Feminist Pedagogy
Feminist Pedagogy
The authors of this week’s articles introduced several
teaching methods used to discuss ways in which feminism can be effectively
employed in the classroom. But instead of building on one another, they seemed to
be disparate. Whether discussing the confrontational style of bell hooks, the social/ethical/political
awareness Bauer brought to the conversation, or Jarret’s discussion about whether
or not a conflict-fueled classroom is itself a form of violence, I didn’t see any
agreement in the field about what works best.
This is, of course, an oversimplification of some extremely
complex ideas, but they all made me wonder if there was a “right” way to
successfully introduce the concept of feminism into the classroom. Since the term
feminism can be loaded with negative presumptions, how should teachers untangle
the insufficient or inaccurate prior knowledge that students bring with them
into the classroom while confronting their own expert blind spots?
I certainly don’t have the answer, though I surmise that the
most effective way into this conversation lies someplace between a highly confrontational
classroom, which may provoke unproductive arguments, and a “motherly” classroom
role that runs the risk of infantilizing students and creating a climate in
which students must accept what their classmates say, even if it is bigoted.
The only thing I might be able to add to this conversation
is an example from a former teacher of mine who introduced feminism into a
class of reluctant students in as expert a way as I’ve ever seen.
She taught a class called American Spirituality, which
already had the potential to be controversial, yet by the end of the course we
were reading queer religious texts, though we didn’t get there overnight. On
the first day, she deconstructed the word “feminist” by asking us to write all
of our positive and negative associations with the term on the board.
She then went on to talk about her father, a Texas man who
grew up with a “traditional” value system who would likely cringe at the sound
of the word feminist. She, however, insisted that’s indeed what he was. She
explained that he supported her decisions, believed she could do anything and
that she deserved to be paid the same as anyone else for her work. I can see now,
whether this was a true story or not, it allowed some of the men in the class
to feel ok about possibly identifying as feminists.
From that point on, she discussed the term feminism as
synonymous with equality and revisited the negative connotations on the board.
She asked the class to discuss how a conversation about equality could turn
into the negative ideas written on the board. With some gentle nudging, the
class recognized that it makes people in power nervous to think about changing
a system that favors them and this might be one reason they would want to shut
down the conversation and label it as a subversive movement.
It was a tense conversation, but it never became accusatory
or hostile, which I thought was pretty amazing. And though these ideas were not
new or revelatory to me, the class discussion helped put me at ease for the challenging
discussions to come. From day one, she made it clear where she stood and
invited skeptics to question those ideas. By the time we read a series of essays
written by a woman who lived in a spiritual, lesbian sect, the content was not
an issue. She did, however, ask questions that confronted gender issues like
whether we thought it was important to hear the essays from the female author’s
first-hand experience and how it might have changed the reading if a male
author had written about the group through an observational lens.
I realize this model has flaws and in some ways is akin to
hiding broccoli in a child’s food so that they will “be nurtured with what is
good for them.” Honestly though, it didn’t feel that way at the time and it
seemed, from my recollection, that people could respond candidly to challenging
ideas because our teacher had a fair, but critical style of teaching the
material.
That’s my two cents. I am curious to know how you would introduce
a feminist text/conversation into your classroom?
Mary,
ReplyDeleteI think introducing/discussing feminist texts always places us in what feels to be a vulnerable position. We can never be certain how our students will react, as many have been given the impression that feminism is a "bad word." I think the approach your instructor used was interesting and approached the conversation in an open and respectful way.
I think the main reason we hesitate to discuss feminism is because of all of the misconceptions surrounding the movement/idea, but if done right, feminism is about being inclusive. I have been debating brining some of these texts into my own course materials, but want to be able to do so in the right context and situation, rather than making it seem like they are not related to my course and we are now in Women's and Gender Studies.
Abbie
Mary,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the stories you included how a conversation around feminism going smoothly in a classroom setting. It is so true that a man, who cringes at the word "feminist" yet believes in his daughter's abilities and supports her, is still the definition of a feminist. The problem with feminism in the classroom is when it turns radical and provocative. Students should center themselves around conversations that are amicable and learn how to respect all voices. I think that is the true goal of feminism.
Best,
McKenzie
Mary,
ReplyDeleteI love that approach you've shared about a former professor broaching the topic of feminism. I specifically love the idea of having students share their preexisting negative and positive views before broaching the topic.
I think this is something we can take away in terms of how to teach students to think critically and how to talk about tough/political/controversial topics in the classroom. I've been looking for more ways to do this practically without alienating students or making them feel I'm pushing an agenda, so I appreciated those approaches you've shared.
I also like the idea of encouraging disagreement. The point isn't that we all need to end up on one side. We of course don't want to represent all viewpoints as equal, especially when some may be centered in hate or discrimination, but we do want to encourage students to think for themselves and to not just adopt what they think we see as the "correct" viewpoint.
Last semester, my mentor held a "fishbowl" discussion with her class. It was graded, and each student was required to bring in two sources on a topic the class chose together. They could take whatever stance they wanted, but they needed to be able to back it up with a good source. I know we had some disagreement about a similar approach bell hooks took in class yesterday, because we don't want to force students to participate. That is a tricky issue, but I liked that the activity my mentor did encouraged quieter students to use their voices. They had informed things to say and made important contributions to the conversation. Because students' points needed to be rooted in sources, things stayed civil and productive.
Obviously each of us needs to continue to think critically about what the best approach is in our own classroom when it comes to difficult topics and empowering students. There's no one right answer. But I appreciate you sharing your professor's approach--I found it particularly helpful.
Mary,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic. The story that you shared reminded me of an experience that I had in my mentor's class last semester. The student's were dealing with argument, specifically in the context of the discussion around legalizing prostitution. One day during class, my mentor asked the students' how many of them would consider themselves feminists.I can't quite remember how many students raised their hands. He then asked other questions, like: "Do you believe that women should get paid the same as men for the same work?" After asking a few questions along these lines he said something like "If you responded 'yes' to these questions, then you are a feminist." He then went on to give pretty straightforward definition of what feminism is (I believe it was similar to something that bell hooks states). After this he said, "I am going to assume that everyone in this class is a feminist, and that that is a good thing." Honestly, I was really surprised by this moment in class. My mentor seemingly positioned himself in a way that (unfortunately) some might not agree with. However, he challenged their assumptions about what feminism is and I think challenged them to think critically about this issue and its implications about gender and sexuality.
This is a moment that has stuck with me, and one that I think is relevant to the discussion about how to potentially apply feminist pedagogy in the classroom.
Great Post!
-Taylor
Mary,
ReplyDeleteI think when introducing any sort of guiding theme, especially one that can be surrounded by controversial opinions and initiate backlash, it is important, as you’ve pointed out, to ease into those discussions slowly and gage your students’ responses and feelings toward it. You definitely don’t want to back away from topics you see as important, but knowing if you need to take that extra time to introduce and unpack stereotypes, like your professor did, can help a lot.
My mentor talked quite a bit about framing language last semester, and I think this could be a very helpful tool to approach this situation. So many perceptions are attached to the term “feminism” in and of itself… perhaps it would help to begin the semester by framing it in more approachable terms, like “equality” and then introducing the term feminism only later, as falling under this blanket of equality, when you’ve already established feelings and attached meanings to this discussion (and you have more of a rapport with your students).
-Jessie
Mary,
ReplyDeleteAs always, very insightful post! I know we discussed these readings a bit in conversation throughout the weeks… What I sensed from our conversations as well as your post above is tension (in me too!). I think this tension is a result of uncertainty and imbalance. How much is too much? Too little? Do I introduce it this way? That way? Do I focus on feminist pedagogy in isolation (identification) or do I incorporate feminist pedagogy as a splinter to critical pedagogy and tackle the system in its entirety?
I really, really like the term ‘untangle’ when it’s used to confront feminist pedagogy or really any form of critical pedagogy. The way I see it, we are “untangling” the “isms” that make up the yarn ball of critical pedagogy. Right? Critical pedagogy is concerned with system-based reform and destructing forces of power and oppression—feminist pedagogy is absolutely a more manageable splinter of critical pedagogy.
With that being said, I don’t think the question is “Is there a right way?” but rather, “What are the wrong ways?” to introduce feminist pedagogy. That tension, that imbalance, that I speak to above is something even the most illustrious of pedagogues struggle with as well.
If you are to focus on it too much to compensate for the long-reigning patriarchal system, you are bound to intimidate and isolate your course; however, if you are to not comment on it enough, it may seem as though you are forcing an interest that is not genuine or it may appear that feminism as a whole is insignificant or irrelevant. I think the most important thing here is habitual action. Stay consistent. Stay relevant. Stay Rigorous. Stay human (I know, cheesy). That is, teachers should stay consistent in their message, stay dedicated to maintaining a relevant course objective (or many), stay rigorous in their approach to curriculum design (which implies a certain degree of diversity and variety in course material and pedagogical approaches), and teachers should stay human—mistakes will be made and addressing those directly will ease the pressure and will make your efforts known to your students in a way that shows you care.
… As if the term ‘balance’ wasn’t already exhausted. I apologize. Haha
Keep up the great work!
-Kelli