Learning Letter Reflection

We began working right away.  We each build a blog and soon had posts containing reflections and thoughts on the assigned readings.  This gave us a chance to summarize the readings and take ownership.  The first was Discussion in a Democratic Society.  This energized all of us.  We all want to have lively classrooms full of students eager to participate.  This opened my eyes to the importance of encouraging all students to speak and articulate in class.  In my practicum, I am always structuring open ended questions encouraging kids to answer and invite them into a conversation when they do.  What I am trying not to do is just say, “right!!” Or “yes” or “no’ and then move on.

 

The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts Instruction in Grades 6-12

We looked over the CCSS Standards for ELA and talked about them in class. The handout we read did not specify what or how to teach, but tells us what is possible for our kids to acquire in ELA.  I am still struggling to match learning to the standards.  The standards are few and a little vague, but I think in time it will come more naturally.  I like the part about a child’s learning being up to the creativity of the teacher and the depth of collaboration with the English department to establish a curriculum that is not “fragmented.” Creativity may be a challenge for me, being new to Language Arts. 

 

A Response-Based Approach to Reading Literature

This was a must read for a Social Studies major.  I learned that a majority of my college reading has been for discursive purposes.  Reading history, or informational texts, are mostly one point of reference.  Reading for literary purposes gives a student more than one approach.  Which means, the student has to do all the reading.  They won’t get answers to a test just looking for words.  Making readings deeper and more interesting will open “horizons.” As a teacher of English Language Arts, I would like to “begin the literary process” in all of my classes.

 

Chapter 2 of Pedegogy of the Oppressed

This reading was a real shocker to some in the class.  It talked of the banking concept approach to education where the kids are simply “receptacles” of knowledge given to them by an “authority” of information, their teacher.  The kids, in turn, just sit and listen.  They are fed all the information their oppressors want them to have to maintain the status quo.  Some in the class could not believe that somewhere in the world, there might be teaching like this.  One can see how this method of teaching could usher in oppression.  If not, perpetuate it.  This article was an excellent follow up to the first reading, Discussion in a Democratic Society. We now see how not to teach, especially ELA. 

 

Critical Pedagogy: A Look at the Major Concepts

We then looked at these concepts of critical pedagogy.  With classrooms becoming more and more diverse, I think that we as educators need to be aware of how we, and our curriculum, might be perceived by minority students, or the subculture.  English Language Arts teachers need to ask themselves before teaching a lesson, or a unit, “is this going to have a hidden curriculum?   Is it hegemonic?  Does it subordinate the subculture represented in the classroom to the dominant culture at large?  These are all questions an English teacher must take into account, if kids from non-dominant groups are to learn at the rate of their dominant culture counterparts. 

 

Critical Pedagogy and Popular Culture in an Urban Secondary English Classroom

This reading was amazing.  It was very heartening to see these disadvantaged kids do so well, in spite of financial neglect from the state.  The concept of bringing popular culture, such as music and video worked well enough for the kids to do well enough on the Advanced Placement Exam.  This suspension of traditional “multiculturalism,” in favor of critical pedagogy, went a long way in classmates sharing common conclusions based on every day experiences of each other.  I am all for doing whatever I need to do to get kids engaged.  If it requires a viewing of a YouTube video or the playing of a song, if it will get the class engaged and learning, that’s the important part.  I see all kids as capable, all kids with potential to learn.  The approach to doing so is to get them interested. 

 

Shadle teacher in hot water for distributing Blue Scholars lyrics

About this time, we talked about the local high school teacher that played “Commencement Day” to his class of seniors.  The main questions we discussed as a class is if we would play a song like that to our students, and if we saw anything wrong with it.  We talked also about the school placing the teacher on paid administrative leave while the school investigates.  I would play music in my classroom, sure, but I wouldn’t play that song.  I wouldn’t play any song with expletives in it, even for seniors.  I don’t think it’s appropriate or necessary.  There is a place for pop culture in the classroom, but I think there are plenty of other ways to explore critical pedagogy.  Talking with my group about this before coming back as a class, we all agreed we wouldn’t give that impression to seniors, an impression of hopelessness and oppression out in the real world.  The three of us felt students don’t need to hear that yet.  They’ll hear it soon after graduation.  I don’t think I would be sheltering kids by doing this, just giving them a safe haven. 

 

What is Social Justice? Why is it Important in our Classrooms

 This is where we searched for our own articles on Social Justice.  In my search, I found the definition to be “a system that promotes equity.” This is what we as teachers want for all of our students, equity.  Not equality.  Of course, we want equality but equity serves to ensure an equal opportunity for a quality education, and justice.  I researched an article on the Achievement Gap.  In it, two educators sought to bring balance to the teacher candidate program.  The reason was the achievement gap had not changed.  The flaw was university educators were favoring multiculturalism and ideologies over accountability.  The program sought to place teacher candidates in high achieving, poor, minority communities even though the trend has been to test the failure rate of such communities.  For me, Social Justice will start in my classroom.  What I can do is treat everyone equally and with respect. 

 

Thoughts on Cris Tovani's I Read it but Don't Get it

This was a very informative read for me.  In January I will begin teaching struggling readers in 9^th grade.  This book will give me plenty of ideas.  A lot of the students Tovani described in her book remind me a lot of what I went through growing up.  She has many excellent ideas in the back appendixes to get kids started. 

 

A Response to the TPA Lesson Plan Format

We talked about the TPA and all the prompts it entails.  It was explained to the class that the prompts are there for us, to be even better teachers.  I personally think some of it is redundant, like the part under “Lesson Connections.” I’ll come to accept it, eventually.  I do see the purpose of the TPA and do believe it will make us better teachers.  Even doing this three-week unit plan, I still need more practice. 

 

Response to "Readicide"

The discussion of killing reading in schools is one that we all need to do more to than just acknowledge.  It is a serious problem in our school and the class was in agreement on this.  We all intend to do our own part, or at least try.  I will try to incorporate 30 minutes every now and then.  In my practicum now, the AVID class gets only 15 minutes, hardly any time at all.  I would plan for one to last the whole hour if I can.  Reading, and having to “come up for air” is something I will try to teach.  When I teach my History class, I encourage the students to read the text when I’m done lecturing.  To read the entire chapter before answering the vocabulary in their notebook.  I try to make it interesting.  I tell them what to be looking for when they read a particular section.  I am all for bringing reading back into the classroom.

 

Assessing and Evaluating Students' Learning

For literature, I plan on testing to demonstrate knowledge of a piece of literature.  An adequate assessment should have the student be able to infer a theme or a hypothesis, to elaborate on the retelling of events, interpret a reading using pieces out of the book to explain, as well as counter-interpret a classmate’s interpretation. 

 

The Work I did:

The book talk required more than reading the book, and for good reason.  It is more than just a “book talk.” It is also a lesson idea and reference guide for colleagues.  I really benefited from hearing about the books my colleagues prepared.  Most of them I never read.  I could have done more prep work for The Great Gatsby.  I realized right after I presented that I did not expand on the teaching ideas.  I needed to suggest some themes. 

The mini-lesson I did was of a topic I hope to teach more of as time goes on.  I think Night is an important read for 9^th grade and up.  In my night group, I was assigned to do informative text and social justice.  I feel that the video, “Perils of Indifference” covered both with citing “indifferent” in the text and the word used in the video.  It was good practice to stand in front of the class and get their feedback, after they participated. 

The unit plan has been a grueling process.  Not only is there a lot of work and typing, but citing, checking sources, and proofreading.  It was the most work I had ever done on a school project.  I learned more about the book I read, and hope to get to use this unit in the future.  I think if a teacher can conceptualize all this lesson and put it together, and teach it, would fulfill a mission we all have, to teach. 

Participation:

My participation in this course has me thinking that I need time to be a teacher.  There was so much to learn, so many concepts to explore, so many pedagogical lenses to consider.  I am thinking very seriously now about diverse classrooms.  Thankfully, we are getting rigorous preparation for the edTPA.  This three-week unit plan is the busiest school project I have ever done.  I now really appreciate all the prep work that goes into teaching.  I can see the importance of continual reflection. 

All in all, a good quarter.  Not once did I access my previous blog. 

 

 

 

 

 

TPA for Night

1.      Teacher Candidate: Paul Carlin          

2.      Subject: English

3.      Lesson Title/ Central Focus: Night/The Perils of Indifference

4.      Grade Level(s): 10

5.      Length of Lesson: 50 minutes

6.      Academic and Content Standards (Common Core/National):

CCSS ELA-Literacy RI10.2

Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

7.      Learning  Objective(s): Given the reading of Elie Weisel’s  Night and the video “Perils of Indifference,” students will be able to determine the central idea of the intro to the text and of the video.  Students will then be able to write, in their own words, the central idea.    

8.      Academic Language: Students will need to know what it means to be indifferent.  We will run across the term as we do an in-class read.  I will then check for understanding before we proceed further.  Students will know what a synopsis is. 

9.      Assessment: The assessment will be formative.  By the end of class, students will hand in their definition and one paragraph synopsis of the term “indifferent.” I will check for understanding through each student’s writing but will also check, before I begin the video, for understanding of the term.

            Write a one paragraph synopsis of the term “Indifferent,” based on Night and the “Perils of Indifference” video.   

10

.  Lesson Connections: According to Duncan-Andrade and Morrell, there is pedagogical potential in tapping into young people’s everyday experiences in popular culture to scaffold academic literacies.  The use of media, such as video, can be beneficial when coupled with the reading of literature, (Duncan-Andrade and Morrell 187-188).  This lesson builds on the previous class discussions of the text and the reading.  In order to participate in this lesson, students would have to have read the text and participate in previous discussions.  This lesson is based around our collective sharing in curriculums throughout the country, the recollection of the Holocaust.

 

11.  Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks to Support Student Learning:

Introduction

The objective will be communicated at the beginning of the period, both verbally and written on the white board, as soon as the students are seated and the bell has rung.  I will introduce the lesson by having the students take out their text and open to the introduction.  I will then ask if they can give me a common theme throughout the book, or a theme that explains what brought on the plight of the Jewish people prior to and during World War II. 

Student Voice

Student voice will be gathered, in their own words, as they write the definition of “indifference.” I will observe students informally during the video and class discussion to see if they have an understanding of the term.  Indifference is. . . .  

Learning Tasks

Students will be explicitly learning that indifference can lead to tragedy and extreme peril.  Students will see, as well as read, the definition of indifference.  Students will take their seats, then take out their books and open to the introduction. I will then announce the objective, ask if, now that they have finished the text, there was “a recurring theme, or idea in the book (1-2 minutes)?”  I will then have them turn to the person next to them and, together, go through the Introduction, pp xii to xiv, pointing out descriptions of indifference or tragedy (2-3 minutes).  Next, I will call the class back to go over what they found.  I will give an example of “indifference” as it is used on p. 98 (2-3 minutes).  I will then pass out the transcript to the speech, “Peril’s of Indifference.” We will then commence a popcorn read of the first five paragraphs, up to giving us the definition of indifference.  I will lead and call on students with each new paragraph to read out loud (3-4 minutes).  I will then take a few seconds to ask if the students have an understanding of “indifference” before I start the video (1 minute).  Students will then watch the video clip of “Perils of Indifference (5-6 minutes).”

Closure

After the video, I will restate the objective.  Students will then be assigned their “exit ticket,” writing a synopsis of “indifference.” I will let them know of the five paragraph essay on Night they will begin later this week. 

12

.  Differentiated Instruction:

Today’s lesson accommodates both visual and auditory learners.  All students will be able to follow along the transcript with the video and the in-class read.  Students will be able to read out loud when called upon. IEPs and 504s will not be called on to read, or answer questions unless they raise their hands. 

13.  Resources and Materials:

University High School, English Dept. “Night Essay Assignment”

Wiesel, Elie. Night.

White House Millennium Lecture Series - #7 “Perils of Indifference” speech (1999).  Retrieved at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldylvNscW54&feature=player_detailpage#t=1530

Transcript of “Perils of Indifference” Speech.

Students will need their text, a piece of paper and a pen or a pencil to write with.

14.  Management and Safety Issues:

Students will need to sit at their assigned desks and make sure their backpacks are out of the way.  Students are not to be talking as soon as the bell rings.  Students are to raise their hands if they have a question. 

15.  Parent and Community Connections:

Parents will have my monthly newsletter emailed to them at the first of each month.  The newsletter does contain the planned lessons for each day.  Parents are always welcome to call or email me with any questions or concerns.  I did mention to those parents that attended back to school night that we would be covering this topic. 

The Fall of the House of Usher and "The Raven," by Edgar Allan Poe

I found the Fall of the House of Usher to be a bit spooky.  I am not too familiar with Poe, I have not read a lot of his stuff, but I do see he specialized in mystery and horror.  His childhood friend, Roderick Usher, suffers from mental illness and “for many years, has never ventured forth” from the dwelling he is tenanting.  He and his sister, Madeline, are the only Usher’s left.  This ancient family is about to cease to exist.   Madeline suffers from a disease that even the family doctors cannot grasp.  She dies the first night of the visit from the man, and childhood friend whom Usher summons.  According to Usher, Madeline died.  He wanted to keep her body a fortnight in a temporary entombment.  The coffin was placed in a mysterious, dark area, called a donjon, in the lower level of the house.  Apparently, she came back to life while the visitor was reading from the “Mad Trist” of Sir Lancelot Canning.  There were three frighteningly familiar coincidences in the house.  The first was an echo in the house of the cracking and whipping sound Lancelot was describing.  The second was of the unnatural shriek from the dragon as described by romancer, coming from a hard to tell part of the house.  The third was a shriek that timed with the shield falling to the silvery floor in the book as the visitor read the passage.  At this point, chaos.  Madeline falls on her brother, causing him to die.  The visitor then flees the house.  I collapses into the tarn in the red moonlight. 

 

            I enjoyed reading “the Raven.” It seems that “Lenore” is a former love of his life.  The raven just repeats again and again, “Nevermore!” Once upon a time in a midnight dreary. 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie

          Arnold Spirit was not expected to live much past infanthood.  Beating the odds, he was left with a big head and big glasses and short in stature.  In spite of his ailments, he was a smart kid who caught the attention of one of his teachers.  When Mr. P told Arnold that he deserved better and ought to leave the reservation, his whole outlook changed, even his life.  Young Arnold may have been the first on an Indian “rez” to hear such encouragement.    He was exposed to all the traps of reservation life, the alcohol, the extreme poverty, miserable friends who needed company.  In spite of all the tragedy in his life, he found the courage to take that step, to a “better” life. 

            This kind of courage is tough even for adults to muster but Arnold did it as a freshman in high school.  He disappointed everyone in his life, his family, his friends, even the whole reservation.  Once at Reardan High School, he had to be looked at as different, a native-American in an all-white school.  It was at here that the big world began to open.  He met a beautiful girl, Penelope, a smart kid that could only make him smarter, Gordy, and many on the basketball team.  This is a very heartwarming story of kid taking a road never traveled, at least not for reservation Indians.  Just the frequent long walks to school and the difficulty of even getting there could’ve been enough to give up, losing his best friend, Rowdy, another reason. 

            He had so much sadness in his life, so much loss: his dog, his grandma, his sister, and Eugene.  He just kept plugging away.  It was very uplifting to have so many at the school express condolences for his sister, Mary.  This is a fruitful illustration of trying not to judge others, based on how they look, for everyone, in the majority or in the minority, not to be suspicious of those who are different.   We as teachers need to be an example of this to our students.  We need to be the first to look at all of our students the same, to let go of stereotypes.  We need to dare ourselves to tell a student words they might not have heard before, while we have them. 

Assessing and Evaluating Students' Learning

          Devising assessment methods for secondary students is quite far-reaching in this era of “teaching to the test,” and no easy task for Literature.  Getting students prepared for “test” time, and making sure the entire school is “assessed” properly can make falling into the trap of facts and knowledge acquisition pretty easy.  Teacher candidates are told frequently that the assessments need to square with the Learning Objectives on the lesson plan.  The lesson plan also asks for rationale in the classroom instruction.  Assessing and Evaluating Student Learning gives teachers plenty of rationale for the many potential assessment across literature. 

            The amount of reading in Literature is voluminous.  Most students are likely to read just to obtain the facts and acquire the knowledge necessary to pass a test, as in the rest of their classes, but that won’t demonstrate knowledge of a piece of literature.  An adequate assessment should include an ability to infer a theme or a hypothesis, an ability to elaborate on a retelling of events, interpret a reading using pieces out of the book to explain, as well as counter-interpret a classmate’s interpretation.  The good news here in Literature is there is more than one correct answer to a test question.  Literature is also very writing intensive.  A student must prove their worth come assessment time with an “essay,” a four letter word for many students.  I really like the idea of providing templates for students to focus their writing on a “specific criteria unique to writing in a particular from or genre (pg 230).”  I see this as being very helpful for getting struggling writers a way to start.  It can take away from the stress of having to write a whole, flawless paper from the get go. 

            The idea on a writing assessment is not to answer a question on coma usage, or the difference between a metaphor and a simile, but to demonstrate developing one’s own ideas throughout the unit.  A journal, or a blog can go a long way in this regard.  Portfolios are a great idea, too.  I can envision students doing very well with the eportfolio.  The idea in all of this writing and literature is for a student to find their own voice, verify their belief systems rather than perceive themselves to be in the “below average,” “less abled” half of the class.

 

Katie Brown: Washington State Teacher of the Year

          Katie Brown’s background to be an ELL Specialist, let alone teach, is quite impressive.  The experiences she has around poverty, playing soccer with kids in Costa Rica, and listening to Alaskan tribal elders teach, is not something most of us do every day.  We always hear about the state of teaching throughout America but to actually immerse yourself into a different culture completely, will tell the real state of education.  Shuksan Middle School in Bellingham, where Ms. Brown is teaching, was once the kind of school that parents tried to keep their kids from going to.  Now, there is a waiting list to get in and kids cry on the last day of school because they don’t want to leave.  This is a very inspiring story for those of us who want to teach, to hear.  It only takes a handful of people to make a difference and in this case, a new superintendent with a vision. 

            This new leader has the vision and lends support for the teachers when it comes to the Common Core standards.  Teachers are given time to implement these standards as well as get use to them.  Another element to the success of this program, according to Brown, is the collaborative nature of the teachers in the English Department.  From my perspective, I see ongoing collaboration as a major component to the success of any ELL program.  We don’t want any student to ever give up, especially one that is new to the country.  It looks like the parents are able to learn English right along with the children at ELL family nights.  A terrific idea that can only bring success and community support to the program, and all the parental support for the child.

            I hope that Ms. Brown will go in depth into English Language Learners.  I would really like to know how I can become involved and be ready to work with these new students.  Some questions I have for Katie:

• Is English Language Learners training available through professional development?
• Do the children know some English before entering the class room?
• What books do you recommend, not just to the kids in school, but to their parents as well?
• What is the time frame for the average new student to become proficient in English, and to catch up to their American counterparts?

 

 

Response to "Readicide"

          We don’t want sustained silent reading to give way to test preparation.  SSR seems to be the sacrificial lamb in school districts throughout America and, by and large, teachers are going with the flow.  The burden of all the standards for children to pass school, and the temptation to “teach to the test” has the minds of teachers weighed down, forgetting their responsibility as teachers.  Kelly Gallagher reminds us of why we chose this profession and encourages us to be the voice in our schools to keep reading from dying.  In his book Readicide, Gallagher give us suggestions on how to keep SSR and a good stock of books in our schools, up to going to the local media.  At that point, you as a caring teacher may have to be ready to take a job elsewhere.  In this, I admire the author’s passion and concern for the youth.  Short of having to make some noise within the school district and beyond, I found Gallagher’s ideas of keep reading alive to be quite fun and interesting. 

            Another acronym I learned is FVR, free voluntary reading (pg 42).  That would be a terrific supplement to SSR, if the students and teachers had that option.  The focus here is to let the kids read, read, read.  Whether it’s a classic, or for recreational purposes where they choose their book, the good news is that they look down between pages.  What I am very mindful off, as I begin to plan for and put together my 3-week unit plan, it not to chop up the book and weigh down the curriculum with CCSS standards, like the 122 page monstrosity for To Kill a Mockingbird.  That kind of micromanaging would get any child to hate reading. 

            Some of Gallagher’s ideas I would like to apply, beyond Atwell’s approach of letting kids read large chunks at a time, is “framing” the text.  The baseball analogy on page 95 was brilliant.  We must know when students need guidance and when they are to be turned loose.  I really like the exercise for Hamlet that Gallagher had the seniors do, translating the advice from Laertes’ father to modern English.  That could be a useful exercise for much of Shakespeare.  Bottom line, try to get the kids engaged in lots of reading, so much so they must “come up for air.”

            After reading Tovani’s book on how to get kids to read, followed by Readicide, how to keep them reading, I feel I am very well equipped to interest students in this lifelong activity

A Response to the TPA Lesson Plan Format

           My initial response to this TPA format is that it could easily turn into four or five pages, considering all the material and info it is asking.  There are very many blanks to fill in, so many that the time to complete this could take longer than the class to teach the intended lesson.  I understand that teaching is all about preparation and reflection, and this form covers a good amount of the former, but this just seems to be overkill.   

            All aspiring teachers are well aware of needing to write lesson plans.  This format gives a satisfactory visual of that task.  What I found valuable and worthwhile with this is it does answer the lingering question on lesson plans, for all teachers.  Each lesson should have some “academic language,” or vocabulary.  That is an expectation for most students, let alone teachers, to come away with new, or learned language.  Of course, for teaching purposes we do need the “Learning Objective.” The only other part of the TPA that I found useful is the “Parent and Community Connections.” We as educators need to be proactive in reaching out to our communities and should always make it clear to the parents our availability to answer questions or concerns. 

            The only real question or concern I have about this is about how much info we need to answer each question.  The question: “What examples of personal cultural or community assets are you building your lesson on?” Is this our opportunity to begin a lesson with a piece of popular culture, or a topic that is of interest to our students?   

            All overwhelming aside, I can see some real benefits for beginning teachers to complete these daily.  This forces the teacher to step outside of the class and the confines of the lesson and see the whole picture.  This provides a roadmap, albeit a complicated one, to the beginning of class to the end, what the teacher intends for her students to get out of the class that day.  It keeps teachers on track and focused on a state-minded requirement.  This can only lead to efficiency in the classroom. 

            What is problematic, I see, with this format is the repetition.  In the part that covers “Lesson Connections,” the questions in that section, if not repeated, are bureaucratic and could be streamlined.  For example, prior knowledge and previous lessons and previous learning, I feel, could all be funneled into one question.   

Thoughts on Cris Tovani's I Read it but Don't Get it

           As I began my practicum, I noticed that a substantial amount of my class does not seem to take reading very seriously.  It could be that they don’t feel like reading, are being lazy, or they could just be having trouble understanding the material.  In reviewing my students’ notebooks I do notice a few that, I can tell, have read the assignment, but most either didn’t do the work or they have duplicated someone else’s material.  Cris Tovani’s I Read it but Don’t Get it is a very timely read as we begin our work with adolescents. 

            Tovani has provided a very valuable guide for secondary school teachers, in spite of getting resistance from colleagues who don’t feel they should have to teach their students good reading techniques.  She explains that we are all “readers,” but the key to success is to be a “good” reader.  Not only do we want to encourage all of our students to be readers, but many need to be taught better reading techniques and, to be “lifelong” readers.  Admittedly, it has been a few years since I was a secondary student.  I don’t recall ever “decoding” but I do recall reciting, reciting the words out loud or in my head.  A majority of the time I would just stare at the pages, being mindful to turn them every couple of minutes just to make it look like I was reading.  I really struggled as an adolescent with reading. 

            Tovani has some very valuable and proven techniques in her pages to suggest to struggling readers.  I really like the logic behind “modeling” for our students, including reading out loud.  That we listen to the voices in our heads to tell if we are maintaining focus.  I think the “Comprehension Constructor” puts the skimming for details and thinking out loud, prior to the reading, on paper and will be very useful.  The exercise for just looking for certain details in a reading, like the house example, sure helps take away from the daunting nature of a reading assignment.  I told myself throughout this book too, “check the students’ for background knowledge.”

            My cooperating teacher and another staff member at my high school have arranged for me to teach reading to struggling 9^th graders, beginning next semester. This will be in addition to my content area classes.  I can’t express how thrilled I am to be given this opportunity.  This book will be my guide for each lesson I plan.  I feel very prepared now. 

What is Social Justice? Why is it Important in our Classrooms

         The most accurate definition of “Social Justice” I found this week, that I like is “a system that promotes equity.” The term Social Justice can have highly charged political connotations.  In one article I found it referred to the “leftist tenets of ‘social justice’ founded on the notion that capitalism and economic inequality are evils that must be replaced by a socialist system. . .” The article is Teaching Social Justice, Anti-Americanism, and Leftism in the K-12 Classroom. While looking on JSTOR I found an article on Teacher Education that attempted to separate the heavy politics from the concept.  I feel very fortunate to have found Merging Social Justice and Accountability: Educating Qualified and Effective Teachers, by Mary Poplin and John Rivera.  This program instructs teacher candidates to focus on equity, excellence, and integrity.”

            The primary focus of Poplin and Rivera was the achievement gap between students by race, ethnicity, and class beginning in 1970.  They implemented this program in the mid-1990s and, after a few years saw that the achievement gap persisted in spite of their efforts.  The two educators sought to bring some balance to the teacher candidate learning so they could share it with their students.  A major flaw in the program was that university educators were favoring critical multiculturalism over the accountability movement.  Critical multiculturalism had entered into the political realm, deferring to leftists ideologies of Marxism, postmodernism, critical feminist theory, ideologies that the poor and even immigrant communities were rejecting. This was being taught without any time spent on competing ideologies or accountability in achievement.  Teacher candidates were encouraged to teach all types of pedagogies, as well as being skillful in English language instruction and strongly urged to work with families and communities. 

            With emphasis on testing, teachers here are required to maintain a balance between being accountable and using their own individual gifts as teachers.  The program also sought to address many paradoxes, including freedom and responsibility, diversity and unity, rigor and joy.  The program sought to place teacher candidates in high achieving, poor, minority communities even though the trend has been to test the failure rate of such communities. 

Links to articles:

http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/viewSubCategory.asp?id=715

http://www.jstor.org/stable/view/10.2307/3496988?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=merging&searchText=social&searchText=justice&searchText=and&searchText=accountability&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dmerging%2Bsocial%2Bjustice%2Band%2Baccountability%26amp%3Bacc%3Don%26amp%3Bwc%3Don%26amp%3Bfc%3Doff

Critical Pedagogy and Popular Culture in an Urban Secondary English Classroom

            First of all, I am very impressed with this group of educators.  They put together a SEVEN-week unit plan.  So, a three-week unit plan should be nothing!?!  I am even more impressed with how they got their groups of seniors to participate, to make the effort to learn about canonical literature and the other classics so as to pass the Advanced Placement exam.  Being the disadvantage school of the area, North High School took full advantage of what was available to engage the students in critical pedagogy.  Disengaging from the traditional application of “multiculturalism,” Morrell, et al, sought for their students to share common conclusions and understandings of a piece of literature, music, or film, drawing from the everyday experiences of each other. 

I really liked that the unit plan infused hip hop music as a way of bringing kids into the lessons of poetry.  Teaching such applications as meter, rhythm, and cadence can be dry if only a classic poem is given as an example.  The class was given the opportunity to present, perhaps, their favorite piece of music to the class and how it relates to classic poetry, something they are likely to take with them beyond school.  And who could possibly dispute the “public” viewing of popular movies, such as A Time to Kill, and giving the class a chance to agree on the outrage of the unspeakable violation of the daughter.  

The overall critique of this application of critical pedagogy has to be satisfactory.  It moved the seniors to action while they still had time to make a difference.  What made this possible was a civically minded girl in the class who, no doubt, had been given a voice during that semester and the courage to ask her classmates, “What are you going to do about (the injustice)?”

Each one of these activities I would try in my classroom, regardless of where it is taught.  To get students engaged in critical pedagogy, any students, may need to start with an outside interest, such as music, or sports, or drama. 

Critical Pedagogy: A Look at the Major Concepts

            What I found interesting about The Critical Pedagogy Reader is the number of possible cultures and subcultures that are prevalent in our schools.  I believe we want all of our students to think critically about what they see and read in the “dominant” culture.  At the same time, we want to equip them to be productive, law abiding citizens in our (dare I say it) capitalist society.  It appears that, depending on what curriculum is taught and in what part of town, the dominant culture will benefit, will get and maintain the higher paying jobs, and the subordinate culture will remain at a level lower, based on race, gender, and class.  I am having trouble accepting that this is the result of “hegemony” by the dominant culture. 

McLaren does touch on “Social Reproduction” but does acknowledge that is possible f or a student to move out of one class and into another, either up or down.  I agree that we want students to learn about themselves and the world they live in and give them the power to change, or transform, if called to do so. Apparently, the bare bones “knowledge” a student brings with him that first day of school is their struggle in life based on race, class, or gender.  The idea is to take that knowledge, share it with the educator and the other students to bring about collective action, to transform the world they live in.  I believe students are more than free to assemble and make a difference but I don’t think it is the “dominant” culture, or anyone that is holding them back.  The article even took the leap to convince the reader that The Cosby Show is just part of the hegemony of the dominant culture to “effectively secure” their power.  That the portrayal is inaccurate because most blacks are not living like that.  I’m not sure, either, that “punk” groups as a subculture were rebelling against the dominant culture.  That phase was likely a rebellion against parents.   

I will certainly be mindful of how I react when I call on boys in my classroom compared to how I do when I call on girls.  Perhaps I am instinctively perpetuating a hidden agenda by treating each sex differently, I’ll wait and see.  I believe that boys and girls are different, for better or for worse, and I hope to provide a nurturing environment as an educator for all my students to grow. 

Chapter 2 of Pedegogy of the Oppressed

             Based on our class discussions so far, primarily of giving our students a voice and the teacher learning right along with the students, this is a very appropriate reading.  Chapter 2 of the Pedagogy of the Oppressed gives a highly contrarian view of our first reading, Discussion in a Democratic society.  Freire’s reading is a direct contradiction to discussion in a classroom, where full participation by each student is strongly encouraged.  I don’t believe that any teacher in America will seek to “dehumanize” their students this way, nor see them as depositories of information given by the “authority,” the teacher.  Freire’s reading, however, does highlight the need for us as teachers to allow our students to think critically, and to be cognizant learners and not “passive” entities.

                Being apparently from an oppressive society, Freire uncovers the dark world where young minds are not nurtured, but instead “adapted.” Where reality is a given, and not explored.  Fortunately, the United States is too advanced and liberalized to devolve in to this kind of oppression.  He gives us concepts that we here in the US take for granted, such as “teacher-student with students-teachers” through dialogue.  He calls the opposite of this the teacher-student contradiction to where “the teacher knows everything and the student knows nothing,” and how that must be reconciled.  He gives a pretty chilling example of what an oppressed person would say on page 7, where the peasant replies, “There would be no one to say: ‘This is a world.’”

                Paulo Freire validates this “problem-posing” education that we seem to already do in abundance in America, to aspiring teachers.  Problem-posing education, as opposed to the banking system of educating that he criticizes, develops in the students their power to perceive critically, to stimulate their critical faculties.  He vividly illustrates that the banking method “directly or indirectly reinforces men’s fatalistic perception of their situation.”  A very dark and frightening world of no hope if allowed to persist.  The much more enlightened and liberating problem-posing method, on the other hand, presents the fatalistic perception as a problem, an object of the learner’s cognition, and how to move against it.

 

A Response-Based Approach to Reading Literature

            There seems to be a need for a balanced approach in reading in high schools.  Weather the students read for discursive purposes or literary, it appears they can get both because the two methods are said to work in tandem.  In classes like History and Science, the discursive approach, mainly one point of reference, would be the primary.  In English Language Arts, the literary approach, more than one point of reference, is primary.  What I like about Judith Langer’s A Response-Based Approach to Reading Literature, is the need for ELA to fulfill the goal of the literary approach, to make reading deeper and more interesting.  Instead of preparing the class to answer multiple choice questions, this approach invites students to broaden their “horizons.” 

My background in history has made a majority of my college reading for discursive reasons.  In history, a class can discuss what happened, can engage in a lot of speculation, and will be equipped with the correct answers come test time.  In ELA, if a quality piece of literature is placed before students, and they each have time to read, they can acquire so much more. A teacher that has internalized this literary process gives students “possibilities to ponder and interpretations to develop and question and defend.” This is what English Language Arts teachers want for all their students, a student based approach, as opposed to getting stuck in the structure of lesson plans. 

The focus of the instruction the article provided is quite a step from the day-to-day lesson plan and appears to give students plenty of voice.  I can see all kinds of rationale for my future lesson plans, mainly to “begin the literary experience.” Much is required to build around the students’ understanding of what they are reading.  This should go way beyond vocabulary review and plot summary.  I really like the time given for overall discussion, including encouraging the students’ “wonderings and hunches even more so than absolutes.” I would really learn a lot from my ELA students if I am able to make the time for good quality reading, followed by thorough discussions.

The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts Instruction in Grades 6-12

           I do appreciate that the CCSS requires, even 9^th graders, to “analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone” in informational texts, as well as in reading literature.  By the 11^th and 12^th grade, they are required to look for “inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.” This is quite a chore for a majority of high school students and may require deviating from a “standard” curriculum to accomplish this.  I am heartened that the handout acknowledges that the standards to not specify what or how to teach. These standards provide for the teacher a “what is possible” for our kids to acquire in ELA. 

            For adolescents to learn these requirements, a good place to start in reading is for each student to have a book or a novel that narrates a topic of interest to that individual student.  If the school is going to adopt a curriculum written by the state or entity that is far removed from the school district, this may be difficult.  A student, or student(s), may not grasp the story line in an English classic, right away.  The state, or entity, may be comprised of the “dominant” culture and for a child in a “non-dominant” culture to be able to demonstrate the required standard, may have to happen in increments.  It will be up to the creativity of the teacher and the depth of collaboration with the English department to establish a curriculum that is not “fragmented,” and to see that the students understand and can demonstrate the knowledge.  This is not to say that all dominant culture students will succeed at CCSS and that all non-dominant students will not.  I believe it will be up to the individual teachers, as the handout states, “perceive the Common Core State Standards as a road map for developing your own curriculum that is relevant to your unique students.”

            When I read that the CCSS will be connected to the assessments the states adopt to measure the students’ learning, I would hope the teachers would be allowed plenty of input.  It is obvious that the standards and the assessment be linked and make sense.  I believe, also, that teachers be permitted to avoid multiple choice tests, depending on the student, to test for understanding.  I would let the students demonstrate to me, orally, the above requirements in a book as simple as The Hardy Boys before moving them on to Great Expectations.

Discussion in a Democratic Society

I will seek to initiate classroom discussions with my students as often as I can.  I believe that the participation level in the talk will vary depending on topic and subject area.  Hopefully, full participation won’t always require a controversial topic.  I would imagine the subject of English language arts can get plenty of universal topics that will open up discussion.  A chief goal I have for coming out of this class is to get my students talking more, and me, less.  At this point it looks easier said than done but the chapter does give a very clear road map for teachers on how to make this happen.

We were told on the first day of 493, that teaching lit to adolescents is never about the teacher and his ego, but about the students.  We see this illustrated in the example used in “Discussion in a Democratic Society,” concerning the DNR order.  The teacher was sure he had the moral high ground on this issue and felt the case was closed.  The teacher became student, and a few of the students became teachers.  This is how it should be, always, if a child is to come away from the class with a firm grasp of the material.  This, I feel, is the objective.  Not so much the democratic societal aspect. 

This “dispositions” offered for a teacher may be right for democratic participation but are also idea for a classroom of growing students.  Hospitality, participation, mindfulness, humility, mutuality, deliberation, hope, and so on are excellent mindsets and practices for a teacher to convey.  It all does start with hospitality, to create “an atmosphere to which people feel invited to speak.” Of course, not all students will reciprocate and begin speaking what’s on their mind, if some ever do before the end of the semester.  Nevertheless, the discussion (or, conversation) needs to be started at a certain point.  Class discussions are a useful component for summative assessments.  I myself like all the dispositions except deliberation.  The reading does suggest that that will only come at the end of the term, if ever.  I personally feel that disposition may come if everyone has spoken during the term, always feeling safe to do so and are confident they can have “autonomy” to fall back on.