“Too often, instruction designed to improve literacy achievement for black male readers and writers focuses on skill-based learning, ignoring cultural, social, and personal development,” say Summer Wood and Robin Jocius (Vanderbilt University graduate students) in this Reading Teacher article. All too often these students say, “I hate this stupid book!” and “These books are dumb anyway.” Wood and Jocius believe the solution lies in three areas:
• Culturally relevant texts – “Unfortunately… black male students are often deprived of opportunities to see themselves, their families, and their experiences reflected in texts,” they say. Classroom libraries must have books to which black boys can relate – ideally written and illustrated by African Americans – and these books should be highlighted throughout the school year, not just in February. But not every multicultural book is helpful, say Wood and Jocius: “[E]ngagement will not ‘magically’ occur” just because the characters and authors are culturally aligned. In fact, some books are patronizing in what they assume will interest students. “To guide decisions about the use of texts that may provide mirrors into children’s cultures and experiences, teachers must consider all aspects of a text, including the characters, themes, and illustrations.”
• Collaboration – It’s not enough for teachers to exhort students to try harder, say Wood and Jocius. They need to foster an ethos of mutual support in which students feel safe about acknowledging reading difficulties and encourage each other to develop critical reading and thinking skills together. “Because black male students are often marginalized in classrooms,” they argue, “a collaborative approach not only directly engages these students in literacy instruction, but also allows them to share their accomplishments and struggles with their peers in a comfortable and nonthreatening space… This sense of safety does not come automatically, especially for young readers who may be disengaged or struggling. Instead, this sense of community must be promoted and modeled by the teacher.” When one student finds a book too difficult, “buddy reading” may be the solution.
• Critical conversations – These “are not merely book discussions in which plot, theme, and facts are being reiterated by group members,” say Wood and Jocius. “Rather, these are discussions in which students take positions and critique what is being said, who is saying it, how characters are positioned, whose voices are being heard, and how they may personally fit into the text… Critical conversations give students the opportunity to challenge and inform one another’s ideologies.”
But aren’t these three practices effective for all students? Aren’t they just good teaching? Wood and Jocius agree and quote Gloria Ladson-Billings’s reaction to the same question back in 1995: “My response is to affirm that, indeed, I am describing good teaching, and to question why so little of it seems to be occurring in the classrooms populated by African American students.”
In a sidebar to this article, Wood and Jocius recommend the following websites as resources:
• Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners:
• Brown Sugar and Spice Educational Books and Services: www.brownssbooks.com
• Scholastic Multicultural Books:
“Combating ‘I Hate This Stupid Book!’ Black Males and Critical Literacy” by Summer Wood and Robin Jocius in The Reading Teacher, May 2013 (Vol. 66, #8, p. 661-669),
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/trtr.1177/abstract; the authors can be reached atsummer.wood@vanderbilt.edu and robin.jocius@vanderbilt.edu.
Stephen Anderson
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