Written for RaPAL Journal, January 2021
“Shame cannot survive being spoken. It cannot tolerate having words wrapped around it. What it craves is secrecy, silence, and judgment.” Brene Brown.
So let’s speak about it.
While reading Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly, (along with some friends from the #FEReadingCircle) her exploration of the concept of ‘shame’ sparked some thoughts around shame as a barrier to the development of literacy. There are many learners who arrive in FE without level 2 English qualifications who face a deficit approach to the development of those skills in order to gain the qualifications the government believe they need to succeed.
As teacher trainers in FE, we have a duty to prepare trainee teachers to support all students to develop their skills in this area. However, as many adults face issues in relation to English skills, expecting trainee teachers to already have the skills required to support learners with this aspect of their development, is more complex than it may seem.
In order to begin to address this, we have introduced the concept to trainee teachers that the eradication of shame linked to abilities in literacy, twinned with an appreciation of the importance of the development of these skills in order to function effectively as a teacher in the Post 14 sector, may be a part of the answer to the wider issue of post 14 learners refusing to engage in the improvement of abilities in literacy.
The introduction of the concept
During a session which formed part of the programme induction, trainees were asked to name something that they were brilliant at, which wasn’t English or maths. They were then tasked to identify a skill from the list that they were terrible at and, finally, to think about whether they would be ashamed if they had to tell someone they couldn’t do it. Skills included baking, karate, dancing, gardening, sports…all trainees said, ‘No, why would I feel ashamed that I couldn’t do that?’
This was then compared with the shame experienced when individuals feel that they can’t ‘do’ English and how this stems from being repeatedly tested on it from primary school to the qualification they now studied, and told whether or not they met the required criteria.
The deficit approach to teaching literacy in the United Kingdom can be partially blamed for the shame linked to low literacy abilities. Walker states that, ‘Shame is closely linked to fears of social exclusion and rejection and is culturally specific.’ (2017: 4). If you achieve the relevant qualifications, you are mostly left to continue to develop your literacy skills without assessment. If you don’t, you are required to engage in English qualifications until you achieve the desired level, which is also the key to progressing on to most other opportunities in education and in employment. This segregates learners into two clearly defined groups: those who have already achieved the golden grade and who are therefore deemed to be employment and education ready and those who haven’t.
But is it possible to remove shame?
It seems evident that those who research the concept of shame are unanimous in the connection between shame and silence. Garner (2017) demonstrates the negative impact of applying a deficit model to the development of literacy, as she discovered during her own research the shame felt by adult learners as they were asked to present their stories of difficulties in literacy as part of a community project. She highlights how the researchers, ‘profoundly felt how deep shame resides in the body and how it silences voice’, as their ‘learners experienced overwhelming feelings of shame and worry about speaking publicly about [their difficulties in literacy].’
It is worth contemplating what can happen if we break the silence and actively work to remove shame from this equation. If this had been the case, would those adult learners in Garner’s study have engaged in the activities more readily, more wholeheartedly, resulting in an increase in development opposed to those who let shame become a barrier to their learning? Almost certainly, yes.
Removing shame
It was my job this year to create a session for induction on improving literacy skills. Knowing I didn’t want to spend 45 minutes demonstrating how to use an apostrophe (if they didn’t know this yet, they weren’t going to master it through a quick lecture from me) I decided to highlight the importance of developing their confidence and knowledge in literacy so that they would then be able to confidently support the learners they teach. It was also emphasised that this course was their safe space to develop those skills, to recognise their areas for development, work on them and ask for help where needed.
Through this activity (explained in further detail below) I started to realise that by normalising the need for development we could potentially create a culture where there was no shame in needing to improve literacy skills. If this could be modelled by teacher trainers, this perhaps would be taken into the trainees’ own teaching practice. Hypothetically, this could create cultures where it was okay not to know and therefore okay to ask for help with literacy skills, regardless of the subject being taught.
So how do you reduce shame around lower abilities in literacy?
The idea: remove shame around literacy then work on the literacy skills with trainees, opposed to building confidence in literacy skills which will then reduce shame around lower abilities in literacy.
Introducing the shame reducing culture right at the beginning of your relationship with learners/students. Ensure that it is clear that there is an expectation that the trainees need to demonstrate a certain ‘level’ of literacy, but this is a shame free environment regarding literacy skills and therefore a place for growth without shame in this area of expertise. .
Providing clarity with regards to objectives by highlighting expectations in regards to teaching, i.e. to demonstrate abilities in literacy at level 2 and to support the students/learners they teach to develop their skills to level 2. As well as expectations as trainees, i.e. to develop their own academic writing skills and improve literacy skills to level 2, where required.
Self assessing prior knowledge and areas for development by covering some common errors in literacy and facilitating self assessment at the beginning of the course. Forcing sharing at this point could have a negative impact on the development of a shame free culture. Then invite trainees to take a pledge which states the literacy skill they intend to improve on. The intention is that the markers of assessments will revisit these pledges and discuss this with the trainee if they don’t appear to have actioned their pledge. No shame – just a demonstration of the importance of literacy improvements as part of the programme.
Taking and creating opportunities for reduction in shame related to literacy in practice
- Making mistakes – As a lecturer, model that it’s acceptable to make mistakes and that it’s acceptable to ask learners if they know how to spell a word the teacher isn’t sure how to spell.
- Encouraging trainees to practice writing on the board for their peers – One trainee was apprehensive because of her spelling. She was advised to ask her peers how to spell words she wasn’t sure about. She spelled every word correctly. Could this be an early example of the impact of removing shame?
- Addressing spelling mistakes – Encouraging trainees to identify any words which might have been spelled incorrectly and ask for confirmation from the class – perhaps add some humour and congratulate them on the test (which wasn’t a test, but was actually a genuine mistake), which is okay to make.
- Identifying when correct spellings matter, and when they don’t – During a micro teach, one trainee told the class ‘it doesn’t matter about spellings in this activity’. As they were labelling bones on the skeletal system, this was liberating for some. However, it’s important to highlight that there’s a delicate balance between ‘it doesn’t matter right now’ and ‘but ultimately, it does matter in assignments and/or in the exam.’
- Peer support – Those who have solid literacy skills, assisting those who are developing their skills will help both parties to improve.
This is not an exhaustive list, but the actions which I have taken so far this academic year, which appear to be making a difference.
Shame: a barrier to development in literacy?
It seems clear that shame is absolutely a barrier to development in literacy and that speaking about that shame could be a key action to start to diminish the restrictive emotions which shame creates around development in literacy skills.
So let’s speak about it.
I hope this short piece has highlighted the impact that hidden emotion can have on a learner’s ability to engage and to succeed. This is an open invitation to contact me via Twitter @EduKayte or via email k.haselgrove@derby.ac.uk in order to start speaking about shame as a barrier to development to abilities in literacy and actions which can be taken to reduce it in order to enable an individual to access learning in a shame free way.
Kayte Haselgrove 