My final unit plan will assess students in various ways. I have not had the opportunity to consider in-depth the types and number of assessments I will utilize but the subsequent paragraphs will explain, in general terms, what I had in mind concerning this important portion of the unit plan.
My summative assessment will require students to write a short story of their own. In my unit plan, the last week and a half to two weeks will be devoted to students' writing. They will have time to handwrite, confer with the instructor and peers, type their story on the computers in the computer lab, and celebrate their writing by sharing it with an audience. They will utilize the knowledge and skills that they have gained through the previous two to three weeks in order to write an effective short story using the literary elements of plot, setting, and conflict.
Formative, or daily, assessment is a little more challenging for me to explain right now as I have not had the opportunity to flesh out any of the specific details of my daily lessons. In general, however, I plan to utilize the effective pre, during, and post reading strategies that we have learned about throughout the semester in order to assess students' prior knowledge as well as their understanding during and after the reading of various short stories. I envision using some graphic organizers, some interactive activities, multimedia, and daily free-writing exercises that will allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills and prepare them for the summative assessment described in the previous paragraph.
I apologize for the lack of detail in this post. If you happen to have any specific assessment ideas, methods, strategies, or activities that deal with short stories and/or plot/setting/conflict, I would absolutely love to hear them! Thank you!
I look forward to reading your blogs and learning about the assessments that you all came up with!
Courtney B.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Unit Plan Proposal
I had the fortunate opportunity to meet with my coopearting teacher for student teaching, Ms. Telega, at South Junior High to discuss the initial concepts for my unit plan that I will be teaching in the spring. She informed me that her seventh graders are ready to tackle a short story unit by the time I arrive. The list of outcomes that she gave me include plot triangle, setting, conflict, the writing process, and editing. If there is time, Ms. Telega also said, as an extra bonus, students could learn about characterization and dialogue.
For now, I will focus on the first five main outcomes and ensure that I plan quality lessons that go in-depth rather than trying to juggle too many outcomes at once. The essential questions that come from these outcomes are:
-What role or purpose does plot, setting, and conflict in short stories and why are they important to include?
-How do writers effectively use plot, setting, and conflict in short stories during the writing process and editing?
The rationale for this unit:
Through this short story unit, students will learn about another genre of literature that they may not have encountered at all before or have had limited exposure to. As they learn about plot, setting, and conflict and how it is used in short stories they read, they will simultaneously focus on how to incorporate these facets of good writing into thier own short stories. They will have the opportunity to learn about the writing process and how a writer may need a different approach to writing since it is a different genre. They will practice their editing skills as well and have the opportunity to focus on specific aspects of thier pieces as they edit and revise.
The texts I will use to accomplish the outcomes of the unit are "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Kipling and "Thank you, Ma'am" by Hughes. These are the short stories Ms. Telega wants to ensure students read during the unit but she said I could incoprporate any other texts that are appropriate. If you have any other suggestions for texts that I could use or have a favorite short story that you would like to share, I would love to hear your ideas.
The standards and skills that are associated with and will be met through this unit include...
-Use knowledge of narrative and expository text structures and subject specific texts to summarize content
-Use texts' structural organizers to aid comprehension
-Critically read and evaluate to determine the author's purpose, point of view, audience, and message
-Scan a passage to determine relevant information and skim the text to locate specific information
-Read a variety of high-quality, traditional, classical and contemporary works specific to America, as well as significant works from other countries
-Identitfy and analyze various genres and subgenres as forms with distinct characteristics and purposes
-Identify and analyze the relationships among elements of fiction including setting, character, plot, conflict/resolution, theme, and tone
-Create narratives that develop settings, people/characters, dialogue, and conflicts using descriptive, concrete language to engage audiences
-Draft-organize, support, and put ideas into sentences and paragraphs
-Revise-improve the quality of content, organization, sentence structure, and word choice
-Edit-correct errors in spelling and grammar
-Publish-produce a document and share the writing with the audience
Remaining questions and resources:
1. I would like to compile a list of potential, appropriate, quality short stories that I could choose from to add to the unit.
2. I still need to transfer the 2003 standards that Ms. Telega is still working with to the 2010 standards. I need to look through the document and find the correlating updated standards that are met with this unit.
3. Looking ahead to the assessment portion of the unit, I would like to know how Ms. Telega usually has her students share thier work with others. Is there a typcial strategy she uses or am I able to choose my own?
4. Looking even further ahead to the instruction portion of the lesson, I wonder how much freedom I will have in creating my lessons. WIll I be able to incorporate my own ideas and my own methods into the lesson or does she expect me to follow how she has done it in the past?
This is the current condition of my unit lesson plan. I am anxious to begin working on it and am motivated by the opportunity to actually implement it in a real-world classroom setting this spring. I am also looking forward to any and all feedback pertaining to my unit plan, thus far. I will enjoy reading my group members' unit plan proposals as well to learn about all the unique and insightful concepts that they have come up with.
For now, I will focus on the first five main outcomes and ensure that I plan quality lessons that go in-depth rather than trying to juggle too many outcomes at once. The essential questions that come from these outcomes are:
-What role or purpose does plot, setting, and conflict in short stories and why are they important to include?
-How do writers effectively use plot, setting, and conflict in short stories during the writing process and editing?
The rationale for this unit:
Through this short story unit, students will learn about another genre of literature that they may not have encountered at all before or have had limited exposure to. As they learn about plot, setting, and conflict and how it is used in short stories they read, they will simultaneously focus on how to incorporate these facets of good writing into thier own short stories. They will have the opportunity to learn about the writing process and how a writer may need a different approach to writing since it is a different genre. They will practice their editing skills as well and have the opportunity to focus on specific aspects of thier pieces as they edit and revise.
The texts I will use to accomplish the outcomes of the unit are "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Kipling and "Thank you, Ma'am" by Hughes. These are the short stories Ms. Telega wants to ensure students read during the unit but she said I could incoprporate any other texts that are appropriate. If you have any other suggestions for texts that I could use or have a favorite short story that you would like to share, I would love to hear your ideas.
The standards and skills that are associated with and will be met through this unit include...
-Use knowledge of narrative and expository text structures and subject specific texts to summarize content
-Use texts' structural organizers to aid comprehension
-Critically read and evaluate to determine the author's purpose, point of view, audience, and message
-Scan a passage to determine relevant information and skim the text to locate specific information
-Read a variety of high-quality, traditional, classical and contemporary works specific to America, as well as significant works from other countries
-Identitfy and analyze various genres and subgenres as forms with distinct characteristics and purposes
-Identify and analyze the relationships among elements of fiction including setting, character, plot, conflict/resolution, theme, and tone
-Create narratives that develop settings, people/characters, dialogue, and conflicts using descriptive, concrete language to engage audiences
-Draft-organize, support, and put ideas into sentences and paragraphs
-Revise-improve the quality of content, organization, sentence structure, and word choice
-Edit-correct errors in spelling and grammar
-Publish-produce a document and share the writing with the audience
Remaining questions and resources:
1. I would like to compile a list of potential, appropriate, quality short stories that I could choose from to add to the unit.
2. I still need to transfer the 2003 standards that Ms. Telega is still working with to the 2010 standards. I need to look through the document and find the correlating updated standards that are met with this unit.
3. Looking ahead to the assessment portion of the unit, I would like to know how Ms. Telega usually has her students share thier work with others. Is there a typcial strategy she uses or am I able to choose my own?
4. Looking even further ahead to the instruction portion of the lesson, I wonder how much freedom I will have in creating my lessons. WIll I be able to incorporate my own ideas and my own methods into the lesson or does she expect me to follow how she has done it in the past?
This is the current condition of my unit lesson plan. I am anxious to begin working on it and am motivated by the opportunity to actually implement it in a real-world classroom setting this spring. I am also looking forward to any and all feedback pertaining to my unit plan, thus far. I will enjoy reading my group members' unit plan proposals as well to learn about all the unique and insightful concepts that they have come up with.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Writing Assessment
Recently in our mid-level ELA course we have transitioned from reading instruction to writing instruction. There are many aspects of writing instruction that we have discussed such as preparing your classroom for effective writing instruction, different types of writing with different purposes and different audiences, pre, during, and post writing activities, and assessment of writing. There are many various facets of writing an ELA teacher needs to take into consideration and it can seem ovewhelming for the most expereinced educator.
The aspect of writing instruction that is the scariest for me as a future educator is the assessment of student writing. Based on my limited knowledge and experience in this area, I find it very subjective and based upon the teacher's personal preferences. No matter how detailed the rubric, it seems impossible to be completely objective when assessing student writing. The Spandell article provides some helpful advice for how to remain as objective as possible while assessing student writing. The author suggests considering the positive negative trend, trait error, appearance, length, personal preferences, preconceptions, skimming, self-scoring, and vulgar language while assessing student writing. These considerations are described in more detail in the article found at https://moodle.csbsju.edu/mod/resource/view.php?id=97371. Even though these tips are useful, I still find myself skeptical about the process of assessment.
Questions that still remain in my mind involve how an educator decides what to focus on when assessing student writing. How does an educator create an effective rubric and decide what is most important to assess on a particular piece of writing. Many debates arise among those who feel that grammar and the technicalities of writing should be focused on and those who feel the content is more important. I believe both philosophies have their appropriate time and place based on the objectives that one hopes to achieve at the end. I think this is perhaps the most important lesson that I have realized thus far concerning writing assessment: assessment needs to be directly related to the objectives that have been set forth. This not only applies to writing assessment, but to all assessments in all academic disciplines as well.
My concerns have been relieved somewhat, but I still think that assessing student writing is a significant part of ELA instruction that cannot be taken lightly. Especially at the middle school age, students egos and self-esteems are so fragile and vulnerable. A teacher's opinion and comments concerning a students' writing can profoundly impact their entire lives, whether negatively or positively. I recently read Kao Kalia Yang's book, The Latehomecomer, and in it, she tells the struggle of her and her family to find their home, to find their identity. Yang does not find her home, does not find herself, until a high school English teacher gives her praise for her Romeo and Juliet essay. It was not until this moment that Yang saw herself as a writer. It is important for educators to find the balance between being too nice and only providing positive feedback and being too harsh and finding every single error in student writing and making them aware of it. It is important for educators to remain honest and constructive. I believe this balance requires experience and practice and I am sure I will continue to learn and grow in this regard throughout my career.
Please share any additional insight you may have concerning this topic. I would love to hear other, different perspectives on this issue. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I look forward to reading yours!
Courtney B.
The aspect of writing instruction that is the scariest for me as a future educator is the assessment of student writing. Based on my limited knowledge and experience in this area, I find it very subjective and based upon the teacher's personal preferences. No matter how detailed the rubric, it seems impossible to be completely objective when assessing student writing. The Spandell article provides some helpful advice for how to remain as objective as possible while assessing student writing. The author suggests considering the positive negative trend, trait error, appearance, length, personal preferences, preconceptions, skimming, self-scoring, and vulgar language while assessing student writing. These considerations are described in more detail in the article found at https://moodle.csbsju.edu/mod/resource/view.php?id=97371. Even though these tips are useful, I still find myself skeptical about the process of assessment.
Questions that still remain in my mind involve how an educator decides what to focus on when assessing student writing. How does an educator create an effective rubric and decide what is most important to assess on a particular piece of writing. Many debates arise among those who feel that grammar and the technicalities of writing should be focused on and those who feel the content is more important. I believe both philosophies have their appropriate time and place based on the objectives that one hopes to achieve at the end. I think this is perhaps the most important lesson that I have realized thus far concerning writing assessment: assessment needs to be directly related to the objectives that have been set forth. This not only applies to writing assessment, but to all assessments in all academic disciplines as well.
My concerns have been relieved somewhat, but I still think that assessing student writing is a significant part of ELA instruction that cannot be taken lightly. Especially at the middle school age, students egos and self-esteems are so fragile and vulnerable. A teacher's opinion and comments concerning a students' writing can profoundly impact their entire lives, whether negatively or positively. I recently read Kao Kalia Yang's book, The Latehomecomer, and in it, she tells the struggle of her and her family to find their home, to find their identity. Yang does not find her home, does not find herself, until a high school English teacher gives her praise for her Romeo and Juliet essay. It was not until this moment that Yang saw herself as a writer. It is important for educators to find the balance between being too nice and only providing positive feedback and being too harsh and finding every single error in student writing and making them aware of it. It is important for educators to remain honest and constructive. I believe this balance requires experience and practice and I am sure I will continue to learn and grow in this regard throughout my career.
Please share any additional insight you may have concerning this topic. I would love to hear other, different perspectives on this issue. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I look forward to reading yours!
Courtney B.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
The Sexiness of Media Literacy
Arguably the sexiest aspect of English Language Arts, media literacy involves the interpretation and analyzation of media representations from a variety of media forms. Media representations, the ways in which the media depicts particular groups, communities, worlds, topics, or issues from a particular ideological or value perspective, go beyond "simply mirroring reality to actually constructing and shaping reality" (Beach). According to Beach, media literacy requires students to ask such critical questions as:
-Where do these representations come from?
-Who produces the representations?
-Why are they producing these representations?
-How is complexity limited by these representations?
-What is missing or silenced in these representations?
As I reached a deeper understanding of media literacy through Beach's article, one question lingered in my mind. I still wondered what the end result or objective of media literacy was. What is the purpose? What do students gain from being media literate? As I considered these questions, I realized that there seems to be differing opinions on this issue.
According to Beach, "the issue is not freeing ourselves from representations. It's really about being enlightened witnesses when we watch representations". This enlightenment can naturally lead students to create relevant counterexamples to the current media representations. Having the opportunity to depict someone or something from a different perspective can help students expand their media literacy and be more critical interactors with their culture and media.
Scharrer, on the other hand, explains how a critical view of the media does not necessarily lead to diminished media influences or create a permanent resistance to its effects. This conclusion is based upon the notion that every person is a unique individual with a unique background and personality; therefore, each person approaches media differently and is influenced differently by it.
One final perspective is brought to us by Fisherkeller who says the general goal of media literacy is to help students recognize the limits and strengths of different forms of communication. This connects back to Beach's point that media literacy requires students to interrogate the plethora of media representations that they encounter on a daily basis and recognize the power of media in our lives and the ideological and economic agendas the media producers have.
There are various, complex facets of media literacy that need to be addressed; the final outcomes of teaching media literacy is merely one of these facets that I found most intriguing. I look forward to learning more about this fascinating topic through my classmates' blogs.
-Where do these representations come from?
-Who produces the representations?
-Why are they producing these representations?
-How is complexity limited by these representations?
-What is missing or silenced in these representations?
As I reached a deeper understanding of media literacy through Beach's article, one question lingered in my mind. I still wondered what the end result or objective of media literacy was. What is the purpose? What do students gain from being media literate? As I considered these questions, I realized that there seems to be differing opinions on this issue.
According to Beach, "the issue is not freeing ourselves from representations. It's really about being enlightened witnesses when we watch representations". This enlightenment can naturally lead students to create relevant counterexamples to the current media representations. Having the opportunity to depict someone or something from a different perspective can help students expand their media literacy and be more critical interactors with their culture and media.
Scharrer, on the other hand, explains how a critical view of the media does not necessarily lead to diminished media influences or create a permanent resistance to its effects. This conclusion is based upon the notion that every person is a unique individual with a unique background and personality; therefore, each person approaches media differently and is influenced differently by it.
One final perspective is brought to us by Fisherkeller who says the general goal of media literacy is to help students recognize the limits and strengths of different forms of communication. This connects back to Beach's point that media literacy requires students to interrogate the plethora of media representations that they encounter on a daily basis and recognize the power of media in our lives and the ideological and economic agendas the media producers have.
There are various, complex facets of media literacy that need to be addressed; the final outcomes of teaching media literacy is merely one of these facets that I found most intriguing. I look forward to learning more about this fascinating topic through my classmates' blogs.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Optional Teacher-Parent Conferences?
I have posed a question related to this topic on Twitter last week, but it is still on my mind and requires further investigation. Is it appropriate for teachers to allow parents to opt out of parent teacher conferences if their child is doing well in school and has successfully completed all the required work? At least one teacher that I know believes so.
Although it saves precious time for the educator and the parent, this view of parent-teacher conferences is problematic in the sense that its sole purpose is to inform parents of the work that their child has and has not done. If that is all conferences are for, then of course it does not make sense for parents to come in to meet with the teacher if their chidl has completed all the work and is doing fine in class. But I think our obligations and goals as educators require more of us than that.
As discussed in our Issues in Education class, teachers, parents, and students all have a role to play in education. The parent-teacher relationships that one builds during the school year significantly impact the progress of the student. It is the parents' role to support their child in his or her education and to communicate with the teacher what the student's individual needs are and ask how their student can be supported at home. It is the teacher's role to communicate to parents how the child's education can be supported at home and to ask parents what the student's personal needs are and how the teacher can meet these needs in the classroom. Conferences provide a wonderful opportunity for this type of dialogue and allow parents and teachers to work together to benefit the student.
Even if a student is successful in the classroom, it is important for parents to hear this from the teacher. Conferences can be an opportunity for teachers to ask parents why they think their child does so well in school and to ask what things are happening at home to foster education. This information, in turn, can be used to help families and students who struggle to support education in thier household. Conferences can also be a valuable time to discuss with parents how we can help the successful students excel even more in the classroom. These students deserve just as much attention and time as those who struggle and deserve to have their parents involved in their education.
Relationships with parents are simply too important to neglect or consider optional for some students. It is arguably even more necessary at the middle school level in which adolescents are struggling to find acceptance from their peers and parents simultaneoulsy.
This blog is merely stating my opinion and I have only stated one side of the argument; I am open to hear different viewpoints on this issue. If anyone has any positive arguments in favor of letting parents opt out of conferences if their child is doing well, I would love to hear them.
Thank you for reading my post!
Courtney B.
Although it saves precious time for the educator and the parent, this view of parent-teacher conferences is problematic in the sense that its sole purpose is to inform parents of the work that their child has and has not done. If that is all conferences are for, then of course it does not make sense for parents to come in to meet with the teacher if their chidl has completed all the work and is doing fine in class. But I think our obligations and goals as educators require more of us than that.
As discussed in our Issues in Education class, teachers, parents, and students all have a role to play in education. The parent-teacher relationships that one builds during the school year significantly impact the progress of the student. It is the parents' role to support their child in his or her education and to communicate with the teacher what the student's individual needs are and ask how their student can be supported at home. It is the teacher's role to communicate to parents how the child's education can be supported at home and to ask parents what the student's personal needs are and how the teacher can meet these needs in the classroom. Conferences provide a wonderful opportunity for this type of dialogue and allow parents and teachers to work together to benefit the student.
Even if a student is successful in the classroom, it is important for parents to hear this from the teacher. Conferences can be an opportunity for teachers to ask parents why they think their child does so well in school and to ask what things are happening at home to foster education. This information, in turn, can be used to help families and students who struggle to support education in thier household. Conferences can also be a valuable time to discuss with parents how we can help the successful students excel even more in the classroom. These students deserve just as much attention and time as those who struggle and deserve to have their parents involved in their education.
Relationships with parents are simply too important to neglect or consider optional for some students. It is arguably even more necessary at the middle school level in which adolescents are struggling to find acceptance from their peers and parents simultaneoulsy.
This blog is merely stating my opinion and I have only stated one side of the argument; I am open to hear different viewpoints on this issue. If anyone has any positive arguments in favor of letting parents opt out of conferences if their child is doing well, I would love to hear them.
Thank you for reading my post!
Courtney B.
Monday, October 25, 2010
PLN Reflection
The Professional Learning Network that has been established in our Mid-Level course has been a beneficial experience with minor drawbacks. Halfway through the semester, it is important to reflect upon this experience of using blogs and Twitter. One of the many benefits of the PLN is that it allows opportunities for us to share our insights, ideas, and resources that cannot be discussed in class due to time constraints. It allows us to extend our lessons and carry them outside of the classroom. It allows us to interact with our peers and see one another as colleagues and valuable resources. Some challenges that I have faced during the PLN assignment thus far include commenting meaningfully on others' blogs and establishing my twitter account and following everyone that I need to. As the semester went on, I realized that when I would comment on other people's blogs, I would basically be saying the same exact thing on each comment. I felt very repetitive and that I was not providing as personal and purposeful comments as I would have liked. It was difficult because the blog topics were the same for every student every week. I also am challenged in setting up my twitter account. I have set it up successfully but am still struggling with how to operate the site. I am finding it difficult to find followers, not only my classmates but professional tweeters as well. It will take time to get used to and with experience, I am confident that I will be able to successfully operate my twitter page.
The five professional blogs that I subscribed to are...
1. Free Technology for Teachers: this is perhaps my favorite professional blog. It provides a plethora of free resources and helps educators incorporate technology into their classrooms.
2. Jen Robinson's Book Page: another helpful blog that provides a plethora of literary works to use in your classroom. She shares recent titles of new books and provides reviews.
3.Resources for Teaching Reading: this blog won the versatile blogger award and is another beneficial resource for me as a future educator. There is plenty of information but the page is difficult to navigate since there is so much there. It is a little busy, disorganized, and crowded as far as format and ease of accessibility.
4. The Class Struggle: another informative and insightful blog. However, there has not been too many posts recently, which is a downfall to this blog.
5. Two Writing Teachers: this blog follows the collaboration of two writing teachers, working together to become better educators. In the process they are helping subscribers become better educators as well with the wealth of knowledge that they share.
The five professional Twitter accounts I follow are...
1. Marie Sontag
2. Liz Lovell
3. Steve Olivo
4. David Dale
5. Kate Messner
As mentioned previously, I struggled with finding appropriate professional twitter accounts that would contribute significantly to my PLN. I have not had sufficient time to explore these tweeters extensively yet, but in my limited exploration I found these people to be knowledgeable and resourceful. They are experienced teachers in the ELA field. Kate Messner is even a published author. David Dale writes short 299-word novels and I was intrigued by the unique way in which he writes and plays on words. Overall, these accounts were filled with resources and links to other helpful sites that can aid me in my journey to becoming a better educator. I am looking forward to learning more and explring more through my continued experience with Twitter.
The five professional blogs that I subscribed to are...
1. Free Technology for Teachers: this is perhaps my favorite professional blog. It provides a plethora of free resources and helps educators incorporate technology into their classrooms.
2. Jen Robinson's Book Page: another helpful blog that provides a plethora of literary works to use in your classroom. She shares recent titles of new books and provides reviews.
3.Resources for Teaching Reading: this blog won the versatile blogger award and is another beneficial resource for me as a future educator. There is plenty of information but the page is difficult to navigate since there is so much there. It is a little busy, disorganized, and crowded as far as format and ease of accessibility.
4. The Class Struggle: another informative and insightful blog. However, there has not been too many posts recently, which is a downfall to this blog.
5. Two Writing Teachers: this blog follows the collaboration of two writing teachers, working together to become better educators. In the process they are helping subscribers become better educators as well with the wealth of knowledge that they share.
The five professional Twitter accounts I follow are...
1. Marie Sontag
2. Liz Lovell
3. Steve Olivo
4. David Dale
5. Kate Messner
As mentioned previously, I struggled with finding appropriate professional twitter accounts that would contribute significantly to my PLN. I have not had sufficient time to explore these tweeters extensively yet, but in my limited exploration I found these people to be knowledgeable and resourceful. They are experienced teachers in the ELA field. Kate Messner is even a published author. David Dale writes short 299-word novels and I was intrigued by the unique way in which he writes and plays on words. Overall, these accounts were filled with resources and links to other helpful sites that can aid me in my journey to becoming a better educator. I am looking forward to learning more and explring more through my continued experience with Twitter.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Critical Literacy
Critical literacy. For me, it was one of those terms that I knew I had heard of before but I couldn't quite remember what it meant. I knew it was important because it had been spoken about in my previous education courses and I knew I had read about it somewhere before. But for the life of me, I could not remember what critical literacy was. I was anxious to read about it and re-learn what critical literacy was all about.
From the readings and class discussion, critical literacy can be defined as empowering students to change their world. It is not reading a text and summarizing what it said; it involves much more than that. It takes comprehension one step further and requires students to critically analyze a text and the social constructs found within the pages. It requires students to ask questions about the author, the context, the biases found within the text. Critical literacy is closely related to Vygotsky's social constructivist theory of learning in which all knowldege and meaning are socailly constructed as we interact with others and with the world around us. It is also closely linked to reader-response theory in which readers respond to text aesthetically and efferently. In the Behrman article, the author gave practical ways in which to implement critical literacy into the classroom. The first approach is supplemental texts in which additional texts are provided to supplement the traditional text. Multiple texts that portray a variety of different viewpoints is a second approach. Having students read from a resistant perspective or different identity than their own is a third approach. The fourth approach is producing countertexts or having students re-write a text from a different perspective. The fifth approach is conducting student choice research projects in which students use issues from their own lives to form research projects on social issues. The sixth approach is an extension of the previous approach and entails social action.
Perhaps the most significant benefit of critical literacy is that it can be applied to any subject matter. It can be used in ELA, social studies, science, math, music, and art classrooms. It is important for students to practice critical literacy skills and ask critical quesitons as they read and the more disciplines this theory is integrated into, the better they will be become. Despite critical literacy's numerous benefits, there are criticims and concerns surrounding this theory. One of my concerns is the amount of time spent in planning and implementing critical literacy activities and lessons. Although I understand that it is time well spent, how can you simultaneously teach literacy skills and basic comprehension strategies in order to meet the content standards?
Any insights into this issue regarding critical literacy would be very much appreciated. I look forward to reading your blogs and learning about your personal thoughts about critical literacy!
Thank you for reading my blog post!
Courtney B.
From the readings and class discussion, critical literacy can be defined as empowering students to change their world. It is not reading a text and summarizing what it said; it involves much more than that. It takes comprehension one step further and requires students to critically analyze a text and the social constructs found within the pages. It requires students to ask questions about the author, the context, the biases found within the text. Critical literacy is closely related to Vygotsky's social constructivist theory of learning in which all knowldege and meaning are socailly constructed as we interact with others and with the world around us. It is also closely linked to reader-response theory in which readers respond to text aesthetically and efferently. In the Behrman article, the author gave practical ways in which to implement critical literacy into the classroom. The first approach is supplemental texts in which additional texts are provided to supplement the traditional text. Multiple texts that portray a variety of different viewpoints is a second approach. Having students read from a resistant perspective or different identity than their own is a third approach. The fourth approach is producing countertexts or having students re-write a text from a different perspective. The fifth approach is conducting student choice research projects in which students use issues from their own lives to form research projects on social issues. The sixth approach is an extension of the previous approach and entails social action.
Perhaps the most significant benefit of critical literacy is that it can be applied to any subject matter. It can be used in ELA, social studies, science, math, music, and art classrooms. It is important for students to practice critical literacy skills and ask critical quesitons as they read and the more disciplines this theory is integrated into, the better they will be become. Despite critical literacy's numerous benefits, there are criticims and concerns surrounding this theory. One of my concerns is the amount of time spent in planning and implementing critical literacy activities and lessons. Although I understand that it is time well spent, how can you simultaneously teach literacy skills and basic comprehension strategies in order to meet the content standards?
Any insights into this issue regarding critical literacy would be very much appreciated. I look forward to reading your blogs and learning about your personal thoughts about critical literacy!
Thank you for reading my blog post!
Courtney B.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Comprehension as a process, not a product
Many agree that comprehension is the main goal of reading; finding meaning in the text and interpreting the message that the author is communicating is the ultimate purpose of reading. If this is the ultimate purpose of reading, we must be good at it in order for us to have any motivation to read. Now the question remains, how do you become successful at reading comprehension?
Throughout this course, I have come to learn that comprehension of a text is a complex process, not a product of simply reading the words. Beers explains in her text that although many educators and students believe that comprehension is complete after you are done reading the text, meaning can still be derived from the words through a variety of strategies. Many educators carry the misconception that comprehension is a product rather than a process and allow this misconception to guide their instruction. Traditional reading instruction includes assigning a text, having students read the text, and then answer questions about the text to assess understanding. New theories and ideas have emerged, however, that have introduced effective changes to how educators teach reading.
If we choose to look at reading comprehension as a process rather than a product, we are forced to examine our traditional methods and revolutionize them. If we understand that comprehension continues after we are finished reading and we can continue to expand our understaning as we re-read, we can implement various strategies that allow students to understand this as well. As Kylene Beers says so succinctly, "[J]ust closing a book doesn't close off the thinking that shapes our understanding of a text" (139).
The following is a list of practical post-reading strategies taken from Beers that help students extend the meaning of the text.
1. Semanticdifferential and likert scales: helps students compare and contrast characters and form opinions and values based on evidence from the text.
2. Somebody Wanted But So: helps students summarize a text in an organized manner.
3. Retellings: helps students orally summarize the text based on setting, characters, conflicts, etc. in an organized manner.
4. Text reformation or story recycling: helps students reformat a story in a different but familiar pattern.
5. It Says-I Say: helps students see how to think through an inferencing graphic organizer.
6. Sketch to Stretch: helps students interpret the story in their own way through symbolic sketches and written explanations.
7. Save the Last Word for Me: helps students participate in small groups through the sharing of passages that each student wrote down on notecards (quotes, words, etc.).
8. Most Important Word: helps students determine the main points of the text through their exploration for the most important word or words in a text and provide justification.
These strategies allow students to think beyond the text and explore their understanding of the text more deeply. Some strategies work better for different types of texts and there are many more strategies avaiable if these strategies are not proving effective in your particular classroom. I recommend the Reading: Post Phase website. Check it out for more strategies and graphic organizers that can be effectively utilized during this last phase of reading.
Throughout this course, I have come to learn that comprehension of a text is a complex process, not a product of simply reading the words. Beers explains in her text that although many educators and students believe that comprehension is complete after you are done reading the text, meaning can still be derived from the words through a variety of strategies. Many educators carry the misconception that comprehension is a product rather than a process and allow this misconception to guide their instruction. Traditional reading instruction includes assigning a text, having students read the text, and then answer questions about the text to assess understanding. New theories and ideas have emerged, however, that have introduced effective changes to how educators teach reading.
If we choose to look at reading comprehension as a process rather than a product, we are forced to examine our traditional methods and revolutionize them. If we understand that comprehension continues after we are finished reading and we can continue to expand our understaning as we re-read, we can implement various strategies that allow students to understand this as well. As Kylene Beers says so succinctly, "[J]ust closing a book doesn't close off the thinking that shapes our understanding of a text" (139).
The following is a list of practical post-reading strategies taken from Beers that help students extend the meaning of the text.
1. Semanticdifferential and likert scales: helps students compare and contrast characters and form opinions and values based on evidence from the text.
2. Somebody Wanted But So: helps students summarize a text in an organized manner.
3. Retellings: helps students orally summarize the text based on setting, characters, conflicts, etc. in an organized manner.
4. Text reformation or story recycling: helps students reformat a story in a different but familiar pattern.
5. It Says-I Say: helps students see how to think through an inferencing graphic organizer.
6. Sketch to Stretch: helps students interpret the story in their own way through symbolic sketches and written explanations.
7. Save the Last Word for Me: helps students participate in small groups through the sharing of passages that each student wrote down on notecards (quotes, words, etc.).
8. Most Important Word: helps students determine the main points of the text through their exploration for the most important word or words in a text and provide justification.
These strategies allow students to think beyond the text and explore their understanding of the text more deeply. Some strategies work better for different types of texts and there are many more strategies avaiable if these strategies are not proving effective in your particular classroom. I recommend the Reading: Post Phase website. Check it out for more strategies and graphic organizers that can be effectively utilized during this last phase of reading.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Learning Centers in a Mid-Level ELA classroom
In class the other day we went through learning centers to learn about vocabulary instruction. This instructional strategy was used effectivley and appropriately in our college context. But we must ask ourselves if it is an appropriate strategy to implement with middle school students. Through my limited experience and knowledge of learning centers, my answer is yes. I think learning centers are developmentally appropriate for the middle school age group. Allowing students to be actively engaged in the exploration of knowledge that you as an instructor want them to recieve is beneficial for middle school students in a variety of ways. It benefits their physical development as it allows students to move around from station to station rather than sit one seat, in one position for an entire lesson. It benefits their intellectual development through allowing them to explore different aspects of a larger concept at each station and then tie these aspects all together in the end to form a cohesive and thorough understanding. Well developed and planned learning centers also benefit students' moral and ethical development through the fostering of higher order thinking skills and encouraging the consideration of various viewpoints of the topic being learned. Learning centers also benefit the emotional and psychological development of the students through the understanding that the teachers care about them and their learning. With the small group setting, it provides a wonderful opportunity to interact with students on an individual level and build those important relationships. This instructional method also benefits social development through interaction with peers at each station. Learning centers encourage positive group work and collaboration and a safe environment where ideas can be shared and valued by others.
To facilitate student learning, I would utilize a variety of classroom management techniques while implementing learning centers, many of which were modeled for us in class. I would begin by having everyone gathered together before explaining the content and tasks associated with each station. I would provide clear and concise instructions for expectations at each station and clearly describe the location of each station. Then, once the foundations of the learning centers have been established, I would divide the class into groups in a creative way and clearly explain where each group should go first and how the rotation works. I would explain the amount of time that is to be spent at each station and let them know that when the bell sounds or the alarm goes off, it is time to rotate to the next station. The key idea for classroom management for learning centers in a middle school classroom is clarity in the directions and expectations of all students and preventing any confusion with where they are supposed to be when and/or what they are supposed to be doing at a certain station.
When looking at an ELA classroom, specifically, it requires appropriate judgment when considering when to use learning centers. I think it could be utilized successfully when teaching a variety of ELA concepts. Writing may be an appropriate time to implement this strategy of learning centers; each station could be a step in the writing process and involve an activity that teaches students how to pre-write/brainstorm or how to edit, for example. Reading could also be an appropriate time for learning centers; for example, one station could involve vocabulary, one station could involve predicting, one station could revolve around comprehension. There are plenty of opportunities to use learning centers in an ELA classroom; it simply requires effective implementation and creativity!
To learn more about learning centers, I used the Google search engine to discover more about this strategy. I found a source that may be helpful to you as you begin to think about implementing learning centers in your future classroom. It is a pdf file presented by Cindy Blevins and is a general overview of how to implement learning centers into the middle school classroom. She provides helpful tips to take into consideration when developing learning centers and provides ideas for ELA specific learning centers as well. Check it out when you have time!
To facilitate student learning, I would utilize a variety of classroom management techniques while implementing learning centers, many of which were modeled for us in class. I would begin by having everyone gathered together before explaining the content and tasks associated with each station. I would provide clear and concise instructions for expectations at each station and clearly describe the location of each station. Then, once the foundations of the learning centers have been established, I would divide the class into groups in a creative way and clearly explain where each group should go first and how the rotation works. I would explain the amount of time that is to be spent at each station and let them know that when the bell sounds or the alarm goes off, it is time to rotate to the next station. The key idea for classroom management for learning centers in a middle school classroom is clarity in the directions and expectations of all students and preventing any confusion with where they are supposed to be when and/or what they are supposed to be doing at a certain station.
When looking at an ELA classroom, specifically, it requires appropriate judgment when considering when to use learning centers. I think it could be utilized successfully when teaching a variety of ELA concepts. Writing may be an appropriate time to implement this strategy of learning centers; each station could be a step in the writing process and involve an activity that teaches students how to pre-write/brainstorm or how to edit, for example. Reading could also be an appropriate time for learning centers; for example, one station could involve vocabulary, one station could involve predicting, one station could revolve around comprehension. There are plenty of opportunities to use learning centers in an ELA classroom; it simply requires effective implementation and creativity!
To learn more about learning centers, I used the Google search engine to discover more about this strategy. I found a source that may be helpful to you as you begin to think about implementing learning centers in your future classroom. It is a pdf file presented by Cindy Blevins and is a general overview of how to implement learning centers into the middle school classroom. She provides helpful tips to take into consideration when developing learning centers and provides ideas for ELA specific learning centers as well. Check it out when you have time!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Fact: middle school students can struggle with reading
Middle school students can struggle with reading. They can struggle with decoding, with vocabulary instruction, and with fluency. And all these struggles add up to a significant struggle with comprehension, which provides purpose and meaning to the act of reading. Kylene Beers, author of When Kid's Can't Read, was certainly surprised at this fact during her first year of teaching and I think many other new teachers are shocked to make this discovery as well during their first years. Many mid-level teachers expect their middle school students to know how to read independently and successfully; they assume they are equipped with the tools and strategies necessary to comprehend appropriate level text and, therefore, will not need to teach the students these things. But once in the classroom, they discover that the reality of the situation is not parallell to their expectations. Being aware that there will be struggling, dependent readers in the middle school classroom and that a mid-level ELA teacher will need to teach decoding, vocabulary, orthography, fluency, and comprehension skills is the first consideration when entering this setting. As Rachel Malchow Lloyd stated in class, one out of every ten middle school students struggles with decoding and reading. This statistic shows the prevalence of this unfortunate issue.
Once the mid-level teacher is aware of this fact, the next logical step is to assess the struggling students to determine which area or areas require attention and strengthening. Through our small group and large group discussions in class, it can be argued that one of the most effective methods of assessing a student's decoding skills is to simply listen to them read orally and note the miscues to determine what the student can and cannot do. This rather simple assessment can tell you so much about a student and his or her reading abilties. Our group also discussed the importance of exposing students to reading; whether through the teacher reading aloud or students reading a book of their choice silently, we need to provide the students with opportunities to observe the modeling of quality reading and then to practice those skills. In terms of vocabulary instruction specifically, it is important to know that students cannot effectively learn a monstrous list of new words; they need the opportunity to hear the words used in context frequently and make connections between the words and their lives.
The readings and discussions of this course have provided effective and meaningful practices and strategies to be implemented with struggling readers in the middle school. My only concern at this time is what step to take if and when the strategies learned are not successful with a particular student? What if you try a variety of instructional methods to help a struggling student and the student does not show any progress? Specifically, how do you help those struggling students who become frustrated and simply want to give up? How do you encourage them to keep trying?
Once the mid-level teacher is aware of this fact, the next logical step is to assess the struggling students to determine which area or areas require attention and strengthening. Through our small group and large group discussions in class, it can be argued that one of the most effective methods of assessing a student's decoding skills is to simply listen to them read orally and note the miscues to determine what the student can and cannot do. This rather simple assessment can tell you so much about a student and his or her reading abilties. Our group also discussed the importance of exposing students to reading; whether through the teacher reading aloud or students reading a book of their choice silently, we need to provide the students with opportunities to observe the modeling of quality reading and then to practice those skills. In terms of vocabulary instruction specifically, it is important to know that students cannot effectively learn a monstrous list of new words; they need the opportunity to hear the words used in context frequently and make connections between the words and their lives.
The readings and discussions of this course have provided effective and meaningful practices and strategies to be implemented with struggling readers in the middle school. My only concern at this time is what step to take if and when the strategies learned are not successful with a particular student? What if you try a variety of instructional methods to help a struggling student and the student does not show any progress? Specifically, how do you help those struggling students who become frustrated and simply want to give up? How do you encourage them to keep trying?
Friday, September 10, 2010
Goals and the Attributes Required to Accomplish Them
10 September 2010
Middle school students are drastically different from elementary and high school students--they have different interests, needs, opinions, and perceptions of the world around them. Therefore, it makes sense that students in this age group require different learning goals in the classroom.
When looking at the ELA classroom specifically, there are particular learning goals that should be addressed throughout the year. The first goal I would set for my ELA students is ensuring that they can all read successfully and be independent readers. Even though many assume that all middle school students walk through the door knowing how to read, Kylene Beers points out in her book, When Kids Can't Read, that this is a false assumption. She describes an independent reader as someone who knows how, on thier own, to make the text make sense. Beers describes her teaching goal in chapter 2: "I want to...teach them how to struggle with a text, how to develop the patience and stamina to stick with a text, how to figure out on their own what is separating them from success with the text, and what they should do to fix it" (16). After they become independent, successful readers the next step I would set for students is to make connections with the literature. Connecting the literature to themselves, to their communities, and to the world is what makes literature meanigful; it provides a purpose to reading. And being able to communicate these personal and emotional connections with teachers and peers, whether oral or written, is another next important step. Although these goals are broad, I believe they lie at the heart of what ELA instruction is all about at the middle level .
In order for students to accomplish these goals, however, an effective teacher must be in place to guide and facilitate student learning. During the last couple of course sessions, we discussed what attributes make an effective teacher with a strong focus on classroom management. From what I gained through the readings and the class discussions, I have come to the following conclusion. Effective teachers are passionate, strong, involved, humorous, organized, professional, knowledgeable, caring, and the list goes on and on. Effective teachers have and implement effective classroom management and take the time to understand their students. They take time to understand thier abilities, their interests, their insecurities, their culture, and their individuality. When reflecting upon my own attributes and which ones will help me to become a better educator, I think I feel most strongly about getting to know my students and I have that desire to use that information to help them succeed at school. Where I feel weakest is in the area of discipline. I could strengthen this skill throughout the semester by focusing on discipline and simply not putting up with disruptions and misbehavior. Disciipline requires confidence and strength, which I can build up in myself to help me become a more effective teacher.
Middle school students are drastically different from elementary and high school students--they have different interests, needs, opinions, and perceptions of the world around them. Therefore, it makes sense that students in this age group require different learning goals in the classroom.
When looking at the ELA classroom specifically, there are particular learning goals that should be addressed throughout the year. The first goal I would set for my ELA students is ensuring that they can all read successfully and be independent readers. Even though many assume that all middle school students walk through the door knowing how to read, Kylene Beers points out in her book, When Kids Can't Read, that this is a false assumption. She describes an independent reader as someone who knows how, on thier own, to make the text make sense. Beers describes her teaching goal in chapter 2: "I want to...teach them how to struggle with a text, how to develop the patience and stamina to stick with a text, how to figure out on their own what is separating them from success with the text, and what they should do to fix it" (16). After they become independent, successful readers the next step I would set for students is to make connections with the literature. Connecting the literature to themselves, to their communities, and to the world is what makes literature meanigful; it provides a purpose to reading. And being able to communicate these personal and emotional connections with teachers and peers, whether oral or written, is another next important step. Although these goals are broad, I believe they lie at the heart of what ELA instruction is all about at the middle level .
In order for students to accomplish these goals, however, an effective teacher must be in place to guide and facilitate student learning. During the last couple of course sessions, we discussed what attributes make an effective teacher with a strong focus on classroom management. From what I gained through the readings and the class discussions, I have come to the following conclusion. Effective teachers are passionate, strong, involved, humorous, organized, professional, knowledgeable, caring, and the list goes on and on. Effective teachers have and implement effective classroom management and take the time to understand their students. They take time to understand thier abilities, their interests, their insecurities, their culture, and their individuality. When reflecting upon my own attributes and which ones will help me to become a better educator, I think I feel most strongly about getting to know my students and I have that desire to use that information to help them succeed at school. Where I feel weakest is in the area of discipline. I could strengthen this skill throughout the semester by focusing on discipline and simply not putting up with disruptions and misbehavior. Disciipline requires confidence and strength, which I can build up in myself to help me become a more effective teacher.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
The Golden Rule (as it applies to blogging)
The golden rule, treat others as you would like to be treated, seems to be applicable to literally everything, even blogging. As a public, technological, and powerful tool, blogging needs to be treated with caution and care. Therefore, it is important to establish guidelines that are to be followed during a blogging enterprise. One rule, that is pure gold and has been recited for centuries, seems to encompass all the other important guidelines under its broad umbrella.
Treat others as you would like to be treated. This simple sentence is arguably the most important rule to follow when participating in an online professional learning network. I discovered this particular guideline while perusing the links provided on our course wiki page (https://sites.google.com/site/midlevelliteracyandpedagogy/assignments/personal-learning-network/ELA-blog-writing-assignments). What I like most about this rule is that it is a rule that everyone already knows and almost every other rule or guideline that could be thought of related to blogging could fit under this one broad rule. As I embark on this blogging adventure, if I ever question if something is appropriate or the right thing to do, I simply put myself in a different position and imagine how I would feel if the situation were reversed. For example, if I am questioning whether or not to go off on a tangent unrelated to the subject at hand during a post to my fellow colleagues, I can ask myself if I would enjoy reading a post that was unfocused and did not seem to have a clear purpose. The answer for most of us would probably be no.
The following are more specific examples of guidelines that I found on the links previously mentioned and that fall under the golden rule. These guidelines are ones that I personally found respectful, easy to follow, and particularly pertinent to our professional learning network.
1. Do not post personal information, not your own and not anyone else's. I think it is very important to share personal stories throughout this learning process, but names of those involved should be kept confidential out of respect for their privacy.
2. Going along with this aspect of sharing stories, only share information that you can verify is true. Do not post anything you cannot prove and do not spread gossip, once again out of respect for those involved.
3. Share your opinion freely and be honest but remember to present it as what it is--opinion, not truth.
4. Give constructive feedback. Be honest yet respectful when commenting on colleagues' blogs and ensure responses are helpful and deliberate. This also means that while you may disagree with a post, you should not turn this disagreement into a personal attack against the poster.
5. Be professional. Be professional in your post, comments, and feedback through use of proper grammar and punctuation, by citing your sources, and being intentional in your writing.
I find these guidelines to be very valuable in my blogging endeavor and I will hold true to them to the best of my ability. Although they may be difficult to follow at times, if we are conscientious of our blogging behavior and hold one another accountable for our actions, the collaborative experience of participating in a professional learning network will be that much more enriching.
Treat others as you would like to be treated. This simple sentence is arguably the most important rule to follow when participating in an online professional learning network. I discovered this particular guideline while perusing the links provided on our course wiki page (https://sites.google.com/site/midlevelliteracyandpedagogy/assignments/personal-learning-network/ELA-blog-writing-assignments). What I like most about this rule is that it is a rule that everyone already knows and almost every other rule or guideline that could be thought of related to blogging could fit under this one broad rule. As I embark on this blogging adventure, if I ever question if something is appropriate or the right thing to do, I simply put myself in a different position and imagine how I would feel if the situation were reversed. For example, if I am questioning whether or not to go off on a tangent unrelated to the subject at hand during a post to my fellow colleagues, I can ask myself if I would enjoy reading a post that was unfocused and did not seem to have a clear purpose. The answer for most of us would probably be no.
The following are more specific examples of guidelines that I found on the links previously mentioned and that fall under the golden rule. These guidelines are ones that I personally found respectful, easy to follow, and particularly pertinent to our professional learning network.
1. Do not post personal information, not your own and not anyone else's. I think it is very important to share personal stories throughout this learning process, but names of those involved should be kept confidential out of respect for their privacy.
2. Going along with this aspect of sharing stories, only share information that you can verify is true. Do not post anything you cannot prove and do not spread gossip, once again out of respect for those involved.
3. Share your opinion freely and be honest but remember to present it as what it is--opinion, not truth.
4. Give constructive feedback. Be honest yet respectful when commenting on colleagues' blogs and ensure responses are helpful and deliberate. This also means that while you may disagree with a post, you should not turn this disagreement into a personal attack against the poster.
5. Be professional. Be professional in your post, comments, and feedback through use of proper grammar and punctuation, by citing your sources, and being intentional in your writing.
I find these guidelines to be very valuable in my blogging endeavor and I will hold true to them to the best of my ability. Although they may be difficult to follow at times, if we are conscientious of our blogging behavior and hold one another accountable for our actions, the collaborative experience of participating in a professional learning network will be that much more enriching.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Bad blog!
September 01, 2010
Some blogs are good blogs and some blogs, well, aren't. In the hopes of creating an effective, informative, and helpful blog, this first blog posting will investigate the charactersitics of quality blogs and describe some apsects of blogs that should typically be avoided. My fellow colleagues and I will share our findings with one another and utilize our knowledge in future blogs, thus creating a professional learning network in which we can learn and grow together as future educators.
Through my review of multiple blogs found on our mid-level literacy wiki page (https://sites.google.com/site/midlevelliteracyandpedagogy/assignments/personal-learning-network/ELA-blog-writing-assignments ), I was able to begin my discovery of what it is that makes a good blog good. Before describing the specific qualties found within those successful blogs, a simple definition of a good blog should be provided.
My personal definition of a good blog: a focused blog with a particular purpose for its presence that is written in such a way that the reader does not want to stop reading it.
The strengths involved in such a blog include proper grammar, spelling, and complete sentences; are an appropriate length for the subject matter; include diagrams and visuals along with a variety of sources, resources, and media; and are aesthetically pleasing to the reader. The blogs that I found myself most interested in were also the ones in which the voice of the author came forward, in which I felt the words were being spoken to me. In these cases, the blog was made more personal and relatable to the audience. Although not necessary, I also appreciated the thought-provoking questions or challenges posed at the end of some blogs. For example, on David Warlick's blog (http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/), he concluded his post with the question: "Will we admit it to our learners tomorrow that we made a mistake and use the mistake as a learning opportunity?" I found this an effective technique that leaves the reader with something substantial to ponder.
However, during my exploration of others' blogs, I discovered some weaknesses to avoid in my future blogs. The blogs that I disliked the most were the ones that seemed unprofessional and informal considering the subject matter being discussed. There was potential for these posts to have a lasting impact on the reader and teach the audience, but this potential became lost along with the introduction and flow of the writing. There was no explanations offered as to what the posts were about and began too abruptly for my liking. Also acronyms were being used frequently without being described, causing confusion and frustration.
This exploration of blog strengths and weaknesses has provided me with a significant beginning to the creation of a professional learning network with my peers in the fields of mid-level social sciences and english language arts. Throughout this process, I will do my best to post blogs that are focused, have a specific purpose, and make my readers want to continue reading them. Throughout this process, I will also continue to learn what a good blog is as my simple defintion evolves with my experiences.
Some blogs are good blogs and some blogs, well, aren't. In the hopes of creating an effective, informative, and helpful blog, this first blog posting will investigate the charactersitics of quality blogs and describe some apsects of blogs that should typically be avoided. My fellow colleagues and I will share our findings with one another and utilize our knowledge in future blogs, thus creating a professional learning network in which we can learn and grow together as future educators.
Through my review of multiple blogs found on our mid-level literacy wiki page (https://sites.google.com/site/midlevelliteracyandpedagogy/assignments/personal-learning-network/ELA-blog-writing-assignments ), I was able to begin my discovery of what it is that makes a good blog good. Before describing the specific qualties found within those successful blogs, a simple definition of a good blog should be provided.
My personal definition of a good blog: a focused blog with a particular purpose for its presence that is written in such a way that the reader does not want to stop reading it.
The strengths involved in such a blog include proper grammar, spelling, and complete sentences; are an appropriate length for the subject matter; include diagrams and visuals along with a variety of sources, resources, and media; and are aesthetically pleasing to the reader. The blogs that I found myself most interested in were also the ones in which the voice of the author came forward, in which I felt the words were being spoken to me. In these cases, the blog was made more personal and relatable to the audience. Although not necessary, I also appreciated the thought-provoking questions or challenges posed at the end of some blogs. For example, on David Warlick's blog (http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/), he concluded his post with the question: "Will we admit it to our learners tomorrow that we made a mistake and use the mistake as a learning opportunity?" I found this an effective technique that leaves the reader with something substantial to ponder.
However, during my exploration of others' blogs, I discovered some weaknesses to avoid in my future blogs. The blogs that I disliked the most were the ones that seemed unprofessional and informal considering the subject matter being discussed. There was potential for these posts to have a lasting impact on the reader and teach the audience, but this potential became lost along with the introduction and flow of the writing. There was no explanations offered as to what the posts were about and began too abruptly for my liking. Also acronyms were being used frequently without being described, causing confusion and frustration.
This exploration of blog strengths and weaknesses has provided me with a significant beginning to the creation of a professional learning network with my peers in the fields of mid-level social sciences and english language arts. Throughout this process, I will do my best to post blogs that are focused, have a specific purpose, and make my readers want to continue reading them. Throughout this process, I will also continue to learn what a good blog is as my simple defintion evolves with my experiences.
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