Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Mike Rose
After hearing and reading Scott's presentation, I am now interested enough to go pick up one of Mike Rose's books to read - sooner than later. Just the quotes that Scott included are enough to pull me in - especially the quotes about Remedial Writing Courses and concerns for the underprepared , truly basic basic writers
In regards to Linda Flower's concern with the cognitive process model, it is interesting and can be followed but with some meandering around. However, text in boxes, arrows, and changes of direction would not help my cognition. Perhaps I am not visual enough to appreciate this illustration, thus my preference is to read the miniature power point slides on the other side.
We are all different learners,
nancy
We are all different learners,
nancy
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Nancy's Pedagogy: teaching in the ZPD/draft 2
Russian social constructivist Lev Vygotsky ( 1896-1934) stated that a child follows an adult's example and gradually develops the ability to do certain tasks without help or assistance. This concept is called the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
Putting it in simpler terms, The Zone of Proximal Development is the difference between what a learner can do without help and what she can do with help.
This is the most important theory upon which I create my pedagogy. As a student teacher, I used the program: Accelerated Reader ( Renaissance Learning, 2007) which is based on ZPD theory. On the first day of class I had all my students make a small ball of paper ready to "make a basket."
First I put the trashcan too close with no possible challenge - and then far out into the hall where the challenge is too hard. The lesson is not wasted as one can hear the audible groans from students at both ends of the activity.
With a discussion they can see that a goal too high or too low will be boring or frustrating and keep one from learning very much I tell the students in the beginning that they will learn if they accept a challenge to work hard, and like wise if they are not pushed a little out of their comfort zone, they may not reach their potential.
Secondly, it is important for me to remember as an ESL instructor, I am more a tutor than a classroom teacher. Therefore, I must know my students as individuals, and learn early what are their strengths and weaknesses.
A teacher once admitted, referring to a student that we share, that I know the student better than she. The teacher was not threatened but rather appreciated the additional information about learning styles and hidden strengths that I can share with her.
There is a relationship of trust for a student with a tutor when a student feels he is getting more attention and relationship of a student in a class ( Harris)
This also means that I must " meet the students where they are" (Silva, Tony). In other words, no matter what the skill level when he comes to me. I will not agonize over what should have been, but instead start where he is and help him to make negotiate progress.
I monitor the progress of each of my students, with standardized on line tests, teacher made tests, observations, and conferences. For ELL students, we do look for competence in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
Having said this, I have high expectations for my students and for myself. I support them with various kinds of scaffolding along the way, but I will not accept sloppy, illegible, papers that have never been revised and edited.
I push them to do what they can and just a little more. That includes self-discipline, self- reliance, performance in reading, writing and critical thinking.
First I will describe theories, methods and content for Middle school and then elementary school. As far as grading on the middle school level, I give grades, mostly for completion within the time frame given and with their best effort. To the degree that any of these are lacking, the completion grade will drop. Occasionally I will give quizzes or a test over information we have covered. This is one way to let both the students and I know what they know and what they did not understand.
Most of what we do is practice. In this sense I follow the process approach to writing. I ask students to journal, on current topics in the news, special days, topics we are studying and often their own choice - " what are you thinking about this morning."
We most often write in response to what we read, which is more nonfiction than fiction. I ask students to summarize, identify with, and critique the lives and opinions of famous people, such as Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Nelson, Mendola, Cesar Chavez, Jaime,Escalante, Yao Ming, Amelia, Earheart, Harriet Tubman, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Helen Keller, Rita Moreno, Jackie Joyneer - Kersee. From these selections, students can see themselves and those different than them in these pages.
I guess I am a social constructivist ( and an optimist)as I encourage students to read and write about the lives of famous people in history, as well as celebrities. I want them to be aware of prejudice and injustice in the world, which is often pointed at them, so they can wake- up and consider what they can do to fight for justice for all. As they discuss, and form their ideas they begin to learn to make convincing arguments eventually on paper.
One February I was visiting another teacher's class to present a brief lesson of the life of Martin Luther King Jr. as a young boy growing up. In giving background I including examples of how blacks were treated then and possibly still now. One tall lanky boy sat up and raised his hand announcing that, "Yea I am just learning about this prejudice thing." The other two teachers African American and Hispanic, were shocked that this 7-8th grade student was just learning about discrimination.
(From here to the end I am including elementary school children in my examples)
However, I am also pragmatic. I realize that students have life skills they must learn to get around in this world with success, and to enter the culture of power. I do not assume that students who come to me from other parts of the country have those basic skills that they should have. Not only do they not know how to summarize, they don't where to put periods or capitals; they don't know how to use a dictionary or a ruler.
For example, to at least half of my students, I teach study skills including organization, taking notes and how to ask questions in class. When I admonished my students to study for the upcoming science test, one girl looked down and admitted , " I really don't know how to study, can you teach me ?"
ELL and other struggling students need meaningful activities to learn language in context and cooperation and collaboration to support each other. For this reason I put students together with complementing strengths. For instance, I will put a good critical thinker together with a good reader or writer. Also a student may learn a new concept more easily from a peer than from a teacher. For example a student may learn from another how to write a good conclusion from a student who has had success with that already.
I have learned that collaborative activities need to have a product. It may be solving a problem, writing a story or taking turns writing down notes. Often the product could be a summary or a completed study guide. I have had one enthusiastic student who has already read a story give background information to others who haven't yet read it.
The elementary students also write about topics or in response to what they read. Recently first graders wrote about changes that show spring is coming. We went through the process picking out examples in the book and adding our own then picking a few examples and writing a topic sentence and three examples.
I want my students to fall in love with reading and writing. Therefore I am always looking for new ideas that make sense. For writing prompts I plan to use more pictures and also topics from the work of the of my students parents as did Morley and Frost( 1850). I learned another idea from a more recent writer who teachers students to write their own class news, step by step, using ideas of what is happening at home.
I am also working on topics that will inspire the argument or persuasive writing for elementary. however, our school district requires us to teach to the genres. therefore, we teach students to read and write for descriptive, expository, persuasive, and narrative. I agree with this as I was taught the various genres and feel that this also is a life skill, to bve able to write for a variety of purposes. And they are asking me, so I will give them time to journal, some days.
A note on elementary students and grades. I am not required to give grades here as I am in the middle school. Instead I have devised a series of points that students can earn for anything from a good paragraph, to good behavior. When they accrue 4-5 points depending on the age, they can choose something out of my "rewards" bucket - usually pencils and pens, small pencil
A final note: Just as ELL instructors can form a different relationship with students than perhaps their classroom teacher, it is also a goal of mine to have a strong relationship with the parents of my students as well.Again this is possible sometimes because I have more time than the classroom teacher to call home or even make home visits. Especially for those parents with limited English, ELL teachers can be a valuable and trusted resource. This helps to keep the doors open for communication on a positive note and will be valuable if and when problems come.
Putting it in simpler terms, The Zone of Proximal Development is the difference between what a learner can do without help and what she can do with help.
This is the most important theory upon which I create my pedagogy. As a student teacher, I used the program: Accelerated Reader ( Renaissance Learning, 2007) which is based on ZPD theory. On the first day of class I had all my students make a small ball of paper ready to "make a basket."
First I put the trashcan too close with no possible challenge - and then far out into the hall where the challenge is too hard. The lesson is not wasted as one can hear the audible groans from students at both ends of the activity.
With a discussion they can see that a goal too high or too low will be boring or frustrating and keep one from learning very much I tell the students in the beginning that they will learn if they accept a challenge to work hard, and like wise if they are not pushed a little out of their comfort zone, they may not reach their potential.
Secondly, it is important for me to remember as an ESL instructor, I am more a tutor than a classroom teacher. Therefore, I must know my students as individuals, and learn early what are their strengths and weaknesses.
A teacher once admitted, referring to a student that we share, that I know the student better than she. The teacher was not threatened but rather appreciated the additional information about learning styles and hidden strengths that I can share with her.
There is a relationship of trust for a student with a tutor when a student feels he is getting more attention and relationship of a student in a class ( Harris)
This also means that I must " meet the students where they are" (Silva, Tony). In other words, no matter what the skill level when he comes to me. I will not agonize over what should have been, but instead start where he is and help him to make negotiate progress.
I monitor the progress of each of my students, with standardized on line tests, teacher made tests, observations, and conferences. For ELL students, we do look for competence in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
Having said this, I have high expectations for my students and for myself. I support them with various kinds of scaffolding along the way, but I will not accept sloppy, illegible, papers that have never been revised and edited.
I push them to do what they can and just a little more. That includes self-discipline, self- reliance, performance in reading, writing and critical thinking.
First I will describe theories, methods and content for Middle school and then elementary school. As far as grading on the middle school level, I give grades, mostly for completion within the time frame given and with their best effort. To the degree that any of these are lacking, the completion grade will drop. Occasionally I will give quizzes or a test over information we have covered. This is one way to let both the students and I know what they know and what they did not understand.
Most of what we do is practice. In this sense I follow the process approach to writing. I ask students to journal, on current topics in the news, special days, topics we are studying and often their own choice - " what are you thinking about this morning."
We most often write in response to what we read, which is more nonfiction than fiction. I ask students to summarize, identify with, and critique the lives and opinions of famous people, such as Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Nelson, Mendola, Cesar Chavez, Jaime,Escalante, Yao Ming, Amelia, Earheart, Harriet Tubman, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Helen Keller, Rita Moreno, Jackie Joyneer - Kersee. From these selections, students can see themselves and those different than them in these pages.
I guess I am a social constructivist ( and an optimist)as I encourage students to read and write about the lives of famous people in history, as well as celebrities. I want them to be aware of prejudice and injustice in the world, which is often pointed at them, so they can wake- up and consider what they can do to fight for justice for all. As they discuss, and form their ideas they begin to learn to make convincing arguments eventually on paper.
One February I was visiting another teacher's class to present a brief lesson of the life of Martin Luther King Jr. as a young boy growing up. In giving background I including examples of how blacks were treated then and possibly still now. One tall lanky boy sat up and raised his hand announcing that, "Yea I am just learning about this prejudice thing." The other two teachers African American and Hispanic, were shocked that this 7-8th grade student was just learning about discrimination.
(From here to the end I am including elementary school children in my examples)
However, I am also pragmatic. I realize that students have life skills they must learn to get around in this world with success, and to enter the culture of power. I do not assume that students who come to me from other parts of the country have those basic skills that they should have. Not only do they not know how to summarize, they don't where to put periods or capitals; they don't know how to use a dictionary or a ruler.
For example, to at least half of my students, I teach study skills including organization, taking notes and how to ask questions in class. When I admonished my students to study for the upcoming science test, one girl looked down and admitted , " I really don't know how to study, can you teach me ?"
ELL and other struggling students need meaningful activities to learn language in context and cooperation and collaboration to support each other. For this reason I put students together with complementing strengths. For instance, I will put a good critical thinker together with a good reader or writer. Also a student may learn a new concept more easily from a peer than from a teacher. For example a student may learn from another how to write a good conclusion from a student who has had success with that already.
I have learned that collaborative activities need to have a product. It may be solving a problem, writing a story or taking turns writing down notes. Often the product could be a summary or a completed study guide. I have had one enthusiastic student who has already read a story give background information to others who haven't yet read it.
The elementary students also write about topics or in response to what they read. Recently first graders wrote about changes that show spring is coming. We went through the process picking out examples in the book and adding our own then picking a few examples and writing a topic sentence and three examples.
I want my students to fall in love with reading and writing. Therefore I am always looking for new ideas that make sense. For writing prompts I plan to use more pictures and also topics from the work of the of my students parents as did Morley and Frost( 1850). I learned another idea from a more recent writer who teachers students to write their own class news, step by step, using ideas of what is happening at home.
I am also working on topics that will inspire the argument or persuasive writing for elementary. however, our school district requires us to teach to the genres. therefore, we teach students to read and write for descriptive, expository, persuasive, and narrative. I agree with this as I was taught the various genres and feel that this also is a life skill, to bve able to write for a variety of purposes. And they are asking me, so I will give them time to journal, some days.
A note on elementary students and grades. I am not required to give grades here as I am in the middle school. Instead I have devised a series of points that students can earn for anything from a good paragraph, to good behavior. When they accrue 4-5 points depending on the age, they can choose something out of my "rewards" bucket - usually pencils and pens, small pencil
A final note: Just as ELL instructors can form a different relationship with students than perhaps their classroom teacher, it is also a goal of mine to have a strong relationship with the parents of my students as well.Again this is possible sometimes because I have more time than the classroom teacher to call home or even make home visits. Especially for those parents with limited English, ELL teachers can be a valuable and trusted resource. This helps to keep the doors open for communication on a positive note and will be valuable if and when problems come.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Cathy and Cynthia Selfe
Cynthis Selfe along with her frequent co-author have been encouraging and promoting a changing view of Technology and computers in composition studies. Cathy, very clearly in the beginning of her presentation, makes us aware of the diversity of Cynthia Selfe and her long list of areas of expertise.In her career Selfe has taught Hypertext theory, computers in writing , Grammar and Editing, Literature and Lore and .... Science Fiction. Seems to be a very versatile Gal - go girl. She apparently knows and writes about the Lore of the upper Peninsula of Michigan, Technical writing, Computers in pedagogy , Technical Communication and Visual Rhetoric!
Her first work was , The Benevolent Beast: Computer-Assisted Instruction for the teacher of Writing, 1983. In 1989 Selfe began writing with Hawisher as co-editors of Critical Perspectives on Computers and Composition. Besides her contribution to composition and computers, she also writes about Feminist theory in composition, literacy, educational reform, and writing comprehension. I am only guessing what is Writing comprehension. Could it be writing so others can easily understand your point, your argument? Would it be that the writer is literate enough - fluent and clear enough for the reader? Or is this about the reader ? The student of writing should be able to grasp what theories different authors prefer and how they apply those theories?
She and others would argue that visual information can be regarded as text, and that the power relationship between words and pictures is one that is not co-dependent, but rather it is inspirational. "Words inspire pictures just as pictures inspire words." This seems to me to be true and it is worthy of a reminder of it's truth. It has been true in fact before computers.
Summaries are always a good idea and Cathy's addition of Selfe's important ideas was helpful to this reader. The first point is that Selfe maintains that teachers must incorporate technology into the classrooms -and into their ( the teachers' )lives, because the students are using it. This one applies to me. Selfe would tell me that I must not let the gap between student and teacher to widen!
Secondly, we as teachers must not teach our students to be " indulgers "of technology ( by letting it be a babysitter, play games, or get carried away with "style alone." Instead we must teach them to be technology scholars.
Finally we must be aware of the power of technology to be a means of liberation or a means of oppression. In their article," The Rhetoric of Technology and the Electronic Writing Class," Selfe and Hawisher caution teachers that they must "assess ways in which the use of technology might shape, for better or for worse, their strategies for working with students."
It takes careful planning, they contend, to incorporate computers into our classes. We must not fall into the trap of continuing to make the teacher the lone power in the classroom, with teaching doing all the talking and students only listening, while not being encouraged to make contributions. They add also that drill and kill practice grammar software is also not a good use of computers in the classroom. ( I am not familiar with these kill and drill grammar exercises online) However, I would be interested to find out if these exercises could apply explicitly to give practice to L2 students in specific areas where they are weak or missing skills.
As with any new tools in the classroom, we must remain diligent to use technology in positive smart ways to help students continue their composition and discourse in a different ways.
Her first work was , The Benevolent Beast: Computer-Assisted Instruction for the teacher of Writing, 1983. In 1989 Selfe began writing with Hawisher as co-editors of Critical Perspectives on Computers and Composition. Besides her contribution to composition and computers, she also writes about Feminist theory in composition, literacy, educational reform, and writing comprehension. I am only guessing what is Writing comprehension. Could it be writing so others can easily understand your point, your argument? Would it be that the writer is literate enough - fluent and clear enough for the reader? Or is this about the reader ? The student of writing should be able to grasp what theories different authors prefer and how they apply those theories?
She and others would argue that visual information can be regarded as text, and that the power relationship between words and pictures is one that is not co-dependent, but rather it is inspirational. "Words inspire pictures just as pictures inspire words." This seems to me to be true and it is worthy of a reminder of it's truth. It has been true in fact before computers.
Summaries are always a good idea and Cathy's addition of Selfe's important ideas was helpful to this reader. The first point is that Selfe maintains that teachers must incorporate technology into the classrooms -and into their ( the teachers' )lives, because the students are using it. This one applies to me. Selfe would tell me that I must not let the gap between student and teacher to widen!
Secondly, we as teachers must not teach our students to be " indulgers "of technology ( by letting it be a babysitter, play games, or get carried away with "style alone." Instead we must teach them to be technology scholars.
Finally we must be aware of the power of technology to be a means of liberation or a means of oppression. In their article," The Rhetoric of Technology and the Electronic Writing Class," Selfe and Hawisher caution teachers that they must "assess ways in which the use of technology might shape, for better or for worse, their strategies for working with students."
It takes careful planning, they contend, to incorporate computers into our classes. We must not fall into the trap of continuing to make the teacher the lone power in the classroom, with teaching doing all the talking and students only listening, while not being encouraged to make contributions. They add also that drill and kill practice grammar software is also not a good use of computers in the classroom. ( I am not familiar with these kill and drill grammar exercises online) However, I would be interested to find out if these exercises could apply explicitly to give practice to L2 students in specific areas where they are weak or missing skills.
As with any new tools in the classroom, we must remain diligent to use technology in positive smart ways to help students continue their composition and discourse in a different ways.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Rhonda with Yancey
Yancey is a promoter of effective communications. Therefore she is interested in (print and electronic) portfolios, technology, and teaching students. She is an advocate for teachers and students and seeks to improve students' writing and critical thinking.
However, she also has the goal to help students develop into global citizens making cinnections between work and the world. She is enthusiastic about teachers using technology in the classroom - word processors, Blackboard, projectors, and internet, to help students become part of a global public writing.
Yancey is also interested in developing the Fifth canon - Delivery. Technology opens up new space for invention and multi ways of delivery as we witnessed with Rhonda's presentation. At one time I had started to learn about Hyper text and now I am inspired to continue my education in this canon of ( electronic )delivery.
Yancey is both student centered and teacher centered and it woulod seem she is encouraging both to use the technology that we have now and build on it. She also demonstrated her interest in teachers as she graciously engaged in an email conversation with Rhonda for our benefit.
However, she also has the goal to help students develop into global citizens making cinnections between work and the world. She is enthusiastic about teachers using technology in the classroom - word processors, Blackboard, projectors, and internet, to help students become part of a global public writing.
Yancey is also interested in developing the Fifth canon - Delivery. Technology opens up new space for invention and multi ways of delivery as we witnessed with Rhonda's presentation. At one time I had started to learn about Hyper text and now I am inspired to continue my education in this canon of ( electronic )delivery.
Yancey is both student centered and teacher centered and it woulod seem she is encouraging both to use the technology that we have now and build on it. She also demonstrated her interest in teachers as she graciously engaged in an email conversation with Rhonda for our benefit.
Erika Lindemann with Rebecca
I always appreciate a warm up when about to receive new information of which I may or may not have background. For that reason I enjoyed Rebecca's "write-around," the thinking that came from the written discourse, and thus the social construct activity. Also the meaty hand-out was organized and easy to follow.
Erika Lindemann is a leader in Writing Program Administration. As such she is concerned about what will dominate the content of freshmen composition classes. She argues that it should not be literature as the time students would need to discuss the issues of the literature will take away from a focus on writing. In addition students would only earn to respond to literature and not other forms of writing.
However, she will not debate whether or not under-prepared students should be attempting to complete a degree program. Instead, Lindemann says the university should be asking these students, "what should we teach them and how?" I champion her statement that the university has accepted students and now it should support them academically with tutors or writing centers or both.
Rebecca quoted Lindemann to say that instead of having a literature centered freshmen class,,
"we ought instead to appreciate - the varieties and excellences of academic discourse." I may not disagree but it is still not clear to me what exactly she would have as content in the composition class. Yes, they will focus on planning, drafting, revising, using data etc., but about what will they write?
Through her concerns and questions that she uses to create assignments, Lindemann is clearly in tune with the needs of freshmen students, especially those who are not quite "s0-called college level writing."
Erika Lindemann is a leader in Writing Program Administration. As such she is concerned about what will dominate the content of freshmen composition classes. She argues that it should not be literature as the time students would need to discuss the issues of the literature will take away from a focus on writing. In addition students would only earn to respond to literature and not other forms of writing.
However, she will not debate whether or not under-prepared students should be attempting to complete a degree program. Instead, Lindemann says the university should be asking these students, "what should we teach them and how?" I champion her statement that the university has accepted students and now it should support them academically with tutors or writing centers or both.
Rebecca quoted Lindemann to say that instead of having a literature centered freshmen class,,
"we ought instead to appreciate - the varieties and excellences of academic discourse." I may not disagree but it is still not clear to me what exactly she would have as content in the composition class. Yes, they will focus on planning, drafting, revising, using data etc., but about what will they write?
Through her concerns and questions that she uses to create assignments, Lindemann is clearly in tune with the needs of freshmen students, especially those who are not quite "s0-called college level writing."
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
On collaboration and peer tutoring with Thomas
Thomas presented to us the composition theorist Kenneth Bruffee, born in 1934, and so part of the rise in theories concerning collaborative learning. He also was one of the first, when traditional Rhetoric was coming back, to promote social constructionism.
Thomas explained that during the 70's and 80's there was growth in the number of nontraditional learners in college. These students were alienated by the LARGE classrooms with to many students. I can confirm this fact as I was in classes of 200 at a time for the first two years of college. I could have fallen over dead and the professor may not have even see me.
The support that was given to these students was similar to the classroom situation. Bruffe and others looked into this and and adapted peer tutoring into the writing center.
Thomas explained with clear transistions, that he was beginning a new topic about Bruffee.
Bruffee believed that students in college and beyond could pool their ideas in a collaborative classroom and in that way construct knowledge amongst them. The teacher may still be facilitator and must uphold this ongoing conversation. Equally important is peer tutoring.
Bruffee also states that though Cooperative learning seems similar to Collaborative work, it is not. Cooperative learning is for younger students and designed to lower competition, while Collaborative learning encourages discussion that brings disagreement and so enhances education. Bruffee sounds like a precursor of Graff who said "teach to the conflicts" to encourage learning. Finally Bruffee argues that "knowledge is collaboration with other people."
He does warn that through Peer tutoring and collaborative learning, students must be trained in how to uphold the ongoing conversation.
While Thomas' presentation had a large amount of print to read from the power point , his hand out had all the important information neatly summarized in four paragraphs.
Thomas explained that during the 70's and 80's there was growth in the number of nontraditional learners in college. These students were alienated by the LARGE classrooms with to many students. I can confirm this fact as I was in classes of 200 at a time for the first two years of college. I could have fallen over dead and the professor may not have even see me.
The support that was given to these students was similar to the classroom situation. Bruffe and others looked into this and and adapted peer tutoring into the writing center.
Thomas explained with clear transistions, that he was beginning a new topic about Bruffee.
Bruffee believed that students in college and beyond could pool their ideas in a collaborative classroom and in that way construct knowledge amongst them. The teacher may still be facilitator and must uphold this ongoing conversation. Equally important is peer tutoring.
Bruffee also states that though Cooperative learning seems similar to Collaborative work, it is not. Cooperative learning is for younger students and designed to lower competition, while Collaborative learning encourages discussion that brings disagreement and so enhances education. Bruffee sounds like a precursor of Graff who said "teach to the conflicts" to encourage learning. Finally Bruffee argues that "knowledge is collaboration with other people."
He does warn that through Peer tutoring and collaborative learning, students must be trained in how to uphold the ongoing conversation.
While Thomas' presentation had a large amount of print to read from the power point , his hand out had all the important information neatly summarized in four paragraphs.
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