Questioning Assumptions and Challenging Perceptions: Becoming an Effective Teacher in Urban Environments

by Connie L. Schaffer, Meg White, Corine Meredith Brown

Overview

For a moment, consider “you don’t know what you don’t know”. What individuals know about urban schools is often based on assumptions and perceptions. It is important for individuals to examine these assumptions and perceptions of urban schools and the students who attend them.

While many textbooks support how teachers should teach students in urban settings, this book asserts individuals can be effective teachers in these settings only if they first develop an understanding urban schools and the students who attend them. As readers progress through the chapters, they will realize they don’t know what they don’t know.

Within a framework of cognitive dissonance, readers will continuously examine and reexamine their personal beliefs and perceptions. Readers will also investigate new information and varied perspectives related to urban schools. When readers finish this book, they will be on their way to becoming effective teachers in urban environments.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781475822021
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	01/15/2016
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Connie Schaffer is a faculty member at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Her teaching and research focus on preparing pre-service teachers to better understand the context of urban schools and the students who attend them.

Meg White is an Assistant Professor in Teacher Education at Stockton University. Currently much of her teaching and scholarship is preparing pre-service teachers to be effective urban educators. Visit her blog: https://reflectionsinedblogblog.wordpress.com/

Corine Meredith Brown is Assistant Chair for the Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education Department at Rowan University. Her teaching and research focus on pre-service teacher preparation in diverse learning environments.

Table of Contents

About the cover ART
FOREWORD-jack McKay
Acknowledgements
Introduction

CHAPTER ONE: Personal exploration
How do you define yourself culturally?
establishing a frame of reference
ABC’s of cultural understanding and communication

chapter two: creating a definition of urban
graffiti wall
sphere of influence within the social context
definitions of urban based on population
definitions of urban based on social context
broadening the definition of urban
moving beyond a single story of urban schools

chapter three: the social context of children and families in urban environments
case study 3.1: the story of amie
maslow’s identification of human needs
poverty mural
the complexities of poverty
case study 3.2: the bank street school

CHAPTER four: stages of cognitive dissonance: Internal reflections
stages of cognitive dissonance related to urban schools
creating the felt need
a kwl chart on urban schools
shifting from apprehension to appreciation
culture walks
moving beyond the deficit approach
common scenarios

CHAPTER five: stages of cognitive dissonance: external implications
value line part one
closing the gaps
value line part two
teaching for social justice
teaching for social justice gallery walk

CHAPTER six: transforming knowledge into action
teachers as activists
imagining a socially just classroom
personal sphere of influence model
identifying elements in your personal sphere of influence

CHAPTER seven: translating theory into action
case study 7.1: Ruby bridges

INDEX
about the authors

Editorial Reviews

Building on an urban ecological framework, this book powerfully shepherds preservice and inservice teachers into processes of reflection on unexamined assumptions that can lead to practices detrimental for youth. Educators interested in learning more about how their beliefs and mindsets shape their practice should read this book. The authors remind educators that they must be audaciously deliberate in their efforts to learn and develop as they work to support their students in urban environments who deserve our best everyday! This is an important book!

H. Richard Milner IV

That teachers need to understand themselves—their talents as well as their shortcomings, their sensitivities as well as their biases—before they can be effective with students of all backgrounds is by now fairly well accepted. In Questioning Assumptions and Changing Perceptions, authors Connie Schaffer, Meg White, and Corine Meredith Brown go beyond platitudes to explore not only why but also how teachers and other educators can do so. This book will be useful for novice as well as veteran teachers who want to make a difference for themselves and their students.

Sonia Nieto