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Using literacy to examine the role of power in bullying and harassment
An outer urban primary school curriculum is working on literacy, gender and power, through the curriculum, to connect boys with reading and expanded options for expressing their masculinity.
Ann: Initially, I wanted to help the boys that I teach to enjoy reading more. The boys seem reluctant to read – especially novels.
And I hoped to expand personal and interpersonal options. It seems that boys are being told through various texts that they should be a certain type of male (tough, strong, rough) and to be anything else is frowned upon. I wanted them to try and see themselves as worthwhile human beings even if they weren't the stereotype male – and that enjoying reading could be a positive thing.
I wanted to use aspects of text analysis to empower the students to address gender issues in literature. I was hoping that if they could analyse texts they might improve their self-image. I had no idea that students are exposed to such a degree of violent publications. This was the start of my focus on home literacies rather than only the traditional school literacies. The choice of texts was left to the students and this has ensured their engagement and motivation levels are high. Nevertheless it will be a long process.
Chris: I became interested in the issues of gender
and power, as portrayed in literature, and thought that this might be the
'hook' to encourage my students to get into reading!
Students worked in groups on carefully selected short stories – each story
had a twist based on gender or power. When the issue of power was first introduced,
students defined power in terms of personal strength, aggression and so on.
We began to develop a power wall. Initially the ideas were very narrow and
mainly associated with the concepts of strength, ability and maleness. I found
this frustrating at first, but as I persevered with a variety of activities
and more discussion, a clearer concept began to form – one that I could then
broaden to include personal power and how that can affect one's life.
The students were interested to find out their peers' understandings and they
devised a questionnaire to look at power at home. They were able to see the
progression they had made in their thinking in comparison to their peers.
Our students' new understandings are helping them to bring a different perspective
to their reading, self-understanding and interpersonal behaviours – but perseverance
is the key word!
Schools in Action:
Social action through literacy
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