Action Research Proposal Summary 2

1. What is the problem? Kindergarten students have trouble recognizing rhyme and word families in text.

2. What is the rational for the project? It is easier for students to read using recognition of word families and rhyming words than using phonics.

3. What strategy will be used to address the problem? A variety of rhyming games will be introduced to the class that will require students to use basic elements of phonetic analysis.

4. What is the question? How can I use a variety of rhyming games to help my students recognize rhyme and word families in text?

5. What evidence is presented that the strategy will work? "Research shows that implementing a range of rhyming games can help students improve their recognition of rhyme and word families (Allen 1988).” “Reinforcement of patterns of rhyme through rhyming games helps students build on the concept of rhyme and word families  (Bradley & Bryant 1983).”

6. How will data be collected? Assessment of Decoding prior to and following implementation, teaching journal monitoring individual student progress, student performance checklist during games

 Reference:

NA. (ND). Rhyme, word family recognition, and reading in kindergarten. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6DFAmexYq7vZmUyM2MwMjEtZjlkMS00MDc1LTkzMTQtOGI1OWRjNzRhMjFh/edit

Action Research Summary

1. What is the title of the project? TNLI: Action Research: Curriculum Implementation: Research Question/Definition of Problem

2. What is the Question? What happens to third graders' writing when they participate in a reading and letter writing program?

4. What strategy is being used to address? The nonlinguistic strategy is being addressed.

5. What evidence is presented that the strategy will work? Once the letter writing took place, fewer errors started occurring.

6. How will data be collected to determine if the strategy will work? The students participated in a pen pal letter writing project. The teacher collected the student’s letters, before sending them out, and analyzed how the writing had changed since the start of the process.

7. How was the data analyzed? During the assessment process, the teacher recognized several trends that were occurring amongst students. She also analyzed things through book discussions, paying close attention to how the students created their own dialogue.

8. What were the results? That all randomly selected students demonstrated growth in the letter writing process. Their occurrence of errors decreased and their level of writing increased. However, the majority of them continued to struggle with vocabulary and mechanics

9. How do the results inform teacher practice? The results show that the effort put forth in this study was truly worth it. Successful results occurred when the students made fewer errors on their letters. This study can guide a teacher in a reading and writing curriculum to focus on letter writing, or something interesting to the students, that will excite them and make the class more eager to learn.

Double Entry Journal #11

What is formative assessment?

Formative assessment is an assessment for learning, not of learning. This type of assessment allows students to get feedback in order to better construct their work. Formative assessment should focus more on the task instead of the learner.

What is the CENTRAL purpose of formative assessment?

The central purpose of formative assessment is student learning.

Connect a best practice in formative assessment to one research-based strategy.

Providing feedback is a research-based strategy that is strongly connected to best practices in formative assessment. This strategy initiates timely and positive feedback, which is key in high quality formative assessment.

Give an example of how a specific assessment can be used formatively and summatively.

A rubric can be used formatively because it lists criteria that will assist students in working towards what is expected of them. The rubric can be used summatively to provide the student with a grade.

Give an example from your field placement related to formative assessment and timing.

In my clinical placement, my students have been practicing for the writing assessment. They have been writing stories using a block paragraph method. This is where a paper is folded into four sections, and then each paragraph goes on one section. This allows the students to process each paragraph in a more structured way. Once the students construct their story, the teacher discusses it one-on-one with each student. She gives the learner advice on how to better the story and compliments on the strong points. This provides a type of formative assessment with immediate feedback for the students.

What are some strategies to help formative assessment be more effective when providing students with feedback?

Student feedback needs to be timely. The feedback should be given as soon as possible, so that the task is still fresh on the student’s mind. Feedback should also be specific. Never just tell a student that he or she did well. Specifically state what they did well. Feedback should also be task-focused, not learner-focused.

Name two advantages to high quality formative assessment.

High quality formative assessment helps to identify students who are struggling with particular tasks. This will help teachers to change up instruction to better reach student needs. High quality formative assessment also provides students with more confidence and control. Providing students with positive feedback allows them to feel better about their work, and allowing them to correct it to better reach a goal makes them feel more in control of their own work.

What are some challenges to implementing high quality formative assessment?

One challenge to high quality formative assessment includes linking assessment to instruction so that both the teacher and the student benefit. Another challenge is in developing a support system for high quality formative assessment. If parents in the community do not understand the purpose behind formative assessment, they could view it as a lazy and unhelpful process. The community needs to be introduced to this strategy so that the teacher has a support group.

Resources:

NA. (2005). Focus on effectiveness. Retrieved from http://www.netc.org/focus/

NCTE. (2010). Fostering high-quality. Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/CC/0201-sep2010/CC0201PolicyBrief.pdf

Webquest Design

The overall appearance of our webquest is okay, but we plan on changing it anyway. In the process of the task, the jobs are listed. The jobs seem very vague including: to work with the computer, to write findings, or to keep the group on task. Renita and I will adjust this by having specific roles and jobs for each student. The jobs will more than likely stay the same, but the roles may consist of things such as: one person finding various types of pollution, one person searching for the dangers of pollution, and one person searching for ways to prevent pollution. We feel that this will make the project flow better. The template webquest is geared towards second grade, but we are going to change it to third grade. The CSO we will be basing our webquest around is:

SC.O.3.3.8 Recognize that a solution to one scientific problem often creates new problems (e.g., recycling, pollution, conservation, or waste disposal).  

Double Entry Journal #9

“School, they say, should be a place for learning. There’s plenty of time for play at home.”

I chose this quote because I strongly disagree with the concept. From reading the article I know that most individuals do disagree with this statement, but I find it hard to believe that even one person believes this. School was not just developed simply for learning. Beyond education, school also develops social skills, friendships, and character. If we were to sit our students down every day for a whole year and lecture to them, we would see a very low success rate. Young children need to play. By playing they learn new experiences that can’t be explained by a simple lecture.

“Young children work hard at play.”

This quote, along with the paragraph following it, is a very powerful quote. When we think of the word “play” we often think of it as a time when children are having fun, taking a break from learning, and mingling with their peers. In many ways, we diminish the true meaning of the word “play.” It takes effort for a child to play. Children have to establish some type of real-life concept and use the information they know to continue “playing.” Students mingle with their peers and use new language and discuss new concepts during play time. A lot of times, adults fail to see how important play time is. We teach our students from the start that one day they will go out in the world and have to survive on their own. If we let these children play, they are already doing this. They are going out, without being closely watched by a teacher, and using information they know to play various games and roles. Why would we want to take away something that children put such an effort into?

“How can we expect our children to thrive in the imagination economy of the future if we deny them opportunities for play and creativity in kindergarten?”

This quote goes along with what was stated above. I strongly agree with what is being said. As an adult, I have learned that it is very difficult for adults to learn new concepts compared to how simple it is for a young child. As the old saying goes, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” At a young age children are brave and very imaginative. If we pull our students away from imagination, how will they ever grasp this concept as an adult?

Resources:

Martina, E. (NA). The importance of play . Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIayLh2P5C0

Miller, E., & Almon, J. (NA). Crisis in the kindergarten why children need to play in school . Retrieved from http://earlychildhoodcolorado.org/inc/uploads/Crisis_in_Kindergarten.pdf

Double Entry Journal #8

What are some challenges to inquiry approaches to learning?

Challenges occur when teachers do not fully understand inquiry approaches to learning. At first glance, some teachers may view inquiry approaches as “unstructured,” and will fail to do many things to make this approach a success. Teachers may also struggle to implement discipline-appropriate strategies when working with inquiry approaches to learning. 

Make connections between project-based learning and three research based strategies (Choose strategies you have not already been assigned to read about). Give a brief explanation of the connections.

Cooperative Grouping-In a project-based learning setting it is very common to see a classroom working in cooperative groups. Effective cooperative learning occurs when students work together to accomplish shared goals and when positive structures are in place to support that process (Johnson & Johnson, 1999). This strategy would be a good way to implement PBL in the classroom.

Providing Feedback-In my opinion, this is one of the most important research-based strategies. During PBL the teacher must provide positive feedback to each of her students in order to motivate them further. Feedback has been shown to be one of the most significant activities a teacher can engage in to improve student achievement (Hattie, 1992). While doing my PBL I will definitely provide as much positive feedback as possible to my students.

Simulations and Games-This is one strategy that I believe could make PBL very successful. Simulations enhance this potential by making modeling dynamic. Games and modeling activities can elicit curiosity, create a demand for knowledge, and enable students to discover knowledge through exploration (Edelson, 1998). Simulations allow students to actually be involved with the situation at hand. Games teach many strategies, such as conflict resolution. This could be a very effective PBL strategy, but must be introduced in the proper way. It is easy for a classroom to get “out of hand” during a simulation or game, so it is important to have discipline points introduced at the beginning of the lesson.

References:

Baron, , B., & Darling-Hammond, L. (1991). Teaching for meaningful learners. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/edutopia-teaching-for-meaningful-learning.pdf

NA. (2005). Focus on effectiveness. Retrieved from http://www.netc.org/focus/

Focused Observation of Struggling student

During my focused observation I chose to observe a young boy who has an IEP. I am not positive as to what is on his IEP, but after my observation I believe he may have ADD. This third grader is mainstreamed with the regular class most of the day. He goes to the Special Needs teacher for about 45 minutes at the most daily. During my observation, I noticed many interesting things. The child does not have severe trouble in the classroom. If the teacher or I remind the boy to keep working he does well. If we forget to after about 15 minutes, he falls off track. I observed him during a reading lesson, where the teacher was reading to the class in front of the room and asking questions. While the teacher was reading, the boy had his book placed on his lap and flipped through the pages often. The child never looked at the teacher and seemed very “tuned out” the whole time. During the class discussion, the young boy always looked down. Very rarely did I see his head rise. He never attempted to answer a question, and I’m not positive he even paid attention to the questions that were asked. After the lesson, the teacher passed out a reading worksheet while stating the directions. After the worksheet was passed out, the child walked up to the teacher and asked her to repeat the directions.

The observation somewhat intrigued me. I knew this young boy was struggling, but when I was solely focused on him, I saw many new things. The student’s behavior always connects with what is going on in the classroom. During quiet times, such as reading, he is unfocused. When things become louder or more "hands on," he is interested. For example, at one point during my observation, the teacher asked a question and many students had an opinion. The noise level went up a lot, and this quickly caught the young boy’s attention. He sits in the front row therefore the teacher can often use proximity to grab his attention. I often work one on one with the young child. He is very smart and receives good grades. The child just needs a reminder every few minutes to stay on track. I definitely learned a lot from this observation, and I feel that I can now better assist this young boy.

Double Entry Journal #7

1. Read the Introduction. What "dominant paradigm" is showing signs of wear?

The “dominant paradigm” that is showing signs of wear, is when the teacher relies on the textbook to form readings, discussions, and lectures.

2. According to the research, how does Project-Based Learning support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.

Project-Based Learning enables students to develop higher order thinking skills. It will help students to think more critically and write and speak more effectively. (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 1999; Bransford & Donovan, 2005)

Studies have shown a positive impact on learning when students participate in lessons that require them to construct and organize knowledge, consider alternatives, engage in detailed research, inquiry, writing, and analysis, and to communicate effectively to audiences (Newmann, 1996).

Students who engage in the project-based learning approach benefit from gains in factual learning that are equivalent or superior to those of students who engage in traditional forms of instruction (Thomas, 2000).

3.  According to the research, how does Problem-Based Learning support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.

Problem-based learning better supports flexible problem solving, application of knowledge, and hypothesis generation (for a meta-analysis, see Dochy, Segers, Van den Bossche, & Gijbels, 2003).

Students who participate in problem-based experiences are better able to generate accurate hypotheses and coherent explanations (Hmelo, 1998b; Schmidt et al., 1996).

Students can better support their claims with well-reasoned arguments (Stepien et al., 1993).

4.  According to the research, how does Learning by Design support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.

Design activities, rather than using a traditional approach, are better for helping students develop understanding of complex systems (Perkins, 1986).

Design activities are better for developing technical and subject matter knowledge (Newstetter, 2000).

The design-based approach allows students to set constraints, generate ideas, create prototypes, and develop plans through storyboarding or other representational practices. Each of these subjects is a Twenty First Century Skill that traditional approaches would not incorporate. (Newstetter, 2000).

5. What are the differences between the three approaches?

The three approaches go hand-in-hand but there are key differences. Project-based learning leads the class up to a “main event,” where they present their knowledge in the form of a realistic project. Problem-based learning involves students working in small groups to find a problem. Group members work together to learn more about the topic of the problem and try to find strategies for a solution. In the Design-based approach, students design and create an artifact. In order to create this artifact, understanding and application of the criteria will have to be used.

6. In your opinion, what is the most important benefit to learning that is common across the three types of inquiry-based learning approaches?

“Students learn more deeply when they can apply classroom-gathered knowledge to real-world problems, and when they to take part in projects that require sustained engagement and collaboration.”

In my opinion, this is the most important benefit in using the inquiry-based learning approaches. I feel that I am a model of this statistic. If I go to a class every day where the teacher just lectures and I take notes, I do not retain very much information, actually, most of the time my notes turn into drawings. Classes where I am a part of a hands-on project or an interesting deep discussion grab my attention and increase my knowledge. Young students especially do not have the patience to sit in class all day and read from a textbook. Through these approaches students will be more engaged in each lesson and their knowledge is sure to increase at a more rapid rate than when using traditional approaches.

References:

Baron, , B., & Darling-Hammond, L. (1991). Teaching for meaningful learners. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/edutopia-teaching-for-meaningful-learning.pdf

Research Based Strategies

     The PowerPoint Quiz activity did not support thematic instruction. The main goal of thematic instruction is to “choose themes that relate to students' lives to ensure interest and engagement in the content.” The activity that was performed in class was just the opposite. The teacher in the PowerPoint Quiz activity plays a very active role. It is somewhat a “my way or the highway” project. On the other hand, in thematic instruction, learners are very engaged and encouraged to ask questions. In a classroom where thematic instruction takes place, the teacher will make many connections throughout the activity to help the students relate with their prior knowledge. The activity in the class was just introduced and monitored. There were no explanations or reasoning behind the assignment. Some students were left with the question, “What exactly is the point?” Through thematic instruction, students will understand the situation given and, as stated in the article, “be engaged in immersive learning experiences.”

     The activity that we did in class can somewhat be modified to reflect thematic instruction. At the beginning of the project the teacher could introduce a problem such as: Is there a way we could link slides together in PowerPoint to somehow create questions and different responses? Students could research through PowerPoint, talk amongst their peers, and the whole class could share the evidence they discovered on PowerPoint. Another modification could be developed in the question asked on the quiz. The question could reflect something that is of interest to the class, and it could ask something that would lead the students to research what the answer is.

I believe that thematic instruction is a very successful strategy in the classroom. Students feel like they have more of a voice, and they actually feel like the teacher cares about them. In the activity introduced in our class we felt rushed, stressed, and embarrassed. Before we knew that it was just a simulation, we felt like the teacher was almost being rude. I feel that this activity would have more negative effects than positive. It is important to use thematic instruction in our classrooms as much as possible.

Resource:

NA. (2005). Focus on effectiveness. Retrieved from  http://www.netc.org/focus/strategies/them.php

Double Journal Entry #6

First Speaker

1. Why is this video helpful for teaching in West Virginia? This video is very helpful to West Virginia because of the informal dialect that is very popular in this state. As teachers, if we stay in this state, it is almost a guarantee that we will come across a dialect that is very non-standard every year. This video will guide us on how to deal with this in the correct way.

2. What evidence is presented that supports the credibility of the speaker? She is a professor of English at a university. She has been active in many researches and works on the National Council of English. She also holds many degrees.

3. Describe the traditional approach to responding to student writing? Traditionally, teachers simply correct student writing.

4. Why does the traditional approach not work in improving student writing? This approach does not work often because it focuses on what the student is doing wrong.

5. Name the three strategies associated with the linguistic approach to writing instruction? scientific method, code switching, and contrastive analysis

6. How do you know the cat and Taylor go together? Because Taylor and cat are right next to each other. The owner is stated right beside whatever he/she owns.

7. What is different between the two patterns of possessives for informal and formal English? Informal-the owner plus what is owned. Formal-there is an owner then the apostrophe s before what the person owned.

8. What strategy is being used for teaching the second grade students the different patterns between informal and formal English? Code switching is being used for these second grade students.

9. Describe how the scientific method is used to teach students to code switch. Teachers can collect data by looking at patterns of language that the students use, they can lead students to observe the data and discover/describe the patterns. Students can then check the hypothesis and modify it.

10. What question is being asked to engage students in the comparison and contrast strategy? The question is: What changed?

11. How does code switching support metacognition? Students think about where they are and what they want to do to succeed in this setting.

12. What evidence is presented the code switching approach works? Describe one of the studies? Honey Taylor was an English teacher in Chicago. She discovered that her African American students were failing. She decided to use the traditional approach and contrastive analysis approach to discover results. After one semester with the traditional approach, students produced eight percent more vernacular features in writing. In the contrastive analysis class, students produced a 59% decrease in vernacular features.

Second Speaker

1. How did the students respond when asked how they felt about being corrected when they talked? The students felt stupid, angry, and confused.

2. Give an example of a "fund of knowledge" the teacher drew on to help students learn to code switch? The teacher described informal and formal language by making a comparison between formal clothes, such as something you may wear to church, and informal clothes that you may play outside in.

3. What are some added benefits aside from raising test scores that stem from using contrastive analysis? Added benefits when using contrastive analysis include the fact that students are now prepared to write formally in any needed situation. Students will be better prepared for a job interview and will make a strong impression with their formal writing.

On Your Own

Explain how contrastive analysis for writing instruction is an example of each of these research-based strategies: Generating and Testing Hypothesis, Identifying Difference and Similarities

Generating and Testing Hypothesis is an example of contrastive analysis because it allows students to compare things that are similar, and contrast things that are different. The students become active learners by forming a rule from their findings, and testing if this rule works in other situations.
Identifying Difference and Similarities is an example of contrastive analysis because it encourages the students to make connections through patterns. The students explore similarities and differences on their own, by linking things to knowledge that they have already obtained. Students make new categories for information that may not fit into the already present ones.

References:

Generating and testing hypotheses . (n.d.). Retrieved from        http://www.netc.org/focus/strategies/gene.php

Identifying similarities and differences. (n.d.). Retrieved from                 http://www.netc.org/focus/strategies/iden.php

Wheeler Rebecca. (Writer) (2007). Teaching standard english in urban classrooms in [Web]. Retrieved from http://forum-network.org/lecture/teaching-standard-english-urban-classrooms

Double Journal Entry #5

What does the research say about the impact of negative teacher attitudes about students ethnicity and language variations on student learning?

The research states that negative teacher attitudes towards student’s ethnicity and language differences can, sadly, lead to students being misdiagnosed with language disorders. When teachers are not prepared to instruct in a language diverse classroom, this can lead to students feeling uncomfortable in their own classroom. Students with language variations may feel “out of place” or “insecure”. When students develop this feeling, they are already on a downward spiral, and the only way out of that is for a teacher with confidence to help the child.

What are some assessment pitfalls?

Assessment pitfalls occur because not enough things are actually assessed. Many students are only being assessed on the cultural aspect of language. Many other things need to be brought into these assessments. A child’s cultural background needs to be looked at, because it has a strong effect on the student’s performance in the classroom. Along with this, a child’s cultural experiences also need to be examined. Without using these aspects, assessments fall short of being accurate.

What three approaches can be used to transform students’ dialectal diversity into an asset (funds of knowledge) rather than a liability (cultural deficit).

The three approaches used to transform students’ dialectal diversity into an asset include the awareness approach, critical pedagogy, and the critical awareness approach. The awareness approach involves allowing students to use their native dialect  while doing schoolwork. Later, the students will compare and contrast their native language with Standard English. Critical pedagogy is when teachers allow students to have a voice, and critically analyze todays “Standard English.” Critical pedagogy allows for there to be a dominant language, but also accepts the native culture’s language as well. The critical awareness approach combines the other two approaches. Students are taught Standard English, but are encouraged to closely examine it, and to also use their non-standard dialects.

How prepared do you feel to teach in a culturally diverse classroom?

In grade school and high school I was never introduced to a culturally diverse classroom. After coming to FSU, the Elementary Education teachers did a wonderful job of preparing me to work in a culturally diverse classroom. I feel very prepared for the challenge, and I feel like my teachers have given me many tips and ideas for this type of curriculum. When I first enter the culturally diverse classroom, I am sure that I will be very nervous, but in time I know that I am prepared to do the job  well.

Reference:

Wikidot.com. (2009, September 4). Linguistic diversity in ece. Retrieved from http://ecelinguisticdiversity.wikidot.com/teacher-attitudes 

Where I am From

Poem: Where I am From

I am from the creek banks of a small town, from homemade food at the diner and from wishing on every star in the night sky.

I am from the back bedroom in the two story house, painted tan and built on love and encouraging words.

I am from first loves and football wars, crowded bleachers on a Friday night. I’m from walks around the loop and evenings spent on the front porch swing.

I am from the Barkers and the Bosleys, Ella and Lena. From strong willed, soft spoken, beautiful ladies. I am from the competitive holiday games and short cuts on a back road.

I am from pine tree shadows lying over rolling hills and deer sneaking through the backyard. From small town gossip and a wave from everyone that passes on the streets.

I am from the youngest of three girls. From laughter in the sweetest voices. From daddy’s girl and momma’s endearing advice.

I am from Pine Grove roots, from the loving Aunt Mary Ann, who will always be there. From the jokes around the table with Uncle Jeff.

From the friendships built on laughter, the love built on trust, and from a family that was raised to be kind to everyone.

I am from giving thanks to the Lord, from saying my prayers each night. From second chances and chasing dreams.

I am from four wheeler rides and Chevy trucks. From good times around a tailgate. I am from a little story near the Mason Dixon Line, from a town that will always be my loving home. 

Double Journal Entry #4

Resources

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

NA. (ND). Rich vs. poor in the 3rd world. Retrieved from http://www.wackyarchives.com/offbeat/rich-vs-poor-in-the-3rd-world.html

Miland, I. S. (ND). Social and cultural capital. Retrieved from http://www.uia.no/en/div/project/study_tour_indonesia_2011/social_and_cultural_capital

Double Journal Entry #3

          I learned many things about teaching literacy development from this article. The first, and in my opinion the most important, is that students need to be interested in their language and in Standard English. In this study, “students interview parents and grandparents and find out how their Appalachian English has changed over time.” In performing these interviews, this captured the student’s interest and made each of them eager to discover how and why Appalachian English has changed.

          Another thing I learned about teaching literacy development is that it is important to accept each individual in your classroom. No matter how each student speaks, that is who they are and how they were raised. Their language may be grammatically incorrect, but as teachers we must allow them to speak their own dialect. One thing that has always been drilled into a child’s mind is that everyone is different, and everyone is unique. We cannot be hypocritical in our own classroom by banning the “unique differences” of language.

One other thing I learned about teaching literacy development is that students need to be taught the difference in their home and Standard English. This, in many ways, goes hand in hand with interesting the students in the two languages. Students need to understand why some individuals may speak differently, and why there is a need for a Standard English. In explaining this, it will then lead students into becoming interested in the two languages and strike more curiosity.

It is difficult for me to come up with two different experiences from my schooling that reflect literacy instruction. The reason that it is so difficult is because, from what I can remember, the difference between home and Standard English was only vaguely addressed. I am from a very small town, and it is actually uncommon to talk to someone and not be able to pick up on their “home language” within the first minute of them speaking. In a classroom setting, we were taught Standard English like every child is. We didn’t do any interesting things that made the differences between Standard and home English evident. If a student would stand in front of the class and give a speech, they would talk in their “home language,” and it was simply accepted. Yes, we do need to accept everyone’s own language roots, but to a certain extent. I feel that many students in my grade graduated from high school, and still do not know the basics of Standard English. It needed to be addressed more, especially coming from a place where many people have strong home dialects. I know that if my grade would have performed the studies in this article, each student would have been more interested in Standard English and more willing to accept the differences.

This article introduces the teaching of literacy through inclusive practices. The writers and helpers in this article would never instantly send a child who has difficulty with Standard English to a remedial class. Inclusive practices is all about including every student, and embracing their differences. Accepting that each student may have a different home dialect is the first strong step into having an inclusive classroom. I feel that these two practices are strongly linked together to provide success in the classroom.   

Related Source:

The website I found has many interesting topics in it. The site gives tips on how to prepare for a “language diverse” classroom. It also discusses how teachers need to develop a positive attitude towards linguistic diversity. I feel that every teacher should read this site and take the advice when preparing for their own classroom. 

Linguistic Diversity

 Resources:

Epstein P., Herring-Harris, L. (2011, September 15). Honoring dialect and increasing student performance in standard english. Retrieved from http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/3655

Creative Commons Attribution. (2009, September 4). Linguistic diversity in ece. Retrieved from http://ecelinguisticdiversity.wikidot.com/teacher-attitudes

Double Journal Entry #2-"Tall Tales of Appalachia"

“If a television network proposed a ''real life'' show treating poor African-Americans, Latinos, American Indians, Asians or Jews as curiosities, they, and all Americans of good will, would be justifiably outraged.”

This quote strongly moved me because I completely agree that America would be very upset about a television show that poked at poor African-Americans, Latinos, American Indians, Asians or Jews. America has fought wars and constantly stressed how important equality is in these United States. As a West Virginian, it hurts me to know that my own country would probably not defend this beautiful state. If we are a country of equality, then doesn’t that pertain to every state? If I viewed a show that was curiously addressing poor Latinos and their lifestyles, I would not sit there and laugh. I would be upset and share my concern with others. It is a shame that if some outsiders viewed a show about our home state, they would sit there and laugh. I am proud to be a part of West Virginia and I will always take a stand in defending this state, I cannot wait for the day when the whole entire country treats West Virginia equally also.

I chose this video because it displays wonderful pictures of West Virginia, allowing for viewers to see that this really is a beautiful place to live. The words in the song are also very good for people who have always lived in this wonderful state!

Reference for Article:

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

Reference for Video:

Johnston, A. Sweet Appalachia. Retrieved 20 Jan. 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-QUG0hp6go 

Double Journal Entry #2-"As Soon as She Opened Her Mouth"

Questions:

Literacy knowledge simply refers to the concepts that children have obtained during their preschool years, during the years prior to formal literacy instruction, in kindergarten and first grade, in reading writing and printed language. An example of printed literacy knowledge is when a student understands that words on paper can be read. Throughout the years, the student with printed literacy knowledge will understand that you can read sentences and paragraphs from books and acquire meaning from them. Non-print literacy knowledge was evident on page two. The young girl had a knowledge base, that in order to read, a person must move their mouth up and down. It is amazing to spot these signs of literacy knowledge in young children.

Stereotypes strongly interfere with literacy instruction. “We claim to allow equal access to educational opportunities to all children in our schools (pp. 9).” In my opinion this claim is taken with a grain of salt. As humans we judge people, as teachers we may even be guilty of judging our students. In looking at a student’s home life, a teacher might assume that since this child’s parents are illiterate, the student will be placed in remedial reading. For instance, maybe Leah comes from a poor community. In some instances, people would pre-judge Leah, thinking she will not understand reading, and will need to be placed in remedial classes. Stereotyping “before someone opens their mouth” is a large interference in student’s education. We, as teachers, should try hard to not judge any student, and allow each child to come into our classroom with a clean slate.

It is sad to think that schools and teachers contribute to poor literacy instruction, but it is true. As stated above, schools and teachers have pre-conceived thoughts about theirs students, based on their social status. Once these students attend the school, they are basically categorized into groups of social classes. Often, schools and teachers will work hard to teach middle and upper class students. The lower class students, who have been stereotyped as “slower learners” from the start, sometimes do not receive any one-on-one attention to help with the literacy instruction. Schools and teachers should not be doing this. It should be considered a goal to further educate each and every student in a classroom.

There is a strong relationship between language, social class, and the denial of educational opportunities. As one teacher states on page 13, “I knew she was ignorant from the second she opened her mouth.” This teacher recognized the accent that the mother had and automatically classified her as a low-class ignorant individual in one sentence. Most individuals are guilty of doing this. When we hear someone speak, we think that we can classify where and how they grew up, just by hearing their voices. Many schools and teachers will deny educational opportunities to students who may speak a little differently, and these teachers may not even realize they are doing this. He can’t speak right, what is the use of trying to teach him how to read? She is from the bad part of town, she has probably never seen a book! These preconceived thoughts, based on a student’s language and social class, are denying students of an equal opportunity to be educated. The misconception that spoken language will drive a student’s literacy is wrong. A student may not speak “standard English” but this child can still succeed in reading and writing.

The most important thing that schools and teachers can do to improve literacy instruction is to diminish all stereotypes. Schools must accept poverty stricken students as learners. When these students come to school, they need to be instructed just like middle and upper class students. Poverty stricken students can change the world with their education, it just takes a strong educator to understand that these students also have potential.

I am not totally against the term “Proper English,” nor am I totally for the term. To some extent, there should be a proper way to speak. Of course, it is important for people to be able to understand one’s language. All individuals should be educated to have some basis of grammatical background in order to be able to carry on a conversation. Depending on the culture or where individuals live, this “Proper English” may be different. Of course, different cultures and different locations speak differently. I do not think there should be one set of “Proper English.” All types of language should be embraced, but the basic grammatical structures for “Proper English” should be known by all individuals.

Quote:

A quote that I strongly agreed with was stated on page five: “Children who experience other people in their lives reading and writing for many different reasons in the years before they begin school, are better equipped to learn the beginning reading and writing instruction in their schools.” This quote is undeniably true, and I know this from my experience with my seven year old niece. Before Gracie started school, she wanted me to read to her. Sometimes she would even read to me, after she had the story memorized she would pretend to know the words. Now that Gracie is in First grade, she is at the top of her class. She was the first student to read a book and take a quiz on it in the First grade. Experiences prior to school years are very vital and play an important role in a child’s life. It is amazing to witness the actuality of this quote!

Related Hyperlink:

This video displays a teacher who is assessing the literacy knowledge of one of her students. I thought this was appropriate to go along with our reading. It is a very interesting assessment, and I think it is very successful. I would use this strategy in my own classroom.

TeacherTube Video

 

Reference for Video:

NA. Literacy Knowledge Part One. Retrieved 19 Jan. 2012.                   http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=164120&title=Literacy_Knowledge_Pt_1

Reference for Article:

Purcell Gates, V. (2002). As soon as she opened her mouth. In L. Delpit & J.K Dowdy (Eds.), In The skin that we speak: An anthology of essays on language culture and power. (Print: Anthology)

Double Journal Entry #1

Inclusive Education is a critical component of the overall general education reform. In Inclusive Education, the curriculum meets the needs of all students, including those with special needs. This allows for every student to succeed at their highest functioning level. Inclusion is meant to benefit increasingly diverse students with highly complex learning needs. Inclusive Education is meant to serve various types of students, including; students with varied ethnic, linguistic, socioeconomic and ability components. Some of these students may include a homeless child, a child with a learning disability, or a child with a behavior disorder.

Two characteristics of inclusive schools include displaying a sense of community, and involving parents as partners. If a school displays a strong sense of community, every child will feel respected and comfortable in their school setting. Along with this, inclusion should involve parents to be a part of their child's curriculum. The teacher should work with parents to form problem-solving methods and discuss the child's future goals. In my opinion, working together with parents can only bring more positive feedback into the classroom.

One strategy that may help students become more responsible and effective in the inclusive process is to use the "buddy system." This system includes two children, who may or may not be in the same grade, who have agreed to help each other out when needed. I believe that this strategy is very effective, because on many occasions students would rather talk to their peers instead of a parent or teacher.
Reference for Article:
Inos, R.H. Research Review for Inclusive Practices.  Retrieved 17 Jan 2012.
http://www.prel.org/products/Products/Inclusive-practices.htm

This is a link to a TeacherTube video that is all about inclusion. I feel that this video is a wonderful, positive, and upbeat way to promote inclusion. The video displays artifacts that show that inclusion really does work, and it also includes students and teachers displaying various messages of why inclusion is important.
TeacherTube Video

Reference for Video:
NA. Inclusion Rocks. Retrieved 17 Jan 2012.
http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=159535