Critical literacy is a response to injustice and the production of illiteracy in which students and teachers work together to learn from each other as equal members of the classroom community, produce meaningful learning experiences, to encourage students to question what they are learning, to explore concepts to their fullest potential, and to give every child opportunities to succeed.
"Over the past few years, I have seen teachers tell students how much they love them to find out that some of the teachers didn't know all of the students names," (Kohl, 2007, p.151). This was a really important quote. I think that it demonstrates something that happens in classrooms. Teachers don't take time to get to know all of their students. Throughout all of my education classes I have been taught how important this is to our students success. Students need to be appreciated. Students need to have a voice in the classroom. The classroom environment needs to be one that promotes students individuality, creativity, and strengths. Without getting to know your students we can not make this happen. In one of my graduate classes we watched a video about finding our students spark. Everyone has that one thing that they love. To make teaching more successful it is to our benefit to find the spark in each of our students.
"Most schooling is organized, we found, for the plodding transmission of information through classroom recitation. Teachers talk and students listen. And the lower the track, we found, the more likely this to be true. In other words recitation, rather than authentic discussion, is the common mode of discourse in most classrooms," (Probst, 2007, p.46). I thought that this was a great insight to the talking that is done in classrooms. Mostly, I have found that teachers try to keep students from talking during the school day. We don't want them chatting with their classmates while they are supposed to be learning, but we do want them to share their questions, ideas, thoughts, connections, and anything else that makes the experience more real for them. As an educator I hope to include as much authentic discussion into my teaching as I can.
"Literacy Coach: One who trains intensively by instruction, demonstration, and practice. A Literacy Coach is: a learner, a facilitator, and a supporter of classroom instruction," (Egawa, 2007, p.297). This chapter was very informative. I had no idea what a literacy coach was before reading the chapter. I haven't encountered a literacy coach since I started teaching. I now know that a literacy coach is not a substitute teacher, is not there to evaluate the performance of a teacher, doesn't write curriculum maps, or acts as a small group tutor.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Literacy Programs: I don't buy them!
"So you'd like me to go from being an outstanding teacher to a mediocre one?" (Gatto, 2007, p.73).
This was Lynn Gatto's response to standardized reading and writing programs being enforced in her school district. After reading Gatto's chapter titled, Success Guaranteed Literacy Programs: I don't buy it!, I have a new appreciation for many of the learning experiences that I had growing up.
Conventional literacy programs being used in today's classrooms are full of meaningless activities. Students read about topics that are not interesting to them. They complete worksheets that are intended to enrich their learning. In classrooms, students are being prepared to take standardized tests. We are creating a society of auto-matrons. Students don't feel connected to the work that they are doing, and therefore we aren't reaching all of our students.
Lynn Gatto has fought against such literacy programs. Of course it doesn't mean that she hasn't been challenged along the way or that she doesn't believe that there is some good that can come from the work being done with those programs. She has been given grief by some of the other educators that she works with, but the administrative staff has been mostly supportive to her decisions. She has more than 30 years of success with her students. So why should she change what she's doing now?
This chapter was amazing. It makes me want to try all of the things that she did with this 12 week unit on butterflies. It's not your typical learning about butterflies that you see in most classrooms. Students each raised their own butterfly. They acted as scientists to observe and record information about their individual creature from larva to the butterfly stage. The class had to study specific information to create a vivarium. The students took field trips to the zoo to take notes on what a habitat was and how they'd have to go about designing one for their butterflies. All of the literature that students read in the classroom was related to the work that they were doing. Students were investigators looking for the connections between their reading and the butterflies. There were measurements to be made and calculations to be figured out in the building of the vivarium. And when they were all done, they opened a butterfly museum for 2 weeks to teach other students in the school about the butterflies and all of the work that they had done. The students had become the experts and were using their gained knowledge to lead the tours for the other classes. This whole project required students to use all kinds of literacy skills and develop those skills in a way that was meaningful to them. They had a purpose for what they were doing.
I hope to teach in a school that will allow me to create such learning experiences for my students. I think that students learn best from doing. This project taught them math, science, social skills, reading, and writing skills. The students had a real audience and were active voice in the creation of the project and the direction that their learning went. Students thoughts and concerns were listened to and discussed with the whole class.
This was Lynn Gatto's response to standardized reading and writing programs being enforced in her school district. After reading Gatto's chapter titled, Success Guaranteed Literacy Programs: I don't buy it!, I have a new appreciation for many of the learning experiences that I had growing up.
Conventional literacy programs being used in today's classrooms are full of meaningless activities. Students read about topics that are not interesting to them. They complete worksheets that are intended to enrich their learning. In classrooms, students are being prepared to take standardized tests. We are creating a society of auto-matrons. Students don't feel connected to the work that they are doing, and therefore we aren't reaching all of our students.
Lynn Gatto has fought against such literacy programs. Of course it doesn't mean that she hasn't been challenged along the way or that she doesn't believe that there is some good that can come from the work being done with those programs. She has been given grief by some of the other educators that she works with, but the administrative staff has been mostly supportive to her decisions. She has more than 30 years of success with her students. So why should she change what she's doing now?
This chapter was amazing. It makes me want to try all of the things that she did with this 12 week unit on butterflies. It's not your typical learning about butterflies that you see in most classrooms. Students each raised their own butterfly. They acted as scientists to observe and record information about their individual creature from larva to the butterfly stage. The class had to study specific information to create a vivarium. The students took field trips to the zoo to take notes on what a habitat was and how they'd have to go about designing one for their butterflies. All of the literature that students read in the classroom was related to the work that they were doing. Students were investigators looking for the connections between their reading and the butterflies. There were measurements to be made and calculations to be figured out in the building of the vivarium. And when they were all done, they opened a butterfly museum for 2 weeks to teach other students in the school about the butterflies and all of the work that they had done. The students had become the experts and were using their gained knowledge to lead the tours for the other classes. This whole project required students to use all kinds of literacy skills and develop those skills in a way that was meaningful to them. They had a purpose for what they were doing.
I hope to teach in a school that will allow me to create such learning experiences for my students. I think that students learn best from doing. This project taught them math, science, social skills, reading, and writing skills. The students had a real audience and were active voice in the creation of the project and the direction that their learning went. Students thoughts and concerns were listened to and discussed with the whole class.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
A new time calls for new literacy's
"But in the current political environment of evidence based education, I continue to be concerned that rich findings such as these will be ignored not only by politicians but also by researchers and practitioners. If so, then America and America's adolescents will be worse for it," (Allington, 2007, p.288).
I chose to start this weeks blog with a quote from chapter 18, Effective Teachers, Effective Instruction. I chose this quote because I think it highlights a major issue educators are facing in today's world. Through many of our assigned readings we are shown examples of wonderful educators. The work that these individuals are able to accomplish with their students is incredible. However, it is not seen as successful because it goes against the predetermined, packaged programs that administrators have chosen for their schools to be using. These programs don't allow much room, if any, for changes or modifications. They don't provide opportunities for critical thinking, or experiential learning. In many ways these programs oppress our learning.
In Robert Moses' work, Algebra and Civil Rights?, he quotes Ella Baker. "In order for us as poor and oppressed people to become a part of a society that is meaningful, the system under which we now exist has to be radically changed," (p.3). What does this mean? What radical changes need to occur? Moses goes on to talk about the current job market. "Sixty percent of new jobs will require skills possessed by only 22 percent of the young people entering the job market now. These jobs require use of a computer and pay about 15 percent more than jobs that do not. And those jobs that do not are dwindling. Right now, the Department of Labor says, 70 percent of all jobs require technology literacy; by the year 2010 all jobs will require significant technical skills. And if that seems unimaginable, consider this: the Department of Labor says that 80 percent of those future jobs do not yet exist," (Moses, 2001, p.9). Here is a video created in 2008 that presents some of the same issues that Moses addressed in his article about the demands of technology.
How do Moses' discussion of the oppressed and effective teaching go together? It is a teacher's job to provide opportunities for students to learn. Of course this means that we need to create literate individuals. There is a large emphasis on reading and writing. Yet we are currently in a time where math and science literacy is greatly important. Moses has created a program called the Algebra Project. This project allows students to view mathematics and their own lives differently. Through hands-on learning, students are able to explore math in a new way. They are creatively solving problems, experiencing meaningful experiences, while having fun. This program provides all students with access to the math curriculum and students are grasping mathematics in ways they hadn't before.
If we know that learning mathematics and science needs to be done in a way that is meaningful and fun, wouldn't it be logical that learning ELA should also be presented in a way that is meaningful and fun? Chapter 15 in Adolescent Literacy discusses the importance of critical thinking. Students need to be presented with real life experiences that are meaningful to them. We need provide students with opportunities to think for themselves. We can't label students in static ways that limit their learning opportunities or don't present them with appropriate challenges. "School teaches you for how you are dumb, not for how you are smart . . . and schools teaches you how you are dumb, not how you are smart," (Wilhelm & Smith, 2007, p. 238). It is important to remember that our perceptions of our students can often be interpreted by the students. They can tell when we think they can't do something and when we don't challenge them they will stop trying at all.
Lastly, it is important to remember commonsense when it comes to writing. We have to think back on our own writing styles, preferences, practices, and procedures. We can't assume that all children will want to write about the same topics or have the same writing procedures. Some students can sit down and write a paper about any topic with little or no difficulty. Other students will struggle for long periods of time, barely getting anything written down. We need to give our students the tools that they will need for success. This means introducing them to different types of literature, styles of writing, and outlets for literacy. We need to provide our students with appropriate audiences and make their learning come to life. When we do this students will enjoy reading and writing more. "Mark immediately wanted to know how to write that acceptance letter in the correct format. Students are much more willing to revise and edit their work when it is for a real audience for a real reason," (Rief, 2007, p.192).
If we can provide educational experiences that are real for students in reading, writing, mathematics, and science, students will have a better chance of fitting into E.D. Hirsch's mold of a literate American.
I chose to start this weeks blog with a quote from chapter 18, Effective Teachers, Effective Instruction. I chose this quote because I think it highlights a major issue educators are facing in today's world. Through many of our assigned readings we are shown examples of wonderful educators. The work that these individuals are able to accomplish with their students is incredible. However, it is not seen as successful because it goes against the predetermined, packaged programs that administrators have chosen for their schools to be using. These programs don't allow much room, if any, for changes or modifications. They don't provide opportunities for critical thinking, or experiential learning. In many ways these programs oppress our learning.
In Robert Moses' work, Algebra and Civil Rights?, he quotes Ella Baker. "In order for us as poor and oppressed people to become a part of a society that is meaningful, the system under which we now exist has to be radically changed," (p.3). What does this mean? What radical changes need to occur? Moses goes on to talk about the current job market. "Sixty percent of new jobs will require skills possessed by only 22 percent of the young people entering the job market now. These jobs require use of a computer and pay about 15 percent more than jobs that do not. And those jobs that do not are dwindling. Right now, the Department of Labor says, 70 percent of all jobs require technology literacy; by the year 2010 all jobs will require significant technical skills. And if that seems unimaginable, consider this: the Department of Labor says that 80 percent of those future jobs do not yet exist," (Moses, 2001, p.9). Here is a video created in 2008 that presents some of the same issues that Moses addressed in his article about the demands of technology.
How do Moses' discussion of the oppressed and effective teaching go together? It is a teacher's job to provide opportunities for students to learn. Of course this means that we need to create literate individuals. There is a large emphasis on reading and writing. Yet we are currently in a time where math and science literacy is greatly important. Moses has created a program called the Algebra Project. This project allows students to view mathematics and their own lives differently. Through hands-on learning, students are able to explore math in a new way. They are creatively solving problems, experiencing meaningful experiences, while having fun. This program provides all students with access to the math curriculum and students are grasping mathematics in ways they hadn't before.
If we know that learning mathematics and science needs to be done in a way that is meaningful and fun, wouldn't it be logical that learning ELA should also be presented in a way that is meaningful and fun? Chapter 15 in Adolescent Literacy discusses the importance of critical thinking. Students need to be presented with real life experiences that are meaningful to them. We need provide students with opportunities to think for themselves. We can't label students in static ways that limit their learning opportunities or don't present them with appropriate challenges. "School teaches you for how you are dumb, not for how you are smart . . . and schools teaches you how you are dumb, not how you are smart," (Wilhelm & Smith, 2007, p. 238). It is important to remember that our perceptions of our students can often be interpreted by the students. They can tell when we think they can't do something and when we don't challenge them they will stop trying at all.
Lastly, it is important to remember commonsense when it comes to writing. We have to think back on our own writing styles, preferences, practices, and procedures. We can't assume that all children will want to write about the same topics or have the same writing procedures. Some students can sit down and write a paper about any topic with little or no difficulty. Other students will struggle for long periods of time, barely getting anything written down. We need to give our students the tools that they will need for success. This means introducing them to different types of literature, styles of writing, and outlets for literacy. We need to provide our students with appropriate audiences and make their learning come to life. When we do this students will enjoy reading and writing more. "Mark immediately wanted to know how to write that acceptance letter in the correct format. Students are much more willing to revise and edit their work when it is for a real audience for a real reason," (Rief, 2007, p.192).
If we can provide educational experiences that are real for students in reading, writing, mathematics, and science, students will have a better chance of fitting into E.D. Hirsch's mold of a literate American.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Literacy Issues and Gender Identity
"Sexist assumptions and practices, enforced by gender differences and gender expectations, shape the ways we think about our schools, our teachers, and our children in schools, and some of these assumptions need to change," (Maher, 2008, p. 272).
I chose to start my blog this week with the above quotation from Maher's article, Categories of Sex and Gender: Either/Or, Both/And, and Neither/Nor because I think it nicely ties together week 6's discussion of Video Games/Technology readings and this weeks discussion about gender issues in literacy.
For week 6 we were asked to break each article down into six words. I've decided to share my six words.
1. Fair Learning Opportunities Produce Fair Assessments
2. New Capitalism Impacts Equality in Schools
3. Video Games: Not Just Mind Numbing!
4. Digital Literacy: Future Success for Students
5. Technology impacts literacy positively for students.
The readings from last week pointed out video games in today's youth. "This game -- and this turned out to be true of video games more generally -- requires the player to learn and think in ways in which I am not adept. Suddenly all my baby-boomer ways of learning and thinking, for which I had heretofore received ample rewards, did not work," (Gee, 2003, p.1). Video games have more to offer than mindless dribble to children. As an educator, I find myself competing against technology to captivate my students attention. Perhaps it is time to incorporate these new literacies into our teaching.
"In my more cynical moments I have often envisioned culture and its influence on our construction of identities as a giant wave. Try as we might to resist, the wave is going to pick everyone up and carry us all along in the same direction. Swimming against it ends in exhaustion. The only choice is to swim with the wave and try to lang somewhere safe," (Williams, 2007, p.300).
Some of this weeks readings looked at the specific content that our students are interested in. Williams article, Boys may be boys, but do they have to read and write that way? she examined the boys and violence. "The underlying fear is that boys cannot distinguish between the violence in a story and the violence in real life, or that they are unable to process imaginative work but instead absorb it and are molded by it without thinking," (Williams, 2004, p.512). It is important that we allow our students to write about what interests them. By limiting our children's creativity and critiquing their interests we are stifling their desire to write. Along the same line, by not choosing pieces of literature that are intriguing to our students we are losing them in stories that don't connect with their lives. I recall reading many stories throughout my middle school and high school careers that were geared more towards the males. The protagonists of these stories were mostly men. Even though these pieces of work were interesting, I had trouble making connections between my life and the characters in the book. We need to promote reading and writing in our students by letting them channel both their interests and these new literacies in school. "The teachers who encourage writing without regard to subject matter are the ones who are able to see that boys are using literacy practices when they seek out websites about video games or argue over the plot of a movie or television program," (Williams, 2004, p.514).
To wrap up this blog I'm going to share the music video to Lady Gaga's "Born This Way".
I've included this video because of the article Categories of Sex and Gender: Either/Or, Both/And, and Neither/Nor. "To transgress the boundaries, valued so strongly by society, is to begin to undo violence and oppression and the regulation and control of those identities. These transgressions are a "step outside," and therefore an attack on the power held by those who conform and police identity boundaries," (Hill, 2000, p.31). I believe this video makes a great stand for gender identity and being okay in the skin you were born in.
Another video that supports the ideas in Hill's article is Michael Jackson's video, "Black and White." Gender, like many things in this world are not black any white. There are many gray areas that society does not seem to accept.
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