New Literacies

As new technologies emerge, the definition of literacy is constantly changing. If literacy is a level that is reached in order for a person to fully function in society, then that makes complete sense that it would have to be changing. Being able to read, write, speak and listen are no longer the only components necessary to “function” in society. The computer seems to be the main influence on this. With the computer comes the Internet, something that is clearly shaping what it means to be literate. The article mentions social forces that produce new technologies, which define the changing nature of literacy. It seems to me that the need to be bigger and better is what is driving new technologies. Having to get information faster necessitates the use of the Internet. It sure would take a lot longer to look something up in a book then it would to “Google” it online. As the article states, technology allows one to identify a problem, gather information, evaluate the information, synthesize it and then communicate it to others. I found it extremely interesting that in 1996, 75% of Internet access in schools was provided by a phone modem and in 2002 94% was provided by broadband. This just proves that we need it and we need it now. No one wants to fall behind.

With regard to teaching what does all this mean? I think it means that teachers must stay up to date on what is out there and what is happening in society. Being able to read is great, but one must also be able to function. Upon entering the work force, just about every job one has will require them to use some kind of technology. It is critical that they are properly prepared to do so. I think that new technologies should be incorporated into every day learning experiences when possible. Having students use the Internet for research or simply typing on the computer exposes them to what is out there.

Everything is happening so fast that it will be hard to stay current on every single thing. However, if teachers try to keep up with the changing world, then they can best serve their students. I feel the concept of literacy will remain the same: being able to function in society. It is the society that is changing…

NCLB

After reading about NCLB, I’d have to say that it seemed like a great plan at the time, but when it came to following through, it seemed to fall apart. Funding that was promised wasn’t there. Teachers had to spend time “teaching to the test” so the school wouldn’t be categorized as a “failing school”. The curriculum seemed to focus on math and reading and leave out just about everything else. With the law being passed, so many changes were made that weren’t in the best interest of the students.

I do agree with the part about teachers being highly qualified. From reading our books for this class, it shows that theories and teaching practices are always changing or being updated. It is the teacher’s job to stay current on all that is happening so they can instruct their students in the best way possible. I feel that all school districts should offer professional development to help their staff being in the educational loop. Teachers should be encouraged to further their education and enrich themselves.

One thing that I disagree with is that NCLB is focused on the “average” student. What is average? Is there really an average student? This past year, my classroom was filled with students who had a variety of needs. It would be very hard for me to pick the “average” student, because so many of them needed help in certain areas. In our school, we do not have standardized testing, so I couldn’t even make a statement about how they would do. I do wonder how students from my school would do if they were put in a public school…but that is a little off topic here!

Overall, I think the NCLB had good intentions, but it just wasn’t followed through with the same enthusiasm as it was put into action. With feedback from educators and districts nationwide, it could be updated to better fit the needs of all areas. Would each district even be responsible for participating? What would the new standards be? I’m not sure of these answers, but maybe one day we will see a more realistic plan.

Assessment

Working in a Montessori school, we do very few formal assessments. On a weekly basis, the most formal assessments are those in our spelling groups with the words for the week. However, we refer to these as “dictation”, even though the students know we are testing them. Aside from that, assessments are done closer to conference time so we have something to report to the parents and also make sure to assess the children at least twice a year. At the end of the year, we gave assessments on grammar, geometry, math and reading passages with comprehension questions. I guess these assessments would be “standardized” because all of the Lower Elementary classes were doing the same ones. We had all decided on exactly what questions would be included in all of the year-end assessments.

Even though assessments are few and far between, we still use everyday work to assess the children. The way the program works is that students are introduced to a new topic in small group lessons, and then they have a weekly work plan where they practice the things that they were previously taught. So, as they are doing the work individually, we are able to see if they grasp the concept or not. They are able to ask for help, and having the same student as for help on the same task week after week is a sure sign they need more clarification.

As far as portfolios go, we do have those at the school also. Throughout the year, students have the opportunity to put work in them. They know it is something that is “published”, which means it has gone from a rough draft to a final copy. We as teachers, also put in work that they have had trouble with or done exceptionally well on. At the end of the year, they pick their favorite story and write a reflection about why they chose it. They do the same for a journal entry, which we photocopy and include in the portfolio. They do travel with them when they move up to Upper Elementary or when they leave the school. Routman discusses portfolios as being much more interactive. I agree that the students should have a little more contact with them and more input about what is in there. Aside from stories, they don’t really include other work they are proud of. Plus, I had one student who put every single story she published in there. I’m sure she liked them all, but if she really looked back, she probably could have narrowed it down to those that she was extra-proud of.

I really liked the one teacher’s assessment that she gave to the parents with the “three pluses and a wish” idea. I think I would be very nervous to give something like that to the parents; however, she got such positive feedback that it seems like it is definitely worthwhile. The parents might respond with comments about something the teacher didn’t even think twice about. Plus parents who had a problem with something in particular, probably made that clear throughout the year anyway. I know I had one parent who was always calling me about spelling assignments, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she put something about that in the wish section of the assessment. With regard to the children’s self-assessments, prior to conferences, we ask them what they think they are doing well in and what they find difficult. We also ask if there is anything they want us to share with their parents or any of their work they want us to show. This gives us a chance to see if there is anything they are having trouble with and also if they are particularly proud or worried about something.

Having worked in the Montessori school for the past year, I think I have a slightly different outlook on assessment than those that come from a public school. Since we don’t have state testing, we don’t spend time teaching to the test. Since we made up the year-end assessments, the only have stuff that we know we have covered throughout the year.

Read to your kids!

As I continued with the reading, it became clear that all the theories seem to be interrelated. Older theories have been updated as newer ones are brought to the surface. Some of the newer ones expand upon the older ones. The way the book is formatted helps to clearly distinguish between the different theories and ideas.

An idea running through most of the theories seems to be the importance of the child’s environment. It is so important for children to have “literacy-rich home environments” as well as strong school experiences. Reading to your child or showing them that you enjoy reading positively influences them and their reading abilities. Children should be immersed in language at birth. I found the original ideas of the Maturation Theory to be absolutely absurd! I can’t believe they once thought it would be harmful to introduce language to children before they were 6 and ½ years old! Thankfully modern theories have changed this to stress the importance of reading and talking to your children as soon as they are born.

I do agree that there are certain sets of stages children go through when learning to read. These stages occur at different times for everyone. Knowing this greatly helps teachers when planning certain lessons. As one of the teachers in the book mentioned, that is what differentiated instruction is all about. Knowing the individual children in your classroom and structuring activities around their abilities will lead to greater success for each individual.

What I gathered from the reading is that everything around the child will influence how they learn. If they are brought up in a home where reading is encouraged and modeled by the parents, then the child will be more likely to enjoy reading or at least be more willing to engage in it. Children who watch a lot of television will most likely not choose to read on their own. They will also struggle with it more than the child who was introduced to it at an early age. So parents, READ TO YOUR KIDS! =)

Language Acquisition

Before doing the readings, I had an idea of how children acquire language. The readings further confirmed my ideas. Children acquire language from everything around them, mostly from hearing their parents or other adults talk. Between the ages of 2 and 7 seems to be a critical time for this to take place. Children copy what they hear their parents say, even if when they say it, it’s not grammatically correct. They still understand the ideas of language enough to formulate such ideas. When children say things incorrectly, parents usually rephrase it correctly and in a positive way so as not to discourage their kids from talking. The article Mama Teached Me Talk said that when kids say two words such as “Daddy go” they have already “mastered basic rules of syntax”. As they get older, they adjust what they are saying to match that of the adults around them. The article further states that language is an “innate capacity triggered by the level of development”. The Wikipedia article discusses the fact that language acquisition sparks the nature versus nurture debate.

After reading all of the articles and this week’s chapters, I feel that it is a combination of nature and nurture. Sure there is the innate ability to develop language, however, that has to be brought about by the environment. The two examples of the children who didn’t have language skills and were beyond the critical stage, shows that environment plays a huge role in language acquisition. The articles also mention that repetition increases one’s ability to do something. Repeating a variety of language activities will further strengthen a child’s skills. Reinforcing the appropriate level of a certain behavior is also shown to increase performance.

So what might all this have to do with reading? Reading to a child is a form of communication. Hearing the words read aloud and properly will help them to acquire language and expand their vocabulary. Once they have acquired language, they will begin to read on their own. Reading and language acquisition seem to go hand in hand.

Online Articles

In the “Silencing Teachers” article, I really felt for the teachers in the Downer school. First of all, what kind of name is that for a school? They were saying that the students in that school were “predominantly poor, non-native English speaking Latino children”. Having the school named that seems to inadvertently label the students and attitudes in the school. While I read the article, I was left with the constant question of why don’t the administrators in the district put the students’ best interest first? They are so worried about making the grade that they don’t see what it is doing to the children. The teachers are trying their best but getting nowhere as they try to fight for the students. After all, wouldn’t it be the teachers that know the students’ needs best since they work with them on a daily basis? It is very sad to know that this is going on in this district, and I’m sure many others across America.

The section from Wikipedia that defines literacy as “the ability to read, write, spell, listen and speak” was interesting. I found it interesting to know that a long time ago, literacy was measured by one’s ability to write their name or read the Bible. Now we have much different standards, which are still in question. So many different aspects go in to literacy, such as decoding, fluency and comprehension. The article also mentioned a bunch of new illiteracies, to which I had never given any though. I realize that with the introduction of the computer and Internet, a whole new world of ideas and information came about. I hadn’t thought of these as having an effect on one’s literacy. I feel that the initial definition of literacy does make sense on a basic level, however, it is clear that so much more goes into shaping a literate person. Will there ever be a concrete definition of what it means to be literate without someone arguing something else?

Happy Reading!

Welcome! My name is Samantha. I currently teach grades 1-3 in a Montessori school in Waldwick. I'm looking for a new job for September, so if you know of anything let me know!