tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post4909799052595841322..comments2024-01-09T02:22:34.756-08:00Comments on Hey, Sex Ed!: Culture of PowerSex Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07018241248967518685noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-9384106305713909802012-04-24T17:22:13.367-07:002012-04-24T17:22:13.367-07:00Lexx! Never apologize for talking about power! I...Lexx! Never apologize for talking about power! It's an important subject that needs to discussed, especially with educators because there are so many layers of power in one room! I thought the points you made were great and creates a helpful framework for educators that are trying to assess what power looks like within their own classroom.<br /><br />I also appreciated the conversation Chris started about tying Delpit's points to Friere's Pedagogy of the Oppressed. I think that both of these are helpful when considering what the hidden messages are in the education that we are creating a delivering.<br /><br />I also think that when we, as educators, do this work it sends a clear message to students about the importance of understanding power and what it looks like to acknowledge it and to make a more accepting and empowering space. I think this can be incredibly important for some of the populations that we work with, as Alaina mentioned with adolescents. <br /><br />Thanks!Chelsea Oliviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09897850357626081903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-61189301744030434692012-04-13T07:14:14.588-07:002012-04-13T07:14:14.588-07:00Lexx -
Great points! This is something we've ...Lexx -<br /><br />Great points! This is something we've been talking a lot about in class lately. I've found through both my work as an educator and clinician that power dynamics are always at play within schools, and not just among the teacher/student relationship. But how do we navigate it, and how do we talk about subjects sometimes as sensitive as sexuality within an environment where power play is constantly a struggle? I am also just starting to read Delpit's Other People's Children, and it is definitely opening my eyes to not only my own part in the power of a classroom, but perhaps where some of this struggle is coming from. <br /><br />I like that you highlight that although Delpit is writing from an ethnicity lens in her book, that power plays through across cultures, and that includes sexuality education. With issues that are frequently tabooed we are in a unique position as educators to hold more "power" than teachers of required academic subjects. I think it is vital for us especially as sexuality educators, to learn and be trained in the power struggles that can permeate a classroom.<br /><br />Thanks Lexx!tdrawbridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11099084923817697012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-12196611868036883202012-04-10T18:12:09.558-07:002012-04-10T18:12:09.558-07:00Power dynamics are especially important in teachin...Power dynamics are especially important in teaching sexuality education and I'm glad that you were able to expose this topic within the blog setting.<br /><br />Primarily important is the power dynamics that we enter the educational setting with and being aware of the biases that we currently have are essential components of teaching. <br /><br />This makes values clarification important when discussing power dynamics with students or exploring our own. Thank you for bringing this to our attention!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-17340876617700544292012-04-10T13:48:20.787-07:002012-04-10T13:48:20.787-07:00I found it interesting that your post opened talk...I found it interesting that your post opened talking about instances where adolescents abuse their collective power by taking advantage of and stepping on their teachers, yet your points about the culture of power seemed to refer more to how teachers have power over students. I cannot remember where I heard this, but I remember someone telling me that being an adolescent is challenging because that is a point in people's lives where they lack power, e.g. they don't have their own money, don't have a car, cannot always make decisions on their own. So I wonder if the classroom is a place where adolescents can garner power collectively and act out with their teachers. <br /><br />You mention that understanding the culture of power in different environments can help to facilitate learning and create safe spaces. I think that if educators can understand the stage of adolescence as being a stage with limited power, teachers could create opportunities for youth to develop autonomy in the classroom. This might be a way to prevent situations where teachers get stepped on by groups of students who choose to disregard their educators.A.L. Szlachtahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01113478706257177370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-74254259313265585552012-04-04T21:26:29.097-07:002012-04-04T21:26:29.097-07:00Thank you for your reflections on power and contro...Thank you for your reflections on power and control in the classroom. Reading your blog reminded me of Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, a very important work on education as a means of social/revolutionary change. According to Freire, an educational environment that encourages critical thinking and open communication is the only way to challenge an imbalance of power and control. He criticized what he called the “banking” method of teaching (imagine students as banks that teachers deposit information into), claiming that this method dehumanized both teachers and students. In contrast, he proposed a more “problem-solving” method in which students are more actively engaged with the process, and through which they become empowered and challenge imbalance of power. <br /><br />Points you make in your blog, in my opinion, resonate well with Freire’s concepts:<br />• Awareness that textbooks and curricula have power<br />• Communication and language are vital elements in education and social change<br />• “Those with less power are often most aware of its existence” – Freire advocated that it was the oppressed peoples who, through communication and learning, must work to enact change and, thereby, free themselves as the oppressed, as well as free the oppressors from their role as oppressors.<br /><br />I agree with you that the messages Delpit offers about power are valid and useful for us as educators. I just wanted to note that there are some theories and methods of teaching that do address the culture of power and Freire is a good one to consider.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09007344398430603413noreply@blogger.com