Class Reflections

I feel perhaps that I need to first defend my decision to use the airline advertisement as a response to Gee’s article about the literacy myth. Gee talks about different discourses that people are a part of which are dictated by the social contexts that we are a part of.  The advertisement had representations of class, gender and race, all of which are represented in our class, too. Although I don’t feel that I articulated my intentions well, I wanted to draw parallels between the video and our class and look at whose voice was favoured in the video, and whose voice(s) are favoured in our class.     

 

At some point in the discussion we questioned whether the woman was oppressed.  I argued that she was only using the power that she was afforded by men, that power being her sexuality.  Would she have had the same power if she did not look the way she looked? In this situation possibly not.  Its arguable that she wouldn't have the same job if she didn't look the way she looks.  This was not meant to argue that she is oppressed, we cannot make that assumption fairly, but that she is working within the power that she is afforded, and perhaps using that to her advantage.  This is something that all people do at all times. We work within the power we have in order to challenge discourses and social practices that are present.  And it is important to note that the man’s physical appearance was crucial to the advertisement  having its desired effect, too.  Both representations of man and woman reaffirmed (whilst also creating) common social perceptions of gender roles.      

 

So what does that have to do with our classroom?  Can we draw any parallels of what we saw to what takes place in our classroom each week? I think certainly yes.  The first thing that is of concern to me, which may at first seem too small to be relevant, yet I think it is representative of the bigger picture, is that despite being in week six of our course, there are still two people in the class whose names I don’t know.  Is that my fault? By taking responsibility for that am I speaking from a position of assumed power which in itself is marginalizing? Do I favour some voices over others?  The simple answer to these questions is, probably, yes (maybe). That then brings with it new questions.  Why do I favour the voices I do?  Is it because it is easier to make connections with people that I have certain shared discourses with? If that is true, then obviously there are parts of my own discourses that I favour more than others.  I don’t relate to the men on a gender level, but I relate to the white men on a cultural/racial one. Is this then a more dominant part of who I am?  Perhaps within the classroom, yes (maybe).  Or do I just respond to what stimulus I’m given.  Silence is difficult to respond to, especially when there are louder voices to digest, challenge, and interact with.  Is it fair to take responsibility for favouring voices that are louder just because those voices speak, predominantly from a position of power? I don’t any less favour the other (vocal) voices in the classroom that are not those of the white males yet I am perhaps less likely to challenge them something which in itself is hugely problematic, and I don’t have the time or space to go into here.    

 

There are, as within all interactions, power relationships at play, yet as we saw when we tried to take the advertisement apart, that it’s not always as simple as it first appears. Like with the advert, the white man has a voice, and the Asian woman has only silence (and a giggle), it would be easy to say, if not irresponsibly so, that there is a parallel within our classroom.   But perhaps there is more to the silence and less to the voice.  Or perhaps each person brings and gains what they intend to. It would be unfair to allow my expectations of classroom discourse to make assumptions about others and their expectations.     

 

Finally, I am very wary of speaking for or on behalf of others, and that is not my intention here.  At the very least, it’s a huge responsibility, but at the worst, and most dangerous, speaking on behalf of others may work to silence them further.