A much-needed critique (2 parts)

This is my second class as a preservice teacher in which I'm asked to think about the "secret education" embedded in cartons and movies. It makes me consider the kind of information my current students and future kids are receiving. I don't believe in remaining passive, especially after reading this profound quote I read:
True death equals a generation living by rules and attitudes they never questioned and producing more children who do the same.

The truth is never easy to face, but we all must confront reality at some point. Santa isn't real, yet we don't hear adults explaining the sad story of St. Nicholas until they are old enough. Critiquing cartoons and society with students requires the teacher to use discretion. I hope that everyone who enjoyed what they watched as a child will be wise enough to reflect. I probably wouldn't stand over a girl watching Sleeping Beauty and point out the negatives messages she's receiving. Can you imagine how angry I'd react if someone told me to stop watching Real Housewives of Atlanta because I was feeding myself trash? Yes, women were portrayed as helpless damsels in distress while looking good for a male hero. On the other hand, they all had admirable traits of being friendly, optimistic, and emotionally strong.

I like how this author encouraged her own students to take action by having them write publicly to teach them the power of writing, too. She emphasized that they couldn't vent and needed to have strong supporting evidence. I came across a situation in which I'm compelled to act upon but don't know how:
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I've been thinking about the power of visual communication ever since I started evaluating textbook images. The first-grade classroom I'm observing is doing a LA/Social Studies unit on different occupations. Their illustrated story about "The Night Worker" depicts a blue-collar father and son who are racially ambiguous. I think the artist and publisher made a good choice, though I would have liked to seen a girl following her dad to work. However, the next visual in the lesson was a large photograph of a white male doctor, while smaller pictures were of minority women in technician or nurse roles. Later, the students listened to a tape while reading through a new book on jobs. The sole photograph of a black man showed him as the school-crossing guard!

Also on display this week is a set of books on different jobs and upon further inspection, 9 out of 12 books were on blue-collar jobs. An entire book was devoted to the school-crossing guard position and the cover model was another middle-aged black man! They could have used that book to discuss a job involving full-time employment? Another curriculum-based storybook I found on the shelf showed a black teen serving popcorn to a white family at the movie theater. Half our class is comprised of African-American children and I wonder if the subtle messages in these images will affect them. Furthermore, what are these books conveying to readers?

I'm not an elitist as my family is mainly working-class, so I have nothing against anyone's way of living. I am against setting low expectations for children because of their race and background. I looked at the sticker on each book and noticed that it came from a special grant. From my understanding, Title 1 schools receive funding because they have low literacy rates as some students come from families who don't offer academic support in the home. Basically, I see all this as "CHILDREN AT THIS SCHOOL NEED NOT WORRY ABOUT BECOMING ARTISTS, DOCTORS, BUSINESSMEN, OR LAWYERS. LEARN HOW TO READ SO THAT YOU CAN GET A JOB."

With the class issue, maybe this was the publisher's effort to reduce marginalization rather than enforce it. Perhaps they wanted to pick jobs children could identify their parents in? A little girl proudly announced that her dad was a construction worker. I am offended by the three different publishing companies who did not feature Asian-looking characters in their books, who instead mirrored Hollywood by making the black man a crossing guard multiple times.

Stirred Up Reactions!

The introduction to an article on multimodal literacy evoked some strong memories and opinions from me. It talked about the need to present information through various forms for our 21st century learners. There was even a survey conducted in classroom in which most children prefered to watch TV or get on the computer after school. Unfortunately, I enjoy my daily dose of "screen time", too. As a famous school of ed. professor stated, "Teachers have to compete with ________________." Fill in the blank with whatever the hottest fad is (xbox, rock band, Wii). Sadly, I also learn best when my senses are activated, so my professors are competing with Dancing with the Stars. The author's emphasis on technology reminded me of my nephew's teacher last year. The individual refused to use any kind of equipment or visual aids besides the whiteboard. Even with that, he only wrote questions from the book and the daily schedule. The only time students used technology was to watch DVDs of the Andy Griffith show. This teacher retired because of health problems and I am sad to see a role model depart from that high-needs school. However, this individual needed to leave the teaching field if s/he wasn't even willing to meet students half way. Imagine a doctor trying to practice medicene if she refused to use the latest treatment to cure her AIDS patients... why is she still working at the hospital? I come off as harsh, but I'm being real here. Being a teacher requires me to be open-minded about acquiring new skills or changing methods if it means helping my students learn more effectively.

From an academic perspective, I can't form any opinions on the immigrant article yet. Did anyone think the article to be outdated? Perhaps no one else has written on this matter, so kudos to her for discussing it! I find it extremely important that teachers read about the struggles of child immigrants. The majority of people in the teaching force do not represent a minority or immigrant group, which may cause misunderstandings in the classroom. From a personal standpoint, I do think the author made many valid points and I will take into consideration some of the advice she gave. However, I was thoroughly distracted by some of her statements. Were they outlandish to just me? To protect this author's privacy, I won't be scanning my notes of indignation I've written on the margins. Instead, I'll be speaking up within the confines of my own class next Monday.

MGP debrief

Dislike: I am rather embarrassed to be presenting my inquiry and findings tomorrow. Compared to everyone else, my topic is rather generic and straightforward. I think preservice teachers will gain valuable information in what I have to say, but it is also ideas they will eventually come across. I would have liked to pick something intriguing and out-of-the-box.

Like: I am a huge fan of my own genre pieces. I devoted a lot of thought, time, and energy into all five pieces. They all looked like projects I could have whipped up in 30 minutes, but my behind-the-scenes strategies I used for each piece appears effortless. In doing my videos, I enjoyed writing like a script writer. I only had so many sentences to choose my words wisely to convey my message. Using my friends as fictional students, parents, and administrators was fun, too! It made the entire process feel real.

More about the MGP

The two chapters I read from Camille Allen were What a Character: Bringing Subjects to Life and Explore the Arts: Expanding Kids' Thinking. Both chapters were provided some interesting insight on how to go about writing creatively or presenting research findings.

I survived reading the example used to demonstrate what she meant by "show, don't tell" when a student is trying to write about a character. I'm curious to read the entirety of  Bailey White's book Mama Makes Up Her Mind (1995) because I struggle with characterization. I loved how I could visualize the mom and scenario based on vivid description.  The specific story, "Finger" would be especially attention catching and does allow students to find out about the main character based on actions and dialogue. 


With students in grades 3+, I would like to try the observation activity in which a student has ten minutes to do a quick write-up on a person they don't know. This would allow them to take notice of other people, make inferences, and reflect on what they saw.  This is an exercise on descriptive detail, because instead of writing that the person was tall, they'd need to elaborate how on this individual's height for the reader to visualize. 

I would definitely create a class character with any age group. It is a great way for everyone to brainstorm collaboratively before  working on individual stories.  The teacher asks 34 questions on a character that the class creates together. Then, each student uses that information to write a story about the character they've come up with. 

Chapter 7 seems to offer the type of pieces a multigenre paper could include. While I didn't find any new ideas for my topic (Readers Theater), I thought about why I enjoyed the process of making the two video clips I have so far.  I still had to do my research and could not fabricate my findings, but I was learning as I wrote scripts, filmed, and worked with actors. I had to think about what needed to be said, create a role for each actor, and explain to participants what my topic was about. I think that playing music, illustrating, and building artifacts are beneficial, but I wouldn't press it on students. I was in a project-based classroom in fourth grade and at the time, hated having to make poster boards and act on stage as our assignments.  My focus was no longer on the information I presented, but on how my costume looked compared to peers, or what materials were I to use. If a teacher wants her students to use "arts to expand thinking", class time and resources need to be provided.  Not every kid has access to a flip video, nor does every child have parents who are willing to take the time and money needed buy materials. 

On the contrary, I am all for doing the MGP as a college grad student. I hated it from grades 4-12, but I now love being able to get creative and fun with my assignments.  Realistically, which national university professor would accept a research paper that was printed with musical notes or stapled onto a diorama?

The Importance of Being Earnest: Using Poetry and Inquiry in the Classroom

I want my students to be earnest learners, having purpose in their own education. However, it is my responsibility to create an atmosphere enabling them to express and explore.  This week's reading was on poetry (The Multigenre Research Paper by Camille Allen) and Setting up invitations ( by Van Sluys). 

I needed to read Allen's take on poetry because she explained why students should use it and she gave me ideas on how to be a more confident poet.  My parents encouraged me to read at a young age, but I was never asked to express my own feelings and thoughts on paper. Someone else's kid would show off a packet of grade A poetry, and my folks would command me, "Just do it! It can't be that hard if so-and-so could do it." Throughout k-12 schooling, our teachers probably had us write and read a couple of poems during a "poetry unit."  From early on, I developed an apathy for reading or writing poetry because I wasn't properly guided.  Now that I'm in the school of education, I realize perhaps many of my teachers rushed through poetry because they felt incompetent themselves.  What I loved best in this reading, was how a student's research finding could be presented through poems.  I love how a multigenre research paper allows students to play with words to express the same amount of learning a 6-pager report does. 

I'm still not quite sure what an invitation is after reading and rereading Van Sluys. From what I understand, it is an inquiry activity the teacher plans ahead of time and invites students to probe and reflect on?  Anyhow, I like how any subject can be covered and integrated because students will "read, write, think, compose, and challenge meanings. They communicate with others, pose problems, formulate questions, explore possible responses, as well as organize new inquiries." I can't remember the article I read in E-555, but a principal listed 10 methods of a successful school. One of them was having a curriculum in which the subjects overlap each other. Furthermore, the students should be the one asking the questions and answering them through guided research and discussion. 

This literacy activity reminds me of the quote, "we learn how to read to learn."  I feel that in a classroom with children of different interests and ability levels, an activity such as this will allow everyone to utilize their strengths. If some students are talkers while others are writers, they all have an opportunity to contribute. There are some people who initiate ideas and questions, while some people are better at coming up with solutions and responding.

*Edited 10 minutes later*
As I'm reading through other blogs and responding. I'm relieved to know that I wasn't the only person open about my lack of confidence in poetry. Nor was I the only person still unclear about an invitation after reading Van Sluys. However, I believe that everyone is serious about providing the best learning opportunities, whether it is using poetry and/or planned inquiry activies.

What's the point?

Rebecca Powell and Nancy Davidson wrote an article about the effectiveness of situated literacy. They did a case study involving a 2/3 classroom in which students put literacy into practice by constructing a donut shop. I learned and agreed with many of the authors' notions.

I do agree that literary practices used in school can become very boring, causing students to lose interest altogether in reading. I taught a 3rd grade SIPPS group for a month and am relieved to discover that some changes have been made since I was in elementary school. The teacher used popular snack names to teach blended sounds and incorporated body movement into spelling out sight words. Most importantly, the books were interesting and illustrated for each reading level. However, I still think that the focus was on "learning to read" because they used a scientific approach.

I found the authors' explanation to the scientific approach interesting because it mirrors the teaching styles found in today's public schools. I do think that students are mislead to believe that reading means word decoding and comprehension means answering questions.  Yes, literacy is a set of skills, yet students are continuing to acquire these skills through mundane exercises, worksheets, and prepaid packagaes.  If I was acquring skills on how to play the piano, I wouldn't be reading about great pianists or only practicing scales, I would be learning songs, the main reason why I became intersted in playing piano. Just like how students read to learn, why does their learning process focus on reading for the sake of reading?

MGP Process

As always, I have difficulty choosing a topic for research papers. Now I also wanted to pick something where I'd be able to present my findings in different forms. I used two inspirations for my initial search. The first being when I was subbing in a third-grade room and decided to read some creative writing pieces while that student acted it out, or vice verse. The students found it highly rewarding to see their effort come to life. A few days later while continuing to search for ideas, I came across an article in the Language Arts magazine about children using acting to present their social justice issues. Originally, I wanted to research how using drama will improve literacy while teaching advocacy. However, there were few researchers who could support my theory and I couldn't make this synthesis quite yet.

While scanning some articles under the search term, Readers Theater, I collected my thoughts and sent this to my instructor: "I might try to change how I articulate the topic of my L549 research paper as I'm scanning various articles. Originally, I wanted to use reader's theater to improve literacy and raise awareness about global issues. But then I started thinking: Education inequality is an obvious social injustice I recognize as an American educator, but I don't think I'd tell my 4th-graders, "let us fight because some schools are better/worse than ours." If I taught a student population that was behind in their literacy skills because of educational inequality and SES factors, I would be even more eager to use reader's theater to boost their reading/writing level. I guess using reader's theater and/or drama heavily in my curriculum would be my way of battling a type of social injustice?"

The most frustrating part of doing a paper is locating reliable sources that fit my ideas. I found articles having to do with Readers Theater or drama around three themes:
1) RT helps young readers
2) RT helps struggling or special ed readers
3) RT helps ENL readers
I am satisfied with narrowing now my topic to three subtopics, yet I feel like I let the amount of support available dictate my interests. Anyhow, I won't be sour grapes about it because part of being in school and eventually going back to college again is that I'll be able to conduct my own research. Anyhow, my instructor encouraged me that "as a teacher, you can use drama as a literacy tool of empowerment." Whether the students struggle with education inequality, learning disabilities, or language barriers, my aim is for everyone to succeed at reading.

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  I was able to make progress today by asking friends who have school age children to demonstrate Readers Theater on video. It took me awhile to call everyone and send out a detailed email with instructions and disclaimers. In this age of YouTube and identity theft, I felt an obligation to explain the five Ws to the parents. They were pretty cooperative, except one dad asked me to leave out names. Therefore, I am rather disappointed that I won't have credits and the participants won't see their names on film.  I remain excited for the opportunity to present my findings in the form of a short movie and I'm still brainstorming other ideas. However, expect to SEE interesting information as I am big on visuals.