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| Cute, happy, friendly, kind, playful |
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| Angry, aggressive, dangerous, mean |
Today's lecture made me question the way in which I construct and use generalisations. According to Corkery (personal communication, August 11, 2011), a generalisation is general notion or proposition obtained by induction from a range of sources. That is, it is a broad statement made up of information we gather from the world around us. Reflecting on this definition made me think about where my generalisations come from. Returning to the comparison between the puppy and the Pit bull helped me to clarify this.
I consider puppies to cute, happy, friendly, kind, and playful because I have owned one. I also have relatives that have puppies that display the same characteristics. Therefore, I believe that my experiences with puppies have influenced the way in which I construct my generalisations about them. With Pit bulls, on the other hand, this is all I know:
It is through reading and seeing articles and news stories such as these that have influenced my construction of Pit bulls as aggressive, angry, dangerous, and mean dogs. However, I do understand that my view is tainted by what I see in the media and that owners of Pit bulls describe their dogs like I describe puppies. This article is an example:
I now know that I need to be careful when I construct generalisations, and when I use them. I must consider both sides of the story and look beyond the media. The text Hate Hurts, written by Stern-La Rosa & Bettman (2000), has also helped me to understand this. Ethnic jokes, that are based on generalisations, are the basis of considerable controversy. They often construct groups within our society as one-dimensional, much like our generalisations about puppies and Pit bulls. Some argue that such jokes ease the tension between groups, and I would agree to some extent as I believe we do rely on generalisations to inform us about groups we know little about. However, before making these I would suggest looking beyond what we think we know about the subject of our jokes as we will often find our generalisations lack substance.
Check out these teaching tips that will help look past any generalisations that may be made about my students:
- I will get know my learners by uncovering their individual strengths, needs, and interests. Conversation will be a major part of my classroom practice.
- I wont just assume. I will find evidence to support my assumptions, or to disprove them.
- Promote diversity through celebrating the different strengths and interests of my learners. Displaying their work and having them demonstrate specific skills will enable everyone in the class to check if their assumptions match up.
