Culture Circles: African-American Literacies

Event: Culture Circles on Praxis: Reflection and Action "African-American Literacies"

Host: Institute for Urban and Minority Education

Speakers: Crystal Belle & Jamila Lyiscott

Location: Edmund W. Gordon Campus

Date & Time: Saturday, February 25, 2012 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

This event was very informative and my first experience participating in a culture circle. The purpose of using culture circles as the avenue to discuss current issues is to thinking critically in order to make change as well as bring in multiple perspectives. In preparation for the event, the participants were asked to read, “You Gotta Reach ‘Em”: An African American Teacher’s Multiple Literacies Approach” by: Cynthia Hansberry Williams and chapter 3, “No Kinda Sense,” from The Skin That We Speak by: Lisa Delpit.

The session began with performances of two poems written by Jamila and Crystal, then the participants split into discussion groups to analyze the poems using Freire’s culture circles. Both poems were on the topic: African-American Literacies and its disappearance and stigmatization within mainstream American education, where Standard English is taught as the norm. African-American Literacies is the generative theme, defined as “[a theme] generated from the experience of students, their families, and their communities” (Souto-Manning, 2010, p. 13). Each discussion group analyzed one of the poems through a series of steps: description of code, first analysis, real life, related problems, root causes of problem, as well as utilize the two articles mentioned above. Then, the groups presented a summary of their discussions to the whole group. These six steps are similar to the five steps in the Critical Cycle (Souto-Manning, 2010, Figure 1.1, p. 21). I believe the Dialogue with a diverse group of people was the essential step that drove the analysis portion of our culture circle.

This process can be transferable into the classroom. However, in a debrief conversation with Bree, she stated that it is important to have diversity in a culture circle. Therefore, the class might need to seek out speakers or community members to ensure multiple viewpoints. As Olyer (2011) states, “teachers who plan social action curriculum require their students to investigate multiple explanations for the problem and also what various people think are appropriate solutions before finalizing plans for their own action” (p.149). I also learned student talk, ideas, and interested are the catalysts for social action as well as overall learning and retention of knowledge.

If you would like to see the performances, go to http://iume.tc.columbia.edu/index.asp?Id=Community&Info=Culture+Circles.

There is a scrolling portion at the top. On the bottom left of the scrolling portion under the picture click on #3. The title is IUME Culture Circle on African American Literacies. Then click on the YouTube Channel and photo gallery.

I also have copies of the poems by Jamila and Crystal. Please email me if you would like a copy.