Case Study Analysis #3: Module 2 Rachel Steingieser

ASL 535: Methods of Teaching Deaf Cultures McDaniel College: E. Laird

Case Study Analysis #3

Students Right an Injustice

Students extend and refine reading and writing
skills as they engage in a ‘social action’ activity.

Mr. Hultgren’s class had been keeping a record of upcoming class events such as field trips,
student report days, and quizzes on a commercial calendar. The pictures on the calendar were of
children and adolescents – mostly close-ups showing facing expressions such as wonder,
excitement, happiness, and awe.

On the first day of November, Mr. Hultgren turned the page of the calendar. Bill, who came
from a Deaf family, asked his teacher, “Mr. Hultgren, are there any kids on the calendar who are
Deaf like me?”
Other students in class chimed in, “Yeah.”

Mr. Hultgren had not paid much attention to the pictures on the calendar. “You’re right,” he
signed, looking at the rest of the pages. “There are no Deaf or hard of hearing children in the
remaining pictures. Can anyone think of anything we can do about this?”

Marty offered a suggestion, “Perhaps we could write to the people who made the calendar and
ask them to put in pictures of Deaf kids like us in their next one.” The class agreed.

Mr. Hultgren briefly explained about calendar publishing companies and how they could find out
to whom they should write. He then designed some activities that included prewriting, editing,
rewriting, spelling, grammar and usage. For the next week, students devised, edited, and revised
a class letter to the calendar company. The letter was sent on Friday.

Five weeks later, the class received a letter from the calendar company. It read, “Thank you for
making us aware of this oversight. We apologize for our mistake and we plan to add Deaf and
hard of hearing students who use American Sign Language (ASL) to the calendar next year.”

Questions for Reflection

1. What were the strengths of Mr. Hultgren’s response to the calendar problem? What else
would you have done if you had been in his position?

Mr. Hultgren demonstrated several of strengths in his response to the calendar issue; he had

empowered his students to take charge of their learning experience. Mr. Hultgren had recognized

and promoted his students’ social rights and personal worth. “Culture, in other words, takes

shape in the weight of human history.” (Banks & Banks, 2010, p.37) Thus, when Mr. Hultgren

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Case Study Analysis #3: Module 2 Rachel Steingieser
ASL 535: Methods of Teaching Deaf Cultures McDaniel College: E. Laird

encouraged his students to identify the problem and to find a solution, Mr. Hultgren stimulated a

student-centered learning experience. Mr. Hultgren’s students had received an opportunity to

learn the steps of problem solving strategies: by recognizing the issue; discovering and agreeing

on a solution; conducting a research, planning the action and implementing the action task by

writing a letter to the calendar company. A real life learning experience had occurred in Mr.

Hultgren’s classroom and he promoted his students to take charge of their own learning

experience “Culture shapes and is shaped by the learning and teaching that happen during the

practical conduct of daily life within all the educational settings we encounter as learning

environments throughout the human life span…” (Banks & Banks, 2010, p. 36) If I were in Mr.

Hultgren’s position I would incorporate bilingual opportunity into the calendar learning

experience by providing variety of methods for students to chose how should they exhibit their

values for deaf culture. I believe in addition to writing a letter to the calendar company, the

students should be able to clearly demonstrate their idea of pictures for the calendar via filming a

subtitled videotape or creating their own pictured calendar of Hard of Hearing and Deaf students

“…it is important to allow different conceptions of multicultural education to be expressed in the

school decision-making process…” (Gay, 1994, p.2)

2. List the specific behaviors of Mr. Hultgren that likely

a. Demonstrated teacher and student efficacy: Mr. Hultgren recognized and valued his

students’ identity by empowering his students to take charge of their social rights/

equality, which led to a learning experience. Mr. Hultgren had demonstrated

encouragement on teach-able moment by empowering his students to gain equal

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Case Study Analysis #3: Module 2 Rachel Steingieser
ASL 535: Methods of Teaching Deaf Cultures McDaniel College: E. Laird

opportunity via doing a research, finding a solution and implementing their action plan by

writing a letter.

b. Created an inclusive classroom environment: Not clearly outlined in this case study.

Mr. Hultgren had a calendar filled with children exhibiting diverse face expressions

however the pictured students’ ethnicity diversity was not mentioned. Hence the case

study does not demonstrated how Mr. Hultgren had created an inclusive classroom

environment. In order to create an inclusive classroom environment diverse cultures and

language should be clearly displayed via books, posters, pictures, materials and the

experience shared amongst the students. However Mr. Hultgren had allowed his students

to take over of their learning experience by asking them questions in order to find a

solution and providing guidance for his students to take an action.

c. Enhanced learning of academic material: Before the students determine the solution

was to write a letter to the calendar company, they conducted a research to discover the

publishing company and the address to submit their letter. As the students write their

letter to the calendar company, they had learned/ practiced on the concept of devised,

edited and revised before mailing out the letter.

3. Describe any similar experiences you have had; that is, incidents in which students have taken
a social-action approach to solve a real problem in the school or broader community (See Social
Action Approach in the Banks’ model).

As I believed that I have not yet experienced any of social-action approach to solve a problem

within school thus I began researching for any of examples to replace my experience but then I

had forgot a significant social-action event that I had experienced firsthand. I could not believe it

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Case Study Analysis #3: Module 2 Rachel Steingieser
ASL 535: Methods of Teaching Deaf Cultures McDaniel College: E. Laird

at first that I had forgotten about the protest at Gallaudet when Jane K. Fernandes was selected as

next University President. Though the ordeal happened swiftly and before I knew it, I was under

my sleeping bag, on a classroom floor, inside Hall Memorial Building. I admitted it that I was

unsure if I remember exact steps that had occurred in order to voice our opinion regarding the

new University President selection. However I had ended up rallying with others to preserve the

value of a deaf community at Gallaudet University, which we believed Jane, was unable to share

and to exhibit the same belief. In the end, we jointed in the front of Gallaudet University gate and

we stood up for our educational & social rights into preservation of deaf culture at Gallaudet

University. Nowadays more and more students have taken a social-action approach to solve a

real problem in the school or in the broader community by conducting a sit-in or a walkout.

4. How could you design an activity that would encourage pupils to discuss the Banks’ model
and to identify social-action issues that they could address? How could you ensure that such a
discussion was developmentally appropriate?

While designing an activity to encourage students discuss the Banks’ model, I will think about

the specific method the students need to gain the experience in either areas: Indirect Action or

Direct Action. It depends on the students in my class in order to promote the specific experience

the students need to gain, either to learn how to reach out to an ally regarding changing the

problem or to address the problem by themselves and to find the solution. To ensure a

developmentally appropriate discussion, there will need to be a ground rule discussion among the

students. I usually ask each student to think of a rule and to discuss the reasoning behind the rule.

When we have ground rules, I will review the concept of a safe space to ensure each student will

feel safe to share their thoughts in the classroom and continue to feel safe after the discussions.

In addition I will need to think about the choice of a project regarding if it is relevant for all

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Case Study Analysis #3: Module 2 Rachel Steingieser
ASL 535: Methods of Teaching Deaf Cultures McDaniel College: E. Laird

students, if it is doable, would it be appropriate for the school/ community and can it be

integrated in the curriculum?

An activity design example: If the students shared their concern about the school lacking of

culturally diverse books. I would ask them to identify the issue and to discover possible

solutions. If the students decided on writing a persuasive letter, requesting for more culturally

diverse books, hence as an educator, I will provide guidance by using the Banks’ model. The

Banks’ model will assist the students with questions to be mindful while planning an effective

course of action and then putting the plan in action.

Banks’ Model:

Level 1: Recognize the problem

 What students could do: Observe and determine specific culture books that they would

like to add to the classroom/ school library. Discuss the significance of incorporating

cultural diversity books in the classroom.

Level 2: Assess the possible school stakeholders to assist with students’ action plan

 What students could do: Gather suggestions and information from the school community

including the librarian regarding places to find specific books and the estimate cost.

Level 3: Begin putting the proposed solution in an effect by discussing the possible challenges,

where to seek for the resources and strategies to cultivate an action plan.

 What students could do: After determining to write a persuasive letter is the answer, they

will need to consider: the cost of books, whom should they write to, how to write a

formal letter and what should they include in the letter.

Level 4: Implement the action and revaluate the effectiveness

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Case Study Analysis #3: Module 2 Rachel Steingieser
ASL 535: Methods of Teaching Deaf Cultures McDaniel College: E. Laird

 What students could do: Write a persuasive letter, explaining why there should be more

cultural diverse book in the classroom/ school library. The students could include ASL

video to incorporate bilingual accessibility, or to request for a meeting with specific

school stakeholders to demonstrate their plan action. When the students are finished with

implementing their action plan, I will promote the students to reflect the effects of their

action plan steps. The students will be asked if they are satisfied with their social rights/

equal opportunities or if there are another underlying issues in the classroom/ school

environment.

References:
1. Banks, J. & Banks, C. (2010). Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives. (7th ed.).
Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

2. Gay, G. (1994). A synthesis of scholarship in multicultural education. Urban Monograph

Series,5-33. Retrieved March 25, 2018, from
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED378287.pdf.