by Mary Starrs Armstrong, University of Alaska, Anchorage, AK
This is not the conventional great-teaching-deep-cultural-exploration and learning-Rosenblatt-inspired-response entry. This is a what’s-on-my-mind, I’m-exposing-my-dismal, disappointing-failure entry.
Typically, teachers use non fictional texts to explore cultures within and beyond their students’ world, knowing the importance of gaining information as they their develop a global perspective of others from the outside in; however, we’ve found that getting acquainted with characters in story may open the world to children in ways expository text doesn’t. Enter biography, with its factual base and strong narrative style to function as a literary bridge between fiction and non fiction, and a cultural link between characters’ lives and environments and our children’s lives and environments.
Children connect with story almost on a visceral level. Similarly they are fascinated by the lives of others, especially if they have a cultural framework of the times surrounding that character. Young children ages 6 – 9 are at a critical time for social and attitudinal growth. Biography can provide rich examples of problems and solutions, challenges and strategies utilized by people in history and those who are our contemporaries.
The exploration of life and culture through biography is written about eloquently in Language Arts text books, Children’s Literature text books, heralded in break-out sessions at conferences, and read about in journals. Accounts bring to light successful, upbeat lessons with widely inspiring results.
We know that one way children learn about people’s lives is through biography. They can learn about culture and environment, perseverance and persecution through biography as well. Duthie (1998) writes, “Biography and autobiography are important components of lifelong literacy … open a door for reflection and discussion, and can satiate curiosities with positive resolve at a crucial time in their development.” Who argues? What better way to grow a global perspective of others?
Well, that’s what I’d like to know. Read on:
I’ve been working since February in a primary classroom of 23 children grades 1, 2, and 3, exploring biography as a genre, as well as a way to learn about others and diverse cultures. We began with an author study, focusing on Leo Lionni through his work. We read aloud a dozen of his books. Comparing the books, we charted similarities, moving language, the features of story, memorable ideas to take away. We then read aloud and discussed in small groups, a few biographical sketches about the author. One goal was to get practice on the difference between important information and interesting details. We pointed out that his living all over Europe contributed to his broad view of the world and art.
Now, we had completed our first step. We learned about Leo Lionni, a bit of his life, his work and his contribution to the world of children’s literature. We were ready to embark on individual explorations of figures that had made some contribution to mankind.
With dozens of biographies, at a variety of reading levels, and admittedly, of literature quality, we began the next segment. The students had choice of their figure, plenty of books, they had time to read, write, respond, question. Over weeks they read in small groups, we read in the whole group, each read individually. They drew webs, sketched and completed graphic organizers. They wrote about their subject. We shared in small groups and the entire group. The end of the biography study came. It was time for final reflection. As a warm up to their written reflection, I asked why we read biography.
“So we can learn about others’ lives,” a few students answered.
“What’s so important about learning about others’ lives?” I followed up.
“Biographies tell us sometimes you’re never too old or too young to do anything or to have a dream,” a third grade girl piped.
OK, I think. We’re getting somewhere. “Tell me more.”
She continued, “Like Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly over the Atlantic Ocean.”
OK, I’m getting a sense we may have a kernel of an idea here. “So what?” I quickly countered.
“Well, like I said, you’re never too old and like, girls can do anything, its’ just not boys.”
OK. Who else?
Nothing.
Dead silence.
Blank stares.
Fidgeting, poking, and squirming.
I redirect. I’m thinking, we’ve been studying these people and their accomplishments for almost two months, what did we not discuss, what did we not do that bred this lack of interest, insight or thinking?
I ask the children to recall the subjects they’d read about. We made a giant chart: Why do we want to learn about these people?
One by one, we slogged through the list, reminding them what they’d read, who’d read what, prying from them accomplishments or significance of the people they’d read about. Truthfully, two or three students, of the 23, were frantically contributing, wildly waving their hands chirping, “Oh! oh, oh!” able to share a significant accomplishment. But for the most part, when left on their own, the students were distracted by one fact, some oddball tidbit of information or something humorous, not remembering or knowing, nor able to focus on anything of significance. Trivia and minutiae stuck. The students exhibited inadequate sense of important information vis a vis interesting details, let alone any semblance of expansion of understanding of any culture. I felt like a failure.
I’m aware that 6 – 9 year-old students have limited historical knowledge and experiences. And, I know the power of literature to inform ideas about culture and the world, especially at this critical age. But, I’m wondering, does this only happen to me? Does everyone have full class participation, rabid engagement, and deep insight except me? Does anyone want to talk about this?
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- Themes: Mary Starrs Armstrong
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Alas, the intersection between theory and practice is not always as neat as our textbooks would have us believe.
Personally, I tend to shy away from teaching biography because I dread that ‘deer caught in the headlight’ look that my students often cast in my direction. I know how tremendously important it is, as I actually have a substantial background in history myself. However, that background probably hinders my ability to deliver the subject even more, because I often foster expectations that are totally out of sync with my students’ abilities.
When I first moved to Germany from the States, I had a running joke with my husband. Whenever a seemingly famous person appeared on t.v., I would pose the question, “Who is this person and why should I care?” I had encountered a new culture for the first time, and missed so many cultural reference points that others around me simply took for granted. The question itself was my way of asking him to give me, in the briefest space possible, the information I needed to know to survive. Only later, after having been in this country for several years, was I really able to activate all of these random strands of cultural information that I had gathered throughout the years, or to make any sort of sense out of the country I had adopted as my own.
As you previously mentioned, students’ lack of context and experiences provide perhaps the biggest obstacle to teaching biography. One definitely gets the impression that many of these figures exist for the students in a total vacuum. I would not assume, however, that the exercise has been a total failure. Rather,similar to my experience with German popular culture, many of your students may be storing these biographies as random bits of information that later will make sense to them as they gain that crucial life experience.
Oh, the dreaded blank stares and wiggly silence. It happens to us all at some point in our teaching careers.
I wonder what would have happened if you approached biography from a more personal lens, such as having students begin by writing their own biographies, then moving into biographies of community/school people before moving into life stories that are more decontextualized for these students. You’d have to get creative with resources at the beginning, but it might provide more of a foundation for exploring all the great children’s lit biographies that are out there.
Interesting idea to start with their autobiography, then delve into the lives of others. We should consider that for next year, why not? At this time, we are writing autobiographies. Definitely someting to think about.
RE: “…background [in history] probably hinders…due to expectations out of sync with students’ abilities”, Nuser 1, I’ve often thought exactly that, but haven’t stopped teaching it. If we weren’t “expert” users of language, readers, etc, we might better be able to understand those deer caught in the headlight looks. We almost have to ratchet ourselves down to see what they see. Isn’t that what the ZPD is about? Just enough out of reach to stretch but not too much to be out of context and therefore incomprehensible?
Your phrase “missing the cultural reference points” is precise. These children have only been on the planet for up to 9 years. They don’t even know cultural referece points exist, but you were acutely aware of what you had missed when you moved to Germany. Perhaps every bit helps towards information gathering and context enriching, but can they learn about other cultures in that way, too? Tid bit by little tid bit, strand by strand until the fabric is woven? Maybe.
Mary– I agree with Nuser1 that these tidbits get stored and come out in future connections. I am regularly floored by my 9 yr old’s ability to include information he learned 4 or 5 years ago in an insightful argument. I am equally baffled by his inability to take a new bit of information and see how it is relevant to that same argument (deer in headlight moment)… only to have him bring the conversation back up days later after mulling it over in his own time. Perhaps we expect too much too soon. With that said, it would be interesting to revisit this same conversation after their autobiography conversations.
MAry,
I appreciate your sharing a “Failure” story, as we all know, and as Tom Newkirk powerfully describes in a book chapter entitled “Silences in our Teaching Stories,” we need forums to show the honest life of teaching. Next month in WOW Currents my colleague Marie LeJeune and I will be sharing similar challenges we’ve faced when we’ve shared critical and culturally rich literature with students of all ages, and how we grapple with the tensions we feel when texts are experienced by our students in ways, well… unexpected. Thanks for opening up this rich conversation, hoping it continues:)