A Reflection on My Take-Away of the “Hostos Reads” Initiative
By Denise Cummings-Clay, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Education Department
What happens in a classroom when students are asked to read an extra book? What happens when students are asked to share their most inner thoughts on a topic, but fear how others will respond to them? What happens to students and professors when they engage in conversations seemingly unrelated to the course content? As a professor at Hostos Community College, I discovered answers to these questions by implementing the “Hostos Reads” Initiative in each of my courses. In the classroom, my goal has been to ensure that the essential content of a course has been covered by using diverse instructional methods, such as small group activities. The literature has revealed that students who share and learn in small groups show greater scholastic attainment, incentive, and fulfillment than students who do not
(Schrader, 2015).
You might wonder why I have taught in this way. It’s because my teaching practice has been informed through the tenets of Malcolm Knowles who declared that adults tend to define themselves by their experiences, which they bring with them into new learning environments and add much to discussions in the classroom (Knowles, 1984). Thus, I have facilitated learning experiences that allow students from diverse backgrounds to learn academic material based on their varied experiences. Moreover, my practices have rested on the framework of Boud and Miller who believe “that learning can only occur if the experience of the learner is engaged at some level” (Miller and Boud, 1996, p. 9).
As a result, student engagement in the learning environment has been my priority. It was inconceivable to me that student empowerment would surface in my classrooms through asking students to read material outwardly dissimilar to the course content. But this occurred when the CTL started an initiative at the college entitled, “Hostos Reads,” which was designed to engage students, faculty, and staff into conversations with respect to themes like social justice, identity, diversity, etc.
A question that arose when considering the initiative was, “How will I integrate the ‘Hostos Reads’ initiative into my Education courses?” I was unsure of what the outcomes would be, but I believed that it might be worth the risk introducing the initiative to students because I recognized that they would learn more about themselves and society and that knowledge would supplement their course content learning outcomes.
Thus, I embraced the initiative and plunged into the process of urging my students to do the same. The outcome for me was revelatory. Initially, I observed that students enrolled in my courses seemed to be motivated to learn the course content more after they were asked to participate in “Hostos Reads.” Secondly, I recognized that my educational philosophy was evolving from a purely progressivist stance to a two-pronged methodology that incorporated the progressive and social reconstructionist frameworks. Lastly, I noticed that critical thinking (CT) was taking place and serving as a theoretical foundation to guide the assignments developed as part of the initiative. While writing reflections and sharing thoughts in class, students were using critical thinking skills in responding to the themes identified in the books and in their responses to each other in discussions.
I urged students to read the other books designated by the “Hostos Reads” program: Justice Mercy and Americanah. The CTL gave me copies to distribute to students, and students were urged to read at their own pace. The actual assignments were based upon the campus Library Guides developed for each of the books and accessible to students on our Blackboard platform.
A benefit of the “Hostos Reads” initiative that I observed was that the reading assignments gave students the chance to reflect on their beliefs and thoughts regarding social justice and its impact in educational practice. The process of reflection seemed to inspire them to attend class, participate in course activities, and engage in classroom learning experiences more. Specifically, energy for learning was ignited in my classrooms when I asked my students to read the “Hostos Reads” books and prepare reflections on the themes identified in the books. Individual student reflective writings were shared in classes, which provoked productive discussions. Furthermore, the students were energized to participate in selecting student colleagues to represent their classes with reflections and/or poems for poster presentations for the campus’ CTL Day.
Not only did the program motivate the students, but the process helped me to grow. As a faculty member, enhancing my student-centered instructional strategies to integrate the book into my teaching practice propelled me into developing the skill of managing the distribution of the students’ voices, beliefs, and thoughts. “Negotiating voice in diverse, critically oriented classroom discussions is an interdependent phenomenon, and an art that teachers often develop through experience and self-analysis” (Yannuzzi & Martin, 2014, pg. 714). Facilitating this reflective process afforded me the opportunity to mold student dialogue in ways that supported and shaped the students’ voices while overseeing the single, interpersonal, and andragogical (art of instruction of adults) effects of those voices (Yannuzzi & Martin, 2014). Influencing student voices in this way was uncharted territory for me as there seemed to be less control of the known learning outcomes for students. However, I found the process to be invigorating. Through reflection upon this new practice, I was able to recognize that it also served as a means of strengthening my educational skills.
Another benefit of the “Hostos Reads” initiative became apparent during my observation of my students’ increased motivation in the classes, which revealed that my teaching methodology was shifting. The classes, which I had centered around progressivism, had organically shifted to now include social re-constructivism. The progressivist philosophy of education, which is student-centered, supports our students’ responsible participation in society as well as enables them to gain practical knowledge and develop problem-solving skills. Moreover, this philosophy complements the view of the modern discourse and training of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Progressivism alone had guided how I engaged my students in the teaching and learning process. I had used its tenets as I subscribe to the philosophies of its two major advocates, John Dewey and Eduard
C. Lindeman. Dewey believed that the educational process had two sides – the psychological and sociological; “and that neither can be subordinated to the other nor neglected without evil results following,” (Dewey, 1897, p. 1). Lindeman (1926), author of The Meaning of Adult Education who attempted to provide a framework for adult education in his book, argued that Adult Education aimed to train people to participate and to expose intelligent influence in small collective units like the home, the neighborhood, community, trade union, society, etc. For example, in the introductory, pre-requisite courses in Early Childhood Education (ECE), students must observe a classroom for at least 20 hours, while in the other course, students tutor children a minimum of 10 hours during the term to develop the reading and literacy skills of children. Through this process, they gain experience working with children who have some of the greatest needs in developing their foundational skills in literacy.
In tandem with the progressivist approach, student-centered social reconstructionism helps students prepare for a society that is constantly changing. Through the lens of this philosophy, the purpose of education is to urge “schools, teachers, and students to focus their studies and energies on alleviating pervasive social inequities and, as the name implies, reconstruct society into a new and more just social order” (Sadker & Zittleman, 2010, pg. 284).
After integrating “Hostos Reads” in my classrooms, I reflected, again, upon why I had taken the risk of allowing my students’ voices with respect to controversial topics to be shared in the classroom when there was required ECE curriculum that needed to be taught. I had introduced the initiative because I believe that our students are capable of excellence. It was crucial, from my viewpoint, to use teaching strategies that support students’ efforts to achieve high academic learning outcomes in education. Moreover, I believed it vital to instill certain values and use andragogical methods, which are focused on the adult learner and his/her life situation, that were useful for our students to understand and eventually emulate if they are to be effective in maximizing their potential. I believe that as students pursue their education, they will learn the academic concepts to which they are exposed, integrate ideas, and think critically, thereby maximizing the use of their cognitive processes. My role is thus to give them the opportunity to engage in inspiring, thought-provoking classroom experiences.
“Critical thinking (CT)-based instruction, i.e., structuring a course by means of activities and strategies fostering CT, has been lauded for improving both CT skills and effective learning” (Toy & Ok, pg. 39). The process of thinking critically requires that adult learners recognize and research the assumptions that serve as a basis for their views, beliefs, and actions (Brookfield, 1987). Inserting exercises in the classroom that promote critical thinking became one of my major goals to engage students in active learning. Hence, the last benefit of “Hostos Reads” that appeared to be prevalent as a response to these beliefs involved the students’ capabilities to think critically in their reflections and during classroom activities.
In conclusion, enhanced student engagement, expansion of my teaching methodology, and the promotion of student critical thinking skills were outcomes of implementing the “Hostos Reads” initiative in my classes. A projected outcome for students who engaged in this Initiative, from my perspective, is that learning about social justice issues and related themes as well as reflecting upon their beliefs about society might help them to better reconcile these matters within themselves to help them determine how best to prepare children to navigate effectively in our changing society. As a faculty member, the process helped me to refine my teaching methodology and skills regarding shaping student voices, organizing their classroom experiences, and being able to facilitate the complexities of critical classroom discussions. I recommend this practice to faculty in all other disciplines. My experience affirms that participation in the “Hostos Reads” initiative is a win-win for students and faculty alike.
References
Brookfield, S.D. (1987). Developing critical thinkers: Challenging adults to explore alternative ways of thinking and acting. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Dewey, J. (1897). My pedagogic creed. School Journal, 54, (Jan.), 77-80.
Knowles, M. S. & Associates. (1984). Andragogy in action. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Lindeman, E. (1926). The meaning of adult education. New York: New Republic.
Miller, N., & Boud, D. (1996). Working with experience: Animating learning. London; New York: Routledge.
Sadker, D.M., & Zittleman, K.R. (2010). Teachers, schools, and society. (9th ed.), New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Schrader, D.E. (2015). Constructivism and learning in the age of social media: Changing minds and learning communities. New Directions of Teaching and Learning, 144, 23-35.
Toy, B.Y. & Ok, A. (2012). Incorporating critical thinking in the pedagogical content of a teacher education programme: Does it make a difference? European Journal of Teacher Education, 35(1), 39-56.
Yannuzzi, T.J. & Martin, D. (2014). Voice, identity and the organizing of student experience: managing pedagogical dilemmas in critical classroom discussions, Teaching in Higher Education, 19(6), 709-720.