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.

Teaching with Multiple-Identity ASSET!

Hoping I can be a technician, kidwatcher, mediator, mentor, and agent

After reading Karen E Wohlwend's Dilemmas and Discourses of Learning to Write: Assessment as  Contested Site, I created the label "multiple-identity asset" to describe how elementary teachers must assume different positions to help their students become confident writers. Although this article discussed the conflict that arises between student interests and mandated standards, I found the types of discourses very informative as a preservice teacher. Most of them I understood at the service level and will be able to apply it to my own teaching.

Whether you want to or not, every teacher will have to be that technician who tracks down each student's mastery of skills. The benchmarks, rubrics, and specific test scores mandated by the higher up will determine what needs to be taught, fixed, or even done away with. I am not against standards because they act as accountability for educators to stay focused. Unfortunately, children who came from a certain background and ability level will prosper since they can abide by the norms to succeed. I visited a classroom of 23 first-graders and was shocked that five of them had never been to preschool or kindergarten. Therefore, there are youngsters out there who are exposed to social and academic rules for the first time in their life!

Good thing the teacher can also adopt the intentionality discourse in teaching, you're able to recognize and celebrate children's strengths. If a kid was doodling on paper, that teacher can identify that as a piece of communication. This idea is similar to an earlier post, about how the scribbles turn to letters, and the letters start to make sense. I am starting to become a kidwatcher, taking notice of what the student can do, encouraging more, and providing correct examples in a nonobtrusive manner.

As an adult, I like to use nonwritten means of getting my messages across. In the multimodal discourse, teachers facilitate children's ability to communicate by allowing them to use colors, shapes, and sounds. Besides print and paper, the instructor looks for communication in the toys, jokes, pop culture, and plays students partake in. I agree with this discourse, except that I'll probably be working a public school that allows little flexibility. Since I was a kid, having students draw first and then write has been a common practice.

Another discourse I didn't fully accept was the maturation kind. I don't know enough about it to say whether I agree or disagree. All I know is, the pressures of schoolwide and state standards are only going to get higher; there is going to be some summer school intervention if a student can't write by the end of first grade. Just kidding, I do advocate and recognize individual progress as the true markers of accomplishment. However, I do question the validity of a "chronlogical sequence of mental maturation".

Photo illustrates societal practices and sociopolitical discourses.
Be a mentor to your students and their family.
Be cautious of too much pulling out.

Let Us Teach and Receive

I read chapters 7,8,and 9 from Crafting Writers, k-6 by Elizabeth Hale.
Writing about the cafeteria is a good topic because everyone can use their five senses! 

Last week, some of us preservice teachers worried about our ability to teach writing if we felt insecure about our own skills. Hale uses the swimming lesson in chapter 7 to point out that a person doesn't have to be an expert on something in order to teach. What matters is if the people on the receiving end of our instruction are actually learning. To build confidence as a future writing teaching, I will make the effort to journal more and read The Elements of Style.

Even if I'm qualified to teach, are my students learning? The stimulation children are receiving today challenges me to prepare lessons that are attention-grabbing and retainable. Hale recommends using 7-10 minutes to teach just one skill, dubbing this a "mini-lesson". Categories include craft, mechanics, writing strategy, and text features. The time I spend with my students is precious, so I must make sure that whatever I teach is applicable and specific. Hale asks two questions before starting a lesson:

What exactly am I teaching?

Why am I teaching this? How will it help my students as writers?

Last week, I mentioned how reading good literature will model good writing. I should also point out the necessity in using a book that the students have already read. This way, they are focused on picking up how the story is written rather than what takes place in the plot.

Another example would be to use a student's piece. As a child, I paid attention when a classmate's writing was being shared since I wanted to know what made Susie Q a "good writer." With mini-lessons, Hale is looking for the student who did a good job in using the specific craft, giving many kids a chance to have their work up on the overhead.

In live writing, the teacher has a chance to demonstrate how she tackles the process in front of students. Although I found it cheesy at first to make the hmmmmmm? noise, children hear and see you doing that, they see that you are thinking when you write. Perhaps kids had the misconception that adults are automatic word processors who can spill out lettters on the paper or keyboard. When the teacher before a live audience, she shows that writing is something that requires effort and thought for its creation.

Crafting Writers, k-6 by Hale

Personal reflection:

*I do find writing to be a craft that can be taught and learned. It is much easier to learn writing than it is to teach a group of 20+ students. Being a person of few words, I especially struggle with explaining why a piece of writing is good. I am an avid reader and patient listener, I just can't come up with my own words to say and write! However, Crafting Writers reminded me that my love for reading and drawing encouraged me to become a writer because I had inspiration.

*Chapter 6 focuses on primary writing and advocates drawing in promoting writing skills. I had the chance to substitute teach in a kindergarten room on Thursday and Friday. On both days, the students were allowed to illustrate anything of their choice while I would go around writing in a caption when they were nearly done. I was pleased with how much thought everyone put into constructing their sentences. Hale takes it further by analyzing some examples and pulling out how certain details of the picture lead to detailed writing.

*Author and illustrator Patricia Polacco is used to discuss specific components of the craft. If you have not ever read Chicken Sundays, you are missing out on excellent literature. Hale specifically advises teachers to collect examples from a book that students wouldn't mind rereading.

*For educators who don't have time to read through the entirety of Crafting Writers, I still recommend having this book handy because it includes a useful appendix and lists of examples.

Response to Reading

Sound Systems by Anna Lyon and Paula Moore
Reading this book gave me ideas in how I would want to implement literacy into my classroom. First of all, the book informed me that young students read little by little because the brain relies on patterns. I always assumed our mind functioned by rules. Phonics highlight certain letters, sounds, and words to create a pattern children establish and apply to in identifying unfamiliar vocabulary. How readers pick up on these is to look and hear the sounds being made. Using visual skills helps to start detecting patterns.
Reading aloud will always be something an elementary teacher does. It shows "clear demonstration of the reading process." The authors also remind teachers to use tradebooks and I couldn't agree more. A second grader isn't compelled to read if all he ever hears about is Dick and Jane. I worked with a 10-year-old who learned how to read and write his name in the third grade. Suggestions from this book such as decorating the classroom with print-rich materials and students writing their own names make me question what teachers around the country are doing. 

Every Mark on the Page: Educating Family and Community Members about Young Children's Writing.
I highly recommend this article for educators and parents. Many of the highlighted information may seem like common sense, but people under pressure tend to form high and unrealistic expectations. From my observations with babies, I believe that children do possess a natural desire to learn. They are eager to examine books and piece together letters. Reading becomes a chore when adults began criticizing or questioning the student's attempt to read, write, and talk. We take for granted what a child does know when he hands in a written assignment. The fact that s/he has tried to write something down demonstrates using symbols to communicate. Cusumano reminds everyone to focus on strengths and not weaknesses.

Literacy Dig at the Park

There was much to record when observing the physical environment of an outdoor play place. I liked how any signs of city life were out of sight at this location and very few cars drove by. Trees bordered the area without being in the way. Tents were available for families to enjoy a snack and an indoor bathroom was accessible for everyone.

The physical environment of a park is important because visitors approach certain pieces based on how they look. The photos and illustrated map give you an idea of the unconventional shapes and forms present. Structures are multidimensional and unleveled. I can only describe it as an organized place of chaos. This is a place to expect the unexpected!

Color choice matters. An all-pink park would repel older boys. Can you imagine toddlers running towards the whites, beiges, and grays?  Notice the primary and and secondary colors used throughout the location. Each piece draws the attention of children, as if beckoning, "come play!" 

Climbing structure made of metal and rope

At a closer glance, different types of surfaces are seen above, below, and everything in between. The ground is covered with mulch that shifts around or recycled rubber with a slight bounce to it. Metal pieces are shiny and smooth while the wooden steps have been worn down from use. Textiles were used to "weave" the spider web and cover the tent.

The purpose in coming to a park is to experience movement different from routinal ranges of motion. The physical environment of this place is visibly noticed and tangible. When having a good time here, your two feet should not be on solid ground. This place causes you to climb, spin, swing, and leap in all directions.

You see that it's blue and then feel it move.

Although he can't participate, this welsh corgie enjoys his surroundings.

books I'm reading

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos

Scat by Carl Hiaasen

My experiences with blogging and school writing

I learned about blogging in the middle of high school when a more tech-savvy friend introduced me to http://www.xanga.com/. I really enjoyed sharing my thoughts with anyone who bothered to read and leave comments and give "eprops". Soon, many friends subscribed and we were able to know more about one another through reading each other's posts. Never having been a careful writer in the classroom, I spent time and effort to ensure that every entry I published was grammatically correct, and stimulating, yet tasteful.  Knowing that it wasn't just one random teacher who would be reading my work motivated me to take pride in my writing. Blogging created a way for students to read each other's work and brought about peer pressure for me to start writing better.

Based on personal experiences of when I was a student and teacher's aide, I believe that children would put more effort into their work if they knew their peers would be evaluating it. Blogging allows a community of writers to be formed where everyone has access to each other's writing. If I knew a paper I had to turn in for class would require peer-editing, I would make sure to put in my best effort because I wouldn't want that person reading my paper to think I was incompetent or uneducated. Aren't children also mindful of being judged on their work? No one likes to be "that kid" who always misspells or "the one" who can't form sentences.

My main concern with having students blog is safety, parental resistance, and liability. I don't know if I'd be brave enough to mandate blogging as a class assignment, but I'd encourage my students to blog as a hobby and form of communication between each other. I am post likely to be old school and use the two-way notebook!