Double Journal Entry #3

1. How does elementary reading instruction contribute to poor literacy attainment for older children?

Elementary reading instruction focuses more on the process of learning how to read instead of reading for knowledge, ideas, or concepts which is what reading is all about in the secondary levels.

2. What are reading test scores good for?

Reading test scores can show what reading level a certain child is on but scores do not show the full complexity of literacy and what children can do.

3. What reality about a literacy myth surprised you the most? Why?

I was surprised about the myth that students who struggle in on literacy will have difficulty with all literacy. It was interesting to me to learn that students who may not be able to read a textbook can read poetry very well.

4. What do you know about teaching reading comprehension in the content areas? Give an example of a strategy you might use to teach reading during a science or social studies lesson.

All content teachers have to teach reading skills. Teachers could allow students to read certain parts of the text in groups and make one group outline together after they have read.

5. What kind of literacy do you have that was not acknowledge in school? (Literacy means being able to use texts and technologies to accomplish one's purpose in the world.)

I feel as if a lot of my literacy was not acknowledge in the school setting. I have been apart of many discourse communities and in these some use words that others way not know what they are.

6. Give an example of a literacy practice.

Engaging students by using more real world situations is a literacy practice that can be used.

7. What is a discourse community?

A discourse community is a group of people that have something particularly in common and use their own literacy within the community.

8. What can happen if students valuable multiple literacies are not recognized as valuable in school?

Students will not do as well as they could if their personal literacies are not recognized, Students may not be as motivated to read or write.

9. Give an example of how a teacher might build on the extracurricular literacy practices of their students?

Teachers can allow their students to write about what they want. Allowing students to have a choice of what they read or write about, I believe, will make them more successful.

10. Describe a time in which a teacher in your 4-12 schooling experience employed one of the research-base strategies to improve motivation.

Many students in my high school allowed us to use technology in the classroom. This was something different for us. It was more fun than writing on paper with a pencil, so it was motivating as a student.

11. Give an example from your own K-12 schooling experience that engaged in you in multicultural literacy development.

In second grade, I remember studying and reading about different countries throughout the world. I was able to bring some things from Italy, that have been in my family for years, to share with my class.

12. What do teachers her gain recognition and respect from their peer also do well on?

If a teacher is respected by their peers, they also will be respected by students and parents. They may be seen as someone who uses many strategies to hit the needs of all students and their success.

Bolima, D. (n.d.). Context for understanding: Educational learning theories. Retrieved from http://staff.washington.edu/saki/strategies/101/new_page_5.htm

Adolescent literacy. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Positions/Chron0907ResearchBrief.pdf

Double Journal Entry #2

Quote: “I knew she was ignorant just as soon as she opened her mouth”

I chose this quote from the reading because as soon as I read it I was appalled by the fact that someone would actually say something like this about another human being. It baffles me that people actually think this way. I personally do not know how you can make that type of judgment about someone just because they have an accent. People talk differently all over the world. This does not mean that they are dumb.

Questions:

1. Literacy knowledge refers to concepts that children develop in their early years (preschool) in reading and writing. I have seen young children, who are read to a lot, actually be able to read books through memorization. When I know that the child knows what is coming next in the book, I allow them to finish the sentences. Even though they are not actually reading the words, they are in a way reading the story.

2. I believe that stereotypes interfere with literacy instruction by placing a judgment on a person because of their socio-economic status or where they are from. People believe if a student comes from a low income family or is at high risk that they will not be able to perform like the other students.

3. Schools and teachers contribute to poor literacy instruction by placing these judgments on students and altering their expectations of them.

4. All people seem to connect language with social class in education. Like I said above, the fact that someone speaks a certain way does not always mean that they come from a certain social class. As teachers, it is easy to place students in these categories but we have to remember to allow all students equal opportunity.

5. There are many misconceptions of what language and literacy is. In the article it describes that all students come into school with different experiences and those experiences shape the type of student they become.

6.  Educators need to realize that all students are capable of learning and all should be put up to the same expectations. People should stop putting a judgment on a person without allowing them to show what they are capable of.

7.  The phrase “Proper English” is heard a lot in an educational setting, but I believe it can mean many different things. Most people think that to use proper English you are to speak perfectly, with proper grammar and not accent. To me, the accent should not matter. As long as the person speaking is using correct grammar they are speaking properly.

Step #1 Quote: As the mountains were denuded, the industrialists portrayed the families they were robbing as ''backward people'' and themselves as the prophets of progress.

This quote stood out most to me in the reading of Tall Tales of Appalachia. I thought the entire article was written well and that the author did a great job of standing up for the people of Appalachia by telling their story.  He explains that the people are actually human beings that people in other parts of the country don’t understand because of how they are depicted in television. This particular quote describes best what the industry people did. They robbed the people of Appalachia of their land and thought it was ok. They believed that the people were living wrongly by not pursuing anything in their land. They thought that they were doing great things by industrializing the area and didn’t seem to think anything of taking everything the people of Appalachia had.

I chose to include this picture in my post because it depicts a bug part of what Appalachia was and still is today. Coal mining is one of the many industries in the state of West Virginia.

Citations:

Purcell-Gates, V. (2002). As soon as she opened her mouth. In L. Delpit & J. Dowdy (Eds.), In the Skin that we Speak

O'Brien, J. (May, 10 2003). Tall tales of appalachia. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/10/opinion/tall-tales-of-appalachia.html

What is appalachia. (n.d.). Retrieved from            http://www.theallianceforappalachia.org/background/what-appalachia/

Double Journal Entry #1

 

 

Inclusive Education

 

Inclusion means to include all. Inclusive education is unifying educational programs and services and encouraging every child to learn and achieve. It allows for all students to come together and learn as one. Inclusive education is meant to benefit all students, but especially those who have a disability, are bilingual, or come from diverse backgrounds.

 

 

Inclusive Education is meant to serve students who have diverse backgrounds and who are bilingual, as well as students with learning and physical disabilities. Students who come from low income families can also benefit from this type of education. One characteristic of iinclusive schools is that they bring the services to the students by providing any services needed for special needs students within the classroom. Inclusive schools also have a great sense of community. Each child is looked at as an individual and a part of the school community. All students feel as if they belong. Students are the most important part of the community in an inclusive school and they take on new responsibilities as members of this community. In an inclusive setting, students can take on things such as; peer mediators or tutors. Students also learn to work in collaborative groups or buddy systems.

 

            I choose to include this youTube video relating to inclusive practices. This video inspired me to want to be apart of inclusion in the classroom. It tells a great story of a child with down syndrome who is in an inclusive classroom setting with all his other classmates. The child is very successful! The video also provides interviews with teachers, telling about the strategies and services used to allow the student to learn and achieve.

Inos, R., & Quigley, M. (n.d.). Research review for inclusive practices. Retrieved from http://www.prel.org/products/Products/Inclusive-practices.htm

Inclusion at work in elementary school [Web]. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji3R30PT1PQ&feature=related