Critical literacy and it's application to real life

The readings for this week are at the heart of a question I’ve been asking myself all semester and Lisa Simon says is so well “How do we help students engage with texts that pose such challenges to comprehension and engagement but which have potential to extend readers’ understanding of self and their role in the world?” (Simon, 135). I appreciate her suggestions about how to help students understand complex texts and her use of a specific work, House of Mirth and the challenges the students faced throughout the novel.

I like her points of contact exercise a lot. It helps students who may not be represented in the work have a chance to reflect on the relations of power and class in Wharton’s novel and that time period 1905. It lets them critique the novel and consider Wharton’s biases. Her depiction of only the upper class whites in New York ignores the bigger picture of the immigration boom, the fight of the suffragettes, and workers rights that were going on in that era. The characters can seem static to students today, which can make them unmotivated. What can they learn from these outdated characters?

When reflecting on my own education I realized that I rarely questioned what an author wrote. I saw their voice as authoritative and I took it at face value. I believe that a lot of students relate to texts the same way I did and this is to their detriment. I want my students to understand that the author doesn’t have the last say. They should be able to realize that every author has a bias and a purpose for what they are writing. Questioning and critiquing authors is a valuable skill that extends beyond the classroom. It is vital when watching the news or viewing advertisements. It is also crucial when interacting with people. Teenagers can be cruel. They look down on each other and spread rumors like wildfires. I want my kiddos to realize that people have motivations behind their actions that may not be honest or respectable. This means that if they hear a rumor about someone it doesn’t automatically mean its true.  Critical literacy is a good jumping off point for our students to think and react to situations in their lives.

On another note, I am substituting for my CT all day on Thursday. I am excited to be in the classroom all day. This will be a first for me. She says her classes in the afternoon are big and rowdy. If they’re rowdy with her, how will they act with me?! I’ll let yall know what happens next Monday… Stay tuned. 

Texty McTextersons and the loss of my sanity

As I read Sweeny’s article for today’s class I felt myself remaining a bit skeptical about the place of cell phones in the ELA classroom. When I observed on Friday two of the boys in class were having a texting war. They were sitting in the same classroom and texting insults to each other. It was all in good fun, nothing hostile, but the only way we could make it stop was to take one of their phones away. I can’t even tell you how many times I had to tell one student or another to put their phone away during that class. They’re everywhere. As I’ve mentioned before, my CT allows the students to take out their phones to make reminders for themselves about assignments and she also lets them take pictures of things on the boards so they remember what’s on the PowerPoint or different websites they can use to find their Lexiles etc.  I feel like she is “confronting the beast” and acknowledging that the students have phones at their disposal so she might as well let them make use of them. However, they are such a distraction in the class. Maybe I’m showing my age, or at least my traditional side, but I’m not really a fan of cell phone use in class.

On the other side of the spectrum, last night I went to a church youth group game night with one of my students as a part of my community plunge project. When we arrived we sat around and chatted for a while and then, as things were getting started, a girl walked around with a bucket and we all had to put our phones in it for the remainder of the night. At first I was taken back, but then I realized what a great idea it was! Everyone was actively participating in the games and no one was slinking off and zoning out to check their Facebook or texts. So I found myself wondering, is one of these approaches better than the other when it comes to my classroom?

There will be those days when I curse the creation of the smart phone when I’m teaching. I know that, but I wonder how can I seriously put this new technology to use in my classroom without it feeling hokey, or fluff? Like I mentioned last week, there is a line that can be crossed when using new technologies in the classroom in terms of superficiality and worthwhile technological engagement. Is the practice really helping the students learn something new or is it just to keep their attention so they’ll think I’m a cool teacher? A lot of the suggestions in Sweeney’s article felt a little hokey, to be honest…I feel like having the students text each other comments and suggestions seems unnecessary and will lead to A LOT of disruption in the class.  

I believe there are those days when the students will benefit from having all of their phones (ipods too) picked up and put away until the end of class. They will be more engage in the conversation or the task at hand. So, I feel like I’ve kind of made my choice on not incorporating cell phones into my classroom. That’s not to say I’m not open minded I just haven’t found a way that will not lead to chaos or a superficial lesson where utilizing cell phones isn’t more than for the mere sake of using them. As always, I’m completely open to suggestions! 

Digital literacies

Our articles this week really piqued my interest. Bringing these new digital literacies into classrooms are vital. As teachers we need to find a balance between traditional texts and modern technology like Twitter and blogs. By introducing and embracing blogs wikis etc we’re showing our students that their literacy translates infinitely past our classrooms. Their creativity and opinions can be expressed to people all over the world. Not just in the papers they turn in to us at the end of the six weeks. Some students need that extra push to be engaged in class. I personally still want to have a large emphasis on the traditional written word however. I love reading actual books. I don’t own a Kindle and never plan to. Most of what I read for pleasure comes in the form of novels and short stories. I try to go to the library weekly if possible. I get my news from the Internet and I use e-mail and Facebook to communicate but reading a book is a sacred act for me and I hope to pass on that experience to my students as well.

My CT does a really great job of incorporating both. She has a blog she updates weekly and she puts homework on there for her students. Sometimes they have to answer a simple question like what is the picture you see when you open the blog, just to make sure they are visiting it when she tells them to. She also makes sure that the kiddos know that they can use the computers in her room whenever they need to. This ensures that they don’t feel excluded from these new technologies if they don’t have the Internet at home. 

The article that struck me most this week was Schillinger’s. I really love the idea of the two different groups of girls working on the wiki together. It’s like a modern day pen pal scenario. If we let our students work and communicate with other students from different backgrounds, or different countries entirely, I think there is a lot both groups could learn from one another. This idea is kind of linked to my blog from a few weeks ago. Open communication and creating unlikely bonds can enlighten students. By broadening their worldview the students could be more open to other people’s varying perspectives and they will be less likely to judge others. Teenagers can be cruel, notoriously so. Having them foster a friendship with a student from a different socio-economic background or perhaps someone from a different country they can learn compassion.

I’m thinking with my experience I could easily start an “e-pen pal” project between my students in Austin and my Thai high school in Chiang Rai. The Thai students can benefit from learning more English and the Texan students can learn about a different way of life and new perspectives of life. What do yall think?