Social Learning Theory and the Black Male as a Role Model

When looking at Social Learning Theory, the main premise is that people learn through modeling others behavior.  Reflecting on this theory in relation to the black learner, it is apparent how important it is for students to have Black teachers as facilitators and positive role models within the classroom and throughout their day to day lives.  As the Blac Report states, “There is an urgent need to increase the number of Black administrators, teachers, social workers and guidance counselors at all levels of administration and support.” (Blac:17)  Taking this concept further, I would suggest that it is of vital importance for Black students to have Black male role models within their learning environment. I will use Project 2000, a social learning theory study, as well as, some of my own observations to show how the influence of Black males in the classroom can enhance the Black students learning experience.

In brief Project 2000 was created with the fundamental belief that Black male children could be taught to believe in themselves as learners and enhance their values and moral behavior by modeling successful men who they could identify with and respect.  The founder of the project noted that often times in Black communities, as well as, in elementary schools, women are the main authority figures.  By integrating black male role models within the school system as mentors, Black students, especially males, would have a prototype to model their learning, interactions, respect, values and behavior after.  The men that were recruited to be mentors were mostly Black, from the children’s community and were successful in their careers.  55 children were involved in the project and their results were later compared to children in the same school that were not involved with the project.  These mentors were volunteers whose role was mostly in the classroom as teacher’s aids.  “First, the men assisted children who experienced difficulty with concepts the teacher introduced. Second, the men assisted the teacher by managing discipline problems. Third, the men taught and reinforced positive values ( Wells-Wilbon and Holland ).” 

Children were later interviewed about their experience in Project 2000 and over 80% of the children felt that these mentors not only helped them academically but also helped them learn important life lessons and values.  One of the children stated that the men made them want to learn. ( Wells-Wilbon and Holland ) This is a very powerful statement, because the children who once were having difficulty with school now identified themselves as learners and that they understood that there was not anything that the teacher taught that could not learn.  Not only were interviews conducted with the children, but, data was also gathered from grade point averages and standardized test scores of the participants in second, third and fourth grade.  These results showed that the children involved in the project were more likely to earn average or above average grades than the comparison group.  It was also noted that no children from the comparison group scored higher grade point averages than the children involved in Project 2000.  When compared to the national norm, children in PROJECT 2000 were at or above the national norm for spelling and mathematics for all three grade levels (Wells-Wilbon and Holland).  After this project was shown to be very successful many other schools also adopted this program.

As Project 2000 proves, “inventive ways of engaging students in meaningful practices, of providing access to resources that enhance their participation, of opening their horizons so they can put themselves on learning trajectories they can identify with and of involving them in actions, discussions, and reflections that make a difference to the communities that they value.” (Wenger, 10) Having Black male role models volunteering within the classroom was an innovative way of enriching the classroom experience. Modeling behavior in this way proved to be successful and follows Social Learning Theories claim that imitation is, “one of the most powerful socialization forces.” (Wells-Wilbon and Holland)

Through my teaching experience I have noted that African Nova Scotian students, especially males, benefit from having a positive Black, male, role model involved in their everyday learning experiences.  Bringing Africentric prospective into the classroom allows for African Nova Scotian students to feel as though they are a part of the curriculum.  I have observed in my last couple of years teaching that many of the Black children in my classes behave much better for me than what other teachers describe.  In addition, these students seem to be achieving more academic success in my class than compared to their other classes.  I attribute this success to the fact that I am a caring young Black male who they look up to and respect.   

Combining both project 2000, as well as my own personal experiences within the classroom I believe that having Black male role models within the classroom not only helps create comfort and security within the learning community, it also brings many new learning strategies to the table. These strategies can take learning from a predominately Eurocentric point of view and incorporate an Afrocentric perspective into the mix. A pedagogy that brings African centered education to the forefront, but also draws upon many other education systems (ALI). In doing this, it is not only Black students who benefit. What results is an inclusive classroom environment open to many different learning styles and many new learning opportunities. In alignment with Wells-Wilbon and Holland, I believe that, “responsible adults know that for children to grow into productive members of our society, children need to be able to read, write and acquire basic knowledge and skills, which are taught in school. This cannot happen if children don't feel good about themselves and lack basic values, which govern how they act and treat other people. Further, this cannot happen if children do not have appropriate models that teach and demonstrate acceptable behavior” (Wells-Wilbon and Holland).