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Post by carolinebyrnes on Jun 13, 2016 1:17:20 GMT
Here is a place to discuss reading 10
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Post by Tiffani on Jun 13, 2016 3:46:43 GMT
"Literacy practices derive their vitality from curricula and activities that connect to learners’ backgrounds, cultures, and communities..."
What a wonderful quote from the article! This sentence seems to do a great job of summarizing the position expressed throughout the article (and in regard to helping students acquire school-based knowledge). I also found it very interesting to see how the reading related the importance of "building upon learners’ existing knowledge and cultural practices" and the implementation of common core standards.
It seems that the nature of common core standards and the idea of integrating students' cultural knowledge and experiences into student teaching both lie of opposite ends of the spectrum... so it is quite easy to see how this is a controversial topic. How can educators successfully implement a common core that also integrates students' cultural background, knowledge, and experiences?
Also, can someone help me understand the second sentence from this quote (i.e., what are logocentric informational texts)?: "The Common Core Standards are in effect an attempt to change the kinds of literacy practices that are taught and valued in school. These Standards privilege the construction and comprehension of extended logocentric informational texts."
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Post by jamestgardiner on Jun 13, 2016 16:04:25 GMT
Reading this article about Common Core was very helpful in understanding the foundations beneath Common Core. It seems like most people say negative things about Common Core and educational practices in general, so it was nice to hear about why a standard was put in place.
The article has one statement that reads " building upon learners’ existing knowledge and cultural practices." I think this is an interesting but necessary concept. I think it is one concept that has meaning behind why students do fall behind. I think cultural differences lead to many students falling behind in school. Depending on the teacher, the students make it through without actually acquiring the knowledge to pass or the teacher diligently works with the student despite cultural aspects as that should not effect how a teacher approaches a student. I have heard stories of teachers' just passing along students because they do not really want to work with them. I suspect preconceived notions about the student originate from cultural or societal differences. As students are passed along because the standards have been lowered for them to be passed along, they become suspect to self-fulfilling prophecy. When someone important tells a student something over and over that student will eventually come to believe it about himself.
It is important for us as educators to understand the different cultural practices we may see among the children whom we are working. Understanding these practices allows us a chance to lay a foundation down for building upon the learners' existing knowledge and continue to add to that knowledge.
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Post by tom56omara on Jun 14, 2016 1:04:17 GMT
Down below is my favorite text from the article. It dwells on the fact that literacy has to have a sense of purpose for the students. It ties into motivation and making literacy interesting. In my opinion most of the students who are struggling with literacy could easily be helped if one were to follow the below guidelines.
To learn literacy well, students need meaningful purposes for engaging in literate practice
and opportunities to use literacy for a broad range of life activities related to goals and
desires beyond the moment of instruction. Some of the most provocative research to come
lately from sociocultural studies of literacy demonstrates students’ deep engagement in
popular cultural activities such as gaming (e.g., Martin & Steinkuehler, 2010; Steinkuehler &
Johnson, 2009), some of which have quite high informational literacy demands and provide
a sophisticated motivational context for participation. (Gee, 2003) This is not to say that
literacy instruction must always be based on popular cultural activities, but that a sense of
the purposefulness of literacy is key for learning.
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Post by jessicadiazr on Jun 14, 2016 3:10:53 GMT
I liked the quote you picked out Tom; I also liked that excerpt. I began to think that guidelines seem "easy-ish" to implement and incorporate into literacy, yet I don't think it is. So I was wondering why that could be the case? Could it be because of normal disconnect between adults and kids/teens that adults don't know what is still relevant?
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Post by aholcomb on Jun 14, 2016 3:27:50 GMT
The article presented different ways to get students interested in literacy outside of school, which connected with the idea that literacy is learned outside of the classroom as much as it is learned inside the classroom. One of the ways that the article presented this was the idea of a third space. This really struck with me as a school media student because it is something that we have talked about in my classes. Libraries have long been discussed as a "third space", because it is a space within a community where a child is safe that is not home or school. Librarians have had many discussions about ways to make the library even more of a third space to welcome younger users and to make them feel like part of the library community. The library is one of the best places to bridge the gap between home and school, especially when it comes to literacy. Students can use the library as a resource for schoolwork, but if students are raised in any way similar to the way that I was raised, they will be also see the library as a place where they can relax and do a variety of different activities. It is a space where students can work on many different literacies outside of both the school and the home.
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Post by crystalpiroozy on Jun 14, 2016 6:19:15 GMT
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Post by Angelica on Jun 14, 2016 11:36:32 GMT
I liked the latter half of the article that shared some successful literacy interventions and learning projects that are particularly aimed at supporting learners who "may struggle with or fail at school-based goals the first time around." I think these are the kinds of projects that the students we support at Ghazvini need to be a part. It's difficult reading all these interesting ideas and then actually witnessing the methods of grade recovery in our community.
Jessica, I think the issue isn't so much that teachers no longer know what is relevant or "hip/cool" but instead fail to listen more and value their students' outside and unconventional (to the school setting) experiences. I think teachers don't give enough opportunities for students to bring and integrate their outside literacy practices into the classroom. This creates further isolation for students who already feel like they don't belong at school simply because they don't have the skills and practices that are typically valued such as the "logocentric informational texts" that Tiffani brought up. Tiffani, I think that quote is referring to a teaching or learning philosophy that is "word-centered" (logos=words) or valuing words as the primary means of expression, understanding, and communicating as opposed to also valuing other mediums in the meaning-making process like art.
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linda
New Member
Posts: 30 
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Post by linda on Jun 14, 2016 12:09:01 GMT
I loved the 'third space' information about libraries that Autumn talked about. I think libraries have had to rethink their function in society, and adjust, embracing new technology/interests for their customers in addition to providing books. They are a good example of how to change with the times but not lose what they are about. I think classrooms haven't been as quick to change and adjust-not technology wise necessarily but the adjustments we need to make to keep up with all of the information, especially about student needs.
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Post by ataylor617 on Jun 17, 2016 16:46:24 GMT
This article was a good one! The concept of a "third space" was really interesting. I have not had a lot of experiences working with libraries in schools, but the public libraries in Leon County have provided great "third spaces" for the children of Tallahassee. I have seen firsthand how beneficial libraries can be. I like Angelica's analysis of the article regarding students' outside experiences. I think any teacher can figure out what is "cool", but learning what is culturally relevant to students and using it in the classroom is the real challenge.
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