Today we discussed Chap. 1-2 "Teaching and Learning Language Arts" and emphasized the role of emotions in engaging student interest. After looking at the books, we also presented some of our favourites and heard some excellent "on the spot" ideas for using them in lessons. Well done.
For the blog this week, I'd like you to choose two ideas to write about, one paragraph each, or choose one idea to elaborate on. You can analyze the readings, extend the discussions, comment on the activity, bring in your personal experiences or relate any ideas to the topics covered in class. Feel free to comment on other people's postings as well.
For next week, please read Chap. 3 in our text and the handouts from the Raczinski & Padek text, Chap. 4, 5,& 6. Also, please bring them to class -- we will be using them over the next two weeks as we look at teaching strategies.
Hope you all enjoy the long weekend and the weather holds!
New Literacies:
ReplyDeleteAs literacy is now defined as multiple ways people use language, I cannot help but feel discouraged with the role technology has played in young students’ learning. I understand the importance of online research and the convenience of having knowledge at our fingertips, but I believe this method of learning does fail to promote quality learning that can be obtained through reading a journal article or text. Many students are quick to search the internet for an answer, but more than half of the information they find is incomplete or incorrect. One example I have involves a young individual who was enrolled in a grade 11 French course. My jaw literally dropped when I observed his method of learning French. He was conjugating verbs on a French-English website and at the same time, messaging a friend on facebook. First of all, he was being distracted, and as a result, he was not retaining any of the information. Secondly, the website did not provide the same quality information that one can learn by studying a book. Of course, technology is wonderful, however I believe there should be some limitations when it comes to children’s’ education.
ESL Education:
Since we live in a multi-cultural society, it is no surprise that our classrooms consist of a diverse range of cultures. I completed my practicum in a school where 40% of the students were ESL learners and had much to learn in this environment. Unfortunately, I was not trained in ESL instruction and had a lot of hurdles to overcome during my practicum. In one situation, I assigned the students a science quiz with complex terminology, not taking into consideration the amount of ESL learners I had in this classroom. Towards the end of my practicum, I made a conscious effort to focus on the ESL learners and to give them extra time to complete assignments or quizzes. After listening to our lecture on Tuesday, I would like to consider using the buddy system – pairing up a native speaker with a non-native speaker. I think this is a very good strategy which will help the ESL learners expand these skills. A buddy system will also enhance communication, partnerships as well as build trust among fellow students.
Community of Learners:
ReplyDeleteI think it is so important for children to feel like they are part of a larger community, which will enhance their educational experience. The textbook outlines the benefits of a classroom community including motivation to learn and actively participating in language arts activities. In my experience I have noticed that students are more willing to take risks with their learning when they feel they are in a safe environment, which stems from the strong sense of community. At the beginning of 401/402 the FAs in my module spent so much time and attention on building community within the module, so I have seen and experienced firsthand the benefits of belonging to a community. I was more willing to speak up and share my ideas when I felt the community I was part of would support me. The same is true for our students. This is why I plan to spend a lot of time in September in my 405 practicum building community in my classroom so all students will feel comfortable, will be motivated, and will participate in activities.
Teaching and Learning the New Literacies:
As discussed in class and in the textbook, the new literacies include rapid changes in technology and society. In order for teachers to be able to incorporate technology in the classroom I think it is so important that they learn about it themselves. The new generation of teachers that are entering the classrooms have grown up with computers and the internet, yet many experienced teachers are not comfortable using new technology. I believe professional development, especially regarding using technology in the classroom, is so important because education is changing and becoming more technological, and people need to stay current and informed. Literacy now involves “text talk” and so many abbreviations so the teachers’ job is getting more complex. The internet has so much information out there that teachers also need to explain what reliable sources are and help students use all this wonderful technology in the best way possible.
Listening:
ReplyDeleteI’m pleased to see that the Language Arts world has recognized the need for adding viewing and visually representing to their list of literacies. There’s no denying that we need to teach our students how to interpret the myriad images that bombard them everyday. However, for today’s purposes I am more taken with the listening Language Art. At first glance this seems to be the most basic and simple literacy but from what I’ve seen, people are struggling more and more to listen. I like the text’s distinction that listening is a “process of which hearing is only a part” (28). This statement strikes a chord for me because I find that many children really struggle with the spoken word. For example, if you want your students to follow directions you need to both speak and write them down. How many students do you know that can take notes from only the spoken word without a second thought? During my practicum in a 6/7 class I prioritized read-aloud for many reasons, one of which being the high number of my students who were reading at a grade 2 level. However, I soon realized that read-aloud time wasn’t going to be a passive period where my students relaxed into an enjoyment of listening to narration; they were at a loss for what to do. “But Mrs. Guenther, what can we do?” “Listen” would have been my preferred answer of disbelief except that I recognized that most of my students had never engaged in the act of listening before—just listening to a story. Not seeing pictures, not watching images flash across a screen, just listening. And so I am very interested in this literacy skill: how do we foster it, how do we learn it, how do we use it moment to moment and maybe most interestingly, how much easier does learning become if people cultivate their listening skills?
Various texts in the classroom library:
I have a lot of questions regarding the types of reading material you might offer to students in your classroom library. The text and Sue in Tuesday’s class suggest you have a wide variety of texts. This makes sense in many ways. Any given classroom is going to have students at varying reading abilities that can easily span a number of grade levels. Because of this your classroom library needs to cater to all those reading levels. An intermediate classroom is going to need novels ranging from Harry Potter or The Giver to Diary of the Wimpy Kid to graphic novels for the lowest readers. Various forms of reading materials are also understood to be beneficial because they expose the student to newspapers, novels, magazines, photo documentaries, comics, record books, encyclopaedias etc. However, where my hesitation comes in is the fact that you have easier and more difficult reading materials and some of your students who are capable of reading the harder texts opt for the easier—a graphic novel let’s say—for obvious reasons. Aside from making harsh rules about who can read what when, a teacher has a lot of work ahead of them to foster an environment where those big, picture-less chapter books will be opened by the less eager readers.
This week’s reading made it clear that quality language arts lessons reflect the developmental needs and interests of the students. If one of our goals as educators is to have students truly engage with the subject material and apply it to their own lives, then we must include materials that will do so. Text (in all forms) within a student’s Zone of Proximal Development allow for a student to succeed but also challenge them. Likewise, text that engages the students increases the odds that it will encourage a higher level of thinking and a thorough effort from the students. They have already “bought in” to the material, so they will be much more willing to work with it.
ReplyDeleteLikewise, it’s also important for language arts studies to engage with cultural and societal issues. Text that is relevant to a students’ context will validate their experiences and also encourage them to think critically about the world around them. Depending on the age of the students, subjects such as war, racism and homophobia can be explored through careful selection of language arts materials. IN the middle and upper years, many children are passionate and inquisitive and often develop hobbies and interests. Consequently, it is possible that language arts can be a driving force behind social change. We must therefore always teach with intent.
Teaching language arts:
ReplyDeleteI agree with the point that we need to create a love of learning. I think that as teachers, if we show excitement towards learning the fundamental skills of language arts then our students can only feed off of our energy and excitement for it. For example, I was working with a student that is very low in language arts and is on a modified program. Beginning to work with him I realized that he was not at all excited to work on reading and writing. As I showed excitement towards reading and the true meaning behind the text he eventually became excited about it. He no longer saw reading as just words but as hidden meanings. Furthermore, I believe that we should create a community of learners which results in students feeling comfortable and confident in the learning environment no matter what level their reading or writing abilities are at. If a community is formed each member helps one another learn and master skills. My school associate had worked on creating a classroom community and this truly helped many of my students succeed during language arts times as they each helped on another with class assignments. A great general resource that shares how to build community within the classroom is called “Tribes: A new way of learning and being together”.
Books in the classroom:
I found that being exposed to different types of children books reminded me of just how many types there are available today. I strongly believe that books can be used to teach multiple lessons across any grade you choose to use them in. In my practicum class, our whole language arts unit that continued throughout the year was based on teaching reading and writing using story books. One would assume that because I was in a grade six and seven class that we would be reading novels, but in fact we would sometimes use children books. In addition, I found that using picture books was another great way to foster creativity. Picture books truly allow students to use their predicting skills and imagination to make up the story for themselves. Due to my passion for using books during lessons I enjoyed each classmate’s idea on how they would use their favourite book in a lesson. Thanks for sharing everyone!
I really enjoyed the book activity we did this week and it really made me think about literacy in a different way. As a teacher, I often choose the book that we are going to read or do work on either because they are a personal favourite of mine, or because they have a good message, or because they are related to a theme or unit we are working on. This activity really made me think about choosing books from the student or child’s perspective rather then my own. When looking at the material presented, I tried to choose books because of their cool pictures or the element of fun they have, or their silliness, the same way the grade 1s from my practicum chose their books for silent reading. I often wondered why the kids all fought over particular books that I personally found boring, but after our discussion this week I really looked at the reasoning behind children’s choices in books and things that they look for in a good book. As a teacher, it is important to take this into consideration because the more interested a student is in a book, the more they will pay attention or want to do work on it. Likewise, having the option of fun or quirky books will get all children interested in reading as they can choose whatever appeals to them.
ReplyDeleteThis weeks readings offered both ideas I am already familiar with and practice in my classroom, as well as some new ideas or definitions to things I already try to implement. Something important that is focused in the readings, and was particularly important and relevant in my practicum classroom, is the use of culturally and socially diverse literature in the classroom. Over half my class were identified as English as a Second Language learners, and I had a huge diversity of not just different cultures or religions, but also a huge social gap between some of the students. Because of this, I tried to do a lot of language arts activities on diversity and exploring one another’s cultures through literature. The text raises the importance of this is in the modern classroom, and I first hand witnessed how important this is to do, especially to do it starting at as a young age as possible. to raise awareness and acceptance, but also to educate the students on the world around them and the friends and other children that they interact with on a daily basis.
Providing Options and building community:
ReplyDeleteI really loved the activity that we did in class where we had the opportunity to flip through and explore a variety of books with different types of artwork, tactile features, content, and levels. One thing that I find to be really important is providing students with options so that they have an avenue of self-discovery when it comes to literacy. I think it is important that we provide opportunities for them to play with and work with all types of literacy and all types of genre, but to balance this with letting them express their own voice in what they like/dislike about literature. I would implement the activity that we did in class to any age group. Have a number of books out and allow the students to spend time with them, examining them, looking through, looking at the words, the pictures etc. and deciding whether or not the might want to read the book. This can be done to foster interest before beginning literature circles, or it can help students to generate a reading list for times when they have the opportunity to read independently. The reading list is also an opportunity for conferencing with the student because the teacher can periodically have students read to him/her and they can revisit the reading list together to make sure subsequent books are within the student’s zone of proximal development. It gives the student a sense of autonomy in that he or she has choice, and also is a part of assessing his or her own achievements and progress.
To continue, I love the concept of conferencing that was mentioned in the text. I completed my 405 in a secondary school and I conferenced one-on-one with my students every week. It can be difficult when there are over 120 students but it is extremely valuable for both building relationships and assessment purposes. Another thing that we did, and I believe this could transfer to any age level, was silent reading speed book dating. How it worked was we would have the students create two rows of chairs so they were basically knee-to-knee facing a partner and they would have their silent reading book with them. We would make it fun and create names for each row and one row would tell their partner about the book they were reading. Each partner would speak for about one minute (unless conversation was thriving) and then the other row would go, then we would rotate partners. We did this sequence about three times and then moved on to the rest of our lesson for the period. The only rule was don’t give away the ending. This provided opportunities to implement many reading/discussion tactics. We would often generated a list of questions one could address if they got “stuck” and leave it on the board so they didn’t run out of things to say. After, we would debrief and I would ask one student to tell me about his/her partner’s book, taking note throughout the process about who spoke to whom, and whether or not he/she wanted to read the book in the future. This is also an active listening exercise because students really need to be engaged with their partner as it often gets loud – but it works. We even did a school wide session in the school library that went across all ages and levels, which is why I think, maybe with some time adjustments, it can work at any age and gets students talking about books.
“Reading is a really important aspect of education and of life in general. I think that having a variety of reading materials in the classrooms will help when they are learning to read and will keep them engaged in reading if the find a topic that they truly enjoy. I think that it is also important to have several different ways around the classroom for children to work on their reading skills, like having books, as well as computers and possibly even a kindle or two. This way the children can try everything out and find a method that works best for them. I also really liked the book that was brought to class that let you make up your own sentences and then it replayed the sentence so the child could hear it instead of just seeing it.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed getting into some of the books that we were presented with in class. There were some books which I have not read since I was a kid and some which I may not have ever come across. Although I am focused on the primary grades it was neat to see the kinds of books that intermediate kids read. Through my elementary and high school years I was more focused on sports and running around outside with the other kids in my neighbourhood and I really feel like I didn’t do much reading. Now, I’ve been catching up on a lot of series that I missed out on years ago and I also enjoy hanging out in the kids section in the library every once in a while to read the books that are on display. I think it’s cool that for pretty much any subject, or topic that we teach we will be able to find a book that relates and (hopefully) gets the children interested in learning more about the material.”
Cultural implications for teaching Language Arts: The text book identified four common cultural behaviors that differ from the mainstream. I feel that as educators in a multicultural society, we have to be sensitive and take into account cultural differences in today’s classroom especially on assessing students on their class participation. I come from a culture whereby students in a classroom “should be seen and not heard, obey and not question”. When I was growing up, speaking up in class and discussing questions with a teacher were never to be thought of. Moreover, as a student, I had a constant fear of making mistakes and therefore resulted in my unwillingness to take risks. In fact, when I arrived in Canada to do my undergraduate studies, I had a hard time adjusting to the Canadian culture. I often struggled with the ‘participation’ portion classroom discussions, especially when many professors take into account ‘participation’ as part of the overall grade. From my personal experience, I feel that as educators in a multicultural society, we have to be sensitive and take into account cultural differences in today’s classroom especially on assessing students on their participation in class activities.
ReplyDeleteCommunity of learning: To be successful in creating and motivating learning, a strong community (sense of belonging) must and should be built in the class. Only then would students be willing to openly share their ideas and viewpoints, to enable optimal learning. In my first practicum, there was a new student (student A) from a different country who attended school (mid semester). By then, many students in the class had already fostered friendships and trust amongst themselves. As the ‘new kid on the block’, student A struggled with speaking out in class and participating in in-class discussions. Although he could speak English (but with a different accent), he would not participate in any in-class discussions. I soon realized that it was because he was afraid of being laughed at by his fellow classmates. I think as educators, we need to consider the needs of such students – to foster trust within the classroom community.
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the book activity that we did this week. I was nice to be able to take the time to really look at the books from the children's perspective, being able to compare and contrast was an insightful activity. This made it easier for me to discern which books I would use in a classroom and how to incorporate them rather than just picking a specific book that I was familiar with. Being able to think about why we chose an individual book from our list of 15-20 and having to explain how we would use it in the classroom was reflective. Hearing other explanations gave me lots of great ideas that I had not thought of. The use of picture books is a great tool for learning at any age/level. They allow children to be creative and express thoughts and emotions if the books are used to create discussion or stimulate journal writing. In my 401/402 practicum my SA was a strong supporter of reading to students, even though the students were in Grade 4 they absolutely loved picture books. It was an interesting way to get the kids engaged and comfortable with the topic that was being talked about. My SA used it for emotional learning and relationship problems between students, it worked! I think that it is a disservice to students to think that they are being exposed to different types of books at home and just allowing them to continually pick a certain type of book. Creating a classroom library that will let students really explore and take risks with new texts is important, hopefully this will foster a lifelong love of reading!
ReplyDeleteA question that I had from class was about the book 'Once upon a time' by Reuben Martinez. Do you think that having English on one side and Spanish on the other is beneficial to E.S.L. learners or does it cause confusion (with sentence structure)?
Courtney wrote:
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree it is important that teachers incorporate new technologies in their classroom in order to allow students to demonstrate their understandings in a variety of ways. During my short practicum in a grade 1 classroom the students used Apple Mac laptops on regular basis. The teacher incorporated a variety of programs in order to enhance their learning experience. These students were always excited to use the computers and seemed to know how to use them. I was so impressed with how well they were able to navigate their way through the teachers instruction with very little assistance. I feel the regular use of these computers at an early age will strongly benefit the students academic performance in later grades. They probably know way more than I do and I am 20 years older. This is why it is important that teachers familiarize themselves with up to date technologies. I have next to none experience using a Mac computer and I have also never used a Smart Board. I feel it is my responsibility to explore teaching strategies on the use of these technologies in order to create a fun, interactive learning environment for my future students.
New Technologies:
ReplyDeleteI find the discussion of new technologies changing the face of language arts to be very interesting. I have been hearing people talk about how the internet and its new cyber language is ruining formal English and that children don’t know how to spell anymore. On the one hand, I strongly agree that children need to be taught the basics of phonics and grammar to enhance their ability to communicate effectively. On the other hand, I also think that this change in English is not necessarily a negative thing, it is just simply a change and no one ever likes change. Language has been evolving since it began and it is only sensible that it would evolve so much faster now that the internet itself is evolving everything we are familiar with at such a rapid rate. If formal languages taught in school had never evolved we would all be writing in Middle English or Latin. Having said that I do not know the place of this developing cyber language in schools but I most definitely think that it is only exacerbating the problem if teachers ignore it all together.
The text mentioned that Language Arts can be used to teach children when it is appropriate to use certain tones in their writing or speech such as the different kinds of tones one might use in in-class assignments, letters, diary entries, cover-letters etc. Perhaps the new cyber language has a place in these kinds of discussions in the classroom. Though the proper etiquette for using this language is still being worked out, teachers could attempt to bring cyber language into the their plans for discussing different types of communication tones and when it is appropriate to use one versus the other. Or they can integrate cyber language into any subject. For instance, teachers could incorporate emails, blogging etc into virtually any subject to give students a chance to learn and practice cyber language skills that have become essential in both professional and private lives of all individuals.
WHAT ARE THE LANGUAGE ARTS?
ReplyDeleteListening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, and visually representing”
The above question and statement were the opening slide for last Tuesday’s lesson. If you had asked me at the beginning of last September for my definition of language arts, it probably would have been simply “reading, writing, and speaking”, and it definitely would not have included “visually representing”. However, as I worked my way through my practicums, I found using art/drawing in language arts, and other subjects, to be a powerful tool.
During my 401/402 semester my school associate (SA) included drawing in many of her language arts lessons. I think initially it seemed to me like simply a chance to break up the lesson with something that the kids enjoyed, and that it wasn’t really adding anything formative to the lessons. I know as a parent of 16 and 13 year old boys, whenever they would bring home language arts assignments with drawing included, it seemed to me as simply an opportunity to add art into the curriculum, not an extension of language arts. However, one day my SA was showing me some artwork that the students had done as part of a prediction for a novel that they were reading together. Some of the kids had done some amazing artwork, but one student’s work really struck me. This student had a learning disability and really struggled to get across her thoughts in writing. However, this opportunity to show her thoughts in a picture really allowed her to express herself, and to feel good about the activity, and it showed me that using drawing is a great way for kids to “show what they know”.
Picture Books
When I arrived at SFU last fall all the modules gathered together in one of those gigantic lecture halls to be welcomed by the program directors and coordinators. A number of people spoke but there was one presentation that really made an impact on me. The acting PDP director got up to speak, and the heart of his presentation was the reading of a picture book. To be honest, I don’t remember the entire story (it was about a student who didn’t fit in but a special teacher in his life made a huge difference), but I do remember my initial surprise that this person was going to read a picture book to this group of adults. I also remember the emotional message and the feeling of engagement that swept over the whole room (I can’t recall what any of the other speakers talked about). I took this message with me into my practicum (where I taught grade 6/7 students) and used picture books in lessons varying from language arts, to social studies, to math and to art. This worked wonderfully well as the students absolutely loved being read picture books (and obviously other books as well). The range of topics was amazing, and if I can give one piece of advice to any students still to do their 405, make friends with your school librarian. They are an incredible resource.
In chapter one, the authors note that the emergence of new forms of literacy has led to an increased use of technologies such as web-reference tools, visual media and the internet in the classroom. During my practicum in a grade 6/7 split class, I too, observed that the students’ main resource for information was the internet. For instance, during a social studies project, only about a handful of students went to the library to sign out books; while the remaining students immediately began their research in the computer lab. Both groups of students found useful information for their projects from separate forms of media; however, when I collected their notes I discovered that many of them had copied complete sentences from the web pages. It soon became clear that some of the students were completely unaware of how to take notes properly, as well as the consequences of plagiarism.
ReplyDeleteAlthough today’s generation of young learners may know how to use various technologies better than some their teachers; they may not know how to use them properly. Now that the internet is the main resource for information, it would be beneficial for educators to spend time teaching elementary students how to use the internet for project research. Students should be informed of how to critically view websites, as well as how to take notes from web pages. It is very simple for a student to highlight a section, and then copy and paste it as their own; therefore, at a young age they should be taught about plagiarism and its consequences as well.Note-taking is an essential skill that students should be taught. Students benefit from taking and submitting notes on their research (even if it is all done on the computer) because this allows them to translate what they have read into their own words. From these notes they can then construct paragraphs that are based solely on their own thinking processes. As well, it allows the teacher to collect it, and assess to make sure that the students are on the right track in their research.
Book Activity:
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the book activity we did in class. I loved being able to look at different genres and types of books, while also thinking about how I could incorporate these books into a classroom. Also, it was valuable to think about the use of picture books in an intermediate classroom to encourage creative writing or for emphasizing a particular theme. Literacy is an important part of education, as the ability to read and write will affect the rest of one's academic years. Books that may seem too young for a student may in fact allow them to become interested in reading because the style of book may fall within the student's reading level and interests. Keeping a wide variety of books in the classroom allows for students to explore the types of books so they may discover some books they like to read, this is especially important for reluctant readers.
Technology:
During class we discussed the loss of proper grammar and spelling due to the use of new technologies like texting and instant messaging. Technology is a valuable tool for teachers and students. Computers and the internet allow for access to the entire world! I believe technology has its place in the classroom as a teaching tool. Also, and the advancement of technology is unavoidable! I also believe that technologies are not an appropriate substitution for learning how to spell and write properly. Word processing programs such as Word can only catch words that are spelled incorrectly, and some grammatical errors such as fragmented sentences. The spell check in Word is not designed to catch words that are used incorrectly, such as there, their, and they're. If students are not able to proof read their work and find grammatical and spelling errors, they will not be able to successfully write, especially at an academic level. By teaching these skills, before allowing reliance on technology, we can ensure that students have the base skills that will allow them to use technology as a tool rather than a crutch.
Literature and Creative Lesson Plans
ReplyDeleteLiterature is essential in the academic development of any child. Teachers can use a particular book to introduce any topic in the classroom and incorporate creative strategies relating it to any curricular subject. For instance, during my 401/2 practicum I had the opportunity to teach a South American Unit to my grade 3 class. I started one of my lessons on the Amazon Rainforest with a soundscape activity in which students were asked to lay down on the floor, close their eyes and simply listen to the soothing sounds. Some students completely absorbed the feeling of this experience and shared it with the entire class. I believe that listening is an ability that students should always optimize and use as a skill for in-depth learning. Therefore, it is our job, as educators, to provide opportunities for learning through listening in which students are able to see the benefits of it. After this activity, I used literature in getting to know the Amazon rainforest by reading them a book called “The Umbrella” by Jan Brett. We discussed different aspects of the story, commented on all the lively illustrations and even got to taste some delicious figs, which happened to be one of the fruits mentioned in the story. Those students who were highly visual got a definite idea of what the Amazon looks like through all the beautiful and colourful illustrations presented in the book. I then incorporated writing where the students were responsible for describing their favourite part of the book. In the following lesson, I used the projector to show all the different kinds of animals that are found in the South American rainforest followed by a class discussion describing our thoughts and feelings. It was exciting to discover how much the entire class was able to connect those images with what they had previously learned from the book. Everyone was interested and amazed by the diversity of different-looking animals. Our final task was to create a mural of the rainforest which displayed all the animals and plants that originate from this area of the world. By taking into consideration understanding and applying all the different learning styles, we as teachers and students can understand and relate better to information that might seem foreign to us.
Collaborative Exploration
ReplyDeleteNoting a shift in language arts instruction to better reflect the oral, visual, and written communication needs of life in the twenty-first century, the text outlines a set of qualities that best characterize competent language users. These traits include personal expression, aesthetic appreciation, collaborative exploration, strategic language use, creative communication, reflective interpretation, and thoughtful application. Collaborative exploration is a component of learning that is very exciting to me. As a teacher, I believe that promoting a community of learners in which students are encouraged to discuss ideas and take risks is essential for supporting the various needs of individuals in the classroom. Encouraging group exploration allows students to discover and develop their aptitude for using language as a learning tool. Furthermore, promoting collaborative exploration facilitates cognitive development through social interaction as highlighted by Lev Vygotsky’s social learning theory.
Motivation for Learning
In discussing motivation for learning language arts in the classroom, the text cites student choice, class discussion, and “authentic” activities as ideas for stimulating inspiration. During the first phase of my 401/02 practicum I had the opportunity to lead two lessons in language arts that my Faculty Advisor had designed. One lesson was based on a story from a language arts textbook that had been published in the early 1990s. This particular story was set in the American southwest and was based on the old saying; “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” The second lesson was based on a news article about the existing revolutions in Egypt. While the first story was a “high quality” piece of literature and was quite interesting, the students were much more engaged in the second lesson. After reading the news article as a class the students directed a class discussion on the topic, in which students shared their views and debated the issues surrounding democracy in Egypt. As a student teacher I was astonished to observe the level of engagement in the classroom. This experience gave me a great appreciation for the influence of relevance on the motivation of students.
ESL learners in the English language classroom and the importance of literature to model and teach "correct" English:
ReplyDeleteI was interested by the various ideas on meeting the needs of ESL learners in the readings and example books. In April, a teacher friend and I discussed her concerns for the 2 year-old daughter of our friends, who want to only speak Chinese in their home so their daughter learns Chinese, as several immigrant families we know found their children stopped speaking the “first” language once the oldest child started school, and lost the first language. One concern was the how she would develop sufficient English vocabulary, but I wondered if the parent’s broken English would really be helpful. Then I spent a week reading to another friend’s pre-school children, realizing how we learn so many of the conventions in the English language from literature, for example, that a siren “wails”. Still thinking of this, I asked how two ESL students in another teacher’s class were doing (where I volunteer), and found that though they are strong writers, they show problems with tenses and articles. I wonder if this is because their first language doesn’t have tenses and articles the way English does.
These experiences show me the importance of reading to children to help them hear correct English grammar, complete sentences, and to help them learn the idiosyncrasies of the language and increase their vocabulary. Thus, for students in a non-English speaking home, it seems that having English picture books with the audio version to listen to would be ideal. However, this still requires that they know some vocabulary for grammar awareness and new vocabulary to build on, so simple “vocabulary” picture books – with pictures of basic items labeled, might be a good starting point.
I am intrigued by the finding that most children perform better in developing literacy in a (second) language once they have firm grasp of literacy in another. How will this affect the ESL students in the Kindergarten or primary classes I hope to teach? These students will not likely have much reading or writing skills in their first language, but I will be trying to teach them to read and write in a language they have little familiarity with. In this case, having students write in their language will not be a possibility, and the dual language books won’t serve them either. (However, I do like the dual language books as a way to welcome ESL parent participation). I hope to find out more about how to integrate ESL students in the English speaking classroom, and I expect it will be a topic of greater research in the future.
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ReplyDeleteSupporting and Valuing Students’ First Language and Culture:
ReplyDeleteAlthough using of Environmental Print in the Students’ First Language is a very neat idea where students can identify themselves with the popular names and an items that have their cultural bearing to it and would also certainly help reinforce their cultural mingling but the question is – Is this being incorporated in schools or classrooms to the full extent or is it at its infancy? The idea of environmental print supports celebrating multicultural diversity in ways that make students of different cultures get a feeling of comfort and acceptance. As far as my volunteer and 401/402 practicum experience is concerned, may be not very intensive, I have yet to see this being fully implemented in schools. There is a lot of hype and talk about multiculturalism but what still is happening at the school level is still debatable. The idea that bulletin boards, titles and captions in posters must be translated in students’ first language is still to be enacted upon fully. There are multicultural days or week being celebrated in schools but the fact that these posters or captions in students’ first language stay on the walls of the school or the classroom for full year is, as far as I know, not being put into practice. But on the other hand, I have noticed in some of the classroom libraries of language affiliated private schools is incorporation of books, magazines, and other reading materials, in students’ first language. I believe that if the idea of environmental print and including books in students’ first language is encouraged or practiced in every school, then supporting and valuing students’ first language will make more sense plus multiculturalism will be fully celebrated.
I believe that for children to learn, it is necessary to incorporate a social component in the instructional activities of teachers. It is necessary for teachers to respect students’ language and enforce discussions on cultural and social matters so that students appreciate the cultural differences and understand social issues deeply. It becomes imperative for teachers of culturally and linguistically diverse students, for instance, teachers in Vancouver, to implement programs that are reflective of students’ background and needs. The effective methods used by teachers can provide an opportunity to enhance and enrich the learning of all the students. This I can say with no iota of doubt because hailing from a different county, facing problems in the beginning and then the acts of acceptance, the warmth, the oneness – these are all a mix of experiences and feelings that I went through after coming to this country. Personally, I feel that as I prepare myself to be a teacher, I will certainly see to it that any gaps that I could fill to fulfill the needs of all the culturally diverse students.
Book Activity:
I really enjoyed the activity that we did in class. It helped me to discover different genres and forms of books that I could use into a classroom for different grade levels. Also, I believe that it is important to let students explore through a variety of books as it will help them examine (look through the print, illustrations, etc.) the books and decide whether or not they might want to read the book. I would implement this activity in a classroom for two reasons. Firstly, it will help students to understand the importance of being able to read and write and secondly to try to generate interest in reluctant readers.
Sonja wrote:
ReplyDeleteWhile the readings for today were all very interesting, I want to comment on two of the ideas put forth by the third chapter.
I fully agree with the statement from the text book that “Children aren’t readied for reading and writing in kindergarten”. The theory of “emergent literacy” makes complete sense. Children do not spend the first five years of their lives totally unexposed to any sort of printed word. Real-life prepares children for kindergarten. I have only met a handful of children who, by age five, could not read any words, nor print their own name (spelled phonetically or correctly). Before beginning PDP, I had spent two years fully immersed in an out-of-school program. I was responsible for approximately 7-8 kindergartners during the day before the older students got out of class. I recall most of the kids being “word crazy” five-year olds who loved to sound-out words, identify symbols for words (such as the example of “McDonald’s” from the text). They loved to play with printing and reading. Their favourite activity that they used to do was play “restaurant” (I was a frequent patron). They would create the menus by making booklets and writing the different foods and drinks the restaurant would serve, accompanying each word with a picture. They would take my order by writing in little flip notebooks that I was easily able to buy at a dollar store for next to nothing. They would then take my order back to the “head chef”. The chef would then sound out the order and tell the kitchen staff what to make me (it wasn’t always what I ordered, but it all tasted great). It was a game that had evolved out of their love for playing pretend and it was so much fun to be an active participant in their phonetic game. It is definitely something I will encourage with my class one day.
One teacher, who has really incorporated this idea in the best way possible, teaches kindergarten at an elementary school in my hometown. She has been a teacher of the same class for 21 years (she would have been my teacher if I had gone to that school) and is one of the best teachers anywhere. She plans her lesson themes around the hypothetical concept of a trip to somewhere in the world. She will base all of her lessons (math, LA, Science, etc) around the country that they will be taking a trip to. For instance, one year she chose Australia. Every hour of every day for one term was spent investigating Australia. They learned about aboriginal art, studied the climate of the country, and even learned how to cook/bake authentic Australian dishes (vegemite anyone?). At the end of the term, the class built an airplane out of cardboard boxes. On the last day, they would go on their “trip” to Australia. Every student was assigned a job or task. There were a couple of pilots (who created a flight path on a map), flight attendants (who took food orders), ticket-takers, travel-agents (who made the tickets), and of course, passengers. They spent the day flying to and from Australia, visiting the country, and showing their parents their projects that they had been working on over the past couple of months (the parents of course, did not come to Australia, but were waiting in the arrivals section of the airport when they tired travellers returned). My case in point is that this teacher makes every school day an exciting one. The children absolutely love the fact that they are reading and writing about this country so much, that they forget that they are continuing their foray into reading and writing. Parents clamour to get their kids into her class. Why? Because their love of reading and writing and spelling is instilled in kindergarten, and continues onward through higher grades.
New Literacies
ReplyDeleteI think that the concept of new literacies is very interesting. Initially when I thought of it, I envisioned how intermediate and secondary students use technology to support communication, either by surfing the internet, text messaging or word processing, and I could instantly recall how my typing and communication skills were enhanced by the practice I had chatting in MSN Messenger. However, in my practicum last January where I was in a kindergarten / grade 1 split class, new literacies had a different role. In kindergarten and grade 1, students are beginning to develop skills in phonological awareness and the understanding that letters or symbols represent units of sound. Because of this, the role of new literacies is minimal in primary classrooms, as students are not engaging in computers to communicate information, but rather for enjoyment; during weekly computer class, the programs used by students tended to be “painting” activities. If they did choose to visit a permitted website, it was a language arts website in which students were instructed by the website to follow various steps to create something digitally, or were read to. However, the lab was not equipped with headphones, students had to turn off the volume, and ultimately just ended clicking on the screen without knowing what they were doing. Had their been headphones for the students, their engagement in new literacies would have helped developed their reading and computer skills. Therefore, because primary students are learning the most basic literacy skills in kindergarten and grade 1, new literacies has very little purpose in their classroom.
New Literacy Skills
Our textbook discusses a study conducted by Henry in which two grade 6 students were studying a Navy battle that occurred in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. The students typed in “Second World War” into the search bar and struggle to find appropriate information because 6 million pages turned up. Henry argues that the students were unable to locate the information that they needed because they do not have the new literacy skills “required to sift through huge amounts of information” (p.19). I disagree with Henry’s statement; the students do not lack new literacy skills, rather, they lack guidance and instruction from their teacher. Had their teacher told them that when searching for something specific online, you need to type in the specific name in the search bar, the students’ search would have yielder far fewer results. This example if not an issue of poor new literacy skills, but of inadequate instruction from the teacher.
CRITICAL LITERACY
ReplyDeleteIt is good to see critical literacy discussed in this text. As the authors note, literacy should go “beyond the informative what of language to its how, why and so what?” p14 This would be a great thing to be able to teach children but would require great sensitivity as some children may not be ready for such critical encounters. During 405, as part of a socials unit, my Gr. 6/7 students were critiquing various industries that exploit children (taught by another teacher in a platooning arrangement). As part of the content, the students were shown a video of dangerous work conditions in the cocoa industry and one student became quite upset which in turn caused concern for the parents. I don’t know if it’s possible to encourage critical thinking without creating some discomfort or controversy. In this case, it may have helped if all the parents were informed about the subject matter before hand.
It do believe, however, that as teachers it is our responsibility to enable students to become critically aware of social issues. This can be done through reading about diverse cultures, for instance, as suggested on p 59. Reading critically about Japanese internment in Joy Kagawa’s Obasan gives students “non-mainstream perspectives about historical events” which will help them “challenge traditional assumptions about the history of Canada.”
The writing process:
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of Chapter 2 there is a vignette about a classroom teacher who greatly values the time and energy spent on thinking about ideas before starting to write about a topic. She tells us that when a student is struggling to think of ideas she partners this student with a student who has no problem thinking of ideas so that the struggling student will have a peer model to show him/her how to carry out this process. I think that this is a fantastic solution to this problem as it incorporates Vygotsky's Sociocultural View of learning. The strong peer scaffolds the struggling peer so that the struggling peer can learn at a higher level than they could if they were working alone. After working with a partner through this process of thinking of ideas for writing the struggling peer will be able to remember the process the next time he/she is expected to complete the task of coming up with ideas on his/her own. I also like the emphasis that the teacher put on the idea generating process for writing because I think it is a step that even I as a University student should take more time to do. When more ideas are thought about before starting to write the writer has the advantage of being able to choose an idea/ideas that are most interesting to them and that are well thought out. When the ideas for the topic are well thought out and interesting the writer will have an easier time of elaborating on these ideas when it comes to writing and will be more motivated to discuss their ideas because they are interested in them. This will lead to quality writing.
LA are useful:
I like the idea in the text of teaching Language Arts in the context of real life. When I was in Elementary School I remember dreading Language Arts class because to me Language Arts meant endless worksheets filled with Grammar problems to fix. I felt like Language Arts was something that was confusing, strenuous, and boring. I did not realize that I was using the Language Arts in all areas of my life and that I was doing well in most of those areas. It makes me very excited to be able to say that I now see Language Arts as something that my students live and something that they can use to help them live and learn in more meaningful and enriched ways. If Language Arts is taught in the context of student's daily lives then students will be intrinsically motivated to learn them so that they can use them to find out about the things that they are interested in and so that they can create pieces of work that they will be proud to share with others.