A Pedagogy of Enrichment, Not Poverty: Successful Lessons of Exemplary Urban Teachers
Abstract
A Pedagogy of Enrichment, Not Poverty: Successful Lessons of Exemplary Urban Teachers Susan M. Brookhart, Duquesne University Timothy G. Rusnak, Duquesne University Teachers in urban classrooms often rely heavily on direct instruction and routine seatwork. They may do so because of a mistaken belief that basic skills mastery must precede higher-order thinking (Means & Knapp, 1991). They may use such strategies to facilitate class- room management, to appeal to those who prefer a controlling environment for minorities and the poor, or to meet the expectations of community members and parents whose own school experiences were unrewarding and who believe students should be forced to learn. Haberman (1991) calls this over-reliance on direct instruction and sanctions the "pedagogy of poverty." Researchers in the fields of cognitive science (Bereiter, 1990; Vygotsky, 1978) and effective teaching recommend instruction very different from that found in most urban class- rooms. Successful teaching strategies for the inner-city child are the focus of several reviews of studies (Baecher, Cicchelli, & Baratta, 1989; Brophy, 1982; Haberman, 1991; Knapp & Shields, 1990; Means & Knapp, 1991; Presseisen, 1988; Slavin & Madden, 1989; Stallings & Hentzell, 1979). Brophy (1982) reviewed research from the 1970's and reported on elements