In the first article, “City Girl”: A Portrait of a Successful White Urban Teacher, the two methods of qualitative research that the researcher used were interviews and classroom observations. Harding noted that the amount of data she collected allowed her to provide a thick description (p. 54). The interviews that were conducted were of the teacher and administrators. One thing I would have like to have read about is what the students had to say. Yes, we can hear what the teacher and/or administrators think is having a positive impact on students, but why not hear from the students. Sometimes students shed a new light on things for us and we learn so much from them.
Creswell, in chapter 2, discusses the research process and provides …show more content…
Creswell discusses assumptions and how they are deeply rooted in trainings and reinforced by the community in which we work (p. 19). After reading the first few chapters in Stake’s book, I have begun to see how personal experiences can guide/lead researcher’s interpretations. Harding does a nice job of finding out Jennifer Black’s background and experiences that led her to where she is today. She describes her childhood along with her teaching experiences, which allows us, the reader, to see how they impacted …show more content…
Harding writes, “Jennifer bucks traditional notions of how White teachers interact and understand students of color; it is her Whiteness that makes her relationship with students of color valuable.” (p. 59). As I reflect on this article and this particular statement, I think of myself. My first teaching job was at an elementary school in the projects, where I was a young White teacher with four classes of African American and Hispanic students. I think back to how did I make it work? How did I “reach” my students? What did I do that was different from teachers who were less successful? All of my answers come back to relationships. Jennifer Black makes a conscious effort to connect with her students and to build relationships.
Creswell describes the Critical Race Theory (CRT) and how it focuses theoretical attention on race and how racism is deeply embedded within the framework of American society (p. 31). I made a connection between this theory and Harding’s study because she was trying to find out how a White teacher was successful with students from other races. I don’t believe she was trying to focus on discrimination, ,like mentioned in CRT’s first goal, but Harding does recognize that race is a social construct (p.
Creswell, in chapter 2, discusses the research process and provides …show more content…
Creswell discusses assumptions and how they are deeply rooted in trainings and reinforced by the community in which we work (p. 19). After reading the first few chapters in Stake’s book, I have begun to see how personal experiences can guide/lead researcher’s interpretations. Harding does a nice job of finding out Jennifer Black’s background and experiences that led her to where she is today. She describes her childhood along with her teaching experiences, which allows us, the reader, to see how they impacted …show more content…
Harding writes, “Jennifer bucks traditional notions of how White teachers interact and understand students of color; it is her Whiteness that makes her relationship with students of color valuable.” (p. 59). As I reflect on this article and this particular statement, I think of myself. My first teaching job was at an elementary school in the projects, where I was a young White teacher with four classes of African American and Hispanic students. I think back to how did I make it work? How did I “reach” my students? What did I do that was different from teachers who were less successful? All of my answers come back to relationships. Jennifer Black makes a conscious effort to connect with her students and to build relationships.
Creswell describes the Critical Race Theory (CRT) and how it focuses theoretical attention on race and how racism is deeply embedded within the framework of American society (p. 31). I made a connection between this theory and Harding’s study because she was trying to find out how a White teacher was successful with students from other races. I don’t believe she was trying to focus on discrimination, ,like mentioned in CRT’s first goal, but Harding does recognize that race is a social construct (p.