggests that children of color value the social aspects of an environment to a greater extent than do ‘mainstream’ children, and tend to put an emphasis on feelings, acceptance, and emotional closeness” rather than achievement.
Chapter 8: The Politics of Teaching Literate Discourse
In this chapter, Delpit presents her concerns that developed as a result of collaboration with well-intentioned liberal white English and language arts teachers who struggle with how to teach literacy to low-income black students. The author suggests that many of these teachers are reluctant to teach Standard English to minority students because they fear that doing so devalues the students’ primary language and portrays a racist attitude. In addition, Delpit believes that these teachers fail to actively pursue the teaching of Standard English because they believe their students are so entrenched in their home language they cannot learn another. The author asserts that white teachers should not feel paralyzed or powerless when dealing with linguistically diverse students and must find ways to empower themselves so that these students achieve success. Delpit suggests that teachers “acknowledge and validate students’ home language without using it to limit students’ potential.”
Chapter 9: Education in a Multicultural Society: Our Future’s Greatest Challenge
In this chapter, Delpit discusses the challenges that educators must face concerning the accommodation of multicultural students of ethnic and racial diversity. The author explores the topics of the cultural clash between students and school, stereotyping, child deficit assumptions that lead to teaching less instead of more, ignorance of community norms, invisibility, and addressing the problems of educating poor and culturally diverse children. Among the recommendations that Delpit makes to ensure that our nation successfully meets the challenges of a multicultural society are to hire multicultural, diverse school teaching staffs, view African-American parents as a resource instead of a liability, and extend the curriculum beyond its current narrow Eurocentric scope.
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Google Images, Sweet Clipart, and PicMonkey