Narrative: Why Who Matters 1

This learning unit, called Why Who Matters, serves as an introduction to identity for

high school seniors in American government. In this unit, students will learn the foundational

skills necessary to critique their government and its actions. To better understand motivations,

and how power and privilege operate in our society and within our government, students will

first explore who they are and how their identity affects their perspective and experiences; then,

investigate how they might be able to infer how others, including elected officials, identities

affect their point of view. The unit culminates in a Representation in Government project that

asks students to pick one aspect of their identity that is most meaningful to them and conduct

research on how many elected officials in an institution of their choice identify in the same way.

Students should use this information to make inferences about how the institution operates and

what it prioritizes. Beginning the year with an exploration of these themes will give students an

understanding of the kind of critical thinking they will be asked to do for the remainder of the

school year.

Why Study Identity, Power and Privilege?

The ability to apply a critical lens to government action is an essential component of

participating in democracy. To begin this work, I believe it is important for students to disrupt

the white, straight, cis-male identity that has been historically normalized in our schools. As

Morris details, . . .people of color may experience a different type of normal life . . . [the field

of education needs a] more contextualized look at race and culture that goes beyond the

dichotomy of normal and abnormal (as cited in Milner, 2007, p.389). This research can be

extrapolated to include gender queer, LGBT, undocumented, and many other learner identities

that are often not seen as normal, let alone discussed. Before understanding how to critique
Narrative: Why Who Matters 2

government, students must first consider who they believe government should serve and this

begins with a study of the varying identities in ourselves and our country.

A study of identity also begins a process of courageous conversations about identity,

power and privilege that are more difficult to discuss when it is not an active part of the

curriculum. For example, students who have strong opinions about controversial social issues

such as reproductive planning services may feel uncomfortable considering how power and

privilege play a role if this is not an established norm in the classroom. In my summer placement

at Kensington Health Sciences Academy, after my students got comfortable, they began using

the n-word in casual conversation. The classroom environment was not set up to be one where

conversations around race and power had been normalized, so it was difficult to find a way to

address their language. According to Singleton and Hays (2006), one of the four crucial

guidelines of facilitating courageous conversations about race is staying engaged. On day one

and each time, until it becomes a part of the culture of dialogues, discussion leaders must

explicitly invite participants into a dialogue about race (p. 19).

Lastly, and practically, studying identity, power and privilege allows students to begin

thinking systemically about the world. This will also be foundational for their study of American

government. In thinking about how our identities are the basis of our privilege and/or oppression,

it is imperative for students to understand that these not only operate individually, but as

systems. According to Oakes, Lipton, Anderson, and Stillman (2013), . . . [Intersectionality

emphasizes that] social structures such as racism, sexism, homophobia, religious discrimination.

. . do not exist in isolation; rather, they intersect and operate together. . . they contribute to

systems of privilege and oppression, layers of discrimination, and patterns of social inequality
Narrative: Why Who Matters 3

(p. 11). Knowing how and where to look for oppression, discrimination, and social inequality

will prepare students to be an apt critic of their government.

Understanding by Design and Differentiation

This unit was designed using the principles of backward design and differentiation as

articulated by Tomlinson and McTighe (2006). In this model, planning for a unit begins with

strategizing the essential questions being asked during the unit and the enduring understandings a

student should leave with. One of the key axioms in the text is, Teachers provide opportunities

for students to explore, interpret, apply, shift perspectives, empathize, and self-assess. These six

facets provide conceptual lenses through which student understanding is assessed (p. 8) In the

Why Who Matters learning unit, students are asked to use self-knowledge when exploring their

social identity. In their culminating assignment, students are also asked to apply their learning

about power and privilege to federal elected officials.

Tomlinson and McTighe (2006) also emphasize differentiation as a focus on whom we

teach, where we teach, and how we teach (p. 3). Specifically, a teacher should be attuned to

students varied learning needs as to the requirements of a thoughtful and well-articulated

curriculum (p. 18). In this unit, students have varying methods to prove understanding: exit

tickets, class participation, guided discussion notes and the culminating RiG project. Whether the

student feels most comfortable asserting their ideas in the midst of class discussion, on paper, or

through small group conversation it is important as teacher to value each method of mastery

evidence. Students will also have the opportunity to choose how theyd like to present the units

final performance task. Options include a rap, a poster, traditional essay, or any other teacher-

approved format that allows for the students to reach the same curricular goals. As stated by

Tomlinson and McTighe (2006), The teacher does not give up anything in allowing a student
Narrative: Why Who Matters 4

to . . . express an idea in a more divergent . . . format. It is the outcome that matters, and

whatever route to the outcome work for a student is likely to be a help (p. 4).

Finally, Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design suggests that

teachers in well-differentiated classrooms guide students in developing a vocabulary related to

learning preferences and in exercising those preferences (Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006, p. 50).

On day two of this unit, students will take a multiple intelligences inventory and participate in a

discussion around what it means to be intelligent in the varying areas that Gardner proposes in

the multiple intelligences theory. Learning this about themselves, and having non-traditional

intelligences normalized in a school setting, may help students make informed decisions about

how they will present school work in the future (for example, in the RiG project).

Social Justice Education

A crucial part of the design of this unit was the potential for a social justice classroom to

emerge. Discussing power and privilege explicitly with students increases students likelihood of

success when operating within or seeking to dismantle the culture of power (I will encourage

students to pursue either option). Specifically, in the field of education, policymakers and

reformers continue to discuss and make decisions about issues such as, school funding,

standards, and privatization without students knowing that these choices are being made in the

context of power and privilege. As Delpit (1995) explains, If you are not already a participant in

the culture of power, being told explicitly the rules of that culture makes acquiring power easier

(p. 24). Students are less likely to succeed in our societys pervasive culture of power, or

understand how to dismantle it, if they are not explicitly taught about how it operates. It is part of

my professional duty as a public-school teacher in a high needs school to start this conversation,

to teach my students the linguistic forms, communicative strategies, and presentation of self;
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that is, ways of talking, ways of writing, ways of dressing, and ways of interacting (Delpit,

1995, p.25) that will enable their success.

Another portion of social justice curriculum relevant to this unit is teaching with

culturally relevant pedagogy. As described by Ladson-Billings (1995), effective teaching

practice helps students to accept and affirm their cultural identity while developing critical

perspectives that challenge inequities that schools (and other institutions) perpetuate (Ladson-

Billings, p. 469). As students complete the Representation in Government project, which asks

them to affirm their identity, and explore how that identity operates in another context rife with

issues of power and privilege, they will practice what Ladson-Billings describes, thereby

contributing to the growth of a social justice classroom.

Questions and Concerns for Implementation

For aforementioned reasons, a unit about identity can be important for students.

However, I do have a concern about timing. This unit asks students to be vulnerable with me and

with peers in ways that involve pretty big risk. While I think the benefits outweigh the potential

risks, I am very wary of my students feeling uncomfortable with the content. As a safety

measure, I hope to use the first day to co-create safe space/effective learning environment

guidelines. I also intend to model each activity that I ask students to participate in, hopefully

increasing the chance that my students will join me in risking vulnerability.

The other concern I have about the implementation of this unit is more practical. When

having discussions about material so important that I hope students will be enthusiastic about,

how do I ensure that we move through the unit at the appropriate pace and do not spend too

much time on a unit that does not emphasize learning a tangible skill?
Narrative: Why Who Matters 6

Conclusion

This introductory unit was carefully crafted to meet the needs of a constantly diversifying

student body in Philadelphia public schools. By studying identity, power, and privilege at the

outset of the school year, students will learn the foundational skills that are necessary to apply a

critical lens to the material that we consider for the remainder of the year. Students will be able

to apply this lens to other classes and to their lives outside of school. A social justice centered

unit will allow students into the culture of power, to learn its rules and codes, so ideally, they

can work to dismantle it.

Narrative: Why Who Matters 7

References

Delpit, L. (1995). The silenced dialogue: Power and pedagogy in educating other peoples

children, Other peoples children (pp. 21-47). New York: New Press.

Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. American

Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 465-491.

Milner, H. (2007). Race, culture, and researcher positionality: Working through dangers seen,

unseen, and unforeseen. American Educational Research Journal, 36(7), 388-400.

Oakes, J., Lipton, M., Anderson, L., & Stillman, J. (2013). The U.S. schooling dilemma:

Diversity, inequality, and democratic values, Teaching to change the world (pp. 4-28).

Boulder: Paradigm Publishers.

Singleton, G. E., & Hays C. A. (2006). Beginning courageous conversations about cace.

Courageous conversations about race: A field guide for achieving equity in schools. (pp.

18-23). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Tomlinson, C., & McTighe, J. (2006). Integrating differentiated instruction and understanding

by design. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.