**You can turn this in either before our last class or by Wednesday, October 9. We can do some brainstorming in class on Saturday.***
What are the three most important learnings you are taking away from this course? Think about the new understandings you have, the new ways of thinking about the course topics, ideas you wouldn't have had unless you had been in this course, make a connection to your tech interview - get at the big shifts and/or the more subtle shifts. Refer to the readings, conversations, and activities that help lead you to your learnings. Why do these new learnings matter and how have they impacted your identity as a content area literacy teacher? Post your blog as a comment below. Be sure to sign your name at the end.
My first major learning from this course was in regards to vocabulary instruction. Since we were prohibited from using our old vocab books a few years ago, coming up with cohesive lessons has been a thorn in my side. It’s easy enough to teach vocab when we’re in a novel unit, but when we’re in a unit with rotating short texts (short stories, poetry, nonfiction) it becomes a lot more complicated to select words and make sure there’s enough time to work with them. I have always felt like we switched texts before students had a grasp on the words and they became irrelevant. Learning a new method for selecting and introducing tier 2 vocabulary really illuminated the process for me. Since I had a purpose in mind, I was able to select words that were relevant to multiple texts even if they didn’t appear in both. Fisher and Frey’s resources were extremely helpful and made it clear that general vocabulary terms in an ELA classroom are still valuable. The strategies made sense and were student-friendly, and my students overall did very well on our first vocabulary assessment.
ReplyDeleteA second valuable learning was about how literacy is important across disciplines. My school is currently trying to find solutions for lower than average MCAS scores, and we’re trying to get other departments to see that reading and writing are not solely ELA skills. We have had the responsibility of teaching these skills, and since they’re not being maintained in other areas, our students are not as successful as they could be. The Zwiers readings provided so many strategies that the entire school could benefit from. Having more knowledge of how other disciplines can impact literacy will help when planning with my team, and is something I could bring to administration as a solution.
A final opportunity that this course inspired came from my interview with our media specialist. When we met, we talked about specific things I could do in my classroom that would focus on digital literacy, because that’s one of our district improvement plan goals. One of our plans that we made was to do an in-depth ad analysis. Our media specialist had a lesson that she’s used before that asked students to consider the messages that the media sends to us, and I made a connection to the critical literacy reading from Ira Shor. We are going to try to do this activity around the holidays to help students think critically about how they are being influenced to want certain products, and how they can work to be more conscious of what they are internalizing.
--Ally
MLED 530 was an eye opening and enlightening experience for me! I learned many insightful ideas and strategies that will shape and enhance my future teaching. When I first entered the class I defined literacy as just reading and writing. Through course readings, interactive lessons, and the analysis of my own teaching practice, I leave knowing literacy is much more dynamic than that. I was able to create my own definition of math literacy, “Students must have multiple opportunities to demonstrate mathematical practices such as making sense of problems, reason abstractly, construct viable arguments, model, use tools and strategies, pay attention to detail, look for and make structure, and search for patterns of regularity through a variety of discourses presented within their community.” My definition of math literacy started to reshape my identity as a math content teacher. I started to make the realization that math literacy could be an essential key to unlocking students ability to demonstrate the “why” in math, and create depth in math understanding. The results from my disciplinary literacy inventory process verified that just because a student can know “how” to do a problem when giving a correct answer does not always correlate with having a deep understanding of “why”. “The Common Core Math Standards emphasizes the need to know why something works in math, not just the how.” (Zwiers, pg. 102). As educators we cannot fall into the trap of immediate satisfaction of hearing the correct answer while formatively assessing our students on a day to day basis.
ReplyDeleteMLED 530 reinforced a seconding finding, the fact that we must continue to set the bar high, and model/ teach our students how to expand their math literacy in the classroom through multiple strategies. Furthermore, literacy is not just something taught in isolation, but can easily be embedded in everyday routines in our classrooms. For example, one strategy I am going to be aware of is my use of wait time when asking students to respond to leveled questions. “We must be careful not to rob our diverse students of the opportunities to think more deeply and respond academically , even when we think they will struggle to formulate their answers and even when we think we don’t have the time. Students struggling leads to learning. Especially when we are there to support their responses. “(Zwiers, pg. 58).The struggle students have is where the learning takes place, and in order for students to formulate a response they need the time to work it out in their minds.
A third finding from MLED 530 is in regards to creating platforms for students to access our content literacy. I wasn’t able to interview a tech media specialist, but rather a teaching and learning coach. One huge structural shift I have had in my classroom is the use of group work protocols. Especially how these protocols can provide a platform for students to access a math dialogue, for even our hesitant speakers. Coincidently my conversations with the teaching and learning coach about setting up math group work protocols to use their math voice and collaborate with one another paralleled with the content I was learning in MLED 530. I was able to back my practice with theory, and create a group work structure where students can collaborate respectively, brainstorm ideas to solve problems, compare mathematical evidence, and share out their findings. “One of the most important yet underdeveloped stages of group work is the reporting out of what was learned or decided. Reporting out provides some focus into the group discussion, allowing students to mold the knowledge as they synthesize it and put it into their own words.” (Zwiers, pg. 160). Similarly to working on my wait time, I am going to make sure I provide time for students to finalize their work by reporting out. As Zwiers says this is where students learn to synthesize the learning in their own words.
-Abby
The three most important learnings I have taken away from this class are:
ReplyDelete1. Literacy happens across all subjects, not just reading and writing. Teachers need to promote literacy across the board, especially in a class like math. Literacy in math is so specific to the content that it is very important to explicitly teach in math class. Students need to know terms that they use in every day language, but now have a different meaning because of the content area they are working in. Students also have to know how to read different types of texts in math compared to the texts they would be reading in other classes. It is important to work cross curriculum when possible
2. I learned that literacy goes beyond the classroom. I never thought about being literate in things such as sports, clubs, music, or anything else. Being literate in other areas outside of school is what creates the social groups we see in middle schools. It is important for educators to try and become literate in the activities that interest your students, so that you can build stronger relationships.
3. Technology literacy is important for students to learn. We provide students with this great piece of equipment that has the power to do so much, but also the power to distract so much is difficult for students. We need to teach them to be responsible when using technology. I think at my school, technology is used too often, but for the wrong reasons. Students come into class and they want to sit on the chromebook the entire time, and complain when they do not get to do so. I think that some things are still best if done on paper. I have seen students struggle to complete/show their work on math problems, because they insist on attempting to do it on technology instead of just writing it out. I think that we need to show students when it is appropriate to use technology, and why it is beneficial in the situation.
Kyisha Threats
ReplyDeleteAs an educator in middle school I learned how to collect and use data to ensure that all of my students have access to content regardless of their primary literacy. (Literacy practices like reading strategies.) The miscue analysis was one thing that was new to me. Back in elementary school where I assisted with running records but this was different. Miscue analysis helped me understand the reading process with my students. This diagnostic gave me insight on my two students reading abilities. Miscues gave me an idea to see if reading interventions were meeting students needs. I learned that the reading interventions are meeting students needs but can use more practice certain skills .
I learned to critically reflect on my own literacy practices within my classroom. Reflecting on my teaching helped me gain awareness of my teaching. This will help improve on my teaching and the environment that I am in. Recording my lesson, I was able to play the recording back and reflect on what I was doing during that lesson and student participation. Self-reflecting on teaching a lesson where I can reflect on my teaching strategies , analyze how I taught the lesson and to see where i can improve for better learning outcomes.
New understanding-Literacy is not just reading and writing. It deals with reading , writing, speaking and listening. It expands on students/people knowledge of thinking and learning. These skills are needed for students on a daily basis in school.Literacy is used outside of school. It is used at church, meetings, sports, community activities and many other social events. My definition of literacy I will display in my class and hold myself accountable for my students to feel like they are apart of the school community and their outside community. Giving students a sense of belonging makes them feel like they belong.
To be literate in English means that students will be able to use resources , collaboration, cooperative learning and self-advocacy skills in order to read , write ,listen and speak. Literacy can lead to community building as students share their own experiences through reading and writing and learn about others’ experiences through listening.
As a result of this class my definition of literacy has expanded. Prior to taking this course I would have defined literacy as little more than the ability to read, write and understand concepts. I now realize that literacy means so much more. An individual can be literate in many different ways. For example, they may be literate in art, music, sports, technology, and culture to name a few. The level of literacy in any one particular area can vary as well. One might be considered highly literate in sports, but have a low level of literacy when it comes to art. Knowing this has helped me to make better connections with my students. For example, I have a student that is new to the school this year. As the year began he was extremely quiet and responded mostly with a nod of the head. However, I recently discovered that he is a hockey player. Since I was a hockey mom for many years and continue to be a hockey fan, I found a way to make a connection with this student. When I ask him about his games his face lights up and he gets really excited to talk about it. I have since noticed a significant, positive change in his behavior, and he is more eager to participate in class now. Literacy can also mean the ability to act appropriately in different social settings. For example, an appropriate behavior portrayed when going out with friends, might not be appropriate behavior for school or the workplace.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that I learned was “just using academic language…is not enough. We need to do extra things to highlight and build ‘extra-important language’” (Zwiers, 2014, p. 51). In the past I would use the language in class, but I did not incorporate those “extra things.” As a result of this class I am going to be more deliberate in teaching academic vocabulary and content words. I no longer assume that students know the words you would expect them to know at this grade level. I take the time to explain what the words mean and give students opportunities to practice them. I intend to incorporate modeling strategies such as pace and emphasis, repetition, sentence starters and think-alouds in the future. As Zwiers states, think-alouds “give students a window into expert thinking” (2014, p. 52).
My meeting with the technology integration specialist at our school proved to be valuable. I told her that I was interested in learning more about incorporating technology into my lessons. She taught me how to use Google Forms, and since then I have used Google Forms for entrance tickets, exit tickets and quizzes. This works well for gathering information. I also asked her to show me something new with the Promethean Board. After putting through two software updates she showed me how to use a few things. The first was the drawing tools. In the past I was only able to draw on the white board, but she showed me how to draw on any image presented on the screen. She also showed me how to use the built in timer. It appears as a giant stop watch and counts down the time for you. Now when I tell students they have a certain amount of minutes to complete a task, I set the timer. I now hear students say, we only have X amount of time left. I have not had time to try this yet but she also showed me how to use the spinner on the Promethean Board. Apparently, I can enter student names and digitally spin the wheel to select students. This can be used as an alternative to using popsicle sticks to randomly select students to answer questions or complete tasks. The ISTE standards discuss the responsibilities of being a digital citizen. One area of concern has been student privacy and security when utilizing technology. Our school district recently implemented Go Guardian for teachers. This program allows teachers to remotely manage and monitor student Chromebook usage in the classroom. It is a great way to ensure proper technology use by our students. The technology integration specialist also provided helpful videos to show teachers how to get started with using this program.
Terri Dubis
Some of the most important things I have learned in this course are surrounding - you guessed it - literacy! Literacy is so much more than just reading and writing, and while I “knew” that a few months ago, I don’t think I really fully began to grasp it until more recently, and I believe it is in direct connection with this course. When we are asked to incorporate literacy in the classroom, I have always believed that it was something highly specific that generally stemmed from the more ELA-ish side of reading and writing. Now, I understand that literacy gives students the ability to fully understand or begin to understand the world around them, and can be done through many different venues. That is not to say I fully understand all of the seemingly endless layers that literacy has, but I guess I’ll just “mushfake” it until I make it (that was one of my favorite readings all semester).
ReplyDeleteUsing drama pedagogy or media within the classroom is a form of literacy too, and this is honestly a really freeing understanding. In speaking with our school’s point-person on technology usage, she voiced her frustration with a lack of appropriate funding, and explained that laptops and devices should be utilized in every classroom in order to help students learn proper usage and skills to be successful in the 21st century. Nathalie also described the technology vision, saying that students need to understand responsibility and consequences surrounding devices before they get to the high school which is 1:1, so there should be more opportunities that exist in the middle school to use technology daily. One of the really frustrating things that our school has to deal with is the lack of updates to tech and the slow process of repair and replacement. Half of the time, our building wifi cuts out on chromebooks, and they are literally useless. So frustrating!
Lastly, I believe that critical literacy is something that is vital for classrooms in a democratic society. When we had our classroom discussion on crit lit, I was really impacted by the idea from Freire (and supported by others) that the act of teaching alone is a political act. We discuss remaining impartial, especially as “experts” in the area of social studies (which includes history and civics), but we cannot be impartial and be experts at the same time. History is polarized, it was created by the powerful, and it is ignorant to both teach and expect students to truly learn history if dominant perspectives are perpetuated and minority voices are subdued. So yes, I am a political teacher in a sense, but I do not think that is wrong! I think that in order to be a truly engaged and engaging social studies teacher, it is important to give voice to all sides of a story (when possible - if they even really exist) and teach into civic and civil discourse.
Overall, this course has been a really informative adventure that has helped me to expand my philosophical view on education, I can’t wait for more!
-Mia
So often, we have a feeling - some kind of ambient sense that we can describe, but lack a shorthand for. For me, critical literacy packaged up what I had been trying to address obliquely (and unsuccessfully) in the classroom; I wasn't able to connect "literacy" and "the culture of power" for my students, or provide them enough evidence where they might distinguish for themselves the literacy we teach versus the literacies they live. James Paul Gee, Lisa Delpit, Ira Shor and Linda Christensen - some of these names, and even some of the readings brought me back to my undergrad days with Dr. Bigler, and it was devastating to recognize that so little has changed since then - perhaps most devastating of all is that this is especially true of my own teaching. I just lacked a pragmatic structure to incorporate this lens. Although these conversations are often uncomfortable for both teacher and student, I've already begun to incorporate opportunities for students to make SCWAAMP revelations, and have begun to consider (and beta test!) ways I might guide students toward using this knowledge to make constructive choices for their future. I think that's been the greatest takeaway for me. Also, knowing that Linda Christensen fell flat on her face with early attempts to reach students on this topic - and that she kept it under constant construction - helped me value my own historical shortcomings.
ReplyDeleteI also can’t get enough structured protocols and activities, and having an opportunity to actually execute these in class to see where they could use a little tweaking to suit my instruction always inspires me. I especially enjoyed the tea party and recognized immediately the potential to use this across content areas with a little - or even as we did, with professionals/colleagues - activities like these are particularly valuable tools for literacy coaches! I felt that the approach to vocabulary incorporated so many best practices from a remedial perspective, but in a more appetizing way, that it couldn’t possibly fail to reach all students. I just ran this by the reading specialist I’m working with - we discussed different ways of interacting with vocabulary words - and she interrupted me to say “I just got an idea to use this with vowel patterns!!” So there you go!
My final takeaway is that I owe it to my students to incorporate technology more effectively, and offer ways they can balance their tech consumption. It really struck me when Danah Boyd pointed out that we complain about our children, but insist they live under the very conditions we find ourselves griping over. I’d like to explore this more critically with my students, as I suspect they may discover that the world hasn’t changed as much as our perceptions and awareness of it has, and I think that’s an important distinction. Imparting a notion of literacies and helping students understand how to apply these to academic, professional, and social spheres will also hopefully impact wise decision-making when navigating the digital world.
Mandy
I didn't connect to my tech interview specifically! I spoke with the math specialist, who utilizes an online program and also creates personalized units of study for each student via Google Classroom; they also track progress by shading in a task bar daily as evidence of action toward a goal...baby steps! I want to impart that sense of autonomy and self-efficacy, and I especially appreciated the blend of tactile and digital - the more areas of the brain we can incorporate, the better we'll remember. I'd like to use tech as a tool in this way more effectively than I have been. It takes time, planning and updating to keep relevant, but I want to make it a part of the regular routine and I'm curious how I might find ways to make it simple to maintain.
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