Unlearning the Myths

Rethinking cartoons and fairy tales?  What an intriguing notion.  Before I rush to criticize the cartoons that children watch I must remember that many of these cartoons and fairy tales were written decades ago.  Were they written with certain characters portrayed in a certain light on purpose or were they written simply for entertainment?  I would like to believe that they were made for entertainment and that we are simply reading too much into them.  Unfortunately I believe that the cartoons displayed an era of time.  Why are shows like Leave it to Beaver no longer being shown?  Because they represent a time long passed.  So why are we still showing cartoons and movies from that same era?  Why are new cartoons and movies sending the same messages?  The article referenced a newer version of Cinderella titled "Cindy Ellie, A Modern Fairy Tale."  Though a black girl rather than a white girl portrayed Cinderella, the messages were the same:  dress up pretty and the prince will love you, all stepmothers are bad, and siblings are competition.  Even though cartoons are sometimes modernized, they are sill sending the same message that getting something material, rather it is a new dress or a husband, is the way to make you happy or to be successful.  What the cartoons and movies need to be teaching is that inspiration, not material items, is the keys to happiness and success.

What I especially liked about this article was not so much the analyzing of the cartoons themselves but they way the teacher provided her students an opportunity to make a difference.  She exemplified teaching principals by looking for ways to help students act on their knowledge.  The main point of the article, stated on page 41, was that the teacher wanted her students to learn two things from this lesson:  “First, I want students to critique portrayals of hierarchy and inequality in children’s movies and cartoons.  Then I want to enlist them to imagine a better world, characterized by relationships of respect and equality.”  Based on the examples of her students’ articles, I would say that his lesson about unlearning the myths was a great success. Not only did they imagine a better world but also they acted on their knowledge by writing articles that have been published nationally.

I do not remember watching the princess fairy tales when I grew up; however, I probably read the books.  So, I cannot say how they influenced me personally.  As a teacher, I will be more aware of the influence that cartoons and movies can have on students.  I do believe that for some students having a dream for a better life is very important.  However, we need to teach them that the way for a better life is not through material items or by having a husband or wife, but that success comes from within ourselves.  

Evans, Igoa, and Hill

I found the Inner World of the Immigrant Child by Igoa the most interesting article for this weeks readings. Last summer I had the chance to work with some immigrant students during a summer camp.  What was amazing is that some of these children were in the United States without their parents - they were being sponsered by a local church and staying with people from the church.  These children were really taken out of their comfort zone.  Not only were they trying to learn a new language but also a completely new culture.  Perhaps I releated to them from my business background.  I would often have to travel to foreign countries and stay for a month at a time.  What I realized this summer is that we have as much to learn from them as they do from us.  It is so important for teachers to try to understand the world as the immigrant students see it and to create a learning environment that they are also comfortable in. I am anxious to read the rest of this book.

The readings from Evans "Literacy Moves On" was so exciting for me to read as my MGRP was about incorporating multimodality into the classroom.  The introduction made a statement regarding a study about what children do in their out of school time that only one child out of 90 chose to read a book and no one chose writing or drawing.  I've learned about the importance of offering new ways to approach reading and writing to students but this study really made it hit home.  I understand that some teachers may be more comfortable with letting their students read a graphic novel such as Diary of a Whimpy than other teachers but the statistics are out there:  we must adapt our way of teaching and reaching out to students.  Students are exposed to technology at such an early age that they almost expect to see it being used in the classroom.  I believe that using modern technology in the classroom to engage students could avoid some of the behavior issues that we are seeing in classrooms.  Interactive websites can keep students engaged and learning far longer than simply listening to a teacher lecture.  In addition, students are more likely to remember what they have learned if they are actively engaged. 

The article from Hill really made me stop and think about how some of the teachers who have been teaching for a long time may be intimidated by all of the new technology.  While students are being raised with new technologies many of these concepts are new to teachers.  It is our responsibility to learn new technologies so that we can meet the literacy needs of our students and improve their literacy skills.  By incorporating out of school interests with the requirements of the state standards we can begin to bridge the gap between student and school.  When teachers can bring a personalized meaning into a lesson then students will be more interested in learning and will remember the lesson longer than the assessment.

MGRP Refelction

I came across this cartoon as I was doing the research for our MGRP and it really inspired me to search further for the questions that I had about multimodality.  Today, everywhere in the world people are asking how educational systems can be transformed into ones truly appropriate for our time. How can people of all ages learn how to learn? How can they develop skills to deal with complexity and challenges that have never before existed? How can schools that were created for another time meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population of students?

In our research we found that multimodality promotes the development of a broad range of learners, such as visual, auditory, and tactile/kinesthetic.  Mulitmodality gives students opportunities to choose many of their own activities as well as having an enjoyable atmosphere that promotes exploration and the fun of learning.  Above all, multimodality allows students to be active participants rather than a passive observers. 

This is just a brief reflection.  We will share the rest of our research and findings with you during class tomorrow.

Show, Not Tell

     The theme of Chapter 5 in Allen’s book was teaching students how to show, not tell, about characters as they write.  I liked the “Creat-A-Character” exercise that the author did with her students.  This helped the students become the experts of their topic and gave examples of how to add detail.  Many times we tell our students to “add detail” but providing examples of what we mean by adding detail is a great learning experience.  The author went on to further help her students learn how to make powerful verbs rather than the weak everyday verbs we tend to use in our writing.  I had the chance this week in our field experience to help a student add detail and strong verbs to a story he was writing.  The student became really involved with his story after I explained how to use detail to show, not tell about, his character, Jack O’Lantern, who lived on Spooky Street. 

     Chapter 7 of Allen’s book helped me understand how I can help students incorporate art into their writing to express themselves better.  I liked the way the author showed examples of previous student’s work so that the class could see the endless possibilities that they could create. Gone are the days of the boring research papers that students presented by simply reading them aloud.  We need to teach students how to write and present their findings in ways that will help prepare them for the demands that they will face in the workplace.

     Seedfolks is a great example of showing, not telling, about the charcters of a story.  I read Seedfolks with the perspective of Sam, the older Jewish man.  The author showed us what a caring personality he had. The author gave us examples of how Sam was a peacemaker and looked for the good in everyone, no matter their ethnicity.  He would strike up conversations in grocery stores among people trying to get them to put their diversity’s aside, even if for a moment.  Since he was 78, he knew that he was too old to plant in the community garden so he hired a Puerto Rican teenager to help him. Fleischman’s method of showing, not telling, about the characters in the story brings a true to life feeling for the story.

You're Invited

We have all heard of Writer’s Workshop in classrooms, but what is a literacy invitation?   Before reading VanSluy’s article I could not have answered that question.  I now understand the importance of planning, preparation, and shared vision.  Invitaions allow students to raise and pursue questions that are important to them.  We, as teachers, need to provide a supportive learning environment that enable students to ask and respond to those questions that are important to them.  Invitations allow students to understand that we value their perspectives and not just a right answer.

Come with Me

            Come with me

            To the quiet minute between two noisy minutes

            It’s always waiting ready to welcome us

            Tucked under the wing of the day

            I’ll be there

            Where will you be?

                                    —Naomi Shihab Nye

This poem, which is refrenced in Van Sluy’s book “What, If, and Why”, is about taking a moment from the everyday hustle and bustle of our lives.  I found this poem inspirational as we are all so busy with our classes and lives.  Before this class I probably would have read the poem and thought, oh that’s a nice poem, but after reading Van Sluy’s article and Chapter 4 in Allen’s book, I now realize how much a poem can teach us.   I can also appreciate what a poem is.  Before our readings for this week, I thought that a poem had to rhyme.  I had always steered away from poems as a way of expressive writing because I thought that every other line had to rhyme. I really liked how the book suggested that teachers can approach students who are reluctant to learning poetry can be connected by looking at the lyrics to their favorite songs.  When students can relate what they are learning to their everyday lives then it will be something that they will be interested in learning and they will even be more inticed to remember what they have learned. Poetry is not a genre that I remember learning much about in school.  Now, I can’t wait to share poetry with my future students!

MGRP Inspiration

Reading Ch.1-3 &Ch/ 6 of The MGRP really helped me understand the purpose for doing a Multigenre Research Paper. I never knew what the term MGRP meant before this class and it’s very exciting to actually be working on a such a paper.  I liked how the author focused on how the entire paper's topic and genres were up to the writer. This was interesting to me because I am use to being assigned a topic and researching information that I am not interested in. The skills and confidence that the writer gains through writing a MGRP are incredible. “If students choose topics they like, it will make the multigenre project good.  If students choose topics about which they are passionate, it will make the project great.” (p. 27).  This is great for me to think about because students can create their own boundaries while writing.  I really liked the example that the book showed about the student who wrote about the famous gorilla researcher.  She chose so many different types of genres to show her point of view, such as the 20/20 interview, diary entry, poems, and even a news article about the researcher’s death.  How intriguing for such a young student to display so much passion in her work.

   

The journal article by Powell and Davidson was inspiring to me because the teacher did not give up on her students.  She showed us how we can create a community in our own classrooms.  I liked how The Donut House project helped students understand that they could be part of something. Students were able to use verbal or written language while interacting with their classmates and community members. At the end of the project, the students felt a sense of accomplishment. Powell and Davidson stated that “tapping into students’ ‘funds of knowledge’ is inherently motivating, and hence children are more engaged in learning when they perceive an authentic purpose for their efforts” (254).

Not Your Average English Lesson

Stacey and I are researching multimodal resources for teaching reading and writing.  I am finding this research very interesting.  One area that we researching is how to encourage the various types of multimodal practices in the classroom.  The rest we will share in our presentation!