Writing Blogs

The first blog that I read is called, "How do I help my child with writing?" by Patricia A. Dunn.  Initially the main focus of the blog was outlining three main questions that parents should be asking their children about his/her writing.  The three questions are: Is your child excited about writing, does your child write outside of school, and does your child read outside of school.  The one question that stuck out to me the most was the one about whether or not parents know if their children are reading outside of school.  The most important part that I really liked, that was highlighted by Dunn, is that b by reading, students are not only learning new vocabulary words and information but they are also strengthening their literacy.  This immediately correlates to students and their writing and how they will improve with writing skills both in and out of the classroom.  Parents are a huge part of influencing their children to read by asking them if they are reading and by also setting the example.  This is huge for parents because it will strengthen their child's performance not only in writing but also in school overall.  The important part is to make sure the children are reading at home because the more information and vocabulary and knowledge they are absorbing, the better.  Students will be more motivated in the classroom if they are finding that reading is not so bad and can help them in the long run. 

The second blog that I read is called, "More than Just Laughs: Building Stronger Writers Through Improv Comedy" by Lauren Esposito.  The blog was initially about how to teach our students to have creativity and confidence when it comes to their writing (Esposito).  The main idea expressed was that teachers become improv coaches and help students to get ideas and prepare for what they are about to write.  One part that stood out to me was the "Yes And" activity which helps students to say yes to new ideas that they could be writing about.  It is formatted like a script and students have to say yes and then come up with a new idea.  I like how this echoes how the improv writers work and how they have to say yes often to come up with a scene.  Students can learn that there are many ways to approach writing and not be confined to one idea.  This definitely helps with creativity and to be open to new ideas on the spot or ones that they discuss with their peers.

 I chose the first blog because I think it's really important for parents to know if their kids are reading and writing and to access their process.  Teachers are supposed to do this but a child will have a higher chance of succeeding if a parent is motivating the child and monitoring their progress with reading and writing.  I chose the second blog because I was immediately drawn to the words improv writing and how that could connect to student writing.  I was really happy to see this connection and a different approach to teaching students how to write. 


https://writerswhocare.wordpress.com/2016/11/07/more-than-just-laughs-building-stronger-writers-through-improv-comedy/


https://writerswhocare.wordpress.com/2016/10/24/how-do-i-help-my-child-with-writing/

6+1 Traits

The 6+1 trait writing seems like a very effective way to approach student writing and analyze the growth of students in writing as they move up in grade level.  I remember being exposed with this 6+1 trait writing when I was younger and using it as a helpful guide in my writing.  In class, I was able to learn each of the traits and how they applied to my writing.  They all are very important when it comes to writing.  The important part is that the traits are not new ideas in terms of the criteria for good writing and this comes as a relief to teachers.  Teachers are able to work with these traits in the way they see fit based on students' needs.  The traits are straightforward and they help students focus on the various aspects of their writing.  I liked how it said that the traits provided language that was shared amongst many teachers so that several teachers elsewhere were also using this same language for their students.  This is a great opportunity for students to be on the same path of writing in every school as they are learning these traits.

As much as I personally do not like the Common Core Standards, these traits also help the students with their writing and staying along the the lines of the requirements needed to meet these standards.  However, I like the wiggle room teachers have in terms of how they teach these traits because there isn't a specific way of going about it and that's important.  These traits are there as a guide for teachers and how they intend to use them is completely up to them.  Hopefully these traits will be continually taught in the future and provide exemplary language for the students to use in order to become good writers.  

Writing Asessment

After reading through Gallagher's chapter on assessment of student writing, it came to my attention how important proper assessment of student writing truly is.  Gallagher highlights in the beginning about how the main goal for us as teachers is to make sure that everyone improves.  There is always room for improvement in writing and our first drafts will not be exactly what we envision for the final product.  Gallagher's point here is that the focus should be made upon how to help our students as writers rather than place them in the categories of winners and losers.  Gallagher gives many helpful tips for assessment for us as teachers and to be readers of our students' writing and not so much as graders.  We need to reflect positivity and praise for our students' writing but also finding room for critique and looking to help our students grow in areas that they have not yet mastered.

An important section from the chapter that I really appreciated was when Gallagher talks about the "I like" conversations.  This is a great opportunity for students to see the good parts of writing and see where the strengths are in a paper.  Often times students have a lot of pressure and anxiety to turn in writing that will be graded and this might cause them to hold back their creativity.  In figure 7.4 from the chapter, Gallagher gives an example of what an I like conversation might look like.  This involves an entire class conversation but the writer of the paper is kept anonymous.  In the example, you can see comment like, "vivid description" or "nice detail."  For the anonymous writer, they can see the good things in their writing and feel confident in the fact that his or her peers can see this too.  There is so much vulnerability in writing and the positive approach through these whole class discussions gives students a chance to not only see some examples of good writing, but give the writer of the piece some feedback to go forward with.   I see it as a good opportunity to give perspective to the teacher and motivation to the student writer. 

Artifactual Literacies

In the reading for this week, the Pahl and Rowsell's article on artifactual literacies was extremely intriguing to explore.  The emphasis on objects as a form of literacy is very important in understanding the other communities and lives of others.  Pahl sheds light on how objects are a part of every person's life and that they can be powerful.  Literacy is mostly viewed as speaking or listening but it can in fact come in many forms.  A golden nugget I took in this article about artifactual literacies was when Pahl says, "Artifactual literacies takes account of migrant literacies by bringing to life the actual objects, whether remembered in narratives or actually present in homes, that evoke experiences of the country where people have come from."  In the broad sense of things, there is always a story behind the objects that are in every type of community.  In the classroom, this can be an exceptional way for students to share a part of their culture and the story behind the object.  Bringing in objects from their home for presentation to the class would work in any classroom, but personally I see it working best in an urban school setting where there are many different stories that can be told from different types of races.  If these urban students are struggling in the classroom and find it hard to connect to peers or their teacher, bringing in a piece of their culture is a way to get these students to open up.  Writing is one way to get students to open up and tell about their culture but objects and artifacts can sometimes display a stronger message.  When kids see new and exciting things brought into their classroom, it can trigger a sense of excitement and get them to ask questions.  Students cannot get enough positive feedback, especially from their peers because this is where they look for approval and acceptance.  When a student might shares an experience and a piece of themselves with the object this allows for not only the other students to get to know their peer better but also the teacher as well.  If we can understand the background of our students on a deeper level and gauge what they are interested in, this creates a pathway to deeper connections between teacher and student. 

More Than Three Ideas Are OK

Michelle Kenney's article was one that I found to be very intriguing in the way that she talked about how kids are essentially programmed to write in a specific way that often limits their ideas in writing.  A quote from her article that stood out to me the most was when she said, "Seriously? How could one of the brightest and most talented kids I had ever met question her right to have more than three ideas about immigration?"  This moment is one of realization for Kenney as she comes across a student in her class who is programmed to make a five paragraph essay with only three supporting ideas for the paper.  It is the sad reality of teaching the five paragraph essay or other essay formats that hinder kids from going beyond these formats and putting their own ideas and creativity into their writing.  Kenney brings up a great point in that these types of writing formats are basically run down versions of writing that lacks both creativity and critical thinking.  If kids are thinking only about three ideas for each body paragraph and believing that they cannot go beyond those ideas, then this is hindering their learning tremendously.  Kenney learns this scary fact when her student who has a lot of talent and is very bright thinks that she is limited to her thoughts on immigration.  Often times when we limit our students and give them rigid formatting and rubrics to get them to produce writing, kids will simply follow the rules and will not learn how to think outside of the box.  As in this part of the article, the student feels as though she is not allowed to put her own critical thinking into her paper and that is the limitation of setting standards in our schools.  It is important to remember that in writing, there is more than one way to write and ideas that students come up with should be praised and encouraged because this supports creativity.  Limitation with standards and rubrics for every type of writing is a step in the wrong direction for students. 

Why Poetry?

The readings on poetry were extremely eye opening and much of what was said by Macaluso really caught my attention.  Her first poem about poems was extremely interesting because many writers tend to avoid writing poems and her article alone explains why we so desperately need poems as writers.  To live in a way so that poems find us is the biggest part to take away from Macaluso's poem about poems.  Poems allow us to express so much of the unsaid things in our mind that flow onto the paper.  Why are poems so confusing?  It is probably for the reason that the ideas in a poem come from a lot of inner expression that we as writers cannot quite explain.  Poems are almost like a fingerprint on the page that is all our own as the authors and we sometimes have to explain what we mean by the words we are saying in the poem.
 Poems can be more formulaic in the sense that some have patterns and many of them do not have full sentences for many lines at a time and that can seem confusing for readers at a glance.  However, isn't anything you read in literature or writing up for interpretation?  That is the true beauty of a poem, in that we cannot out our finger on the exact interpretation but we can toy and play with the words to delve deeper meaning from the words.
    The words in a poem alone also give us insight into the world around us, as Macaluso says.  Sensory wording in a poem helps to paint a picture in the reader's mind to find a deeper meaning.  While we can do so in another form of writing, a poem lets the writer play with words and put them in places that open our eyes to the real world.  It could be two words put together or three lines of abstract wording and either situation can make a poem so powerful in the way that we see the theme or idea that an author is trying to get across in his/her poem.  As Macaluso points to, language and experience have are the key parts to a poem that students can play with and create a better understanding of how the two relate to each other. 

Cyberactivism and Critical Media Literacy

                 Both of these readings were particularly interesting, as they reflect on the power that comes with people using the internet as a medium to make a point or how the media in general can affect young students.  The part that stuck out the most for me in Chapter 6 on cyberactivism was the section on cyberpunks.  The term immediately points to a negative image of young people abusing the internet for literacy practices that get themselves into activities that they should not be getting in to.  The chapter, however, states that this term is used more for shedding light on the seriousness of the situation rather than just deeming it a negative term.  These cyberpunks are using this form of literacy to create revolutions of ideas that can immediately impact thousands of people in our virtual world.  These cyberpunks have found a reality that furthers knowledge in a way that gets out their ideas much faster and efficiently than someone who does not sit behind the screen. This in itself makes whoever sits at the computer and very powerful person for the time being.
                  The chapter on critical media literacy seems to be a topic that is a more widely discussed topic than cyberactivism.  It talks about the affect of mass media on the youth more predominately but also has set the tone for the way society functions and how it circles around media production.  Children are subjected to the bad parts of the media such as fast food and cigarette commercials.
 However, these commercials and images that we see on the TV screen are shaping the way we think today.  Mass hysteria can be involved through exposure to the media and just like cyberactivism, this can produce so much power.  The widespread knowledge projected through the media is more likely to stick in the minds of the young people and adults in society.  The more widespread something is, the quicker people are to believe it.  Young people should be informed on the validity of certain information in the media and go to other sources before they swear by it as the truth.  Everything is subject to change and the sooner children learn this, the better they will shape our future in terms of the media. 

The chapter on co teaching was very eye opening in the sense that it seems to speak to our fears as teacher candidates who have not had our own classrooms quite yet.  The fears that everything is not going to go exactly to our expectations is a realistic fear, however there are ways that we can cope as teachers in the moment.  In this reading the professor realized that the way he was approaching the students may have been a bit awkward but slowly started to connect with the students when he started to talk about himself.  I can see this as a good technique to reach out but to be wary of how much we do say as first time teachers.  While it is important to feel connected with our students, there is a point where we draw the line so as to make ourselves look professional.  I agreed with the narrator’s point about how in order to effectively teach, he had to find a way around the tensions in the classroom.  This is a very relevant statement in the minds of many new teachers.  How will what I say make the students react?  Am I saying the right thing?  Do they seem to listen to me?  Those are all questions that now pop up in my head as someone who has not taught in a classroom just yet. 

                Additionally, the different types of co teaching brought up in the article were quite interesting because if you are a teacher candidate or a student teacher and are co teaching a lesson with someone more experienced, it is much easier and more relaxing to work with this more experienced individual.  For SED 407, we have to work with another partner to teach and this I find will be helpful to me in that I can find out some new techniques from the other person and we can find a beneficial teaching style that will get the best out of our students for a lesson.

Standards

Both the NCTE and CCSS standards outline the expectations that educators have at a state and national level that should be met by students at every grade level.  After focusing in on standards four through eight of the NCTE standards, the key idea in each standard seems to be aiming to get students to apply their skills and knowledge to understand the bigger picture.  Number four aims to get students to use language to communicate to many audiences and five gets students to use many strategies in order to improve their writing process and use it for many purposes.  I like number five the best because it highlights some of the things we are attempting to learn in this class.  We are learning the strategies that we can teach students in order to be higher orderly thinking students and applying what they know to every kind of writing.  Number seven of the NCTE standards is another good one because it aims to get students to effectively gather research and apply it to their reading.  It seems important that students should be able to digest their research before applying it to their writing.  I like the NCTE standards for the ways that they aim to get students to use and apply their previous skills and knowledge.  These standards are not perfect but they have good intention. 

            The CCSS standards are also helpful in educating students and the standards are put in place to have students be meeting specific requirements at the end of each grade level.  The standards for writing at the ninth and tenth grade level cover research, range, production, and types and purposes.  While I think all of those categories are necessary and well outlined, there seem to be a few holes.  I would have liked to see outlines on creativity or more on the editing process itself.  It would have been nice to see a section on standards for being a peer editor, even though this process does not occur in all the schools, if it was implemented into the standards it might become a norm in public schools whom are required to follow them. 

            In “Rhode Island Teachers Respond to PARCC: A White Paper,” I really enjoyed reading other teacher opinions on the PARCC testing.  Despite my earlier support for the standards and their coverage of student skills and achievements, there is too much pressure and less consideration for students cannot understand the standardized tests.  The socio-economic situations for every school community is a very big part of the “achievement gap” that occurs in schools.  Something this big in effect on students cannot be overlooked by educators who implement these tests.  There cannot be a national expectation for every student to perform the same based on one type of test.  Accommodations and modifications must be made in many circumstances and this seems to be the frustration for many educators. 

Blad’s article on the issues involving a fixed mindset that students and teachers may have concerning students who are in poverty or are growing up in an urban setting.  Using the words, “fixed mindset” are so eye opening when it comes to understanding how assumptions are easily placed on students in poverty.  Often times the students themselves settle with their intelligence and other educational qualities and believe they cannot change these qualities based on the environment that they grow up in.  Or more simply put, people believe that they cannot change their qualities and accept flaws that comes with them.  Blad discusses a growth mindset in which people believe they can change certain qualities with hard work.  However, taking a turn in the other direction, teachers cannot put the blame on the students.  Students are a product of his or her environment and this is not to be taken lightly.  Each student needs special attention and will work at his or her own pace.  Repairing the injustices that occur in communities is a better project for teachers to tackle.  Get the students involved in the awareness of their community to become more educated about the outside world.  Encourage them to face their circumstances head on and get something out of it.  Teachers primary goal is to educate citizens to interact with others in the outside world.  By having a more active role in society, students and teachers can be more educated on how to either overcome or adapt to these circumstances. 

            In relation the article on ncte.org talks about how writing comes out of many purposes.  This being that anything and everything that you write has some type of purpose.  As teachers, our job is to not only motivate students but also create new ways to show the process and importance of writing.  Teaching through a worldly view can help students to see that they can write for many different people and audiences.  Understanding texts through reading and writing is an experience more than just an obligation.  Involvement in community and culture allows students to control what they write and how it makes them feel.  This experience is more personal and creates better connections between students and teachers. 

               

            Any educational article that one reads as a future educator during his or her college years will be beneficial in the overall scheme of things.  The more knowledge that one can attain from those who have already been in the teaching field can only help a future teacher that needs as much information under his or her belt that can be attained.  This article immediately drew me in due to the fact that it focused on high school educators and I too plan to become an English teacher. 

While reading the article, “To High School English Teachers (and All Teachers),” there was one quote in particular that stood out to me.  The quote from the article reads: “Begin with and remain true to authentic literacy, and then comply with standards and testing mandates within that greater commitment.”  This statement great lengths in terms of what is at the very core of English education.  If students are not proficient or grounded in their reading and writing, this will only hurt their performance in higher stakes of their English class later on in the course.  While testing and meeting performance guidelines for students is very important for English teachers, it is even more important for us to connect with our students.  By connecting with students, teachers are trying to make students both aware and eager about the importance of good reading and writing. 

Personally, I believe that a good way to teach this type of literacy is through give and take in a classroom setting.  Set the foundation of literacy by teaching students what they need to read and guidelines for writing but also let them respond and listen to feedback when it comes to these things.  Listen to what students like and dislike to not only reach that personal connection but better one’s teaching approach when it comes to literacy.  As the article states that this approach is not to ignore the bureaucracy, this is not to convey teacher ignorance but putting what is the most important first and that is the students.  The very core of English is reading and writing and students must fully understand and be literate in both.  Literacy and language are extremely powerful outside of the English world alone.  However, this is not to forget about “standards and testing mandates” as the article states, because that is the second big part of the commitment English teachers have as educators.  Literacy proficiency will only make the students’ testing scores and meeting of standards improve and give students a greater understanding of the English language as a young and free-thinking individual.