What is Literacy to me?
Before coming to class on Monday, I saw literacy through the eyes of the student I was in TE 301. Literacy in that class focused on reading and writing. I saw literacy as concepts of print, fluency, phonemic awareness, phonological awareness, etc. Going into the schools in Lansing, I worked in a classroom that focused on just literacy all morning. They worked on the students basic writing skills and they did accelerated reader on the computer to test their comprehension. Before our class on Monday, I never thought of literacy as being something that gives us the ability to function in society in the way that puts us above others who are not literate.
I have now looked at literacy in a new way. I believe that literacy is the foundation upon which all knowledge is built. Literacy to me is more than just reading and writing. Literacy is the ability to comprehend, and apply the language in everyday life. In class we talked about how literacy is something we subconsciously do everyday. We read the newspaper in the morning, drive to work reading street signs and following directions. Without knowing how to read or write, we would not be able to interview for jobs or fill out job applications. Learning literacy is as simple as the basics (knowing how to read/write) as well as a way for long term development throughout your entire life. Currently I still struggle with grammar and realize that is still a form of literacy that I need to work on.
Also in class people talked about how you can still get through life without learning how to read and write. I do agree with this because my grandmother was one of those people. However, in the world today, people compete to get into colleges to get high end jobs and being a literate person would definitely work for your advantage.
As future teachers, we have a huge responsibility to insure that our students gain as much knowledge in terms literacy. This year, when I go into the classroom, I realize how much a teacher can incorporate literacy in every lesson. My CT does a great job having her students do lots of writing during her science lessons and she always chooses wonderful picture books to read to her students during social studies. My CT even has her students create math word problems during their multiplication unit. I realize as teachers it is our job to focus on the basics as well furthering our students’ literary skills so they can achieve their goals in later life so they can go to college and get their dream job.
After reading the Cambourne article, I gained more insights on how important it is for teachers to guide students in the classroom. Cambourne stated, “inappropriate responses are incipient bad habits, and must be extinguished before they firm up an become fixed” (Cambourne, 1995). This quote showed me how important it is for teachers to intervene early their student’s literacy learning so that they can excel and not get behind. Cambourne went on to state, “Learners are too immature or underdeveloped to make decisions about their learning so the process must be directed and controlled by the teacher” (Cambourne, 1995). This quote reminded me of a time when I was in my placement last year and my teacher allowed her students to choose any book they wanted to read. Most of the students chose newspapers and picture books so they could look at the pictures rather than read the text. I believe teachers need to make sure that their students are reading a variety of genres so they can be introduced to a variety of texts in the classroom because many students do not get the exposure at home.
Literacy is something you never stop learning because it is always around you!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
my idea of literacy
I thought that yesterday's discussion of literacy was really intriguing. After learning about different aspects of literacy in TE 301, I felt that I had a pretty good idea of everything that went into it. We talked a lot about phonetics, comprehension, fluency, etc. I did research on these topics and could talk about each one of them and their importance. But after reading the Cambourne article and hearing the comments of my peers in our class, I realized that there was much more to literacy than I thought I knew.
Many of our classmates' definitions started out describing literacy in a more technical way. We said what literacy was, whether we decided to look at it generally, or specifically. However, almost everyone ended their definition by hitting at a overarching outcome of what it means to be literate. These are things that I had never thought of including in my own definition. I, like some others, thought of literacy in terms of its parts. What knowledge did a student have to know in order to be literate? Now, however, I have started to look at literacy in more of a package form. Not only what constitutes literacy, but also what occurs because of it, both to the individual and the world as a whole. In addition, the Cambourne article really opened up my eyes to what literacy means to a teacher, rather than just a student, as I thought about before.
First, I like to think of my own definition as a combination of the ones we heard in class. Technically, I think literacy involves the understanding and application of the written and spoken word. This includes all of the aspects I have learned about before- phonetics, comprehension, fluency, etc. It also includes the ability to give meaning to nonverbal as well as verbal clues.
But the definition of literacy expands beyond that. To me, it also includes what a student can do, or the world that is opened up, due to literacy. Literacy gives a person power. It becomes a tool to obtaining the power to learn from others, and spread knowledge to those around the world. It is a means to reaching a goal (the goal will undoubtedly change depending on someone's situation).
Finally, my definition of literacy speaks to the responsibility and obligation of teachers to give students the opportunity to reach their goals through literacy. Looking at Cambourne's article proved to me that teachers have a lot of work when it comes to promoting literacy. The different conditions are like steps or rules that teachers must follow to ensure that their students become literate. For example, the first condition mentioned is engagement. Teachers have to hook their students from the beginning, and get them excited to read and write from an early age. They must also instill the importance of literacy in their students from the beginning. If students have a genuine understanding of what literacy is, why it is important, and all that it can do for them, then they will have more motivation and a better chance of succeeding. Each of Cambourne's conditions is sort of an instruction- what teachers could or should be doing in their classroom to promote literacy. I like how we described each condition in class by giving an example, or a situation that depicted what the condition would "look like". We wrote these in terms of what the students would be doing- learning from a teacher's model for example- but what stood out to be is that the teacher would have to be fostering that student activity. Each one of those student's behaviors are a result of what the teacher would set up in the classroom community. I hope to be able to successfully use the knowledge I have gotten from Cambourne's conditions, and my appreciation for literacy to help build strong readers, writers, and communicators within my students.
Many of our classmates' definitions started out describing literacy in a more technical way. We said what literacy was, whether we decided to look at it generally, or specifically. However, almost everyone ended their definition by hitting at a overarching outcome of what it means to be literate. These are things that I had never thought of including in my own definition. I, like some others, thought of literacy in terms of its parts. What knowledge did a student have to know in order to be literate? Now, however, I have started to look at literacy in more of a package form. Not only what constitutes literacy, but also what occurs because of it, both to the individual and the world as a whole. In addition, the Cambourne article really opened up my eyes to what literacy means to a teacher, rather than just a student, as I thought about before.
First, I like to think of my own definition as a combination of the ones we heard in class. Technically, I think literacy involves the understanding and application of the written and spoken word. This includes all of the aspects I have learned about before- phonetics, comprehension, fluency, etc. It also includes the ability to give meaning to nonverbal as well as verbal clues.
But the definition of literacy expands beyond that. To me, it also includes what a student can do, or the world that is opened up, due to literacy. Literacy gives a person power. It becomes a tool to obtaining the power to learn from others, and spread knowledge to those around the world. It is a means to reaching a goal (the goal will undoubtedly change depending on someone's situation).
Finally, my definition of literacy speaks to the responsibility and obligation of teachers to give students the opportunity to reach their goals through literacy. Looking at Cambourne's article proved to me that teachers have a lot of work when it comes to promoting literacy. The different conditions are like steps or rules that teachers must follow to ensure that their students become literate. For example, the first condition mentioned is engagement. Teachers have to hook their students from the beginning, and get them excited to read and write from an early age. They must also instill the importance of literacy in their students from the beginning. If students have a genuine understanding of what literacy is, why it is important, and all that it can do for them, then they will have more motivation and a better chance of succeeding. Each of Cambourne's conditions is sort of an instruction- what teachers could or should be doing in their classroom to promote literacy. I like how we described each condition in class by giving an example, or a situation that depicted what the condition would "look like". We wrote these in terms of what the students would be doing- learning from a teacher's model for example- but what stood out to be is that the teacher would have to be fostering that student activity. Each one of those student's behaviors are a result of what the teacher would set up in the classroom community. I hope to be able to successfully use the knowledge I have gotten from Cambourne's conditions, and my appreciation for literacy to help build strong readers, writers, and communicators within my students.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Defining Literacy
I thought today’s discussion about defining literacy was really interesting because the entire class seemed really engaged especially since there were a lot of differing viewpoints. For me, I would say that my definition of literacy has generally remained the same after today’s discussion. I still view literacy as the abilities and skill sets that include but are not limited to reading, writing, speaking, listening and comprehension. I think my own definition is more specific and focused on the skills involved in literacy, whereas many other people in class today were coming up with broader definitions for the term. The best way I think to understand the connection between my definition and the others in the class is that mine would be almost a subset within their broader, overarching definitions. In addition, I believe, the idea that literacy is necessary to function in society does not seem a viable argument since many who are considered “illiterate” are perfectly able to live their lives. What I do agree with is that literacy is a bridge or a gateway to a more enriched and fulfilled experience as a person travels through life. I also think it is possible to be partially literate and like we discussed in class, there are different levels of literacy.
After reading the Cambourne article and watching the video of the Boston kindergarten classroom, I believe my ideal literacy learning environment would be a combination of that classroom and Cambourne’s conditions for literacy learning. I felt that all eight of those conditions were necessary components in creating a literacy learning environment that would be most beneficial for my students. I also thought that the conduct and events occurring in that kindergarten classroom were incredibly remarkable and covered many of Cambourne’s conditions; I hope that I will someday be able to establish a learning environment similar to that for my own classroom where students are engaged and immersed in literacy. In addition to these things, my literacy learning environment would include a diverse range of multicultural literature in order to enrich students’ knowledge about themselves and others. This is important because it teaches students to find value in themselves as they learn literacy and can help them engage by making connections to their own lives or between themselves and others.
After reading the Cambourne article and watching the video of the Boston kindergarten classroom, I believe my ideal literacy learning environment would be a combination of that classroom and Cambourne’s conditions for literacy learning. I felt that all eight of those conditions were necessary components in creating a literacy learning environment that would be most beneficial for my students. I also thought that the conduct and events occurring in that kindergarten classroom were incredibly remarkable and covered many of Cambourne’s conditions; I hope that I will someday be able to establish a learning environment similar to that for my own classroom where students are engaged and immersed in literacy. In addition to these things, my literacy learning environment would include a diverse range of multicultural literature in order to enrich students’ knowledge about themselves and others. This is important because it teaches students to find value in themselves as they learn literacy and can help them engage by making connections to their own lives or between themselves and others.
Literacy
Literacy to me is the ability to comprehend and apply language in all of its forms (verbal, non-verbal, written, ect) in every day life. It is also the foundation for which all knowledge is built upon.
I put this down as my definition because it encompasses a lot of information in a “to the point” sentence. I believe that there are different levels of literacy and that a person can function in society without achieving the highest level of literacy. The ability to interpret non-verbal signals is just as important as being able to convey a verbal message to a friend or acquaintance.
I also believe that without a solid foundation in literacy there is a ceiling cap on how much a person can learn/do in society. Literacy is used in almost every subject from language arts to math and literacy affects every aspect of an individual’s life from driving a car to writing the great American novel. Without that solid foundation or knowledge in this area a person is going to struggle with the more complex tasks of society. Having a solid foundation in literacy makes learning other subjects simpler if you do not have to struggle with the language aspects of that particular subject.
I do not believe the readings this week really changed my definition of literacy since we discussed what literacy is in TE 301.
Now this might sound a little crazy but I have thought quite a lot about how I want to set up a reading area in my classroom. When I was working at my church with my dad we built this massive tree house stage set. The tree has a huge upper level with 4 -5 steps which I plan on putting carpeting on and padding the wood rails with some sort of cloth. Up there will be a reading only area where children can go read books during free time or during allotted reading time. This tree also has shelves below in which I can put tons of books on and angle it in such a way that it won’t take up that much space. I measured my CT’s classroom the last two years and it has fit in both classrooms which leads me to believe that I can fit it in my classroom wherever it may be.
On top of that I want to provide the students with numerous opportunities to get involved in literacy from reading what they enjoy to creating an environment where they can communicate easily with each other and myself.
I put this down as my definition because it encompasses a lot of information in a “to the point” sentence. I believe that there are different levels of literacy and that a person can function in society without achieving the highest level of literacy. The ability to interpret non-verbal signals is just as important as being able to convey a verbal message to a friend or acquaintance.
I also believe that without a solid foundation in literacy there is a ceiling cap on how much a person can learn/do in society. Literacy is used in almost every subject from language arts to math and literacy affects every aspect of an individual’s life from driving a car to writing the great American novel. Without that solid foundation or knowledge in this area a person is going to struggle with the more complex tasks of society. Having a solid foundation in literacy makes learning other subjects simpler if you do not have to struggle with the language aspects of that particular subject.
I do not believe the readings this week really changed my definition of literacy since we discussed what literacy is in TE 301.
Now this might sound a little crazy but I have thought quite a lot about how I want to set up a reading area in my classroom. When I was working at my church with my dad we built this massive tree house stage set. The tree has a huge upper level with 4 -5 steps which I plan on putting carpeting on and padding the wood rails with some sort of cloth. Up there will be a reading only area where children can go read books during free time or during allotted reading time. This tree also has shelves below in which I can put tons of books on and angle it in such a way that it won’t take up that much space. I measured my CT’s classroom the last two years and it has fit in both classrooms which leads me to believe that I can fit it in my classroom wherever it may be.
On top of that I want to provide the students with numerous opportunities to get involved in literacy from reading what they enjoy to creating an environment where they can communicate easily with each other and myself.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
in bloom...
what does it mean for a teacher to "bloom"?
I love metaphors. Thinking of myself as a teacher in "bloom" is exciting and relieving at the same time. I entered the College of Education at MSU and thought to myself that because this is one of the best Education programs in the country, I would know it all by the time I graduated. With one semester left, I realize that is impossible. Every day in field is a completely new day. I step into the classroom and I learn something new or see something I didn't expect to see. Kids are surprising. I think that to bloom as a teacher means to take it all in, and learn from it. Each experience tells us something about ourselves as a teacher, and as a person. It is hard to say what kind of teacher I want to end up being, because I know that even that will change as I am going along. But when I think about my career as a teacher in constant "bloom", not knowing it all right now seems a lot less scary.
What I do know is that even if I don't have all the answers, I have learned a lot. I hope that this class helps to boost my confidence as a teacher, and helps to prepare me (as much as possible) for my future students. One of the most important ideas I have taken out of my education so far is the responsibility to teach for all students. To do this, I think that it is critical to incorporate diversity and multiculturalism into all aspects of the classroom. I want to learn how to better reach all learners, and foster meaningful learning with all of my students. Literature is a great way to do this, even if it may be one of the more obvious places to do so. I am happy and grateful for this class because I think it will help to develop creative ways to reach students through Language Arts, and will provide us with information that can be applied to all areas of learning.
I think back to the teaching courses I have taken in the past, and I think that the best way to bloom as a teacher is to learn from others, but also learn from our own mistakes. That is another important goal of mine this semester. The only way to become better is to self-reflect and take others feedback. That is what makes the process of becoming a teacher successful, and is something that we can definitely do during this course.
I love metaphors. Thinking of myself as a teacher in "bloom" is exciting and relieving at the same time. I entered the College of Education at MSU and thought to myself that because this is one of the best Education programs in the country, I would know it all by the time I graduated. With one semester left, I realize that is impossible. Every day in field is a completely new day. I step into the classroom and I learn something new or see something I didn't expect to see. Kids are surprising. I think that to bloom as a teacher means to take it all in, and learn from it. Each experience tells us something about ourselves as a teacher, and as a person. It is hard to say what kind of teacher I want to end up being, because I know that even that will change as I am going along. But when I think about my career as a teacher in constant "bloom", not knowing it all right now seems a lot less scary.
What I do know is that even if I don't have all the answers, I have learned a lot. I hope that this class helps to boost my confidence as a teacher, and helps to prepare me (as much as possible) for my future students. One of the most important ideas I have taken out of my education so far is the responsibility to teach for all students. To do this, I think that it is critical to incorporate diversity and multiculturalism into all aspects of the classroom. I want to learn how to better reach all learners, and foster meaningful learning with all of my students. Literature is a great way to do this, even if it may be one of the more obvious places to do so. I am happy and grateful for this class because I think it will help to develop creative ways to reach students through Language Arts, and will provide us with information that can be applied to all areas of learning.
I think back to the teaching courses I have taken in the past, and I think that the best way to bloom as a teacher is to learn from others, but also learn from our own mistakes. That is another important goal of mine this semester. The only way to become better is to self-reflect and take others feedback. That is what makes the process of becoming a teacher successful, and is something that we can definitely do during this course.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Blooming
Area 1: The classroom
I believe that as a teacher we can always learn and grow with each class that comes through our doors. I am always looking for different ways to teach different students because I believe that the more ways you can teach a subject or concept the better the students will be able to understand it. I hope that over this year and into the following years I will be able to grow and learn different strategies to teach my students. It seems to be a common concern among the TE students that we get nervous in front of the students. I do not get nervous in front of the classroom but I do want to learn how to include the children more into the discussion because I do not think I really do a good job at that aspect of teaching.
Area 2: Academics
As a teacher and just because of my personality I believe that the more informed I am on any subject and the more general knowledge I posses I will become a better teacher. I always have been fond of reading about the world and the issues that are plaguing the world; for instance, the
Area 3: Personal Life with Teaching
I have always been a community kind of guy; in other words, I have always been very involved in the community that I live in. I have always played on the local soccer teams and have volunteered around my home town and here at
Sunday, January 18, 2009
How I Want to Bloom as a Teacher
I am really excited about this course. During my placement last semester at Marble Elementary I was able to observe and assist in my 3rd grade class during their language arts period. For example, my students recently just had a huge poetry unit where they were able to think creatively through many different types of poetry they published. I kept thinking about different lessons I could teach my students for this course!
Throughout my 301 placement I was in Lansing Schools. However, this year, I have been placed in
However, lack of resources would not stop me from wanting to work in an urban district. These students want to learn just as much as students in suburban districts and they need the teachers’ motivation and belief in them to succeed. Throughout this course I want to learn how to motivate my students to enjoy reading, because I did not enjoy reading throughout grade school. No matter if the student struggles in reading or not, I hope that this class will teach me techniques and strategies to apply to my future teaching.
I am also aware that a teacher can incorporate literacy into so many other subjects. For example, during my social studies lesson that I taught last semester, I had my students do a write-up reflecting on what they just learned which provided me with an assessment of the social studies along with allowing me to see their writing skills. I noticed that many of my 3rd graders still struggled with grammar and spelling. I hope this class will allow us to look deep into the GLCE’s to see what students are learning in terms of language arts in all the different grade levels.
I believe that as teachers we will never stop blooming. Currently, I am defiantly nervous to have my own classroom. I am really excited for the future, but I am also relieved that we get a full year of student teaching in before we take that next step into having our own classroom. With each class I take at MSU, I feel I have bloomed. From TE250 where we learned about diversity, then TE 301 where we learned about terminology and assessments, to finally our 401/402 classes where we can start to apply what we learn into the classroom. My biggest struggle right now is classroom management. I feel I am lacking the confidence to put my foot down when a child is talking out of turn and establish rules from the start. I have really been taking notes and observing how my CT structures her classroom to get ideas on what works and what does not work. I hope this class will give me new insights on classroom management and how to structure my classroom during literacy time (centers, peer groups, free write etc.)
All in all, I love that as teachers we can continue to gain new ideas and techniques through our lesson planning with peers our entire teaching career. We will bloom forever!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Course Goals
Goals for the course:
Goal: To develop a better understanding of myself as a teacher
I think going into the interviewing process and even before you step into your own classroom, you should have a pretty good idea of what kind of classroom environment you want to establish. I feel we have previously had time to investigate different practices both in the field and in our TE classes; this semester I hope we can spend some time really getting a chance to create our ideal classroom environments on paper or through some other means so that we can keep that idea in our heads as we begin our internship year (though I know this may vary depending on our school’s environment). I feel like we were able to get a start on this during our first class period and I hope to continue this kind of instruction as the semester progresses.
Goal: To learn more about inclusionary literacy for an urban setting
Through both this class and my children’s literature class, I hope to learn more about how I can establish an environment that is inclusive of all my students as well as groups who may not necessarily occupy my classroom. This course would help me in this goal by perhaps giving me guidelines for choosing appropriate texts or even recommending some exemplary literature that would be useful in my classroom.
Goal: To learn more about interacting with students’ parents or guardians in an urban setting (or in any setting in general)
I’d like to learn more about how to get parents or caretakers involved in a child’s education. I believe this is vital to a student’s success, especially their literacy success, and would like to know more about what I can do and also where to draw the line when it comes to infringing upon privacy. I feel that literacy can be learned much easier and quicker if parental involvement and support is there, so learning about how to obtain that involvement would be very beneficial.
Goal: To learn more about assessing my students as well as my own teaching
This is really specific to literacy that I’d like to learn strategies for assessment. What resources are available for assessment? How can I assess my own teaching? I’d like to learn more about ways I can know when different teaching practices are or are not working.
Overall though, I would like my confidence in my teaching ability to bloom this semester. In the fall I will be in the classroom every day and by that time I would like to feel really confident that I can contribute to a child’s learning, no matter what kind of child I come across or what kind of area I work in. I think through my own hard work and useful/beneficial instruction in my TE classes, I will be able to accomplish the goals I have set for this semester.
Goal: To develop a better understanding of myself as a teacher
I think going into the interviewing process and even before you step into your own classroom, you should have a pretty good idea of what kind of classroom environment you want to establish. I feel we have previously had time to investigate different practices both in the field and in our TE classes; this semester I hope we can spend some time really getting a chance to create our ideal classroom environments on paper or through some other means so that we can keep that idea in our heads as we begin our internship year (though I know this may vary depending on our school’s environment). I feel like we were able to get a start on this during our first class period and I hope to continue this kind of instruction as the semester progresses.
Goal: To learn more about inclusionary literacy for an urban setting
Through both this class and my children’s literature class, I hope to learn more about how I can establish an environment that is inclusive of all my students as well as groups who may not necessarily occupy my classroom. This course would help me in this goal by perhaps giving me guidelines for choosing appropriate texts or even recommending some exemplary literature that would be useful in my classroom.
Goal: To learn more about interacting with students’ parents or guardians in an urban setting (or in any setting in general)
I’d like to learn more about how to get parents or caretakers involved in a child’s education. I believe this is vital to a student’s success, especially their literacy success, and would like to know more about what I can do and also where to draw the line when it comes to infringing upon privacy. I feel that literacy can be learned much easier and quicker if parental involvement and support is there, so learning about how to obtain that involvement would be very beneficial.
Goal: To learn more about assessing my students as well as my own teaching
This is really specific to literacy that I’d like to learn strategies for assessment. What resources are available for assessment? How can I assess my own teaching? I’d like to learn more about ways I can know when different teaching practices are or are not working.
Overall though, I would like my confidence in my teaching ability to bloom this semester. In the fall I will be in the classroom every day and by that time I would like to feel really confident that I can contribute to a child’s learning, no matter what kind of child I come across or what kind of area I work in. I think through my own hard work and useful/beneficial instruction in my TE classes, I will be able to accomplish the goals I have set for this semester.
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