More thoughts on hostility

I have been considering doing some recordings of TB and I teaching a lesson together. I want to ask Gary and Dan if they see any displays of anger at BHS. In my current environment I often see students exhibiting outbursts of anger during teaching. I am thinking of AM and JP who simply do not want to be guided in any way - no, that is not true. I am trying to capture this clearly. AM does not take a liking to one on one instruction and becomes hostile if it is imposed upon him. Anything beyond copying things down seems to anger and frustrate him. He seems to demand freedom to roam about and experiment as he pleases. A very interesting case, indeed. I think I will use my live scribe to record some interactions with this student. The anger seems to be at the resistance toward having things explained. These are people that have apparently been in charge of most aspects of their lives and are resisting being guided or led. There is a need for tactile lessons. It would be interesting to see if a physics bases approach in which the student roams around performing experiments and asking questions as they arise would lead to a discursive exchange. And the question that interests me most is would there be a hostility towards being made to memorize and utilize certain unfamiliar vocabulary.

Anyhow, this hostility seems to stem from identity conflict. These new words , but more importantly the practice of insisting that they are used, seem to take on a very negative meaning for some. Now, in the case of KW, there is no hostility against whites or whiteness as he seems to be very attracted and curious about dating a white girl. He talk about his often. And yet in spite of his very high degree of mathematical and logical abilities, he resists using scientific terminology. He often became hostile, but that was not a reaction to talking about science. His anger stemmed from any number of outside forces, mostly gang affiliated issues, and other social problems with other students. And the resistance to using the scientific terms most likely would have been overcome with time, because KW seemed to embrace the science. What I have learned more clearly than ever before is that race and cultural sensitivity matter a great deal to many students. They have an internal radar that immediately seems to search for recognition of what is familiar to them, upon finding it, they slowly - even if enshrouded in a cacophony of swear words and hostile sentiments - will come around and start talking science with you, and can be persuaded over time to use scientific terminology.