Over the summer, work with a group of young men attending Upward Bound at Fairfield University prompted me to think about the ways we get high school students to think critically, to interpret text, and to engage in dialogue that can act as a spark to taking action. After doing a Google search on the Trayvon Martin case, I saw 100s of political cartoons that catered to multiple perspectives related to the trial. I had the young men analyze several of cartoons, deconstruct them, then share with one another what the illustrations invoked in them. They had so much to say that I began to write down their points. Over several weeks, I began to take notes from their discussions. The result was a collaborative editorial where their voices were heard (even though the CT Post wrote Connected Writing Project at Fairfield instead of the Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield).
Recalling that activity and reading a chapter from Kelly Gallagher's Write Like This on 'writing to inform and explain,' I tried the approach again last night with graduate students. Knowing the importance placed on writing on-demand, I handed two political cartoons on high stakes testing and Common Core State Standards to each of them. Their task was to interpret one of the cartoons, analyze its meaning, and argue what the illustrator intended. They had ten minutes to write; no two students had the same cartoons. Each had two of their own to choose from.
Is it ironic that I used an on-demand short answer prompt to get the teachers thinking about writing in school? It worked. After they finished they worked with one another to talk about their processes and responses. When they finished we looked at all the cartoons together. I asked them to summarize in a statement what the cartoons articulated:
- Education should be based on social, emotional, physical and cognitive needs.
- Instead of teaching to the test, schools should teach skills that prepare students within the context of their own lives and the personal aspirations they hold.
- America will suffer economically if it doesn’t take care of its youth or provide a better education to all of its people.
- Educators, and not politicians, should make instructional choices in our schools.
- Political influence in the education system is destroying creativity and limiting the materials that teachers can use.
- The academic achievement of students should be measured through authentic assessments that considers a student’s culture.
Bingo. In a twenty-minute activity they all had arguments. I pointed to these arguments to make a point. It is common knowledge that teachers across the United States are frustrated with top-down management and test-crazed leadership. I wondered, then, if they were willing to do anything about it.
It was at this point I shared the collaborative editorial that was co-written with the Upward Bound students. I modeled how listening to youth provided all the arguments that needed to be heard. I explained that, like the boys, teachers too needed to begin getting political with their views, feelings, and opinions. Otherwise, the oppression will continue. By not taking action, they allows others to take it for them. As their bullets show above they have a lot to say.
Explain the cartoons led to writing. They informed others with their responses. Through doing this they also found arguments. These arguments need to be written and articulated in every possible form of communication we can until others begin to listen. Right now, a few dictate to the majority.
It just isn't right.
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