I would have to say that after doing this week's readings and participating in the class discussions, I found out a little more about my own reading comprehension processes and strategies. In the past, I have had a tendency to fall into the pattern of being a Literalist, as defined by Applegate et. al., because my language arts instruction in middle school and high school was based on the assumption that all of the answers to the questions posed can be found in the text. Furthermore, many of my classes in high school were focused on written criticism of text we had recently read, so I was also taught that if I couldn't find the answer to a question posed by my teacher in the text itself, then the answer would be available in a critique of the story. I don't think this is necessarily a bad approach to literature, but it is if it's used exclusively. For example, I think it's a good idea to have students look for facts within literature, but I also think it's a good idea for teachers to encourage students to look for their own interpretations as well. By doing this, teachers would show students the vivacity of the written word and that there is more than one interpretation to the story.
I also connected my comprehension style with what Miller characterized, making connections to the text. I find that as I read, I will make connections from the text to something that happened in my own personal life or something that I have seen on the news or read about before. I know Erin mentioned that she does this as well, and almost automatically as she is reading. I just find it easier to relate to a piece of literature or a text if I can make these connections, because by doing this, the text becomes more relevant and meaningful to me.
In the field, my teacher teaches comprehension processes through a variety of activities and modeling during reading workshop time. During this time, the students gather on the carpet area while the teacher reads a text. Each week, or every two weeks, the teacher focuses on a certain area of comprehension or a way to analyze a story and he models it with his class. For example, as he was reading Mr. Lincoln's Way, with his class, they were focused on making inferences and predictions, so every once in a while, he would stop in the story and say "Hmmm, I know that Mr. Lincoln is doing this, so I need to think that he is feeling that," or "Well Mr. Lincoln just did this, so I wonder how his student will react." This is a form of guided modeling that the teacher is showing his students. He frequently goes into much more detail than I listed above, but it's more meaningful within the context of the story. Neufeld sited the importance of this type of modeling. He discussed that by modeling thinking processes to students, they can come to internalize the thought process and develop their own successful comprehension strategies. I agree with Neufeld's ideas, and I would strive to model thinking strategies during my upcoming language arts lesson, and in my future classroom as well.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Entertainment or Learning Tool?
I find it encouraging that the three of you do feel fairly comfortable in the world of technology. I wonder if you feel as comfortable using it purposefully in a teaching/learning objective? I, myself, have to continue to force myself to bring these technologies into my own teaching repertoire. The new literacies assignment and my own creation of our class wiki are an example of exactly this. I find it interesting to consider the entertainment/learning issue with technology. It reminds me of television... Too much TV isn't educative, but TV can and should be used to inform. Is the same thing true with the Internet and other technologies available. Is too much of a good thing negative? How can we purposefully create units or assignments or performance assessments that allow our students to use and display their technological knowledge/skill? Do you also wonder about the inequities in technology availability? When I worked in DC I was part of a group that worked on something called the "E-Rate" which provided high-speed internet to ALL schools... is this something we should, as teachers, be advocates for? Can we bring technology to our students if it isn't in our schools?
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Digital Literacy-Christina
After taking the Digital Natives Quiz I have come to the conclusion that I am a digital immigrant, as truly could not answer what more than half of the literacies were. Yes, I do use a variety of digital programs like Facebook, MySpace, wikis, etc from time to time, however I very rarely use these type of sites for learning. Rather, I use them more for enjoyment and entertainment value.
Although I may be an "immigrant," I definitely feel that I am definitely at the emergent stage of learning. I feel this way, because according to Tompkins, she classifies emergent as showing interest, using sites with predictable patterns, making connections from technology to myself, and I know about 5-10 types of digital programs. I definitely have shown an interest in digital programs, as I use networking sites like Facebook, and I have also used sites like googledocs to work on group projects. While I have used a couple of different programs, I tend to stick toward the networking sites, like Facebook and MySpace, as I feel they are more entertaining to me. I have also gone ahead and made connections to the technologies, as I have seen many of these different technologies used in classrooms, by peers, etc. Finally, I have discovered and played around with at least 5-10 literacies, much like young children's use of high-frequency words.
All in all, I do not believe I am the most undigital person there is out there, but I definitely need help toward becoming a Native. While this may seem somewhat scary, it will be imperative that I keep up on technologies, as my students will, and thus they will want to learn in new ways.
Although I may be an "immigrant," I definitely feel that I am definitely at the emergent stage of learning. I feel this way, because according to Tompkins, she classifies emergent as showing interest, using sites with predictable patterns, making connections from technology to myself, and I know about 5-10 types of digital programs. I definitely have shown an interest in digital programs, as I use networking sites like Facebook, and I have also used sites like googledocs to work on group projects. While I have used a couple of different programs, I tend to stick toward the networking sites, like Facebook and MySpace, as I feel they are more entertaining to me. I have also gone ahead and made connections to the technologies, as I have seen many of these different technologies used in classrooms, by peers, etc. Finally, I have discovered and played around with at least 5-10 literacies, much like young children's use of high-frequency words.
All in all, I do not believe I am the most undigital person there is out there, but I definitely need help toward becoming a Native. While this may seem somewhat scary, it will be imperative that I keep up on technologies, as my students will, and thus they will want to learn in new ways.
Digital Literacy Level
After thinking about my level of digital literacy for a while and reflecting about the article regarding digital literacy online, I would have to say I am a digital immigrant in the process of applying for "digital citizenship." I say this, because I feel as though I am comfortable with many different types of technologies such as Facebook, e-mail, Microsoft Office programs, and texting. At the same time, I think that my knowledge of other areas of technologies such as blogs, wikis, and website design is developing, but, after looking at the options for our New Literacies Project, I realize that there are many other types of technologies that I have yet to discover and master. So, there are some types of technology where I feel comfortable, and others I feel completely incompetent. I also thought it was interesting that Culligan's online article makes reference to the fact that my generation, since we have been exposed to Nintendo games, are technologically proficient. I think that some video games may help hand-eye coordination when using "computer-screen-like" technology, but with others games, such as "Call of Duty," I fail to see the technological connections. I think it's a huge leap to connecting mastery of video games to mastery of technology in general.
To answer the second part of the blog prompt, I do see definite connections between emerging technological literacy and basic literacy for children. Tompkins discusses the three stages of literacy learning. The first stage is emergent, then beginning, and finally fluent. In the emergent stage, however, Tompkins mentions that students learn many different concepts of print and the alphabetic principle to move them toward beginning literacy. Similarly, there are concepts of technology and alphabetic principles, such as keyboarding skills, that students of technology must learn before they move onto the beginning stage.
Therefore, the emergent stage of basic literacy and digital literacy includes the basic understandings of communication and technology. On page 91 of Tompkins, there is a list of traits that characterize all of the three levels of literacy learning. The emergent stage includes aspects such as noticing, showing interest, and pretending to read, or in the digital literacy this would mean pretending to use a computer or technological device. For this reason, I think that I would be past the basic emergent stage of digital literacy, because I do possess a functional level of technology. This would place me into the beginning level of digital literacy. The beginning stage is characterized by ideas of being able to identify basic concepts, applying prior knowledge, and decoding. I do hope one day to be in the fluent stage of my digital literacy, but I think there is one major challenge to this goal. With book and language literacy, there are some variations, but words, letters, and sounds generally remain constant. With technology, on the other hand, one can never be completely proficient, because there are always new programs or ideas on the horizon that need to be mastered. Therefore, digital literacy is more of a lifelong process to acquiring even a basic temporary level of fluency, because one must continually be aware of new updates to digital systems.
To answer the second part of the blog prompt, I do see definite connections between emerging technological literacy and basic literacy for children. Tompkins discusses the three stages of literacy learning. The first stage is emergent, then beginning, and finally fluent. In the emergent stage, however, Tompkins mentions that students learn many different concepts of print and the alphabetic principle to move them toward beginning literacy. Similarly, there are concepts of technology and alphabetic principles, such as keyboarding skills, that students of technology must learn before they move onto the beginning stage.
Therefore, the emergent stage of basic literacy and digital literacy includes the basic understandings of communication and technology. On page 91 of Tompkins, there is a list of traits that characterize all of the three levels of literacy learning. The emergent stage includes aspects such as noticing, showing interest, and pretending to read, or in the digital literacy this would mean pretending to use a computer or technological device. For this reason, I think that I would be past the basic emergent stage of digital literacy, because I do possess a functional level of technology. This would place me into the beginning level of digital literacy. The beginning stage is characterized by ideas of being able to identify basic concepts, applying prior knowledge, and decoding. I do hope one day to be in the fluent stage of my digital literacy, but I think there is one major challenge to this goal. With book and language literacy, there are some variations, but words, letters, and sounds generally remain constant. With technology, on the other hand, one can never be completely proficient, because there are always new programs or ideas on the horizon that need to be mastered. Therefore, digital literacy is more of a lifelong process to acquiring even a basic temporary level of fluency, because one must continually be aware of new updates to digital systems.
Post 5-Ashleigh
I would say that I’m closer to a digital “native” than “immigrant” but am not, by any means, an expert. I feel comfortably past the emergent phase in my digital literacy because I am pretty confident in my ability to use different technologies, I have been exposed to computer applications, internet resources, blogs, wikis, website creation, making movies, working with photos, etc. in my K-12 education and during college and have moved beyond trying to “decode” the tools and simply understand how to use them. Thompson includes a progression for literacy learners on pg. 84 that discusses a transition from students learning to read and write and observing the ways that literacy is used, to developing the ability to read and write through experiences, and finally students become more active in their literacy progress and develop their own understanding of literacy. I would probably place myself at the second stage because I’m able to use most of the common forms of technology and can easily apply prior knowledge to new and unfamiliar types of technology, but I do not yet feel that confident in my ability to envision effective ways to incorporate technology in my own classroom.
Continuing the comparison to literacy learning, I can decode and comprehend the material, but perhaps not make deeper connections to the text. I do feel comfortable with the “basics,” but the technology presentation in class demonstrated a ton of new programs and tools that I have never seen before and would like to explore…I think the biggest lesson is that technologies change so much and so frequently that one cannot become complacent and think that learning is complete, we must always make a concerted effort to keep up to date and consider new ways to incorporate technology into our lessons.
Continuing the comparison to literacy learning, I can decode and comprehend the material, but perhaps not make deeper connections to the text. I do feel comfortable with the “basics,” but the technology presentation in class demonstrated a ton of new programs and tools that I have never seen before and would like to explore…I think the biggest lesson is that technologies change so much and so frequently that one cannot become complacent and think that learning is complete, we must always make a concerted effort to keep up to date and consider new ways to incorporate technology into our lessons.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Post 4-Ashleigh
Like Piper mentioned, we have been mostly noticing recitation in our field placement and although I think our CT usually poses good questions, it is more of a teacher-controlled dialogue. I also agree with Piper that our students are not in the necessary mindset for a real discussion because it's not what they're used to and they aren't usually concerned with listening to other students' opinions. I think the best way to try to encourage a change in the discussion style would be first to set expectations (explain what we want to see), model the behavior by thinking out loud, then give positive feedback when students do build off of others' ideas and/or encourage the behavior by asking leading questions, like we discussed in class (can anyone respond to what x just said? Does anyone agree/disagree?) . Hopefully, if students hear models, see desired responses encouraged, and hear probing questions, they will begin to internalize the thought process and begin to provide these types of responses independently. While I think the I-R-E format is very familiar to most of us and may be tempting to use especially when we want students to focus on the content of a story, the readings and class discussion helped me see why and how I should try to incorporate more discussion into my classroom.
Classroom Talk
In my placement classroom, I mostly see recitation talks. At times, it seems that discussions could develop, but unfortunately, for one reason or another, they do not. Some of the reason for a lack of discussion in my classroom, that I mentioned in class, is that the students seem too wrapped up in their own answers to listen to other answers that students are giving. In other words, there is no collaboration. Additionally, it seems that time constraints can also be an issue in the classroom that squashes out potential discussion. Sometimes, there just is not enough time built into the schedule for the teacher to allow discussion to develop.
In order for more discussion and, specifically, response-centered talk to take place, I think that the teacher would need to provide scaffolding on many different levels. Firstly, the teacher needs to negotiate rules of discussion talk with his students. These rules need to provide the framework for cooperative and collaborative efforts in discussions. For example, a good rule might be to require a student to link his thought with the thought of a student who previously talked before sharing. This would require all students to pay attention, possibly decrease repeated answers, and increase collaborative efforts, or at least linking, like we discussed in class.
Also, in order to have response-centered talk, as discussed in McGee, the teacher will need to carefully select an age appropriate book with gaps of understanding that students can work to fill or make different interpretations from. The teacher could ask guiding questions during the task, for students who are in need of more scaffolding, but overall, he must act as the facilitator. There are some students in my class that would need extra scaffolding and guidance, but mostly because they are prone to being off-task, or easily distracted, not because they have mental deficiencies. Additionally, some students are not liked by others, because they can be a bit socially awkward, so it would be imperative for the teacher to ensure that not only were their opinions heard, but also that they were respected. Finally, some students tend to dominate the conversation more than others, and as Weinstein suggests, these students must be reigned-in, so to speak, so that all students have an equal chance at participation in the discussion.
In order for more discussion and, specifically, response-centered talk to take place, I think that the teacher would need to provide scaffolding on many different levels. Firstly, the teacher needs to negotiate rules of discussion talk with his students. These rules need to provide the framework for cooperative and collaborative efforts in discussions. For example, a good rule might be to require a student to link his thought with the thought of a student who previously talked before sharing. This would require all students to pay attention, possibly decrease repeated answers, and increase collaborative efforts, or at least linking, like we discussed in class.
Also, in order to have response-centered talk, as discussed in McGee, the teacher will need to carefully select an age appropriate book with gaps of understanding that students can work to fill or make different interpretations from. The teacher could ask guiding questions during the task, for students who are in need of more scaffolding, but overall, he must act as the facilitator. There are some students in my class that would need extra scaffolding and guidance, but mostly because they are prone to being off-task, or easily distracted, not because they have mental deficiencies. Additionally, some students are not liked by others, because they can be a bit socially awkward, so it would be imperative for the teacher to ensure that not only were their opinions heard, but also that they were respected. Finally, some students tend to dominate the conversation more than others, and as Weinstein suggests, these students must be reigned-in, so to speak, so that all students have an equal chance at participation in the discussion.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Post 4-Christina
Consider ideas discussed in today's readings. What type(s) of talk are you seeing in your classroom? What scaffolding is needed for response-centered talk to take place? Are there students in your classroom who need particular types of scaffolding?
My CT has fostered interaction in the classroom, however I feel that it is more on the recitation spectrum. Recently, she has been reading chapters of Fig Pudding to the class, while the class listens for "hand" and "heart" feelings (i.e. senses vs. emotions). Before, during, and after my CT will ask students to recall these feelings, and then they are invited to write them down on their "Hand and Heart Feeling" worksheet. Sometimes my CT will dip more into discussion, when she will ask the students how they think the characters feel and why they think they feel that way. However, it typically does not go much deeper than that.
In order to implement response-centered talk into the classroom, my CT needs to ask more probing questions. By simply asking the students to differentiate between hand and heart emotions, students are not really partaking in discussion, rather they are simply answering a point-blank question. Maybe my CT could not only ask how they think the character felt, but when they last felt this way and why? My CT could even foster smaller-group discussion, by having students work in their desk groups to discuss the scenarios given in Fig Pudding, so that all students are more involved.
There is one particular student in my classroom who would probably need help scaffolding, as she is very timid about speaking in front of others. Therefore, she may work better when talking one-on-one with my CT or even myself, or my other Senior Counterpart.
My CT has fostered interaction in the classroom, however I feel that it is more on the recitation spectrum. Recently, she has been reading chapters of Fig Pudding to the class, while the class listens for "hand" and "heart" feelings (i.e. senses vs. emotions). Before, during, and after my CT will ask students to recall these feelings, and then they are invited to write them down on their "Hand and Heart Feeling" worksheet. Sometimes my CT will dip more into discussion, when she will ask the students how they think the characters feel and why they think they feel that way. However, it typically does not go much deeper than that.
In order to implement response-centered talk into the classroom, my CT needs to ask more probing questions. By simply asking the students to differentiate between hand and heart emotions, students are not really partaking in discussion, rather they are simply answering a point-blank question. Maybe my CT could not only ask how they think the character felt, but when they last felt this way and why? My CT could even foster smaller-group discussion, by having students work in their desk groups to discuss the scenarios given in Fig Pudding, so that all students are more involved.
There is one particular student in my classroom who would probably need help scaffolding, as she is very timid about speaking in front of others. Therefore, she may work better when talking one-on-one with my CT or even myself, or my other Senior Counterpart.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Post 3- Ashleigh
I really enjoyed the topic of getting to know our students from multiple perspectives and discussing responsive teaching more, I thought we finally got a bit beneath the surface on this topic after hearing a lot about it in the past. Since I’m interested in teaching in an urban setting, I know I’ll have a lot to learn about my students that may be unfamiliar to my own experience, and the Lapp (et al.) reading was interesting to me personally since I’m really interested in hearing about actual experiences in urban districts. Although to some extent “kids are kids” anywhere and we always need to make sure to know them individually regardless of the setting, I’m apprehensive about being caught off guard with things that I have no personal experience with. I thought it was especially helpful that the authors discussed common mistakes that new teachers make and reflections from effective teachers…as well as examples of some of the unexpected obstacles that teachers face that are unique to low-income school districts.
A lot of the little ideas we discussed in class were ones that I had already considered implementing in my classroom either since I enjoyed experiencing them as a student, or because I thought it would be have a positive effect on the classroom community, but our discussion helped me realize and formulate more deliberate rationales for these ideas. I like the “lunch date” idea, our elementary school principal always had one lunch a month with students whose birthdays were during that month (or half birthdays for July and August.) As I thought more about using this in my class, I was concerned about “forcing” them to come if they didn’t want to give up lunch with their friends, but I think it is worthwhile enough to include…and the students that may initially resist the idea are probably ones that I need to get to know better anyway. A lot of the things Erin has incorporated into our class or her own elementary classroom (using music, quotes, bringing in personal items on the first day) seem like really easy ways to incorporate students’ interests and make them feel like they are “being heard.” Another idea that my 8th grade social studies teacher used was posting a calendar in the back of the room where students could write in the times and locations of extracurricular events that we wanted him to attend. Of course, he prefaced this with the knowledge that he may not be able to attend every event written down, but that he would make an effort to attend anything that we wrote on the calendar if he was available. I think, too, that all of our field placements that stressed the use of focus students and my own personal experiences tutoring have helped prepare us to look at students as individuals first, while also considering the needs of the class as a unit.
A lot of the little ideas we discussed in class were ones that I had already considered implementing in my classroom either since I enjoyed experiencing them as a student, or because I thought it would be have a positive effect on the classroom community, but our discussion helped me realize and formulate more deliberate rationales for these ideas. I like the “lunch date” idea, our elementary school principal always had one lunch a month with students whose birthdays were during that month (or half birthdays for July and August.) As I thought more about using this in my class, I was concerned about “forcing” them to come if they didn’t want to give up lunch with their friends, but I think it is worthwhile enough to include…and the students that may initially resist the idea are probably ones that I need to get to know better anyway. A lot of the things Erin has incorporated into our class or her own elementary classroom (using music, quotes, bringing in personal items on the first day) seem like really easy ways to incorporate students’ interests and make them feel like they are “being heard.” Another idea that my 8th grade social studies teacher used was posting a calendar in the back of the room where students could write in the times and locations of extracurricular events that we wanted him to attend. Of course, he prefaced this with the knowledge that he may not be able to attend every event written down, but that he would make an effort to attend anything that we wrote on the calendar if he was available. I think, too, that all of our field placements that stressed the use of focus students and my own personal experiences tutoring have helped prepare us to look at students as individuals first, while also considering the needs of the class as a unit.
Getting to know My Students
How could you, as a teacher, learn about diversity in your classroom and get to know your students from multiple perspectives?
In order to know my students better, I would first and foremost need to recognize that every one of them are different whether it is race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Therefore, I would need to accept these differences (i.e. I would need to see 'color' as Ladson-Billings says, and realize that every student will learn differently based on their backgrounds. One idea that I really enjoyed from class was the 'Star of the Week' idea, because I partook in this as an elementary school student. I definitely think it is a good idea to have students share their backgrounds with not only you, but also the rest of the class. As a result, a student who may come from a single-mother home, would then share this, and students who come from a two-parent home could then see that every family is different.
I also feel it is very important to know my student's parents. Yes, this may be a challenge, as some parents in lower-income communities may work later hours, or not have access to childcare. However, I definitely think that I, as a teacher, could make house visits, and therefore see exactly what kind of environment my student comes from. This will eventually help me in the long run, as a Special Education teacher, because I may see how behaviors are formed (i.e. When I worked at Easter Seals, I found out that my student was repeating swear lines from the movie, "Next Friday." I then knew that he didn't actually know what he was saying. Rather, he was just repeating these lines, because they got a rise out of the actors in the movie, and out of his teacher and aides). Another good reason to know about your students' home lives, is that fact that when I work in an urban area (as I plan to do), I have to realize that all of my students may not come in with a full stomach, and a significant amount of sleep. In Lapp's article, it mentions how one teacher wanted to punish the student by not allowing him to eat. When some of my students may not be getting three square meals per day, I need to recognize this, so as not to further starve him. This is also something to take into consideration---maybe behaviors occur because of students' hunger--therefore, maybe I should plan to have an early snack time (and even have snacks on hand), so students are more likely to focus on what I am teaching.
Another idea about knowing my students that I picked up from my field placement was that my CT has her students journal on Monday mornings about what they had done over the weekend, whether it was going to a concert, or as simple as going to Meijer. I think this really is a good idea, because if a student shares this, you can then ask them more questions about it, and eventually come to know what they really enjoy (i.e. If they go to a lot of basketball games, then they probably really like basketball. Therefore, you could have a potential reward for behaving be basketball cards). My CT also implements another similar idea with "Sharing Time" on Monday mornings. Students are welcome to bring in any sharing item. By letting students share what is important to them, my CT then knows her students likes/dislikes--again further getting to know your students.
Finally, I feel that it is very important that I do not try to tell my students that I know exactly what they are going through--everyone has different experiences, so I should respect that. Therefore, I should bring a variety of culturally relevant texts, so that my students know that everyone has different backgrounds, and rather than pointing fingers and calling each other names, we should work together for the good of the classroom.
In order to know my students better, I would first and foremost need to recognize that every one of them are different whether it is race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Therefore, I would need to accept these differences (i.e. I would need to see 'color' as Ladson-Billings says, and realize that every student will learn differently based on their backgrounds. One idea that I really enjoyed from class was the 'Star of the Week' idea, because I partook in this as an elementary school student. I definitely think it is a good idea to have students share their backgrounds with not only you, but also the rest of the class. As a result, a student who may come from a single-mother home, would then share this, and students who come from a two-parent home could then see that every family is different.
I also feel it is very important to know my student's parents. Yes, this may be a challenge, as some parents in lower-income communities may work later hours, or not have access to childcare. However, I definitely think that I, as a teacher, could make house visits, and therefore see exactly what kind of environment my student comes from. This will eventually help me in the long run, as a Special Education teacher, because I may see how behaviors are formed (i.e. When I worked at Easter Seals, I found out that my student was repeating swear lines from the movie, "Next Friday." I then knew that he didn't actually know what he was saying. Rather, he was just repeating these lines, because they got a rise out of the actors in the movie, and out of his teacher and aides). Another good reason to know about your students' home lives, is that fact that when I work in an urban area (as I plan to do), I have to realize that all of my students may not come in with a full stomach, and a significant amount of sleep. In Lapp's article, it mentions how one teacher wanted to punish the student by not allowing him to eat. When some of my students may not be getting three square meals per day, I need to recognize this, so as not to further starve him. This is also something to take into consideration---maybe behaviors occur because of students' hunger--therefore, maybe I should plan to have an early snack time (and even have snacks on hand), so students are more likely to focus on what I am teaching.
Another idea about knowing my students that I picked up from my field placement was that my CT has her students journal on Monday mornings about what they had done over the weekend, whether it was going to a concert, or as simple as going to Meijer. I think this really is a good idea, because if a student shares this, you can then ask them more questions about it, and eventually come to know what they really enjoy (i.e. If they go to a lot of basketball games, then they probably really like basketball. Therefore, you could have a potential reward for behaving be basketball cards). My CT also implements another similar idea with "Sharing Time" on Monday mornings. Students are welcome to bring in any sharing item. By letting students share what is important to them, my CT then knows her students likes/dislikes--again further getting to know your students.
Finally, I feel that it is very important that I do not try to tell my students that I know exactly what they are going through--everyone has different experiences, so I should respect that. Therefore, I should bring a variety of culturally relevant texts, so that my students know that everyone has different backgrounds, and rather than pointing fingers and calling each other names, we should work together for the good of the classroom.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Getting to know my students
I think between the readings we did for class and the discussions we had in class last Wednesday, I have a much better idea about how to get to know my students. For starters, before I even started the first day of school, especially if I was moving into a new community or state that I was unfamiliar with, I would want to take a walk around. I'd want to get a general feeling for the community. If there's a downtown district with little shops, maybe I'd go in and ask some of the owners what children usually like to do for fun around the area. I also liked the idea of going over to the library and seeing what is available and what isn't available for the students to read. After taking a walk around the town, I'd want to see what my kids look like on paper. I'd research the demographics of the school and community including racial, socioeconomic, and ESL population. Before reading the "Putting Literacy Learning in Context" article, I had some idea about the impact of poverty in shaping the conditions and attitudes of students, but I had never imagined the effects of extreme poverty. Therefore, I would see what population of my classroom was impoverished so I can be prepared to supplement readings or resources for them throughout the year, if necessary.
Also, because I want to teach ESL, I would see which countries my students recently came from. I would then do some additional research on those countries, along with any recent political unrest, especially if my students are refugees. I recently read in another class I'm taking about the prevalence of slavery around the world, and based on where my students come from they may have experienced this first hand or they may have seen others taken away. These experiences would greatly affect the attitudes of my students, and I would need to be aware of them.
If possible, I would then send out an e-mail to the students' parents to introduce myself, and explain some of my goals for the class this coming year. If I couldn't send an e-mail, I would make sure to send a letter to the house. Then, on the first day of school, we would do introduction activities, along with setting guidelines for classroom behavior. I really liked the idea about making each student the weekly star. So I would definitely do that in my classroom as well. I would also have students fill out a mini-survey for me that I would hand out on the first day, so I could get a feel for who that student is more in depth before their "star week." I think most importantly, however, to get to know my students, is to just listen. Many children will tell you pretty much their life stories or at least important hints if you only are open to sit down, take the time, and listen. So, on a final note, I would always be open and inviting for students to come and talk to me.
Also, because I want to teach ESL, I would see which countries my students recently came from. I would then do some additional research on those countries, along with any recent political unrest, especially if my students are refugees. I recently read in another class I'm taking about the prevalence of slavery around the world, and based on where my students come from they may have experienced this first hand or they may have seen others taken away. These experiences would greatly affect the attitudes of my students, and I would need to be aware of them.
If possible, I would then send out an e-mail to the students' parents to introduce myself, and explain some of my goals for the class this coming year. If I couldn't send an e-mail, I would make sure to send a letter to the house. Then, on the first day of school, we would do introduction activities, along with setting guidelines for classroom behavior. I really liked the idea about making each student the weekly star. So I would definitely do that in my classroom as well. I would also have students fill out a mini-survey for me that I would hand out on the first day, so I could get a feel for who that student is more in depth before their "star week." I think most importantly, however, to get to know my students, is to just listen. Many children will tell you pretty much their life stories or at least important hints if you only are open to sit down, take the time, and listen. So, on a final note, I would always be open and inviting for students to come and talk to me.
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