Writing your letter

1
Writing your letter

• we are all the same, that is, human, in such a
  way that nobody is ever the same as anybody else
  who ever lived, lives, or will live'.
• (Arendt, 1958 8)

2
Seeing big and seeing small

• Greene (1984, 1995) distinguishes between small
  and big ways of seeing educational spaces.
• To see small, is to take on a birds eye view
  of an educational space. It is to see the whole
  school.
• To see big is to see up-close. It is to see
  day to day situations and problems.

3
Developing the sociological imagination

• The sociological imagination enables its
  possessor to understand the larger historical
  scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life
  of a variety of individuals.
• (Mills, 1959 12)

4
Reflecting while you write

• What do I want to argue?
• How could my perspective be criticised?
• How can I answer that criticism?
• What are the implications of my argument?
• What more could I say about this issue?
• Argument and not assertion
• What evidence (empirical or theoretical) is there
  to support my argument?

5
Race and stereotypes

• The black student, Steele contends, is constantly
  aware of
• the threat of being viewed through the lens of
  a negative stereotype, or the fear of doing
  something that would inadvertently confirm that
  stereotype.
• (Steele, 1999 46).
• All stereotyped learners can live under 'a
  jeopardy of double devaluation' (Steele, 1992
  74).

6
Gender and stereotypes

• Spencer, Steele and Quinn (1999) and Keller
  (2001) in mathematics, female students can
  confront a stereotype threat that relates to
  perceptions of ability and gender.
• Class and stereotypes
• Becker (1952) and Hargreaves (1967) teachers
  perceive and value students in accordance with
  class stereotypes.

7
Wise schooling

• Steele (1992) schooling is wise
• when stereotypes that devalue are rejected
• when educators see value and promise in all
  students.
• when there is no remedial education
• when there is no segregation, in any form

8

• In your school, was there a culture of reasoned
  dialogue rather than confrontation, where you
  were listened to with respect and made to feel
  safe, comfortable and confident (Corbett, 2001
  57)?
• Where students could feel safe enough to be as
  honest as possible in their contributions
  (Schultz, 2001 101)?
• Or did students have to struggle to be normal
  (Corbett, 1999 58)?

9
Questions to consider when reading Letter to a
teacher

• What are the important ideas in the Letter?
  (Consider issues like gender, race, inequality
  and the relationship between teachers and
  students.)
• Why do you think these ideas are important?
• Why do you agree or disagree with these ideas?
• Which key quotations express these ideas?
• How do your experiences of education relate to
  and/or differ from the boys experiences?

10
References

• Arendt, H. (1958) The Human Condition (University
  of Chicago Press Chicago)
• Becker, H. S. (1952) Social Class Variations in
  the Teacher Pupil Relationship, Journal of
  Educational Sociology, 25(8), 451465
• Corbett, J. (1999) Inclusive education and school
  culture, International Journal of Inclusive
  Education, 3(1), 53-61
• Corbett, J. (2001) Teaching approaches which
  support inclusive education a connective
  pedagogy, British Journal of Special Education,
  28(2), 55-59

11

• Hargreaves, D.H. (1967) Social Relations in a
  Secondary School (London Routledge Kegan Paul)
• Keller, C. (2001) Effects of teachers
  stereotyping on students stereotyping on
  mathematics as a male domain, Journal of Social
  Psychology, 14(2), 165-13
• Mill, J.S. (1869/1992) On Liberty (London
  Penguin) 
• Mills, C. Wright (1959/1976) The Sociological
  Imagination  (New York  Oxford University Press)
  
• Schultz, A. (1999) Creating Local Public Spaces
  in Schools Insights from Hannah Arendt and
  Maxine Greene, Curriculum Inquiry, Vol. 29, No.
  1, pp. 77-98)
• Spencer, S.J., Steele, C.M. Quinn, D.M. (1999)
  Stereotype threat and Women's Math Performance,
  Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 35(1),
  4-28
• Steele, C.M. (1992) Race and the schooling of
  black Americans, The Atlantic Monthly, 269(4),
  67-78

12

• Steele, C.M. (1997) A threat in the air How
  stereotypes shape intellectual identity and
  performance, American Psychologist, 52(6),
  613-629.
• Steele, C.M. (1998) Stereotyping and its threat
  are real, American Psychologist, 53(6), 680-681.
• Steele, C.M. (1999) Thin ice "stereotype threat"
  and black college students, The Atlantic Monthly,
  284(2), 44-54.
• Steele, C. M. Aronson, J. (1995) Stereotype
  threat and the intellectual test performance of
  African Americans, Journal of Personality and
  Social Psychology, 69(5), 797-811.