Cultural Capital
Cultural Deficit
Friday, August 31, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Adolescent Literacy
Most of the time elementary reading instruction focuses on the actual process of reading rather than reading for "ideas, information, and concepts". When students reach higher grade levels teachers aren't emphasizing the importance of a student's fluency, they are looking for comprehension skills.
Test scores are not only important for teachers to monitor progress and plan instruction. They are also important nationally and globally. According to NCTE, "the U.S. share of the global college-educated workforce has fallen from 30 percent to 14 percent in recent decades as young workers in developing nations demonstrate employer satisfying proficiency in literacy" (NCTE, 2007).
I was most surprised by the reality of using informal writing to increase student learning of concepts. When you're a student, you often don't have good study skills and you don't see the meaning behind writing a paper "x" amount of pages. I've come to learn that I remember more when I have actually written content down. (E.g. vocabulary, formulas, etc)
When teaching comprehension in the content area, I find that making the reading as engaging as possible helps the student gain meaning. For example, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's I Have a Dream speech is extremely powerful but overwhelming if you read it straight through. In a lesson you could make numbered sentence strips and have the students read the lines breaking them down one at a time. It's more effective if they read it once, read it again while breaking it down, then read it straight through for the last time to fully grasp what Dr. King is trying to say.
Literacy practices include: vocabulary, fluency, blending and segmenting, and comprehension.
We are all part of a discourse community. These communities are groups of people who are linked through languages pertaining to a certain interest. I am part of the WVU football discourse community because I know the chants that the fans yell when a good play is made. For example, shouting "Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuceee!" when Bruce Irvin would tackle someone. If you aren't a fan then you wouldn't know what that meant.
If students' valuable literacy practices are ignored they are going to lose interest in the literary material you are trying to teach. Teachers can help build on extracurricular literacy by allowing students to read or write something that they can relate to. If a student is not interested in Shakespeare, let them write about an author whose books they enjoy reading.
Throughout my schooling I have written many book reports, given plenty of presentations, and been involved in group projects. However I can not remember a single time when I was able to choose my topic. English in high school was awful. Being forced to read Shakespeare and other literary works turned me away from reading for pleasure. I loved to read as a child and I love to read now as an adult. But during those high school years I felt like my interests were ignored.
In third grade we celebrated the Jewish culture by having a "feast" of different types of Jewish food. I remember we had finished reading a text and celebrated with matzoh ball soup and bread pudding!
Resource:
The
National Counsel of Teachers of English. (2007). Adolescent literacy.
Retrieved from
http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Positions/Chron0907ResearchBrief.pdf
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Tall Tales of Appalachia
Quote:
"My own father spent his life backing up, apologizing for the space he
took up in the world. He took the hillbilly stereotype to heart and all
of his life believed that he was backward and inferior..."(O'Brien, 2003).
Reaction:
I chose this quote because I believe that many people can identify with this man. We as West Virginians are constantly being put down for being hillbillies and our lack of education. However, I do not agree with him for being sorry for taking up space. Although we are criticized for who we are, we should be proud of where we come from and the hard work that our ancestors put into our land to make it thrive the way it has. I can remember being in Georgia at a farmer's market one summer. My dad was having a conversation with a man who asked where we were from. My dad told him West Virginia and the man replied "Oh you are from western Virginia?" If we are ignorant hillbillies, what do you call someone who doesn't even know the states of their own country?
Below is a video that I think sets the record straight about the stereotypes in our state.
Resources:
O'Brien, J. (May, 2003 10). Tall tales of appalachia. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/10/opinion/tall-tales-of-appalachia.html?pagewanted=2&src=pm
kleecole45. (02, 15 20). West virginia - more than a stereotype . Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBdgxBHfO7s
"....As Soon As She Opened Her Mouth!": Issues of Language, Literacy and Power
Quote:
" The degree to which you do not experience these extensive uses of print in your young life is the degree to which you do not know / understand the concepts that are so crucial to making sense out of beginning reading and writing instruction in school" (Purcell-Gates, 2002).
" I believe that if we claim to allow equal access to educational opportunity to all children in our schools then we must. But i also know that whether we interpret differences among children----or adults---- as deficit or difference depends primarily on our preconceptions, attitudes toward, and stereotypes we hold toward the individual children's communities and cultures" (Purcell-Gates, 2002)
Reaction:
I chose these quotes because they are extremely powerful. To sum up the author's extensive research, if you do not have an adequate amount of literacy knowledge you will have trouble understanding the basics of learning how to read and write. This leads to the second quote explaining education for all students without discrimination. It is truly sad to see how often teachers write off students like Donny because of the lack of background they have or the culture they are from. As sad as it is, I am sure that it would be easy for a novice teacher to get confused between having a lack of experience or actually having a learning disability. As a "soon to be" novice teacher myself, this opened my eyes to see that you have to have a clear mindset in order to "diagnose" a student in your classroom. Are they struggling because of a deficit or a difference?
Literacy knowledge is the knowledge that children have before the start of literacy instruction. It doesn't necessarily mean that the child knows how to read or write, but that they have formed ideas about literacy by observing the things that others do. Some examples are: looking at a book and "reading the pictures" , knowing which way to turn the pages in a book, knowing that the " Golden Arches" stand for McDonald's or that the red sign means stop. I have had a similar experience to the little girl the author mentions. I had been reading a book silently and my four year old nephew Caleb asked what I was doing. I responded "Reading to myself". He said, "Well how are you doing that? You're not even talking!".
As mentioned in the quote above, it is easy to have a stereotype against someone when you notice something different about them. By letting stereotypes sink in, you are taking a portion of that child's education away. Stereotypes make it easy for teachers as well as the school to have a "no care" attitude when a student is having difficulty in a subject or when a teacher thinks they know the full background on their students. Through working with Parks and Recreation, I can easily say that in many instances assumptions based on parent appearances are wrong. Just because a child comes from a low SES family does not mean that that family is illiterate. In retrospect, the bad image reflects on the school and the teacher that do not take the time to know the family of the student who they are teaching. In order to improve literacy instruction schools need to get on the level that the families are. Break the content down to simplest form and start at step one. Involve the parents as much as possible (e.g. hold workshops for parents who struggle with literacy, send home newsletters with ways parents can help at home, etc.)
The relationship between language, social class, and denial of education is this: If you come from a middle class family you will have an equal opportunity education and have the knowledge of literacy that is needed. However, if you are from a poor, working class family with little background knowledge, your education is forgotten about because you aren't "capable" of learning. Many misconceptions are formed from this relationship. If you are from West Virginia you are often thought of as a non-educated hillbilly. What people fail to look at are all of the successful West Virginians and the ability of all the rest to succeed.
I feel that the term "proper English" is old fashioned. As the author suggests, no one speaks the same way. We each have a different way / sound in which we talk. It is merely part of our individual cultures
Resource:
" The degree to which you do not experience these extensive uses of print in your young life is the degree to which you do not know / understand the concepts that are so crucial to making sense out of beginning reading and writing instruction in school" (Purcell-Gates, 2002).
" I believe that if we claim to allow equal access to educational opportunity to all children in our schools then we must. But i also know that whether we interpret differences among children----or adults---- as deficit or difference depends primarily on our preconceptions, attitudes toward, and stereotypes we hold toward the individual children's communities and cultures" (Purcell-Gates, 2002)
Reaction:
I chose these quotes because they are extremely powerful. To sum up the author's extensive research, if you do not have an adequate amount of literacy knowledge you will have trouble understanding the basics of learning how to read and write. This leads to the second quote explaining education for all students without discrimination. It is truly sad to see how often teachers write off students like Donny because of the lack of background they have or the culture they are from. As sad as it is, I am sure that it would be easy for a novice teacher to get confused between having a lack of experience or actually having a learning disability. As a "soon to be" novice teacher myself, this opened my eyes to see that you have to have a clear mindset in order to "diagnose" a student in your classroom. Are they struggling because of a deficit or a difference?
Literacy knowledge is the knowledge that children have before the start of literacy instruction. It doesn't necessarily mean that the child knows how to read or write, but that they have formed ideas about literacy by observing the things that others do. Some examples are: looking at a book and "reading the pictures" , knowing which way to turn the pages in a book, knowing that the " Golden Arches" stand for McDonald's or that the red sign means stop. I have had a similar experience to the little girl the author mentions. I had been reading a book silently and my four year old nephew Caleb asked what I was doing. I responded "Reading to myself". He said, "Well how are you doing that? You're not even talking!".
As mentioned in the quote above, it is easy to have a stereotype against someone when you notice something different about them. By letting stereotypes sink in, you are taking a portion of that child's education away. Stereotypes make it easy for teachers as well as the school to have a "no care" attitude when a student is having difficulty in a subject or when a teacher thinks they know the full background on their students. Through working with Parks and Recreation, I can easily say that in many instances assumptions based on parent appearances are wrong. Just because a child comes from a low SES family does not mean that that family is illiterate. In retrospect, the bad image reflects on the school and the teacher that do not take the time to know the family of the student who they are teaching. In order to improve literacy instruction schools need to get on the level that the families are. Break the content down to simplest form and start at step one. Involve the parents as much as possible (e.g. hold workshops for parents who struggle with literacy, send home newsletters with ways parents can help at home, etc.)
The relationship between language, social class, and denial of education is this: If you come from a middle class family you will have an equal opportunity education and have the knowledge of literacy that is needed. However, if you are from a poor, working class family with little background knowledge, your education is forgotten about because you aren't "capable" of learning. Many misconceptions are formed from this relationship. If you are from West Virginia you are often thought of as a non-educated hillbilly. What people fail to look at are all of the successful West Virginians and the ability of all the rest to succeed.
I feel that the term "proper English" is old fashioned. As the author suggests, no one speaks the same way. We each have a different way / sound in which we talk. It is merely part of our individual cultures
Resource:
Purcell Gates, V. (2002). As soon as she opened her mouth. In L. Delpit & J.K Dowdy (Eds.),
In The skin that we speak: An anthology of essays on language culture and power.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Double Journal Entry #1: Research Review for Inclusive Practices
Quote:
"I have learned that we all share the same dream...of being valued members of society with an equal chance of success." ---Judy Heuman ( Inos , 2012)
Reaction:
Inclusion is simply defined by Webster as "including all". According to authors Rita Hocog Inos and Mary Anne Quiqley, "Inclusion is education that provides access to appropriate support and remediation at every level to facilitate each child's ability to participate and achieve"( Inos , 2012). As teachers we not only need to help students with their academic needs but with their emotional needs as well to make sure they are "included" in the classroom. In my opinion there isn't a specific "kind" of student that inclusion benefits. I agree with the authors that every student no matter what their situation can benefit from this concept. Three specific types of students that can benefit from inclusion are those that are culturally diverse (ELL'S), have learning disabilities, and come from a low socioeconomic status. Inclusive practices can help these students by making them feel like they are part of their peer community.
One characteristic of an inclusive school, as mentioned above, is having a sense of community. Students should be able feel that sense of being wanted/accepted as a student. Getting to know your students is key in establishing this. Another characteristic is co-teaching. I have had the experience of co-teaching several times throughout my education. I've found that working with someone not only helps when students need one on one time but you're also able to feed off of each others strengths and weaknesses. In the end this comes out to benefit the student.
A way that students become more responsible and effective in the inclusive practice is through being problem solvers. The authors list several things that students can do: peer mediators, peer tutoring, cross-age tutoring, cooperative learning, and buddy systems are a few options. Once again this goes back to the "sense of community" aspect. Students are interacting with peers and gaining the sense of belonging.
Related Resource:
I chose this video about a student with down syndrome being placed in a regular classroom. I love his parents explanation for why they chose to have him in a regular room and how it is helping the other students as well.
INCLUSION AT WORK
Resources:
(2008). Inclusion at work in elementary school. (2008). [0]. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com /watch?v=ji3R30PT1PQ&feature=related
Inos , R. H. (2012). Research review for inclusive practices. Retrieved from
http://www.prel.org/products/Products/Inclusive-practices.htm
"I have learned that we all share the same dream...of being valued members of society with an equal chance of success." ---Judy Heuman ( Inos , 2012)
Reaction:
Inclusion is simply defined by Webster as "including all". According to authors Rita Hocog Inos and Mary Anne Quiqley, "Inclusion is education that provides access to appropriate support and remediation at every level to facilitate each child's ability to participate and achieve"( Inos , 2012). As teachers we not only need to help students with their academic needs but with their emotional needs as well to make sure they are "included" in the classroom. In my opinion there isn't a specific "kind" of student that inclusion benefits. I agree with the authors that every student no matter what their situation can benefit from this concept. Three specific types of students that can benefit from inclusion are those that are culturally diverse (ELL'S), have learning disabilities, and come from a low socioeconomic status. Inclusive practices can help these students by making them feel like they are part of their peer community.
One characteristic of an inclusive school, as mentioned above, is having a sense of community. Students should be able feel that sense of being wanted/accepted as a student. Getting to know your students is key in establishing this. Another characteristic is co-teaching. I have had the experience of co-teaching several times throughout my education. I've found that working with someone not only helps when students need one on one time but you're also able to feed off of each others strengths and weaknesses. In the end this comes out to benefit the student.
A way that students become more responsible and effective in the inclusive practice is through being problem solvers. The authors list several things that students can do: peer mediators, peer tutoring, cross-age tutoring, cooperative learning, and buddy systems are a few options. Once again this goes back to the "sense of community" aspect. Students are interacting with peers and gaining the sense of belonging.
Related Resource:
I chose this video about a student with down syndrome being placed in a regular classroom. I love his parents explanation for why they chose to have him in a regular room and how it is helping the other students as well.
INCLUSION AT WORK
Resources:
(2008). Inclusion at work in elementary school. (2008). [0]. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com /watch?v=ji3R30PT1PQ&feature=related
Inos , R. H. (2012). Research review for inclusive practices. Retrieved from
http://www.prel.org/products/Products/Inclusive-practices.htm
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