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.