Freshman Social Studies Class

Davidson (1996) described a classroom that supported students to manifest both their ethnicity and academic engagement (see pp. 80-84, 221-222). She identified three features of this California classroom as crucial for its success:

First, Vargas' [the teacher] immigrant students encounter a worthwhile explicit curriculum which requires them to engage in substantive long-term projects and which incorporates an examination of culture diversity, Mexican culture and history, and aspects of the American opportunity structure. Second, Vargas employs significant speech acts to effectively communicate high expectations for his students. In addition to providing challenging academic work, Vargas takes youths on trips to universities, encourages his students to consider more academically oriented courses, and provides students with information about postgraduate opportunities. Third, Vargas has encouraged and supported his students as they engage in minor acts of resistance against their marginalization. For example, by helping his students institutionalize ballet folklórico as a curricular offering, Vargas assisted students in forcing the school to take a first step toward recognizing and validating the legitimacy of their cultural presence" (Davidson, 1996, pp. 221-222).

Relevant CIP Cultural Question

3.5.2 Cultural Identities