Unlearning the Myths

Being the Mom of two daughters’ I have had these conversations both in and outside of my head. What to “let” them watch, how to help them have positive body images, etc… I thank having a fairly feminist sister-in-law who had a daughter before me for her example. My niece’s favorite Disney movie, of all time, was and still is Ariel. How??? From a “feminist”?? What my sister-in-law did, and I do, is use the movie to teach about how girls don’t really look that way, it is a cartoon. We can use what is there to also show what is not, if that is what we are looking for. I was a little shocked to think that some parents might just plop their child down in front of a movie (or cartoon) without previewing it first to see if it is deemed “acceptable” to that families values. I also think that our entertainment industry is trying to change along with the times and that they are slow to adopt new values within our society but can be used to see, collectively, where we have come from. I have taught my children to be skeptical of anything that is on TV. And actually other media also. A joke in our house is “the TV said it, it must be true!”. Even our news is sensationalized and biased. We have done over a year without TV also and they still know things that we never taught them (I blame the kids on the bus). Anyway I guess that my overall point is that we can teach them to view the world tentatively and try and consider the source, politics and such surrounding an item and that this is a healthier way of refusing to just swallow what they media is trying to sell us, and that these are transferrable life skills, as opposed to getting all PO’ed at Popeye who was probably quite progressive during his time, just not so much now! “Look how far we’ve come baby!” We will not be there to shelter them forever let’s help them develop the skills necessary to scrutinize the beliefs that they internalize.

Evans, Hill, and all

Wk 12

I think that Hill has hit the nail on the head so to speak. If we are to be granted the privilege to teach the children of a neighborhood then we must involve the members of the neighborhood. I have been reading “Waiting for “Superman”” and this issue is also addressed there. We must be trusted, reliable member of the community of our children’s lives in order to be able to teach the children. I intend to have a classroom mission and vision. I think that it grants accountability when these are placed in writing. I intend to involve any who want to be involved.

Hill demonstrates how lucky we are to live in an age where we have sooo much access to so many different technologies. Everything from paper and pencil to films complete with sound track. How could we not find something for every child to excel at? I appreciate the idea of each student producing one major project in which we can embed many, many lessons as opposed to producing many, many little lessons that are not necessarily real world connected. This just seems to me to be less of a contrived environment and a more sound learning environment. Evans also refers to this idea of extending of a lesson by recreating a text in a different mode.

“The Silent Stage” stresses the importance of us as teachers being willing to involve our students in the process of their learning. “I needed the system to meet me half way, to collaborate, to include my thoughts and feelings” (p.16). If we are to be granted the privilege of being allowed to influence a student we must first respect their right to learn about what they are interested in, what stimulates them.  

MGRP

I love the MGRP formats. I love to be creative and I really enjoy the freedom that comes with being able to "think outside of the box". I actually found that I had more ideas for genres than I had time to create projects! I love it. I think that I could come up with an example of just about every genre in our MRGP book with the info that we gathered. I like that some genres allow us to be lees formal and more wordy than the traditional research format while others require us to be more concise and detailed with our words. I hope all had as much fun as I did.

MGRP 5&7 and Amir

I cannot wait to create a class character!!! I am picturing a cardboard cut out sitting in the corner! Well or hanging on the wall, or climbing the pole, something. I loooovvee it!!! The children get to create it and all can use it and no one has to worry about offending anyone in their real lives so they can use the full spectrum of descriptive words without inhibition. Wow. Allen says “Our students become the resident experts on their topics”(p.63). Wow, how cool??

For me the essence of Chapter seven is “ When we allow students to write in multiple genres and incorporate the finr and performing arts, we help them express their ideas in ways that tap alternative thinking processes. They now have a broad repertoire of entry points into their topic”(p.86). Facts are facts and this is the research part. But… if we open up the door to different presentations of those facts then we can work in more of a strengths based environment and that is always more rewarding! And usually more creative too.  

Amir

I find it interesting that he seems to believe that there is an “American” way of being neighbors where there is an underlying rule about not getting to know your neighbors but yet he, who is from India also does not know his neighbors. He is very satisfied that the garden has helped to build a sense of community in his neighborhood. All participants are more willing to see each other more in the light of a new role (fellow gardener) and this allows for more acceptance and less preconceived ideas about what people are based in their past experiences and/or believed knowledge about the person.

MGRP 4 and Van Sluys

I love the idea of using poetry with children. It is such a verbal genre. Children looovvveee to rhyme and the smallest unit of participation is just a rhyming sound so... all can participate and be successful. Lessons can be designed where there are no "rules" or guidelines can be given. Allowing for all abilities to be incorporated.
Invitations also lend themselves to all learners. Being an opportunity in and of themselves to evaluate your views and incorporate possibly new information into your view point makes it something anyone can do. You literally start where you are ;).
Van Sluys point out that we must be prepared and prepare our students with what will be expected of them. This holds true for all of our lessons and class activities.
I thought that keeping in mind that we as teachers are facilitators or resources but not part of the group doing the inquiry is important.
I intend to use journals and reflective responses in my classroom. I feel that it allows individuals an opportunity to express themselves as an individual apart from the group about their group experience. Also allows for students to experience their topic from another vantage point. In addition allows for qualitative assessment. One final, it will be a tool for students to guage their own progress.
Both readings mentioned the benefits of peer praise. We have been reading more about like peer explanations lately but the idea of doing something well that you are proud of and your peers thinking that it is good too, seems wonderful. I also think that this will help build skills in giving compliments and creative criticims.

MGRP and doughnuts

You know part of the reason that I am seeking the reading certificate also is because through my courses I have discovered that my experiences with words and reading and writing are not the same as everyone elses and that I am in a way lucky. I don't ever remember not being able to read. And by read I mean see a movie play out as I read the text, not just understand the words. Reading for me has always been an enjoyable activity, like others go to the movies or watch TV, I read-like a fiend! I believe that my strong reading skills have allowed me to love research also. I have always loved research papers! Once upon a time I volunteered for the IUN newspaper (for fun???). I have always enjoyed the challenge of taking a one dimensional topic and creating a multi dimensional paper. I am so excited to learn about how to teach others how to do this!!!! And with the addition of multigenre we can also tap into everyones strengths and passions too, it's soooo exciting!
Love the idea of the Process Journals! Think that it will allow us to share the journey with our students in a more authentic way, not just give a grade for a final product. much like what we have been learning in Math it will allow us to give credit for all of the effort too and not just the "right/final answer".
Love the idea of doing a project with the class. What better way to demonstrate that what we are doing have relevance and that the skills that we use will continue to develop over our lifetimes.
I was reminded of our trip to the local library and how they are willing to help our classes and students (and ourselves) create meaningful library research experiences with us, if we just give them a little notice.
I am soooo going to have a donut shop in my class!!!! My head is just racing with possibilities and ideas!!! I can't wait.

Making Rubrics

I actually love making rubrics!!! I like thinking them through.... This skill at excellence level looks like... at good level looks like.... at ok level looks like... and at unacceptable level looks like... I also love the idea of involving the children and letting them define the different skills and how they will be represented. I really think that this can have the effect of empowering them. And, I know that for me, when I look over a rubric for an upcoming assignment it helps to stimulate thoughts or to organize my ideas, I would hope that this kind of exercise, along with student participation would have the same effect for the students. Also I think that it can help to see "huummmp, if I do this (say turn it in late) it will have this reaction (loose 5 pts.). I think that putting it down in wrtiing helps me as ateacher to remain accountable and for the students allows them to feel more stable (or trust) in a more predictable.

Crafting 10-12 and Karen Article

I have really enjoyed this book!!! I wonader if she would come and give us a presentation? I love that she gives us methods to think about and direct hands on ways of implementation to mull over. Even if a particular activity is not within our particular "style" it at least provides a starting point for us to be able to develop something that will fit us as individuals.
I was reading along and thinking that I was all orginal and that I had the greatest idea. I would like to suggest an idea of having the children having a form  that has columns on it that have titles along the lines of 1) Name of the skill (The What). 2) Why it is good. 3) Put it in your own words 4) What to do next/ How to apply. I am envisioning these columns across the top of the page and then a "Try It's" section. And I just want everyone to know that I came up with this idea before reading about any "Student Conference Sheet" on page 175! I was quite amazed that she tried to steel my idea like that ;). The sheets could be part of the students working resource binder (like along with spelling and vocabulary words).
The one and only criticism that I have with this shole book is the use of a compliment in what I see as a comparison of an individual against other students. I do not care for the "You are doing something well that other students are not yet doing". I can see framing this into an age or grade level accomplishment "You are doing something that I don't usually see until the 3rd grade or for a 6 year old you are doing something that children don't usually get until they are 9. For me personally this omits the competition from this specific classroom and places it back upon the student as an individual.
The article presents quite a delimena. After I read it all I can come up with is that hopefully with the further development and implementation of Professional Learning Communities and the use of Rubrics as assessment tool that the Communities will help to build upon the strengths of a teacher and help to absorb the shorcomings (or varried interpretations) of the individual teachers also.

Crafting 7,8, and 9

I have found "Crafting Writers" to be so inspirational. I am so excited to have this book as a resource to help me teach in a method that I am excited. Using the mini lesson by its very name implies that we will be teaching the students a new skill. And keep oursleves on task by questioning our intentions with the questions
"What exactly am I teaching and Why am I teaching this? How will it help my students" (p.99)
To me this is almost revoultionary, even though a completely natural teaching model, in my opinion. We the teachers are responsible for providing safe places and hope of new learning for all of our students.
Much of our job will be as inspirers and a resouce for how to for we all know"At heart we know that no one can educate another person, that all of us educate ourselves."(p. 122)We must inspire them to be curious and confident in their abilities.
All children learn! As teachers we must learn how to teach all learners. "merly complimenting students is a missed opportunity. The key to powerful conferring is teaching all students their strengths regardless of their ability, withthe same seriousness we give to their next step"(p.123). Which Hale goes onto describe as potentially being student owned and driven.
Buiding on strengths, no matter how small, and limiting ourselves to one building block at a time allows us to meet the students where they are and allows for them to be accountable and in charge of their own creation.

"Crafting Writers" 1-6

Hale has forever separated the skills of reading and writing for me. I agree I have always had a pretty strong intuition as to when something is well written and from now on will try to focus more concreteness upon why.
Hale's techniques of  connecting the children with their writing, giving them styles to choose from, providing crafted anchors to cling to and grab onto, not traditional labels that may confuse them, all resonates with and challenge me. She speaks to providing new motivation and ownership for the students to write from and with. She points out that writing workshops naturally lend themselves to stratification of learning and skill abilities. She provides helpful reflections upon developmental levels to construct meaningful instruction for children. Information is provided in a non threatening, open, individualized manner. Acknowledging that we will be able to help provide platforms, groundwork, and foundations for our learners but to keep in mind that it also a life long process with many contributors.
Above all she points out that reading is not writing!! "Writing entails placing words down with nothing but blank space ahead" (p.66). I can feel the anxiety of facing that paper (or blog screen) and knowing that I have to write something, but what??? when I read that.
I have very much enjoyed reading this book so far, I like the way that she crafts her writing. I feel as if I am reading something very fluent and organized but that I am interested in and learning a great deal of what seems to have been right in front of me all the while. I look forward to gaining more craft in the coming chapters.

Every Mark on the Page

I connect with this article! A friend of mine an di have been having this polite debate about the state of our daughters' spelling. I am going to show hier this article. Before this I was able to share with her my educated guesses about why we no longer focus on rote spelling and encourage creativity. It can kill off all desires to write (let alone creatively) for gear of doing it "wrong". That in order to build skills we must first experiment with them in a safe environment.
I actually snorted out loud (SOL) at "Too often I have seen the fun go out of writing when family mwmbers get involved, especially when they demand adult writing conventions from six- and seven year olds" (Cusumano, 2008, p.9).
My friend has gone so far as to say that her daughters spelling is an example of "lazzy teaching" (fighting words???). After Cusumano and Sound Systems, I think not!! I think that spelling is a seperate skill (as far as learning goes) from writing. That the two merge more fluidly after elementary school and that it is of utmost importance that we put the focus on expressing ourselves in written language seperate from spelling.
My daughter can spell a word correctly on a spelling test and then mispell the same word in a book that she is writing. Different focuses. Both need to be supported.

Sound Systems

You know I find myself reading and wondering why almost at the same time... I am very disappointed that this book spends so much time trying to explain the world outside of the realm of sound systems (i.e.- Why would they even attempt to reason how school days and programs are organized at different locales?) and not spend more on the forms of assessment and applications? Perhaps they could be more specific (it is not always convenient to flip back to chapter two to see what they are reffering to. I personalyy even would have been happier with a "less is more" approach).
On the positive, I liked the applications and I found the examples stimulating and applicable. I LOVE "Ignore errors that are on phonics concepts taught at higher developmental levels" (Lyon, 2003, p.41). This approach really rings true for me. I also connect with the idea of allowing children to push themselves and "test the waters" with skills that they have yet to master but are begining to develop without penalty.

Community Dig

On Saturday, September 7, 2010, I and 4 of my class mates attended a well known and loved community event in a far off town. The event boasts activities for both the young and the young at heart. Items were to be created and items were to be admired and even purchased. In our community dig I played the roll of the verbal recorder. I observed and recorded bits of talk.

We arrived at the event at about 1 o'clock in the afternoon. The first area that I observed was the one that had art attivities for children to do. Four different styles of conversation were witnessed:

1. Volunteers were giving directions and encouragement to children artists.
• "That's very nice, I like those colors together"
• "Isn't that awsome? Do you want to do another spot?"
• "You use Sharpies, any colors that you want. Make dots or any pattern that you want."
2. Parents were talking with other parents around the perimeters of the art activities.
• "There is big money in horses"
• "She's 2 and a half."
• "Hi, I saw the announcement."
3. Conversations of the crowds moving around outside the perimeter of the art activities. 
• "I'll wander around and circle back."
• "You really wan to, I'll do it."
4. Conversations between parents and children.
• "Are you gonna put some paint on it like this?"
• "Momma, can I go see what the other station is?"

After standing still for while I moved around within the crowd to experience what conversations could be witnessed while participating in this manner. Two modes were represented. The first mor formal and the second more informal.

1. Vendors and shoppers were discussing wares.
• "I have a store."
• "Look at that, is it broken glass? Mirror?"
2. People were relaxing in chairs talking and listening to music, being helpful with each other, and socializing with their friends.
• "The last one needs paper."
• "There is no paper in the last one."

After talking with my dig group I was very surprised at how event people reacted to the idea of snindividual being illerate I believe that one person said that people who could not read would be too emberassed to ask fo r help and another implied that there were no people who could not read. As an implications for teaching we could work towards makinf our students aware of this ever prevelant problem and how to assist individauls whild maintaining their dignity! I was also surprised that even as students we only "dug" for artifacts in one language (English). The only evidence of any other language that I witnessed were among the attendees I heard a woman talking on her phone in a foriegn language and I saw a Mom and her daughter speaking in Spanish.
I really felt that considering the diversity of the community that this event was held in that organizers should have done more (much more) to make this event accessible to all. Signs were monolingual, small print, and not easily seen. Signs for children were not at child eye level. The information booth was in the middle of the event.

• "I hate her, she's one of those girls. She is definately hot and cold."
1.  

Posting Expereinces and Article

Hi all! Sorry it has taken me a sec but I have been thinking of you all.

My blogging experiences are under 10 blogs. I took one class where we had to make 3 posts and then respond to two class mates and to responses that we received. So if anyone finds me making any blunders please just let me know.

I love the term mentioned in the "on-line writing" article "digital fluency". Every class that I have taken in this program has contributed to my digital literacy!

I also like the idea of having a less formal (traditional) environment to interact with each other in (and practice in for our future students).

This article touched on an issue that I can relate to in that we must remember that for some students their only access to some technologies will be in the school and that we are obligated to expose them and make sure that they are fluent in the uses to the best of the students abilities. For me, I know that I would probably never have learned how to blog or interact within virtual classrooms without the prompting of my educational experiences.