CULTURAL TENSIONS IN THE SCRIPTED CLASSROOM - THE VALUE OF THE SUBJUGATED PERSPECTIVE

There have been many analyses of instruction in urban classrooms. This article, however, provides a more complex analysis of the constructio n of urban classroom life. Using ethnographic data, qualitative method s, and discourse analysis, we present a case study of how monologic in struction preserves the mutually exclusive social spaces created by st udents and teachers in one middle school. Through an analysis of momen t-to-moment interaction between one marginalized Latina student and he r teacher, we illustrate the value of the subjugated perspective in re thinking literacy instruction, teacher education, classroom-based rese arch, and school reform. Finally, we argue that the persistence of mon ologic, monocultural, and monolithic instruction paralyzes both studen ts and teachers and, thus, limits the potential for creating vital and rich classroom life.