From Then to Now: How ELA Teaching Has Evolved to Center Students’ Voices and Experiences
by Jolie Hicks
Jolie Hicks, Ph.D., is a Teaching Assistant Professor of Secondary Education at Oklahoma State University, where she focuses on mentoring future teachers.
The COVID-19 pandemic opened our eyes to systemic barriers that hinder multicultural students’ educational opportunities. These obstacles include accessibility to resources, such as technology, internet, bandwidth, etc., especially after schools shifted to remote learning because of the pandemic (Ciuffetelli Parker & Conversano, 2021). Unfortunately, schools have continued to be sites “that perpetuate privilege and marginalization” (Hicks, 2023, p. 13) even though educators truly want to create equitable learning spaces. Through the years, teachers have intentionally transformed their professional practice in the following ways:
- We strive to enjoy all of our students’ lived experiences.
- We work to create safe learning spaces through routines and protocols.
- We seek to build authentic relationships with our students.
A decade ago, many educators relied heavily on textbooks ladened with canonical literature. Teachers who were excited to teach what they remembered from their high school days kept the content-focused traditions alive for their students. Now, teachers intentionally pay attention to their students’ lives and to the contexts of their community spaces; this effort allows teachers to let go of past traditions and embrace a more student-centered approach to teaching and learning.
Enjoying Students’ Lived Experiences
Our students are brilliant humans with interesting and unique experiences. We need to develop learning spaces where students can tell their stories and share their backgrounds. Then, we can support their learning through curricular choices and pick texts that mirror our students’ communities. For example, Fault Lines, a Whippoorwill Award winner and place-based text, tells a story of a rural community’s struggle between environmental responsibility and pipeline fracking, which highlights their diverse perspectives and their socioeconomic differences. While not every student will identify with the book’s themes, they can become aware of real-world struggles and how to critically think through possible solutions.
Creating Safe Learning Spaces
Classroom routines and protocols give students clarity about our expectations. When students know what to anticipate, we minimize students’ feelings of isolation and make them aware of the classroom expectations where all students can excel.Ethical ELA’s Write into the Days, serve as an effective daily routine, as well as a successful classroom management tool. These writing moments provide low stakes writing practice, give students writing choices, and ignite student writing motivations.
Building Authentic Relationships
As we get to know our students, teachers find out in what contexts students already possess expertise, an assets-based way of thinking. Positive relationships between students and teachers foster a student’s willingness to participate and enjoy school. I utilize student interest surveys, which give me a little insight into their home lives, their interests, and their favorite things.
From then to now, teachers endeavor to put students first and find new ways to promote equitable learning spaces.
References
Ciuffetelli Parker, D. & Conversano, P. (2021). Narratives of systemic barriers and accessibility: Poverty, equity, diversity, inclusion, and the call for a post-pandemic new normal. Frontiers in Education, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.704663
Hicks, J. A. (2023). Exploring culturally relevant philosophies and teaching practices: A multiple case study of early-career teachers.