Olan, Elsie L.

Richmond, Kia Jane

English

Northern Michigan University: The Commons

Northern Michigan UniversityNMU CommonsConference Presentations FacWorks11-2018Valuing Student and Teacher Voices: UsingLiteracy Quadrants to Disrupt Notions of Stigmain Young Adult Literature Focused on MentalIllness.Kia Jane RichmondNorthern Michigan University, krichmon@nmu.eduElsie L. OlanUniversity of Central FloridaFollow this and additional works at: https://commons.nmu.edu/facwork_conferencepresentationsPart of the Secondary Education and Teaching CommonsThis Conference Presentation is brought to you for free and open access by the FacWorks at NMU Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion inConference Presentations by an authorized administrator of NMU Commons. For more information, please contactkmcdonou@nmu.edu,bsarjean@nmu.edu.Recommended CitationRichmond, Kia Jane and Olan, Elsie L., "Valuing Student and Teacher Voices: Using Literacy Quadrants to Disrupt Notions of Stigmain Young Adult Literature Focused on Mental Illness." (2018). Conference Presentations. 356.https://commons.nmu.edu/facwork_conferencepresentations/356Exploring Emotion, Mental Illness, and Grief in English EducationValuing Student and Teacher Voices: Using Literacy Quadrants to Disrupt Notions of Stigma in Young Adult Literature Focused on Mental IllnessNational Council of Teachers of English Conference, Houston 2018Kia Jane Richmond, Ph. D.Northern Michigan UniversityElsie Lindy Olan, Ph. D. University of Central FloridaCopyright Kia Jane Richmond and Elsie Lindy Olan, NCTE Houston 2018Mental Illness• Students’ literacy quadrant drawings (from two different universities) demonstrate their clear understanding of the stigma associated with mental illness (e.g., negative words & behaviors).• According to research from the National Institute of Mental Health - which estimates that 1 in 5 teens and 1 in 25 adults has a serious mental disorder, teachers will have students in their classes for whom mental illness is a reality. Copyright Kia Jane Richmond and Elsie Lindy Olan, NCTE Houston 2018Mental Illness • Teacher candidates can address this issue through literature included in their curriculum, especially with young adult texts that feature mental illness as a theme (e.g., Turtles All the Way Down - OCD; Challenger Deep -Schizophrenia; Highly Illogical Behavior - anxiety; Girl in Pieces - self-injury/suicide; When Reason Breaks - depression/suicide). • Literacy quadrants can be a key practice in confronting the stigma associated with mental illness. • Definition of “literacy quadrants” - adapted from the Frayer model (1969), literacy quadrants include prompts for each quadrant about students’ thinking, writing, identity, and cultural awareness. Literacy quadrants are used as a metacognitive tool that helped students to explore their cultures, learning, and literate lives. Copyright Kia Jane Richmond and Elsie Lindy Olan, NCTE Houston 2018Literacy Quadrants Data AnalysisSemiotics  - Morris (1964)Symbols - Langer (1948) • Images - What images say about students’ perceptions of mental illness (key terms, emotions) • Language - What words say about students’ perceptions of mental illness (themes) Literacy Quadrants convey students’ perceptions of mental illness and other social issues, their knowledge of literature (including YA texts), and their cultural beliefs/backgrounds. Copyright Kia Jane Richmond and Elsie Lindy Olan, NCTE Houston 2018Literacy Quadrants Instructional Sequence • Upper Left Quadrant• Draw  a picture that depicts mental illness• Upper Right Quadrant• Draw a picture about how the characters with mental illness are portrayed in literature (canon and YA lit)• Bottom Left Quadrant• Draw a picture showing your favorite text featuring a character with mental illness• Bottom Right Quadrant• Draw images that reflect your concerns/difficulties with teaching texts about characters with mental illnessCopyright Kia Jane Richmond and Elsie Lindy Olan, NCTE Houston 2018Copyright Kia Jane Richmond and Elsie Lindy Olan, NCTE Houston 2018Copyright Kia Jane Richmond and Elsie Lindy Olan, NCTE Houston 2018Copyright Kia Jane Richmond and Elsie Lindy Olan, NCTE Houston 2018Common Themes Identified  1.       Mental illness is having 2 sides:a.        Internal/externalb.       Private/publicc.       Internal conflict/brave faced.       Conceal truth/pretend(Related – doesn’t want world to know about private side)2.       Feeling lonely, excluded, isolated, face in the crowd, misunderstood – related to bullying, constant questioning, struggling, trapped, lost, feeling helpless, falling apart, racing thoughts 3.       Negative emotion or thoughts such as sadness, angry, mad, unhappy, upset, frustrated, confused, unfocused, conflicted, uncertainty, fears, attacked4.       Popular books mentioned – 13 Reasons Why, Girl in Pieces, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Looking for Alaska5.       Difficult to talk about mental illness – suffer in silence; people are opposed to the topicCopyright Kia Jane Richmond and Elsie Lindy Olan, NCTE Houston 2018Sample Key Terms (emotions, mental illnesses)Lonely/Loneliness/ALone in a CrowdStrugglingRacing thoughtsSadnessDarknessInsideConceal unhappyNegative emotionsBrave facePretendSensitiveFrustratedFearsHelplessConfused MadViolenceTrappedIsolatedCryingMixed emotionsUpsetExclusionDifficult topicOpposedBullying/RetaliatingLostConflictedFalling apartDoesn’t want world to knowDepressionMood swingsAnxietyEating disorderBipolar disorderCopyright Kia Jane Richmond and Elsie Lindy Olan, NCTE Houston 2018Sample Key Terms (emotions, mental illnesses)My mind won’t shut upKindness for weaknessI need helpI don’t know how to help youOn the insideMisunderstoodEveryday peopleReal problemsAnxietyWhy?I’m not good enoughMental illnessThis is a sensitive topicHow can you talk about what you don’t know?Sad/misfortunateBad/or/crazyIt’s poisonDo it!They’re watching! They want to hurt you!Look here_____’s acting funny! What’s wrong with _____?13 reasons whyPerks of being a wallflowerLooking for AlaskaCopyright Kia Jane Richmond and Elsie Lindy Olan, NCTE Houston 2018Significant Statements from Data1.   Having a mental illness is related to an internal/external conflict.2.   Mental illnesses are associated with negative emotions and behaviors/actions.3.    Mental illness is difficult to talk about; people are often opposed to the topic.4.    There are popular young adult books that focus on mental illness.Copyright Kia Jane Richmond and Elsie Lindy Olan, NCTE Houston 2018Statements’ relationships to dominant narrative The statements perpetuate the dominant narrative about mental illness.Stereotypes of individuals with mental disorders contribute to stigmatizing behaviors.The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (Canada) reports common misconceptions about individuals with mental illness include believing that they are• “all potentially violent and dangerous”• “responsible for their condition” and • “have nothing positive to contribute.” (2001)Likewise, research on public stigma toward mental illness in the U.S. finds that stigmatizing beliefs about the dangerousness of individuals with mental illness have risen over time and that beliefs of “shame, blame, incompetency, punishment, and criminality of people with mental illness are common.”Copyright Kia Jane Richmond and Elsie Lindy Olan, NCTE Houston 2018ResultsHow do literacy quadrants disrupt notions of stigma in young adult literature specifically focused on mental illness? 1. The creation of drawings helps students unpack their notions about mental illness (the images are pictures of their understandings).2. Engaging students in dialogue about the drawings (the next step we would take in the classroom) helps students identify their values and identify stigma.3. Using young adult literature can help students to revisit their biases and position them in relation to literature and to their world..   Copyright Kia Jane Richmond and Elsie Lindy Olan, NCTE Houston 2018Statements’ relationship to dominant narrative  and research on mental illnessSince 2012, there has been a renaissance of interest in mental illness in young adult literature (e.g., publications in Study and Scrutiny; Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy; Language Arts Journal of Michigan; School Library Journal; Journal of Popular Culture, International Journal of Literary Theory). Our study is supported by Kia’s research on the issue, which is included in this fall’s ALAN Review(a special issue on “The Psychology of YA Literature),  and in her new book, due out next month fromABC-CLIO (Libraries Unlimited Press).Copyright Kia Jane Richmond and Elsie Lindy Olan, NCTE Houston 2018Resources• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. (2001). Talking about mental illness: A guide for developingan awareness program for youth. Community Guide. Retrieved from https://www.camh.ca/en/education/Documents/www.camh.net/education/Resources_teachers_schools/TAMI/tami_teachers_part1.pdf.• Langer, S.K. (1948). Philosophy in a new key:A study in the symbolism of reason, rite, and art. Harvard University Press. • Morris, C.W. (1964). Signification and Significance: A study of the relations of signs and values.MITPress. • Parcesepe, A. M., & Cabassa, L. J. (2013). Public stigma of mental illness in the United States: Asystematic literature review. Administration and policy in mental health, 40(5), 10.1007/s10488–012–0430–z. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-012-0430-z• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Mental Health. (2017). Mentalillness. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.shtml• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Mental Health. (2017). Childand adolescent mental health. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/child-and-adolescent-mental-health/index.shtmlCopyright Kia Jane Richmond and Elsie Lindy Olan, NCTE Houston 2018Thank you!Elsie Lindy Olan elsie.olan@ucf.eduKia Jane Richmond krichmon@nmu.eduCopyright Kia Jane Richmond and Elsie Lindy Olan, NCTE Houston 2018

Valuing Student and Teacher Voices: Using Literacy Quadrants  to Disrupt Notions of Stigma  in Young Adult Literature Focused on Mental Illness.

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Valuing Student and Teacher Voices: Using Literacy Quadrants to Disrupt Notions of Stigma in Young Adult Literature Focused on Mental Illness.

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