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Post by delilah on May 14, 2016 3:22:39 GMT
Brozo made some great points in regards do boys literacy. schools focussing on learning standards for students can easily push students away from their obtaining a desire to read. Schools choosing to provide readings that there is a strong lack of interest in can generate a great deal of distain towards reading for many students. all throughout my elementary schooling, teachers had forced us to endure mind numbing readings that almost nobody was interested in. I felt as if this is a huge part as to why i personally can't stand reading. In which, it may be key for teachers to recognize the importance of attracting a students interest into the subject area by abiding to their interests. Brozo made an interesting point with assisting students in finding an entry point text. For many students, the desire to read is only brought on once they can find enjoyment in a specific text in the beginning. This definitely happened to me when i was younger and i read a book called A Land Remembered, and for a while there i loved to read, truly loved it, and then reading in social studies subjects seemed to take over and I entirely lost my desire, and school further pushed me away from my interests in reading. For some students that may never have been able to push themselves through the bore and were able to read and make it through the frustration, it seems easy to be able to never fully learn to read properly. Obviously it is important for teachers to emphasize on more advanced readings as we progress through school and ensure that there is a required level of sophistication, however they seem to forget to also ensure that the students are enjoying the reading enough to grow as a reader.
Johnny Can't Read- Don Henley
This music video was definitely not what i expected. I could imagine that it could cause people to further make assumptions about boys not being able to read or being less capable than girls in literacy. It seems to create an idea in popular culture that encourages boys not to read, as they make it out to be something that is not meant for boys. And this probably had an impact on many peoples opinions of boys in literacy since this was a very popular song at the time it was released, and i;m sure even boys felt less capable. Instead they make it out to show boys as overly frustrated and resorting to a form of violence instead of being capable of pushing through the frustration and learning to read. Not only is Johnny's lacking ability to read a problem, but also the fact that everyone feels like there should be someone to blame. the song is asking who to blame, as in society, any time something goes wrong in education or a student fails to succeed, everyone immediately just starts pointing fingers and making assumptions, however based on your position in, the matter they all have different view points, hence blame different people in the party. In the song, they make all of these things into a joke when they should be taken more seriously in life and instead of trying to figure out who is to blame, we should be trying to find a remedy for this problem in the school system.
Why Johnny Can't Read: 50 Years of Controversy:
honestly I can't remember how i was taught to read at all. For the most part I didn't even know that phonics was a big part of the teaching experience. I guess looking back on it as best as I can, i just memorized words by the way they looked and didn't have a good understanding of what they meant. I was a much better at pronunciation and reading quickly and accurately, however at the end of my reading i had almost no comprehension of what i read. I thought teachers always had us learn by word method. For the most part, I find it near impossible to agree with Flesch as he seems to be so closed minded on the area. He acts like all students learn phonetically and there is no other way to teach, he has little to no experience in teaching and makes these assumptions based on that as well as other peoples ideas that he had researched. Phonetics may be necessary for many students, and may be non beneficial for many others, in which it is important to keep an open mind to all forms of teaching reading to students. It is definitely true that students need to understand conceptually more, as many simply have a recognition method for reading, and have no understanding of what they are saying as teachers pushed them to memorize much more than anything. I understand that phonetics helps, but i remember students finding it detrimental as a teacher would explain the sound of something, and it is common with the english language that the same spelling sounds entirely different when a single letter changes, and that tends to confuse students when learning to read.
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Post by leighvand on May 15, 2016 18:52:03 GMT
delilah (and everyone else): Regarding content-related texts, do you think there is a way for teachers to present information from textbooks or novels considered "classics" in a way that isn't dreadful for students? I feel like those texts seem awful because we already have a negative mentality going into class. For example, in 10th grade, my teacher required that we choose a classic from a list, and then create a presentation or something. I chose The Great Gatsby, and to be honest, that wasn't even that long ago, and I don't even remember what that book was about or what the real assignment was. By allowing us to choose what book we wanted to read, I believe my teacher did a fair job in letting us choose something we could personally engage in, but I know not all schools/classes are like that. Now that I'm older and have read a fair amount for my own enjoyment, I really want to go back and read that book. So again, what's a good way to relay the information to students without it being dreadful?
On another note, I read "Materializing Literacies in Communities" about ephemeral and alternative literacies to just reading an writing. The theme of this article was the topic of debate in class on Thursday. I know someone on our side of the class was arguing that reading and writing alone was considered literacy because that is how it is defined. I too was sitting quiet in class to listen to either side trying to formulate an opinion and it is still really hard for me to choose. Part of me believes that if literacy is defined as the ability to read and write, then everyone who cannot do that, including the indigenous people of the Amazon, are illiterate. That does not mean they are not functioning individuals, it just means they do not need to be literate by our standards to live their lives. That being said, does anyone think that the epidemic of illiteracy is just in our societal heads? Do we need to fix the nations?
Otherwise, this article was really cool for someone who is a prospective art teacher. The discussion of modal choices and representational spaces were huge topics, and these are the pieces that force me on the side that literacy can be more than just reading and writing. The fact that these students were able to use dance, film, etc. to tell their government how they felt about their place in society leads me to believe that they did not need to use words to tell their message, and maybe their message was stronger using their modal choice.
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Post by ericalharris on May 15, 2016 21:44:56 GMT
I think it doesn't make sense to think of literacy as something with one single definition. I don't think it necessarily has to be a pejorative thing to say that tribal people in the Amazon are illiterate, as by the most common definition, they are. That is not necessarily a bad thing though, as they don't need reading and writing literacy in order to be successful. The term literacy is clearly used to mean reading and writing in modern, American society and I don't think that means it can't have other definitions. Someone can have literacy in other areas (technologically literate, mathematically literate, etc.) but that doesn't mean that the common definition of the word literate needs to change. I don't know what or who it helps to need a single definition of literacy, and it seems needlessly contrarian to say that reading and writing is not literacy. That does not, however, mean there can't be other forms of literacy-- I think this is a false dichotomy where really both definitions can and should exist. Plenty of words have multiple definitions and the world goes on... If you want to combine the two into a single construct, you have created an idea about competence that is so broad that is essentially meaningless. If literacy is everything a person needs in order to navigate any situation, literacy is no longer even a spectrum-- it is a complicated web of different competencies with so many strands that thinking about it as one thing becomes impossible. Reading and writing will always be the most common definition of literacy, but people can be literate in other areas that have little or nothing to do with reading and writing as well; I don't see why we need to choose one or the other. Also, I don't think it is possible to change the popular definition of a word like that just because we don't like one of the definitions, as that is not how words work.
As for the question above as to whether classics can be presented in a non-dreadful way, I think they can. When I was a teacher one of my colleagues had her students rewrite portions of Romeo and Juliet using texting language, and I thought it was a really cool way for the kids to be engaged in the text. It really allowed them to translate the story into terms they could understand and it was really fun to see how they interpreted the text from a modern perspective. It made what they had previously seen as a dreadfully boring book more interesting to them because they could relate to the story instead of having to dwell on the hard to understand Shakespearian language. There were certainly other teachers in the school who did not like that approach as they said she was allowing them to butcher a classic, but I think getting students to be able to relate to those classic stories is key to getting them to be able to engage. I'm not sure if that could work in schools with much more rigid curricula, as I was at a private school and teachers had a lot of freedom to teach the content in ways that they enjoyed and though would be best for their students.
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Post by carolinebyrnes on May 15, 2016 22:34:19 GMT
The idea that different cultures have different literacy practices and discourses really stuck with me throughout the video and both readings. As future school psychologists and teachers we are taught to value all students and what they have to offer. However, I believe our own discourse is keeping us from valuing the discourses of others. The discourse we learn throughout our time in college is the one that is valued by society. I believe this discourse becomes so ingrained in us that many have difficulties adopting or even valuing new discourses. As educators we will interact with a variety of different discourses. Parents and students will come from a wide variety of cultures and discourses. It is our job to be open and learn from others and not just stick with "teacher talk" ( or school psychologist talk). Learning to value the discourses that students bring to the table will help them tremendously. When we incorporate these new discourses into the classroom students will be able to connect to the material and they will feel more comfortable. Thus, prior knowledge will be activated and the student may grow and learn in ways that we as educators would have never imagined. So the real question is how as educators can we show that we value different discourses?
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Post by colleen on May 16, 2016 1:31:21 GMT
I agree with Caroline that different cultures have inherently different literacy practices and discourses unique to their own way of life. I think that while literacy is often commonly thought of as the ability (or furthermore, some level of proficiency) to read and write, being “literate” can extend to other competencies as well. Erica makes a good point that there is a fine line between what can be considered a literacy and an area of competency – so fine that it can easily become blurred. It’s often hard to tease the two apart. I'm not sure what my opinion on the issue is because I feel like both sides make a good point. I think that the “text talk” interpretation of Romeo & Juliet Erica mentioned is actually really interesting and useful to students on multiple levels. Students have to understand the material well enough to translate it into a more modern text with equivalent meaning, so it is teaching students to thoroughly understand the material to complete the assignment. This in itself may spur discussion and increase interest level. It is also altering the play’s delivery in a way that today’s students may take more away from. The plot may become more applicable and understandable from a modern point of view (i.e., “text talk”), rather than reading it in Elizabethan English and having no clue what ideas and emotions are trying to be conveyed. I think that at the end of the day it is important to note that while it is our job to help a student succeed and meet their full potential while in an academic setting, our view of success may not perfectly coincide with their own interpretation of success. Taking into account the student’s personal view (whether it be culturally based or not) of literacy and what discourse is important to them is important in helping them succeed. Our job, as school psychologists and as educators, should not be limited to helping the child succeed within the parameters set by the school system – it should also include helping the student work at their fullest potential and in a way that most benefits them. Meeting the student where they are at, noting what discourses they’re experiencing and helping blend their cultural values and approaches with our own academic expectations is important in success. However, this is absolutely an ideal – it's often not feasible to achieve such a personalized level within the confines of a school setting and the strict standards that are already in place. What can I say though - I'm an idealist... Also, I found these images. I think they’re both insightful and amusing. (:  ^^ I love this one. Just because we value a specific form of literacy does not mean that it is inherently the only way to approach the subject.  
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Post by bdelisi on May 16, 2016 16:31:32 GMT
Much like Caroline noted, it was really interesting to read the article about British-Asia literacy in the home and getting an inside look on what literacy practices different cultures use in their homes. The article talked a lot about how the children in the family used ephemeral literacies and write stories that were just for the individual to see and was almost invisible to others. They did this in such a manner that I was not used to. The girls would write down little stories for themselves, which was something that I have personally never done. It was interesting to learn about how, in different cultures, literacy can be closely tied to aesthetics through means such as gardening, like stated in the article. It got me thinking about if my family had any literacies tied to certain aesthetics and I was able to think about how this idea may play out in my own home. As a future school psychologist, it is essential to take into consideration the different values on different literacy practices of other cultures so that I can find the most effective and meaningful way to communicate with the families that I will work with. My biggest question from the reading was similar to Erica's in that how is it possible to incorporate these different literacy practices that each student engages with while still fitting in the necessary content?
I also did the additional search on the school to prison pipeline because it is still a phenomenon that baffles me. Educators and at risk students have gotten into a vicious cycle of sending the students that may need educational opportunities them most into the criminal justice system where they do not end up getting the education that they need to get them out. While searching, I found a website that listed different steps that pull kids out of school and into prisons. This included things like failing public schools with inadequate resources for the students, zero-tolerance schools with harsh discipline regardless of the circumstances, policing school hallways, disciplinary alternative schools, and court involvement in juvenile detention. I was curious as to which of these indicated causes for the school to prison pipeline do you guys think is the most predominate and what could we all possibly do to combat this cycle?
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Post by delilah on May 16, 2016 16:47:05 GMT
the readings for Tuesday i found to be very interesting in that of bringing everyday literacies into the classroom. As future educators, we are expected to maximize the students potential to learn in the classroom as mentioned in the last post, and that seems to be near impossible if we don't incorporate the home literacies that are valued to these students. In the aesthetics of everyday literacies, it became apparent that children have a desire to be literate in the home in which they regularly apply their literacies, and it would be beneficial for educators to encourage students to introduce readings in relevance to their home literacies so that we can light a fire in their interest in school literacies.
If we can relate a students home culture and discourse to an academic discourse, then the students may feel more comfortable approaching academics. It's definitely important to accept all discourses as equal and encourage an acceptance of all students backgrounds in the classroom so that all students feel equally capable of achieving academically. If we bring diverse understanding of culture and differences into the classroom through different students home life, we can create a more open atmosphere for learning and students may feel more exited and ready to apply their literacies.
in response to leighvand, of course i think we can present textbook information in a way that isn't so dreadful to students. based on the readings I find that it is more than true that making the content relatable to the students in any way possible will encourage their excitement and creativity so that they don't hate the subject matter or dread learning.
I am confused on one pretty big concept here though, I understand we need to accept all discourses in education and view all forms equally based on varying upbringings, however i don't understand how we can show students that their form of discourse is acceptable in the classroom when they are far from an academic discourse, and it is required of them to progress in their language skills in order to succeed? I feel like i'm missing something...
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Post by carolinebyrnes on May 16, 2016 17:19:40 GMT
I believe the standard idea of literacy presented in schools is a hidden curriculum. A hidden curriculum is a side effect of an education, "lessons which are learned but not openly intended" . Students need to follow the teachers idea of what literacy is to be able to do well. However, since this is implicit students may not be able to pick up on what the teachers are expecting. This idea goes back to my earlier post. I believe it is an educators responsibility to incorporate all types of literacies and to be clear about what is expected in the classroom.
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Post by sarahpiper on May 16, 2016 19:27:21 GMT
As many of you have previously stated, I am still wondering about our definition of literacy. I think the main thing we were suppose to get out of that discussion was that we can look at literacy in a broader form that just looking at written responses to novels that have been deemed necessary for literary study. I think the article "The Aesthetics of Everyday Literacies: Home Writing Practices in a British Asian Household" does a really good job of looking at literacy in a diverse way. The data included everything from full written stories to a few words being written in glitter as a piece of art. It also makes sure to review verbal forms of literacy through story telling and conversation. What I am confused about is what we, working in a school setting, are suppose to do with this knowledge.
How do we use what is happening in the home to encourage learning and literacy in the classroom? Also on that note how do we know what sort of literacy is being used in the home? Can we only asses this by the success or failure of students adjusting to a classroom Discourse?
In the video the woman stated that when the literacy practices of the home match that of the classroom students are more likely to succeed. So with this knowledge, and that students can be literate in different ways, what do we do to insure the success of our students further down the line?
I think all of this has opened more questions than it has answered.
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Post by colleen on May 16, 2016 22:50:12 GMT
I believe that the discourse inherent to specific cultures can become part of a hidden curriculum when students from different backgrounds interact in the same classroom. Each student imparts their own point of view, cultural norms and beliefs onto curriculum expectations and shares that with the students with whom they interact. The school to prison pipeline is a devastating and ridiculous trend; while I understand the importance of having a zero-tolerance approach to certain infractions (e.g., bringing a gun to school), minor infractions should not be treated the same way. It seems as though it is easier to “pass the buck” and let someone else deal with a child’s behavior or academic issues rather than getting involved at an earlier point. I feel that often it comes down to a lack of funding and making it someone else's issue to handle a struggling child. I love visuals, so I'm including a few more. Sorry if it stretches the page out, but the first one has to be large to read some of the small text. The second one can't be made smaller which is a shame because it's actually pretty creepy, especially up close. It makes an interesting point though - "Follow the money I guess."   |
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Post by Jack Bond on May 16, 2016 23:13:32 GMT
Those were great visuals, Colleen! The cartoon was pretty effective.
At the end of the day the school-to-prison pipeline and zero-tolerance policies are increasing - and causing - the very things they're trying to prevent. Politicians are delving into educational policies and matters that they feel are important, but have no underlying understanding of the effects they can cause. Tying salaries or budgets for teachers/schools into how their students perform seems effective, but it's just giving them the stick when they can't see how to use the carrot. Like Colleen said too, they're passing the problem onto the schools, looking only at the results section while completely ignoring the introduction and methods used to get a better understanding.
In terms of bringing literacy into their effects, for example, politicians don't understand the intricate factors that individual students have in comprehending material, reading or otherwise. Their discourse and how it helps (or is stunted) in classrooms is left for the teachers to handle, while they are also expected to meet standards set for their students and schools. That's a huge burden on the teacher and a great risk for the student.
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Post by jennie on May 17, 2016 2:32:57 GMT
As the idea of literacy increases in ambiguity, it becomes more difficult to address in the classroom. However, I think the big idea here might not be to incorporate all forms of literacy the students are bringing into the class, but to understand the wide variety of perspectives. Our students will approach things in different ways, but should find some unity within a classroom discourse (unity does not necessarily have to mean uniformity). I think it is important that every student is stretched by differing ideas and their views are broadened.
I liked how Pahl linked representation to framing. Students and teachers both frame certain tasks in the classroom and the two might not always be aligned. However your entry points and how you perceive things affects your performance and learning. I think a big take a way is the idea of collaboration within the classroom that allows for a more authentic creation of concepts.
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Post by hannahacree on May 17, 2016 10:35:06 GMT
It seems that as society and the classroom values a certain discourse and register, it deprives and devalues members of other discourses who use and are proficient in different literacy practices. As teachers and school psychologists I think it is important for us to be aware of this issue and recognize the multifaceted ways in which literacy is used in different communities, cultures, and discourses. The reading "Materializing Literacy in Communities" mentioned the recognition of literacy, in which there are many forms of literacy in different communities, cultures, and discourses; and these literacies must be recognized in order to be valued. I feel that is part of our job as teachers and school psychologists, to be able to identify what students bring to the table, how they all bring varying styles of communicating and interpreting information, and recognize the skills associated with each, even if those skills differ from traditionally valued literacy practices. There are different skills required to operate in different discourses and much can be learned from recognizing the literacy practices of different communities, cultures, and discourses.
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Post by sarahpiper on May 19, 2016 0:47:29 GMT
I wasn't sure if we should start a new thread for each week, but it seemed like all the posts on the other thread were still in regards to the last readings. So I figured we could start a new discussion.
The health and literacy video really freaked me out. It's so hard for me to imagine a world where my health could be in danger because I can't read the instructions or dosage for medication. Also the woman who had a four year old and couldn't read the right dosage of motrin for her daughter was almost too much for me. To me it brings up the question of how did this woman get to an age where she has a daughter, but cant read. How can we change the system so that this does not happen? It feels like these people have slipped through the cracks of our education, and I know that this is not a new phenomena.
But just as another example, when my little brother was in public elementary school he missed a full unit in his science class. However when it came time for him to take the test he was given an A. My mom found this strange, since he hadn't learned any of the material, and they both knew he had missed many if not all of the questions. When my mom confronted the teacher she said that he was an A student so even though he did not get the answered right on this particular test he still deserved an A. He was never able to re learn that material once that section was passed, and missed out on an opportunity to learn.
The reading on digital literacy was interesting, what stuck out the most was when it stated that technology should be used but not just because it's engaging. To me this means that technology should serve a purpose beyond just being a hook to interest students in class. I think it would be neat to come up with some ideas of how to use technology beyond showing videos in class. I know in high school we made some videos in response to reading the Odyssey, but what else have you guys done, or what could be good to encourage technology as a tool for student success.
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Post by bdelisi on May 19, 2016 1:04:49 GMT
Thank you for starting a new thread!
I completely agree about the health video. I was honestly shocked to hear people struggle so much when it comes to learning about their prescriptions and medical terminology. I don't blame people for not knowing how to pronounce exactly what they are prescribed because lets be honest those words are though, but that medical professionals don't take the time to properly explain to their patients the details about their medication. To me this seems more like a systems issue within the field of health care. The only thing that us in the education field, is to hopefully create exposure and awareness to students about the different literacy skills and language used in the medical field since it is not being well covered in the doctors office. What are some things you guys think we could do and is it more of an education or medical issue?
The technology article was good to cover as well. I think it hits on the point that with our increasing advances in technology, different literacy skills are needed to engage in the digital world. Something that stuck with me in this text is when it discussed how in digital text it can be harder to make sense of certain text for some people that others may handle with ease. For me it is easy to read things online and to write up emails to others but for people who rarely have access to the internet, those tasks would be extremely difficult. In a increasingly digital world, how can we as educators and school psychologists ensure that students are receiving adequate access and practice with digital text so that when they see digital print, they are able to rely on the literacy practice that they have been taught to engage with the text? However, this also calls into question the fact that not all school districts will have the funds to allow students to have access to computers or iPads. This might be the greatest hurdle to overcome when it comes to digital literacy.
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