Literacy and the Literacy Myth from Plato to Freire

“Literacy seemed to many people to be what distinguishes one kind of person from another kind of person.”

This quote made me think about Korea before Hangul was created. At that time, only the ‘yangban’, the elite, could read and write Chinese. They were the ruling class. The peasant class was illiterate because they were busy working but instead it seems as though they didn’t have access. Eventually Hangul was created that was simple to learn and after some time, most everyone was literate. But this still did not break down the social hierarchy. It only allowed some to gain wealth as they utilized their new literacy to do business, creating a wealthy merchant class but still beneath the ‘yangban’ class. At least though, it gave some people hope when they had none before.

On another note, it is true text can be read on many levels and we have to find the "hidden meaning" behind the words. Recently this issue has come up with the interpretation of the United States 14^th Amendment which gives citizenship to anyone born in America. This doesn’t affect Koreans too much except for mothers going on ‘tourism birth’ trips. However, it does affect millions of Hispanics and others who were born in America to illegal immigrants. The group wanting to repeal the 14^th Amendment, or make changes to it, suggest that the original purpose of the amendment has been misinterpreted. But what is the real purpose?  It didn’t seem like a big problem for over 100 years so why now?

I think, the problem is that American government and state governments are having budget problems and they think one way to solve that problem is to reduce the number of people that need their services. Not just illegal immigrants are being targeted to solve budget problems but the elderly too as they face Medicaid and Medicare cuts.

I think the US government should focus on reducing the $14,000,000,000,000 debt and give this money to the states instead of targeting minority groups and the elderly.

Reflection after my presentation

This question came from my real concern/experiences :

While I was preparing this, I really wondered if what I prepared was the banking method or not. I think using a ppt might lean toward a banking method and I wanted to avoid that. So, I was wondering how to do this so it is critical pedagogy and not banking. Also, what is the best way to handle a situation when the audience is quiet and not participative? How long should the presenter wait before speaking?

My little thoughts about Chapter 2:

I think a critical pedagogy of problem-posing really matches my personality so well. I never enjoyed all the memorization of facts and having to be tested on them for a grade that truly didn’t measure our ability. I think many students think much of the information is useless and never really serves us in our life. I’m sure many students have thought like, “When will I ever use this when I grow up?” Or, “How does this relate to my life?” But, unfortunately most of my education was this way. However, every now and then there would be a course that was different, that really made me think. The course would make me question things all the time as well as make me question my role in it all. Education should be that way, making us question things to develop our critical thinking skills. The enjoyment and true learning from a critical discourse method can never be met by the traditional banking method. I think once a person has experienced this method then accepting the traditional method becomes very difficult. Fortunately for me, I have been able to participate in a few of these types of courses during this TESOL masters program.

However, here are my questions for this whole chapter ;

1.     It which grade should critical pedagogy be started? From kindergarden?

2.     Is critical pedagogy suitable for every subject? For example, once we understand the concept of multiplying/dividing and the need for it in our life, isn’t just easier to memorize it so we can quickly recall the information when needed? I mean, we can understand the concept but never master the process. What is the goal then, to understand the concept or to master it?

About "The Azaleas"(진달래꽃) - the poem from last Sat

This song is about a prayer for the deceased :

“the deceased” might have been her lost son or husband who had passed away in war.

In Maya’s video, you can see a lot of people who fought for their country and died. So I think Maya chose those images to honor their struggle and memory with the song. 

“Azaleas” – So Wol Kim (1902-1934)

If you are sick of me and want to go, I'll let you go-gently-I won't say a word. 

I will pluck a handful of azaleas from Yaksan in Yangbyon. I will strew them in your path.

Tread gently in these flowers. They deck your parting steps.

If you are sick of me and you want to go, though I die, I won't shed a tear.

Frankfurt School

Culture industry has depoliticized the working class and made them comfortable and blinded in their life so they don’t look for change, or they are too lazy to want change. It discourages the ‘masses’ from thinking beyond the confines of the present. (ex, Americans living on borrowed money and not worrying about the future. – Instant gratification)

Hope comes from those on the margins of society, ‘the outcasts and outsiders’, who are out of reach of the culture industry, to defeat capitalism and bring about a new world. (similar to those calling for critical pedagogy)

Devils advocate question : Whether it is capitalism or Marxism, both systems pacify their citizens through different forms of propaganda, so what is the difference? It’s a continuous cycle. Capitalism leads to Marxism back to capitalism and so on. Ex. Russia was a kingdom with business that changed to communism and now back to capitalism. American will eventually call for revolution once the masses are bled more and more and the class divide becomes too great, possibly a change to socialism.

Lesson Plans from the Outer Limits

I guess ..this article is about changing from the traditional methods that take away teachers’ power to a new approach that empowers teachers. Modernist positivism, based on scientific principles, has controlled how teaching has been done for most of the 20^th century by providing teacher-proof material and focusing on teaching measurable objectives. There is one correct way to teach and one correct body of subject matter.(the article said,)

The key difference is the old paradigm involved the “discovery” of knowledge but the new paradigm (NP) involves the “invention” of knowledge.  

"My Devils Advocate " Questions: 

 Who is calling for a change? Who are those pushing for a critical pedagogy? Isn’t the reality that there has always been and always will be a political agenda to teaching as there is to everything else in life? Haven’t the rich and powerful always ruled and manipulated the masses in one way or another?

New Paradigm Ts refuse to accept knowledge without questioning it first. Where did the knowledge come from? Who benefits from the knowledge? Freire called this “critical consciousness” which leads to social change.  Ts must learn to operate in a cognitively sophisticated scholarly way before they can teach that way.

The use of Freirian pedagogy in teaching English

My Summary for Freirian principal

: Using real life material that is relevant to the student to raise their critical consciousness  about their world – use critical pedagogical method

It is a problem posing method so students get involved using a critical method – participatory approach – active participation and reflection

I strongly agree - what he said ,"Teachers are guides not an authority so we can empower the students"

This article focuses on the inequalities of NS and NNS in Korea and the need to create a critical pedagogy for EFL teacher training.

Part of the article showed the domination of American English in Korea but how Koreans need to understand that most of the time they will be using English will be with persons not from America so  I think Koreans need to change the obsession with American English. Koreans need to understand that we need to use English as an International Language (EIL).

Indigenous critical traditions for TEFL? A historical and comparative perspective in the case of Korea

This article is about disproving the idea that Korean students are passive learners such as Chinese and Japanese students. The researcher conducted 2 studies, at a middle and high school. From the reading it seemed as though the high school was a Foreign Language high school. The finding showed that students didn’t resist this kind of class and that they were able to learn using a critical pedagogical method.

My frist question :Do her results truly reflect a regular high school senior students’ ability to handle this type of critical pedagogical method? 

I don’t think the high school was indicative of a normal high school. It seemed like the high school was a foreign language school since it mentioned the school had a heavy emphasis on foreign languages.
It went so far as to say that the kids’ English ability was greater than most Korean seniors due to that fact. 

My second question :
What is the best way to balance the needs of the student by covering both the material relevant to the SAT and communication needs by using a critical pedagogical method? Would the diversity of material allow for enough grammar/vocabulary for the students to have enough success on the SAT? Is there a way to design material that is student generated that would allow this?