The Critical Pedagogy Reader

The idea that the constructs that we'll be teaching in or that the subject matter that we'll be teaching could be oppressive to students is a scary thought.  I understand the concerns that McLaren brings to light about being critical of what everything we do in the classroom as that input is part of what shapes our student's futures.  The hidden curriculum as he puts it, that what we choose not to teach in our classroom and all of the subtleties that form the overall environment of our school, influence students as well as the actual curriculum is an important point to reflect on as we think about setting up our own classrooms in the future. The idea that boys are taught independence while girls are taught dependence is not something I would ever want to participate in, nor would most teachers, which to me validates the idea that we need to be more critical of our teaching practices so that we aren't unknowingly perpetuating that.

The conversation about the language of hope or possibility and empowering students is why so many of us choose to teach.  It's a daunting task to think about all the sensitivities that we need to have to so many different subsets in any given class of students.  We won't always know the background of all of our students and it's important to not just differentiate a lesson to make it accessible to students, but to find creative ways to make it accessible to our students.  He talks about the "great books" and how some people want to push for those to be the basis of our curriculum.  It seems like we may not always be able to immediately change what we're expected to teach, but I think that we can find ways to approach the material in a new way to make it interesting and applicable to our classrooms.

Pedagogy of the Oppressed

This article was a little shocking and eye-opening for me.  First of all, it seems counter-intuitive to me to pursue a career in teaching if you don't have the best interests of your students at heart. By best interests I mean to give a student your best effort at allowing them to think, process and develop skills in the classroom that will help them build a productive future for themselves.  I was a director of a youth ministry on the South Hill for a long time and we had two sayings that we used with our volunteer leaders: 1. You are here for them, they are not here for you. 2. Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.  These two sayings were meant to remind our volunteers that the students are our priority and that any other agenda or ego-trip is not permissible and that we need to teach our students how to think own their own.  As students encounter challenges in life, they need the tools to process and think things through critically, they don't need someone telling them what to do every step of the way. Building critical thinking skills is imperative for students to discover who they are and who they want to be in the world.  The parts of what Freire wrote about partnering with students and stepping out of the banking system resonated with me because of how I've seen people interact with kids that doesn't allow them to shine as bright as they can.

The part of this article that presents a challenge to me as a teacher is in teaching students facts without merely making deposits. How do I find ways to creatively teach students in a way that is meaningful and empowering to them? This part did remind me a lot of the discussion strategies that we've been talking about in class and the way we as teachers have to be comfortable stepping back and letting students use their voices. I think that giving students a place to be heard and to be encouraged in their futures is a good base point to start at.

A Response-Based Approach to Reading Literature

After reading this article, I couldn't help but feel like these concepts were already familiar to me.  In most of the classes I've taken, there has been a focus on student engagement especially through discussion. The focus has been on student voice and developing student ownership of their learning experience.  That being said, I appreciated the practical approach this article takes to outlining potential methods to achieve the goal of student response.

The concept of the "horizon of possibilities" is important as a teacher of language arts as it reminds me/us that we don't have to wrap every lesson up in a perfect package, that we need to be comfortable with more questions and the presentation of ideas that we might not be prepared for.  The fact that all of our students and us as teachers have different life experiences to draw from means that we will all interact with a particular text in a unique way and the only way to share how we can all be moved by literature in different ways is to invite our students to share without feeling like they have to give a "right" answer. 

Langer's description of how literary and discursive interactions with reading are different but interactive was interesting to me. I liked her point that while one is the focus, the other helps inform or move the reading/writing along to build complex conclusions. Helping students find a way to incorporate their knowledge and facts into their interpretation and viewpoint on a literary reading encourages and develops their critical thinking skills. And that process works both ways, applying literature to fact-based classwork or information can bring life and empathy to an issue that students can feel disconnected to.  Students need to become well-rounded in the way they take in new information, especially if it's contrary to their stance on an issue, in order to be good students, college students, employees and to build good relationships in all areas of their lives. This is an area of education that extends far into the rest of their lives, so if we as teachers can help them become empathetic and critical thinkers, we've prepared them for more than college.

SIOP

Without having experience with ELL students in the classroom, finding creative ways to incorporate their educational needs seems like an intimidating task. After reading this article, it seems like there are very practical ways to help them achieve their goals. The overall impression I got from this article was that if you can thoughtfully use visual and other tactile methods of teaching so that ELL students are hearing and seeing what you expect from them, you can heighten their overall success.

Honestly, I usually think of ELL students needing help with their comprehension of the subject matter and instructions, but I hadn't thought about my role in developing their English speaking skills.  The process that students go through in doing group work or working in partners will give them opportunities to develop their speaking and comprehension skills in a more comfortable setting than in front of the whole class.  I like the idea of giving the ELL students opportunities to work in groups to build their language skills as well as to develop and capitalize on their social skills among their peers.

The two strategies for teaching that resonated with me were the thinking out loud strategy and the summarizing strategy. The thinking out loud strategy fits with my personality as I do that all the time with my own kids.  I have a five year old who wants to know why we do everything and I am constantly explaining daily tasks to her that go without explanation to an adult.  What I have discovered is that sometimes I wonder why I do things the way I do or she will suggest another way to do it. I can see how especially in using lingo and vocabulary that can seem appropriate will lose a student who doesn't know a specific reference or word. Which leads me to summarizing, I see that summarizing what you're going over in segments can keep things from slipping through the cracks and gives opportunities for questions. Overall I think that planning for ELL students keeps you focused as a teacher and helps you keep your expectations clear and your lessons creative.

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

I read over the Common Core Standards first and I was wondering where the need for these standards came from.  I know that there has been a long hstory of standardized testing, but the Common Core seemed like a different means to the same end. One positive thing that I've seen with the Common Core Standards is when we were visiting Ferris High School last quarter with Dr. Torgerson's class and the teachers that we observed there all went over the objectives at the beginning of their lessons. I noticed that students liked knowing what they were working towards; it gives them a concrete goal and a higher understanding of the purpose of their class times and assignments. Junior high and high school students thrive on structure and in the article it states that the standards give students "a more consistent set of goals." For students, I think it helps be keeping them in the loop of the direction of their education and their readiness for college.

As a teacher, knowing that I'll be teaching with the Common Core Standards, I don't mind having clear expectations of what I need to teach and a clear way of how my students and I will be assessed. It seems like I'll still have freedom to decide on my classroom curriculum and to allow for my personal perspective as a teacher to shine through. As I am not placed in a classroom yet, I don't have personal experience with how much the standards dictate what you do, but the teachers who I have spoken with about them seem to have a positive perspective of how Common Core has impacted their classroom. One of the teachers at Ferris reflected on finding her voice as a teacher and how being vulnerable with her class built a safe classroom environment. She also stated that the standards enhanced her ability to be open and honest with students because they knew why she was assigning the work that she was assigning and it opened up conversation about why.

Discussion in a Democratic Society

The first thing that stood out to me in this article was the idea that in order to have a successful in-class discussion, the most important thing we need to do as the facilitator is to foster a setting where students feel safe, valued and heard. To me, that's about making the classroom a place where relationships are built, trust is gained, and creativity is nurtured. It's important to recognize that not all students will feel comfortable in a large scale debate especially about a topic that is significant to them, so I like the suggestion of small group discussion to involve all students.

Aside from the ways to engage the class, the significance of why we want to go out on a limb and have discussions in our classrooms is much more complex than a simple exchange of information. The ability to have a discussion that allows students to think outside the box, get outside of their comfort zones, and put themselves in someone else's shoes is invaluable.  By getting our students to think critically about why they hold the views and perceptions, we challenge their capability to change and grow as a student and learner both in the classroom and in everyday life. The idea that everyone's point of view is important and brings a new dynamic to a dialogue because all of their individual experiences are unique. The back and forth nature of discussion brings out those nuances and the discussion thrives on differing viewpoints.

I do like the idea that we have to have hope for resolution and faith in the process, while at the same time not knowing what will be said or accomplished in the course of a discussion. Allowing an authentic discussion means allowing for uncertainty of topics and what the end point will be. I think it's intimidating and exciting to think about creating a productive environment to conduct a discussion of this high caliber. Building healthy relationships and engaging students in discussions enhances their desire to succeed and participate.