School Smarts: A Reflection of Pedagogical and Personal Insights

Recent studies show that many college instructors still believe that Latino students lack the "school smarts" for academic success. This essay challenges the notion of school smarts in order to highlight Latino students' numerous strengths. I share my model for a mentorship program th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of Latinos and education Vol. 13; no. 3; pp. 212 - 221
Main Author Barrera, Magdalena L.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Philadelphia Routledge 01.01.2014
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
assessment
College Faculty
College Students
Hispanic American Students
Hispanic students
Interpersonal Communication
Learner Controlled Instruction
Mentoring programs
Mentors
multiliteracies
Pedagogy
postsecondary education
qualitative research
race/racialization
Student Attitudes
Teacher Attitudes
Teacher Student Relationship
Training
Transformative Learning
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Summary:Recent studies show that many college instructors still believe that Latino students lack the "school smarts" for academic success. This essay challenges the notion of school smarts in order to highlight Latino students' numerous strengths. I share my model for a mentorship program that facilitates better student-faculty communication and deepens a student-centered learning environment in a large general education course. Establishing the program led me to reflect on how the enduring belief in school smarts affected my own academic training. Directly challenging deficit thinking, I argue that Latino students contribute to a transformative educational process in which faculty are also learners.
ISSN:1534-8431
1532-771X
DOI:10.1080/15348431.2013.849596