I thought that the most powerful portion of the prologue was the quote on pg. xvi. People say that young people can't learn because of their backgrounds, families, and socio-economic statuses. That may all be true, however the last line of this quote says it best. "'Sure, those matter,' they say. 'But what hurts us more is that you teach us less'" (p xvi). Some teachers feel as though they are doing a service to underprivileged students by not having them work hard and complete tasks that all other students are expected to complete. This, in itself, is doing a disservice to their student population. In no way is expecting less of students ever helpful to them. This can contribute to a learned helplessness, where students do not know how to help themselves due to the high amount of help that they have always received.
The author of the prologue also talks about what to do to close the achievement gap in science. Science as a subject should not be taught like the history of science, with facts and figures being read off like dates of a war. It should be culturally relevant. Talk about why certain diseases are more prevalent in certain populations. Talk about the reasons that African American students are lactose intolerant. Talk about hurricanes and weather patterns. Make science relate to their lives outside of school to make it more interesting. All students can have an interest and learn to love science, in my opinion. Make it possible.
In front of the Davidson Glacier in Alaska
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That quote really struck me too. I felt it served as a reminder to me to always keep in mind to hold the same high expectations of every student. Sometimes we want to favor certain students because we know some of their background and what they've been through, but we are doing them a disservice if we do.
Why would a teacher EVER have low expectations for their students? That seems like the teacher has given up before even giving the student a chance. I went to the staff meeting at my internship, and the principal had a quote on the powerpoint presentation that said "fake it till you make it" The quote meant that even if you think that your student won't succeed, keep faking it that you do believe they can succeed until they do. I'm not sure how I feel about faking my feelings, but maybe if I keep telling myself to believe that student will succeed, I will not give up on them.
The "self-fulfilling prophesy" (pp. 16-17 of our textbook) doesn't always explain where low expectations come from. I think a lot of it is due to the media. In addition, there is some bizarre version of common sense that says who can do well in science. We might point to the absence of women faculty in a physics department and conclude that males are better. All of this comes from not questioning our assumptions.
One strategy, that Kim offered from her school, was to fake it. And that seems like a somewhat good idea. The change I would make is to find ways to give legitimacy to the belief that all kids can do well in science. There's plenty of evidence to support that. And with those beliefs you will communicate high expectations to all of students.
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