Interview with a Student

I interviewed a student based on the recommendation of my host teacher. She said that he is a good student, but sometimes has trouble understanding things the first time. He is well behaved and I wouldn't have pictured him having problems.

1. Do you consider yourself as a successful or struggling student? Why?
     -Successful, because I am organized and get good grades.
2. How do you learn best?
     -Visually
3. What is your favorite subject?
     -Math and Reading
4. Which subject do you struggle with most?
     -Science
5. Which subject do you feel most successful in?
     -Math
6. Does the class you struggle with incorporate your learning style?
     -No, it is mostly lecture.
7. What about the class you're successful in?
     -No, it is mostly lecture, too.
8. What activities are you involved in?
     -Golf, basketball, and wake boarding.
9. What are your friends like?
     -Funny, popular, and sporty.

I Make A Difference

I found this video this evening, and I think it speaks to why many of us want to be teachers.

The Art of Storytelling

There were a lot of projects that would be useful in an English classroom. I chose this project because it focuses on the art of storytelling. I am a folklore minor, so this topic is interesting to me. The project explains what storytelling is, gives several examples from across the United States, and gives advice on how to tell the stories to your students. It also has several activities to print off and use with your students. This project is an excellent resource for teachers.

Teaching Meaningful Learning

I looked at this blog posting.

After teaching about several injustices in history, students were upset by what they learned. However, once the students left the classroom they became engulfed by middle school drama. This teacher decided to take steps to help the students create a community environment. Restorative Justice and peace circles were a big help to encouraging students to listen to each other. Students are encouraged to share their varied perspectives and experiences and create a supportive environment. By working in small groups, students can learn from each other. 

WV Professional Teaching Standards

Standard 3: Teaching

Concept 1: Challenging- This activity was challenging. It tested peoples abilities with technology and following written instruction. It was not well suited for all learning types.

Concept 2: Assessment- There were plenty of assessments that went along with this activity that helped to assess students knowledge.

Concept 3: Extracts Data- Information from the assessments was extracted to help explain the students achievement.

Concept 4: Feedback- Through the class discussion we understood the purpose of the activity and were able to provide feedback.

Concept 5: Instruction Delivery Methods- The instructions would be useful for students who are advanced and can get through them quickly. They are also not well suited for all learning types.

Holly White
Melanie Springer
Kim Secreto

Culturally Responsive

Language, literacy, and power are often perceived to be connected, especially in the education world. Educators, especially in the Appalachian region, assume that if a student is a poor reader that they are unable to learn. Many times the student is quite intelligent and the problem lies in the fact that “standard English” is not the language they use. They can communicate well while using the language they are used to using at home. Teachers of these students need to realize that students can and are willing to learn and that they will be best reached by using the language they are most comfortable speaking with.

"First, and most obvious, teachers and schools must accept, believe and act upon the belief that children of poverty are learners, have been learning since birth, and are ready to learn at any time, and will learn" (Purcell Gates, 2002).

It became very evident to me that many teachers do not understand the best way to reach their students who speak with a dialect, whether it is from the Appalachian region or a different country. These students are often labeled as unable to learn. Teachers that believe the student’s underachievement stems from their social class and cultural background perpetuate cultural deficit perspective.  Their parents are also often blamed for not caring about their child’s education. Quite often this is not the case. The teacher that embraces the differences in the classroom and uses that to help educate the student is utilizing the cultural difference perspective. Nothing will change unless a teacher changes how they think about the student.

“The real problem lies in the fact that we are not changing what we teach or even so much the ways in which we teach it; what we must change is how we think about it” (Rowland & Marrow, 2010).

The best way for teachers to overcome cultural deficit perspectives is to embrace the student’s culture. By using where the student comes from, the teacher is creating a connection the student can relate to. If a teacher knows what the student’s family does at home and incorporates it in the classroom the student will be able to practice at home.

“He believes the secret to literacy instruction is for schools to investigate and tap into the ‘hidden’ home and community resources of their students” (Moll, 1992).

In order to improve literacy instruction for speakers of non-standard English, teachers need to incorporate the language that students use at home, their cultural capital, and funds of knowledge, or what bodies of knowledge the household possesses. Allowing students to write in the language context they know will help them become more comfortable with writing.

“The teaching of writing should assume students will begin with the sort of language with which they are most at home and most fluent in their speech.  That language may be a dialect of English, or even a different language altogether.  The goal is not to leave students where they are, however, but to move them toward greater flexibility, so that they can write not just for their own intimates but for wider audiences” (NCTE, 2008).

The Where I Am From project helps support culturally responsive teaching in several ways. Students learn that it is okay to be proud of their cultural heritage. They also learn that the culture of another student is just as important as their own. The project embraces several learning styles, making it easier for some students to learn than simply sitting in a desk being lectured at.

I believe it is extremely important to meet the students where they are at and not expect them to fit into a mold they are not capable of. I plan to create an environment in my classroom that encourages students to be open with each other and with me. It will be a safe environment for students to listen to each other and practice speaking in a social setting. I will do my best as a teacher to implement as much of my student’s lives and culture in my classroom in order to create a bridge between their home and school experiences.

Resources:

Gonzalez, N.,  Greenberg, J. & Velez, C. Thanks Funds of Knowledge: A Look at Luis Moll's Research Into Hidden Family Resources. CITYSCHOOLS, 1 (1), 19-21, 1994.

Moll, L. (1992). Funds of knowledge for teaching: Using a qualitative approach to

connect homes and classrooms. (1992). Theory into Practice, 31(2), 132-

41.

National Council of Teachers of English (2008). National Council of Beliefs About Writing. Retrieved October 12, 2012: http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/writingbeliefs

Purcell-Gates, V. (2002). “...As soon as she opened her mouth!” In L. Delpit & J.K. Dowdy (Eds.), The skin that we speak: An anthology of essays on language, culture and power.

Rowland, J. & Marrow, D. (2010).  Dialect Awareness Education: The importance of Watching Our Words. USC Undergraduate Research Journal vol 3.

Where I'm From

I am from family; from the Whites and Umsteads.

I am from a dirt road in a small community.

I am from cold snow days and warm summer nights.

I am from birthday parties, family dinners, and beauty pageants.

I am from crazy faces, and a bigger younger sister.

I am from a strong faith in Jesus Christ, made real to me in my college years through Chi Alpha and the amazing friends I met there.

I am from three summers at Highland retreat, teaching campers the love I have for Jesus, and meeting awesome people along the way.

I am from a heart drawn to the beach, and a heart left in Ireland.

Most of all, I am from a state that is wild and free. No matter where I go, it will always be home.

Cultural Deficit vs. Cultural Difference

I think that the Fox News video reflects a cultural deficit. It is recognized that there is a cultural problem, but the attitude I observed was that one can only prosper in today's world if they speak "Proper English." Donna Bolima states in her article “Most cultural deficit studies blamed the child’s social, cultural or economic environment as being “depraved and deprived” of the elements necessary to “achieve the behavior rules (role requirements)” needed to academically succeed” (Hess & Shipman, 1965).

What Matters: Code-Switching embraced the importance of knowing how to speak in professional settings. However, the importance of speaking one's natural language was also emphasized. Our language makes us who we are. The speakers realized that there is a problem with how students are taught. Correcting them constantly isn't helping. Using Ebonics or AAVE to teach African American's Proper English is helping students to learn how to switch back and forth between the different ways of speaking.