What stands out to me as the most interesting part of this article as relating to education is the multiple references and descriptions to a leader or idol figure that the ‘cool kids’ identify with. Often the article refers to various figures within pop culture that the ‘cool kids’ value as imitation worthy such as Jay-Z and Tupac Shakur. Now, one may be quick to dismiss this as merely a child’s idolization of celebrities. However, this is not the case. To quote the article, Kirkland and Jackson specifically refer to Tupac Shakur as Etherin’s “Hip-Hop hero.” Now, if the children in this study are engaging in the disciplinary literacy of “cool.” Then, we must view re-phrase and re-contextualize this relationship.
The ‘cool kids’ through their various means of symbolic self-expression have mastered their discipline. They produce and control the rule of what is ‘cool,’ ‘fresh’ or ‘phat.’ However, they still draw inspiration from and are influenced by these celebrity personalities. These celebrities are not experts in the discipline. They are not directly part of the peer group nor do they ever directly interact with the disciplinary group. However, the discipline is influence by them.
For the majority of our class’ discussion of disciplinary literacy, we have focused on two major groups: the disciplines’ experts and novices. However, I would propose a third category be added to this discussion: disciplinary heroes.
A disciplinary hero supersedes or even exists outside of a mere disciplinary expert. However, they also inform the discipline in very dramatic ways. They radically change and influence how they experts operate and even the general rules of the discipline. They change and impact the discipline and its experts while not necessarily being a part of it.
Allow me to give some examples. F. Scot Fitzgerald has, through his various literary works, dramatically influenced the fields of literary criticism and American literary thought. He also never really wrote much on the topic of writing and literature. Unlike Henry James, who wrote multiple extensive essays on the discipline of writing, Fitzgerald just wrote for a living. In the world of science, the big bang theory was initially proposed by Georges Lemaître, a Catholic Priest. While I dare not deny his integrity as a scientist, his disciplinary mindset likely operated more on the worldview of the Catholic religion.
There are even examples in education. Howard Gardner, a psychologist by trade, proposed the theory of multiple intelligences, which has significantly influenced the discipline of education. His work dramatically influenced teaching but his disciplinary mindset, the literacy with which he categorized the world, fell on the psychological mindset. Likewise, many would consider Anne Sullivan, the instructor and companion of Helen Keller, an icon of teaching. However, she only ever taught Helen Keller, which in the discipline of teaching may be considered insufficient expertise.
So why should you, that’s right you the reader, care about this? What is the point of bringing up disciplinary heroes in regards to education?
Here’s the point: every school has multiple different subcultures within it, each of those subcultures have a disciplinary literacy to it, and you, the teacher, will both never be and always strive to be the disciplinary hero of those subcultures.
On the one hand, we, teachers, have to face the fact the students often just don’t like us. It may be for perfectly legitimate or completely unreasonable reasons. If they don’t hate us, then we may simply be teachers, no more and no less. I know for myself and many other teachers, we fantasize about being that mythical teacher who breaks down a student’s walls and changes their lives. That won’t always be the case when you know them. Those students will often be far too occupied with their own personal disciplinary hero to really pay attention to you. When we were students, we were likely much the same. But that’s okay, your job isn’t for the students to idolize you but to just learn from you.
This brings me to my second point. It is very important that teachers do become disciplinary heroes. A major advantage to teaching is finding ways to make the learning fit into the disciplinary literacy of the students. Per example, when I was a child, one of my teachers introduced the concept of multiplication and division through comparing it to a Star Wars-esque battle for control. Now, that is very cheesy and corny but it worked. This is because it fit into my disciplinary literacy of nerd/geek culture. In much the same way, teachers must find ways to fit their teaching into the literacies of their students.
Students view and interpret the world through the disciplinary literacies they inhabit: whether it be ‘coolness’ ‘nerd culture’ or whatever. However, in order for learning to be effective, teachers have to tap into their disciplinary literacies.
Works cited:
Kirkland, D. E., & Jackson, A. (2009). “We real cool”: Toward a theory of black masculine literacies. Reading Research Quarterly, 44(3), 278-297.
From the Round Table 