S03 E02: Combating the legacy of educational subnormality: African Informed Pedagogy

How do you define normal? Is it in your use of language? Your religious beliefs? How is it that we can be at the centre of our own universe, yet in orbit in others whilst interacting with entirely different epistemologies, lived experiences and perceived normals? In this episode, we will explore how universal truths are affected by subjectivity as we step into the pluriverse.

Britain’s education system, a system based on oppression and subjugation, has done little to nothing to positively impact upon the British Caribbean community. From the categorisation of Caribbean children as ‘educationally sub-normal’ to the cycle of exclusions, Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) and ultimately prison, the educational outcomes of British Caribbean children is the lowest of any ethnic group in Britain aside from Roma Gypsy children. The pedagogical practices currently being employed, epistemologically Eurocentric, do not reflect or represent the British Caribbean children in the classroom. An African-informed pedagogy can help African diasporic children access education in a more culturally informed and meaningful way. An appreciation of multiple epistemologies and centring other cultures can create an environment of criticality and growth.

PRUs are an alternative education provision for those who have been excluded from school or are unable to attend mainstream education. This pipeline metaphor is used to identify the process through which students are pushed out of schools into alternative education provisions and then, ultimately, for some, into prisons. Today we will discuss the factors that contribute to the PRU to prison pipeline in the context of the British Caribbean experience. These disciplinary actions put students at higher risk for negative life outcomes, including involvement in the criminal justice system.

Over the course of my master’s degree, the concept of assimilation came up time and time again and I found myself questioning why that was the case. What is it about assimilation that has troubled so many communities, individuals and institutions? In order to understand this concept, I have been looking at it from a number of angles, in this episode, we will discuss the positionality of being an indigenous outsider.

The ways in which a particular culture formulates its knowledge is intricately bound up with the very identity of its people, their way of making sense of the world and the value system that holds that world view in place. Epistemicide, as the systematic destruction of rival forms of knowledge, is at its worst nothing less than symbolic genocide. In this episode, we will discuss the detrimental effects and impact of epistemicide on communities of the global south.

The English language is far from perfect. Not just in the context of being unable to express love in as many ways as some others, but in the stickiness of our titles. Be they diagnoses or racial stereotypes, in this episode, we are going to discuss the impact of labelling and the weight of words on African diasporic shoulders.

BBC's London Olympics 2012: 'Nature vs Nurture' Film Shown at the 200m Sprint Final

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqdiwqgFqMg

Whilst extreme forms of racial segregation have not been enforced on Britain’s shores, other insidious forms have been integrated into the culture. One such form of segregation operates from very early in the life of many twenty-first century Black Britons; as early as the age of six, school year two, for many children as ‘sets’, ‘streaming’ or ‘attainment grouping’ (Taylor et al. 2018), named by some schools, group children based on their abilities to complete tasks in specific lessons. In this episode, we will be exploring educational segregation as a means to subjugate.

In this episode, we seek to explore how modern Britain’s interpretation of diversity manifests with global majority faces leveraged as a method of demonstrating inclusivity in the educational institution whilst their voices are silenced both in the classroom and in the literature of the curriculum. Ultimately, we will unpack the question, is diversity a misnomer used in place of tokenism?

I would love for you to join in the discussion by emailing me at jamie@colouredsouls.co.uk

If you are interested in learning more and joining the debate hit that subscribe button through your favourite podcast app to be notified each time I post a new episode or visit www.colouredsouls.co.uk/podcast. If you would like to support the podcast then please buy me a coffee! Visit buymeacoffee.com/colouredsouls. Every penny will directly help the research that goes into making these episodes.

 In the United Kingdom, the month of October is dedicated to Black history; a month to celebrate all of the contributions that black Britons have made to the country. Whilst it is of course an important part of the calendar, there are limits to its potency. In this episode, we will explore the value of black history and try to unpack the question, through the use of black history month, are we still being mis-sold our history?

 I would love for you to join in the discussion by emailing me at jamie@colouredsouls.co.uk

If you are interested in learning more and joining the debate hit that subscribe button through your favourite podcast app to be notified each time I post a new episode or visit www.colouredsouls.co.uk/podcast. If you would like to support the podcast then please buy me a coffee! Visit buymeacoffee.com/colouredsouls.
Every penny will directly help the research that goes into making these episodes 

In the final episode of Season one, we dive into the poignant novel The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon in order to discuss how the illusions of Caribbean migrants were shattered upon their arrival and over the course of their settling into the culture of the country.

Dabydeen and Tagoe-Wilson state that The Lonely Londoners 'deals with the shattering of the illusion of belonging' (1988, [2012] A230, p.187). They outline this illusion by placing it into three categories. '[..] firstly, a material dream about the wealth of England [..] with work well-paid and readily available' an illusion that both Moses Aloetta, the main protagonist, and Henry Oliver, Sir Galahad, have shattered. 'Secondly, [..] an illusion about the courtesy, hospitality and human warmth of the English' an illusion characterised, but not necessarily shattered, by Sir Galahad's exploits. 'Finally, the illusion of England involves a romantic sense of English history [..] and the illusion that the West Indian could participate in this history', something that can be seen in the affection shown to famous names throughout the novel.

I would love for you to join in the discussion by emailing me at jamie@colouredsouls.co.uk

If you are interested in learning more and joining the debate hit that subscribe button through your favourite podcast app to be notified each time I post a new episode or visit www.colouredsouls.co.uk/podcast. If you would like to support the podcast then please buy me a book! Visit buymeacoffee.com/colouredsouls. Every penny will directly help the research that goes into making these episodes.

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/colouredsouls)