NEATE SPRING WORKSHOP AND MY EXPERIENCE

This is actually my first time having a conversation with teachers from different schools and areas of study. It was really a wonderful experience for me. I was able to share my ideas and also hear from teachers what it is like to be in the classroom and what is expected of us as a teacher to promote a conducive environment for the teacher and the students. It is also surprising to see how every teacher talks about the standards and how generalized it is, and its effect on the students.

Hearing the three students in the Panel talk about their learning experience in High School and how it shaped their learning experience in College, was interesting. Sanchez JanCarlos who is presently a student at Johnson and Wales University, talked about his struggle with writing, mostly with starting the introductory paragraph. This problem was common among the speakers, which made me wonder if we teachers need to change our teaching strategies to better engage and develop our students writing skills. I won’t deny that as a first time teacher, I am more concerned about meeting my students’ learning objective, which is based on the standards. But listening to these students and having read Christensen’s book, I am beginning to change my students’ learning objective. Obviously, the standards is the format that every teacher has to align their curriculum on, but I come to realize that it can be modified to enable students’ voice and choice. After all, they are the reason why we are in the classroom.

Kimberly, presently a student at CCRI, expressed her concern on the generalized format and rules in writing that they as students in High School have to follow.  Instead of building their skills to become better and creative writers, it limits their creativity and makes them docile. Kimberly felt that if she had been given that freedom to go in-depth and write not just by following the generalized format, but writing how they feel on the topic, she would have been more prepared for writing in college.

Joey Carr who is presently a student at New England Tech,  reminded me of the student in Christensen’s book, who had a lot of ideas to write down, but couldn’t because of the five paragraph format which made her see herself as an incompetent writer. Joey expressed the fact that he had always loved writing and always had a lot to write, but he was faced with organizing his thoughts and putting down all his ideas when he was in High School. As a teacher, I always thought that students should only answer what they asked and not go beyond that, but these students made me know otherwise.

The points that I got from these students that I am going to take to my classroom is that:

·         In teaching, tie essays/narratives to topics that students care about makes them to want to write, which affirms Christensen’s words.

·         Giving students reflective essays; that is writing essays on topics that connect to their past experiences.

·         Providing students with resources they need to improve their knowledge and ability to write, and also how to get them.

·         Less focus on structure, and more focus on personalized writing.

DRIVING STUDENTS TO ACQUIRE LANGUAGE AND POWER IN THE CLASSROOM

Developing students’ language and power in order to be good writers is something I have wondered about as I read through my students writing. Christensen made me realize that if I continue to ignore even the minor errors that my students make, “their lack of fluency with the language of power will follow them long after they leave school, silencing them by making them hesitant to speak in public meetings or to write…” (pg. 265). This is actually true because if we as teachers want students to write essays/narratives that connects to their life and for real audience, we need them to be bold enough to speak and present using “Standard/Marketplace English-the language of power”. More so, the students should be confident enough to write narratives for real audience.

Reading Christensen’s The Politics of Correction: Learning from Student Writing reminds me of one my student who is an ELL. She is in 11^th grade, and loves to write, BUT when asked to share with a partner during the think/pair/share exercise, she refuses and I always allow her to just be on her own while other students are sharing. But now, I realize that allowing students to be because they are afraid of speaking wrong results to no improvement and sticks with them. This also makes me think back to when I was in Secondary school. I don’t mind writing, but reading it out in front of people or the public was a big deal for me and I can’t even present in front of my peers. I remember my English teacher calling me out every time to present, knowing fully well that I dread it. She started by telling me to present in front of one of my peers, and then two, three, four, and eventually the whole class. Funny enough, I found myself confident enough to present in front of people. So, I need to help my students who are struggling with same problem.

Correcting the errors in students’ writing to me is the most important, because it makes them proud of their work when it is written right. But the strategy for correcting their errors really matters in order not to leave the students feeling dumb or incapable of writing. Christensen’s gave a very good method to start with when correcting errors. She said, “… start by telling the (students) what they are doing right” (pg. 265) and then follow them along the way with questions that allows them to realize their errors, providing model samples for the students to follow the format and see what they need to work on.

More so, recognizing the pattern of error(s) for each of our students helps by focusing on one error at a time. Mark Workman (the Coordinator of 6+1 Traits) and Jacqueline Raphael (the Manager) provided us with the “6+1 Traits” that we use with our students to improve their writing skills. According to them, “The 6+1 Trait Writing Model of Instruction & Assessment comprises 6+1 key qualities that define quality writing” and I agree with them because if our students are able to learn and make use of these traits, they would be regarded as good writers. These traits are, ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions and presentation. I think it is a good strategy to know the pattern of errors each of my students make using these “6+1 Traits, and correcting it one after the other in order for them to achieve mastery in their writing.

Although it is surprising to know that Christensen doesn’t grade her students’ paper, I understand the reason behind it. As teachers, our main goal is for all our students to achieve mastery in writing by developing the skills they need to become better writers. In as much as I know that it is impossible not to give students grade, I also agree with Christensen in the saying that, “students need to feel that their work is important, relevant, and meaningful… instead of rewarding or punishing students with grades, I believe that we need to create situations where students learn to care about the work they produce” (pg. 272-273).

Her words actually affirms Rick Wormeli’s talk on Formative and Summative Assessment. He said that if teachers want their students to gain the skills needed for them to produce authentic writing, we should spend the same time we spend on Summative assessment on formative assessment. His reason is that formative assessment “is the greatest impact on student achievement on feedback to the teacher… the whole enterprises of teaching and learning boils down to that formative assessment.” it really sounds right that the formative assessment should be awarded the same time for planning because that is the bedrock of our students development and mastery. Wormeli said that summative assessment is referred to as “post learning… the final decoration”, which shows that more attention should be paid on formative assessment.

I feel really loaded and over loaded with a lot of information and strategies that would help me in being a better teacher. More so, I have learnt what a classroom should look like, and how a teacher should be advocates for his/her students. It was really a great food for thought for me.

INTRODUCING WRITING BETWEEN LANGUAGE WITH THE USE OF MULTIPLE LITERACIES FOR ALL STUDENTS

Reading Pahl and Rowsell’s writing on “Conceptualizing Artifactual Literacies: A Framework” made me realize that students should be exposed not only to the literacy in the classroom, but also outside of the classroom. Pahl and Rowsell writes, “the literacy found in school is actually just one kind of literacy. Thinking about literacy in homes… gives a different feel for literacy”. As a teacher, combining these two domains of practice (School and Home) in the curricula, I believe would improve the motivation of my students to write. Also, moving from one Literacy to multiple Literacies would make learning more diverse in the classroom. Although I really don’t understand how “memories of objects are powerful pulls on identity”, and this is one question I would love to ask Pahl and Rowsell if I was to meet with them. I fully agree with the fact that drawing out objects from students “opens up their home experience and enables teachers to access communities that may not be visible within schools. I find myself involving my students in the use of artifacts in literacy learning, because I believe it would help to improve their mastery in the two domain of literacy practices, and also improve their writing skills.

Among the qualities that Pahl and Rowsell listed which defines Artifacts, I am more inclined to the third quality, “Embodies people, stories, thoughts, communities, identities, and experiences” because it is a clear definition of what a social-cultural classroom entails. The students are allowed to express who they are, what they like and express their language and culture. The example of the child who loves toy cars, which eventually spills into a story about cars reminds me of one my senior student who was asked to write a poem on any topic that interests him. At first, he had no idea on a topic to write about. But as we started discussing about his dream and what he wants to be in life, he expressed his love for cars and his dream is to be a mechanic. He then decided to write a poem on his love for cars, and he eventually was able to produce ten stanzas poem, which made him surprised and happy.

Encouraging the use of artifacts in essay/narrative writing is really a good way to make students engaged in the learning process, and also improve their writing skills. I remember when we visited Doc. Becky Shipe, at the visual arts studio, I was stunned to see that her dissertation had a mixture of artifacts and words in it, which made it look so unique and creative. The first thing that came to my mind when she was going over her dissertation was one of my students who finds it difficult to write an essay or narrative with lots of paragraphs, but she loves to draw. She draws to communicate how she is feeling, and she once told me that drawing is her best friend. I started thinking of how to bring out the creativity in her by introducing her to the multimodality literacy practice. Now, I am more confident that introducing this literacy practice could make this student more engaged and derive joy in her writing.

I think Pahl and Rowsell’s idea of introducing Artifacts to a Writing classroom is linked to Danling Fu’s book on “Writing between Languages”, although Fu, D is more concerned about the ELL students who are already writers in their first language and are learning to become proficient writers in English. She believes that “What they (ELL students) need while learning English is to make the transition from their first-language writing to English and from writing personal narrative to more formal academic writing” (pg. 5). She claims that ELL teachers need to provide their instruction with extra scaffolding for each student’s writing according to their literacy development level. More so, developing their first language as they learn English as a second language is a way to make the learning process faster. Danling Fu’s claims affirms Professor Rachel Toncelli teaching on how to make ELL students better learners and writers in the classroom, and also for teachers to realize that students first-language writing skills is a stepping stone to learning English.

Accepting the first language of the ELL students and introducing the Artifactual Literacy in the classroom boils down to creating a conducive environment that allows for voice and choice. This is what I as a teacher needs to understand and take to my classroom every day, in order for my students to achieve mastery in writing and all-round literacy. I feel equipped as a teacher with the necessary tools needed to develop my students in all aspects. Although, it is still overwhelming for me as a first time teacher, but it takes one step at a time to be the teacher who not only teach but care for the students.

  

KEEPING IT R.E.A.L IN THE CLASSROOM AND ITS CONNECTION TO STUDENTS’ LANGUAGE

Reading Stewart’s chapter one, I think that the central message to draw out is that every teacher should develop a positive relationship with all of their students, regardless of race or color. Also, providing a conducive environment for learning in the classroom, by accommodating and collaborating with the students through the learning process. Our students are the reason why we teach, so they should be our top priority.  

Hearing the story of Valerie, and how she escaped El Salvador to come to America with her younger sister for a better life, reminds me of the students I have in my class. The ELL students, who come from different part of the country, some with their parents, some alone. One could the see zeal they have in them to understand English, and be able to write fluently in it. I remember one of my special education student who is an ELL student. She always tells me how frustrated she feels when in her English class, and is asked to write an essay, but doesn’t know what to write. She is so good in Math, but she dreads English. This is why I continue to ask myself, ‘what other modification and specialized instruction should I put in place for a student like that? Obviously, it’s not all about translating the instructions and questions to their native language. But I think Stewart answered that question with his statement, “Keep it R.E.A.L”.

What are the R.E.A.L Instructions? According to Stewart, the full meaning of R.E.A.L is “relevant, engaging, and affirming literacy”. How do we as teachers provide the curriculum that is relevant to the students in order to make them engaging in the classroom, at the same time setting high expectations for the students? Understanding and incorporating students’ “surface culture and deep culture” and also involving the students in choosing the text that is to be read in the classroom. This is something I find strange to do, but I know as a student, if my teacher asked allowed me to voice my opinion in the planning process, I would be more engaged. As a teacher, knowing my students individually, their lives, their race, their culture is a way of creating that bond between them, which in line creates a conducive environment for the students.

Setting high expectation for my students, especially the ELL students who are still finding it difficult to get their way through English seems difficult. Danny Martinez in his writing, “Imagining a Language of Solidarity for Black and Latinx Youth in English Language Arts Classroom” talked about the bad experiences his parents had in school as ELL students. He used that to spell out the “physical and linguistic violence” against ELL students, which as a result makes these students attribute their “lack of knowledge …to their use of stigmatized language” (pg. 183). I agree with Martinez that it really hurts. Being a teacher with a different articulation, it hurts when you hear someone laugh at the way you speak or express yourself in English. I won’t want my students to feel that way, or feel that they are not smart or that their language is unwanted which means that their culture is unwanted as well. According to Martinez, teachers should embrace the language of these students and use that as a base to their learning English and having mastery in literacy.

I think Stewart and Martinez’s writing on how to teach our students, boils down to having a collaborative and cultural based classroom. Also, understanding who your students are, and what they bring with them to the classroom. Creating a good relationship with them. Stewart said “we (as teachers) need to ensure that we are learners of our students and their lives” (chapter 2, pg. 33). He also outlined sample rules and patterns that makes the classroom a conducive environment for both the teacher and the students. I love the sample rule 1, “I Learn, You Learn”, and I believe it’s the umbrella for the three other samples. Students also being the teacher in class makes the learning process more engaging for them. I also believe it brings out the rigor in them. I would make use of these five samples in my classroom, and see the reaction of my students to it. I am sure they would love it.