College Transformation

Robin Wisiniewski in Transformative College Literacy of Literate Black Women Peer Counselors describes the college literacy peer-based program and the conditions that she has experienced while working with the program. She also discusses her transformation as a leader of the peer-counseling program. She tells her perspective of the program though two counselors, Lauryn and Vania. They relate the experiences they had with the program with their individual identity. Both female peer counselors go into about how they changed individually and their counseling techniques.

Wisiniewski uses a quote from bell hooks to explain what she wanted out of college literacy. “Making the classroom a democratic setting where everyone feels responsibility to contribute is the central goal of transformative pedagogy.” This quote reminds me of what Spelman College asks of its students everyday. Spelman College teaches us that every time we step into a classroom, it is our role as scholars to question, comment and give an opinion on what we have learned. The professor in the classroom does not feel as if he or she has accomplished their job, unless they students are responsive to the lecture. I believe that a student should be able to offer their opinion, even if the professor disagrees with theory. One component of being a scholar is being able to see both sides of an argument. Wisiniewski is more than likely an efficient educator if she expects her student’s transformation in college to include contributing educated responses in the classroom. Lauryn and Vania both discussed how they motivated their students when it came to reading. Both females showed a transition “from learning from text to learning with text and using strategies to become empowered through knowledge construction” (Wisiniewski 79).

Transformative College Literacy of Literate Black Women Peer Counselors was a reading that went into depth about the techniques and strategies of learning. It also showed how college students transform while learning. Their literacy levels enhance and students are more prone to instead of just reading, they actually comprehend the text. College students learn how to apply themes from one text to other text and real life aspects.