DISCUSSION BOARD READING RESPONSE
FOR GROUP 3
Reading
your reflections and interactions about the readings is the only direct way I
have of assessing the quality of your understanding of — and engagement with —
the assigned readings. See the expectations on the discussion guidelines on the Website under "forms and docs"
For Day 1
|
Group
|
Initiators
|
Summarizers
|
Responders
|
Illuminators
|
|
| ||||
|
3
|
Joseph
Nowariak
|
Kathleen
Holloran
|
Kaitlin
Stein
|
Christopher Yost
|
In the comment section directly below this post please discuss the assigned readings for Day 1 using the assigned roles indicated in the above table.
We have just read two pieces about the process of adolescent literacy. Each reading presented the idea in its own unique idiom. The position statement took the broad view of literacy as the learning process and the Delbridge article stressed the importance of creating meaning through text. One thing that struck me in both was the idea that literacy comes in all forms. We live in an age where information is ever present and comes from all kinds of sources. Is it our job to foster literacy outside of our disciplines? More specifically, how will non-print sources serve to further literacy in our classrooms? Perhaps the idea of literacy is too broad in these readings, what is at the essence of literacy?
ReplyDeleteJoey,
ReplyDeleteThe first question you pose is a difficult one. I know from the Adolescent Literacy Position Statement reading the authors encourage to use non-print sources to integrate literacy in your classroom and they encourage this because many of the students we are going to be teaching will want to use Ipad, the internet and other types of non-print sources. I think if we foster literacy outside of our disciplines we support the culture that our students are growing up in. I'm not sure how since there were not many examples. But if we collaborate with teachers, we will find news way to do foster outside of our discipline.
As for your second question, I found a quote from our first reading found on page 7 "The advent of virtual social networking is transforming how adolescents use literacy to construct both their online and offline identities, as well as form social relationships, with other, some of whom they never may meet in person." Since students are finding their identify if we use non-print sources we will connect with these students and be culturally relevant to how students learn (I think about the nook e-reader and how I no longer rent or buy books, I just buy the ebook because it is easier and affordable and if my students want to buy the ebook over the textbook I would allow then to do so). Students have formed an identity to these non-print sources. It is easier for them to connect to and learn from in some sources, then the traditional way.
The major point in the Delbridge reading is that our world is ever changing as we must adapt, especially when working with adolescents. What is the essence of literacy? I believe the question can be answered in a broad sense, it means to understand, well read, well versed, construct meaning, able to communicate, etc. The Delbridge article suggests some of this can be done through discussion, and "when students are evaluating a text, they comprehend the text on different levels" (Delbridge, 2008, p. 167). I feel these articles are a little broad as well, not a lot of examples just a lot of suggestions or we can look at is as a guide to how we can begin to approach teaching literacy in a variety of ways.
These are great questions, Joey. They are of particular interest to me as a future English teacher. As for your first question, I definitely think it is our job to foster literacy in our students. I really thought it was interesting how the article stated that U.S. students are actually among the best readers until middle school. Every reading enhancement program I know of in schools only takes place from K-3 (such as Americoprs). While the article addressed this situation as well by claiming early literacy is of utmost importance and there is no easy answer, I am confused that with this data why literacy is not focused on as much in middle and high schools. While English/Language Arts teachers obviously focus almost strictly on literacy focused content, all areas should work at incorporating activities to strengthen this as well. Delbridge noted, " Adolescents deserve content area teachers who provide instruction in the multiple literacy strategies needed to meet the demands of the specific discipline. For example, in a social studies classroom a teacher may use a Civil War Novel to complement the text book information and put an emphasis on writing skills. In dance or PE, a teacher may provide articles on different styles of dance or benefits of exercise.
ReplyDeleteThe definition of literacy is definitely expanding , and I think that teachers should support that. As Kaitlyn said as well. this is supporting the culture our students are growing up in. Maybe there is an excellent blog students can follow online, or even work on writing by making their own blog over the semester? Graphic Novels are very popular with those who struggle with reading and although they contain much less text, they still stimulate critical thinking skills and hold a lot of information." I do not support getting rid of books altogether, but moving towards a larger definition of literacy will help engage student who otherwise would be very reluctant to read. In my English Methods class, we saw an example of a teacher who did a character development project in which the students could characterize the individuals in the book through Tweets (on Twitter.) The students still got a ton out of the project, but had a lot of fun doing it.
Kaitlin does a wonderful job of answering the essence of literacy. I think the articles also addressed the idea of differentiated instruction well. Our students are going to be at different levels, and need different skills to work on. By figuring out how to make this happen in the classroom, teachers will reach many more students (rather than losing many to being too disinterested and some to being too lost). Offering choice is a great way to do this; choice in what they want to read or how they want to present their final unit project for example.
I typed this in Word and copied and pasted but then says it is too many characters to post so I am breaking it into two posts!
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading both of the articles, I kept thinking about how students should be aware of critical thinking skills and the importance that plays in their reading. When I started reading all of your responses so far, there was also some talk about critical thinking. In our Delbridge reading on page 167, it says, “Reading is a thought process, so when students are evaluating a text, they comprehend the text on different levels. Students read and question at the literal level to obtain information explicitly from the text.” It then goes on to discuss the different types of questioning the students will go through. When the author gets to the student’s synthesizing information, it says “they evaluate, question the author, think critically, and draw additional insights and fresh ideas from the material presented. Students must have the freedom to question what they read, to ask why characters are doing what they’re doing, to apply those actions to their own life, and then to think beyond the book.” This brings me to a statement that Kaitlin made about the major point in this Delbridge article, which was that our world is ever changing and we must adapt with what we are doing. With the wide range of technology and forms of communication and text all around us now days, students need to have an understanding of what everything means. The position statement article addresses this on page 8. The article talks about access alone to all these different forms of technology and types of communication and text is not enough to ensure academic literacy. Research has shown that students go through all of this information superficially and they fail to critically evaluate the sites or sources they are looking at and relying on for information. This is showing the importance like you have already stated, that more than ever, “we as teachers need to help the students understand how to read and interpret texts of different forms critically and how to position themselves strategically as authors in a Web 2.0 environment. Specifically, instruction is needed that will enable students to comprehend and construct a range of multimodal texts across genres, disciplines, and digital spaces.” This statement is answering Joey’s question that it is partly our responsibility to foster literacy outside of our disciplines because we need to hit on many disciplines.
In my health classes here at MSU, I have one teacher for multiple classes and she bases each class around Dr. Richard Paul’s critical thinking. There is even one class that is all semester long on critical thinking and applying it to everything we do. For her, this is obviously a pre-requisite to take her other classes, which eventually lead up to creating multiple lessons and putting together a complete curriculum for health. We get put through the ringer in front of the class with our lessons as she sits back and makes sure that we are addressing critical thinking and making sure the lesson is structured so the students have to critically think. There is a lesson that we do have to teach first so the students do know how to critically think in a nutshell anyways. She always stressed the importance of this and we all understood it but after reading these articles, it makes even more sense!
ReplyDeleteI found this website, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210831911000373, that talks about the importance of critical thinking and the role that it plays in literacy. It points out that reading is more than just saying what is on the page; it is thinking. It also says, “there is no reading without reasoning” which I think sums everything up perfectly. And finally, the article also talks about the schema theory just like the Delbridge article did. Utilizing and combining this theory with the principles of critical thinking are one of the effective ways of enhancing the concept of reading comprehension.
Through all this I have shared, as well as what you have suggested, we are seeing the importance of teaching the students how to really think about what they are reading, question it, understand where the author is coming from or what they are trying to say, and so on. There are all sorts of sources of information out there so I think it is our job, together, to help the students understand all these different forms and sources of information and how to use it themselves.