Reading Response Journal #2
'Strategies for Enhancing Emergent Literacy in Chinese Preschols' made me think of the way that people from the west are constantly trying to "help" the other. Why do we feel the need to go into another country, or another culture and impress our beliefs and practices upon them? It makes me uncomfortable when people make assumptions that, in this case, Chinese preschool teachers need our help, and need to conform to our western beliefs that children at a preschool age need to develop their emergent literacy skills in the same way that we do in Canada.
The author addresses this issue when referring to a teacher sharing photographs of her family life with a child. She writes that the teacher is displaying, "genuine communication between the teacher and student that is unusual in a Chinese classroom". In our context, having adults and children sharing personal photos and discussing them would be a tool in promoting emergent literacy, and our culture would accept this as appropriate practice. However, in other cultures, this personal connection between adults and children may not be considered appropriate by the public. When we go into other cultures and impose our methods on them, we are not respecting their customs and values. This practice may seem logical and beneficial to us, but that country's teachers, parents and public may consider a practice such as this one to be inappropriate and unprofessional. It may also be giving the children an experience which is not a genuine reflection of their culture, and may not be helpful to them in a social context.
When I look at the photos from the article, I see experiences of emergent literacy taking place; children drawing pictures and writing about their experiences, children writing about their feelings, and making a book about the things that they can do. In short, it looks like literacy learning in a classroom in Vancouver. My question is, why does that please me? Why do I want to see a group of children in China doing exactly what I see being done here? Why do I get comfort in seeing this merging of cultures? What should I expect or desire children in China to act/think/learn like children in Canada? What might this be doing to their feelings of community? What might this be doing to the teacher's sense of confidence in their practices? Pride in their ideas around learning and education? What and who are we marginalizing when we expect all children to learn in the same way?
As an aside, the United Nations Development Program (2009) lists China at a literacy rate of 93.3%. Canada does not show a reported literacy rate and instead has an assumed literacy rate of 99% due to it being a "high-income country". This came as a surprise to me, the speculated link between high income and literacy. Literacies in Childhood also reports this connection in regards to some children in Canada being "at-risk" due to their socioeconomic status (SES), and that "socioeconomic differences in literacy skills emerge very early". However, it seems to me to be a dangerous assumption on the part of the UN, not to even research high-income countries literacy rates. Similarly dangerous is the presumption that low SES families will produce children at-risk in regards to literacy levels. Both ideas send a message of incompetence or perceived inability with little room for exception. Regardless of whether this link is a researched truth, it seems to me to be a negative expectation to posit.
WOW, you asked some powerful questions in this post. Lots to think about in terms of our arrogance that our way is 'the' way and that others will benefit in their context from using things that work in our context.
ReplyDeleteThe information about how the UN rates the literacy of various countries was alarming and I agree that they need to look past the economic status of a country and actually look at literacy. That, of course, would mean having a standard and accepted definition of literacy - one that is accepted and fair world-wide. What a concept :)