Critical Literacy Across the K–6 Curriculum by Vivian Maria Vasquez

Author:Vivian Maria Vasquez [Vivian Maria Vasquez]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Routledge

Unpacking the Micropolitics of the Playground

Susan wanted her students to be able to think more explicitly about their own feelings in relation to the inequalities with which they have direct experience (Epstein, 1993; Heffernan & Lewison, 2000). Engaging in process drama afforded an opportunity for the children to bring to the fore and discuss complex social issues in White Wash. Now, Susan wanted to switch gears and have the children imagine taking on a social issue unfolding in their own place. They decided to examine the micropolitics of the playground in their school. However, what started out as research on problems in the playground between students morphed into observations of interactions between adults and children and the problematic playing out of power differentials between the two groups.

At the school, students relied on teachers to mediate conflicts. However, what they found while engaging in observations in the playground were instances where they noticed the adults on duty were not responsive to the students seeking their help or assistance. This led to a more in-depth study of behavior on the playground where Susan and the third graders produced data in the form of their observations of negative or problematic interactions between adults and students during recess. Upon sharing their observations with one another, they were disturbed by what they learned. Specifically they recorded many instances where adults treated some children unfairly, ineffectively, or were unresponsive to their needs. Acting on their belief that playground supervision needed to be revisited, they initiated a letter-writing campaign informing the principal of what they deemed to be a major problem that could lead to dangerous situations on the playground.

Luke and Freebody (1997) write that students bring to the classroom available cultural, community, and social resources; texts; and discourses. Said differently, all students come to school with cultural and social experiences and particular ways of saying and doing things. These various experiences, or cultural and linguistic resources, connect in multiple ways. What this means is that learning environments need to be responsive to the cultural discourses that students have access to and are active in, by looking closely at the things that are important to them or that they feel have importance in their lives.

Susan: The books we read and the conversations we had about those books made the cultural texts of the children I worked with easy to access. The books generated rich discussion of issues such as power, ageism, race, and gender. The students were comfortable expressing their ideas verbally; they appeared to speak openly and honestly. As such, our critical conversations offered several possible insights into how they were negotiating issues of social justice.

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