Double Journal Entry #3

" Ultimately, the Cultural Deficit Theorists viewed cultures and environments outside of the mainstream Euro-American, as inferior.  These views catered to highly ethnocentric perspectives. In one article Martin Deutsch clearly outlined the middle class expectations and values existing in the educational system, while pointing out the deficiencies inherent in other groups such as "American Indian children, mountain children and children from other non-industrial groups" (1961).  The fact that teachers and schools were also failing to teach, was rarely broached and the blame remained conveniently elsewhere. "


Unfortunately, I think we still see this today.  Many educators feel that students who are from rural or inner city areas are less likely to want to or able to learn.  They shuffle them to the side and focus on the students they feel they are able to teach.  In West Virginia it isn't an issue of not valuing education or being unable to learn it is that students value different types of knowledge.  While they see the value in knowing "book" knowledge they also feel it is equally important to know real world knowledge.  I have to say I agree with them.  Too often higher educated people want to look down their noses at those who have a knowledge and understanding of mechanics, carpentry or agriculture as unintelligent or inferior because they chose a manual trade.  As someone who has knowledge of both I can attest that the amount of knowledge and intelligence needed for these skills rivals or exceeds anything I will ever do!  

I chose these two pictures because I think they illustrate the differences between the upper-class WASP ideal student and the inner city student.  Many teachers go into teaching thinking that their classrooms and students will look one way and come to find that it is very different.  A teacher has to teach no matter what type of student is in the chair!

1. How does elementary reading instruction contribute to poor literacy attainment for older children?

Emphasis on how to read crowd out reading for ideas, information and concepts.

2. What reading test scores good for?

They don't actually give an accurate picture of the complex issues but they do make things look bad and get law makers attention.

3. What reality about a literacy myth surprised you the most? Why?

I am not surprised by any of these maybe because I am a mother or an avid reader and writer but I know and understand all these issues.

4. What do you know about teaching reading comprehension in the content areas? Give an example of a strategy you might use to teach reading during a science or social studies lesson.

I know that it is the responsibility of all teachers to teach how to read their subject properly.  I remember how hard I found it to read math and that I had a teacher who helped me to understand the text.  I will teach my students to read social studies like a story.  History is just that a story of what happened before.

5. What kind of literacy do you have that was not acknowledge in school? (Literacy means being able to use texts and technologies to accomplish one's purpose in the world.)

I was great at listening and taking notes I could listen and take short comprehensive notes that i could understand later and that others could use and copy.

6. Give an example of a literacy practice.

outlining chapters so students know what the main ideas are ahead of time

7. What is a discourse community?

social media

8. What can happen if students valuable multiple literacies are not recognized as valuable in school?

students can disengage

9. Give an example of how a teacher might build on the extracurricular literacy practices of their students?

allowing a child to pick their own books to write papers on or chose their own sources online

10. Describe a time in which a teacher in your 4-12 schooling experience employed one of the research-base strategies to improve motivation.

We were given a task to find a movie or book that we felt was pretty historically accurate but also entertaining and describe its significance to popular culture.  

11. Give an example from your own K-12 schooling experience that engaged in you in multicultural literacy development.  

We were often asked to find books from or about other cultures that we had to read and report on.

12. What do teachers her gain recognition and respect from their peer also do well on?

Keeping things current and relevant to the day.

The National Council of Teachers of English, (2007).Adolescent literacy:a policy research brief. Retrieved from website: http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Positions/Chron0907ResearchBrief.pdf

Bolima, D. (n.d.). Contexts for understanding: Educational learning theories. Retrieved from http://staff.washington.edu/saki/strategies/101/new_page_5.htm

Retrieved from http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Deprived Areas Inner City Glasgow buKKhpGxZzUl.jpg

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.clipartpal.com/_thumbs/pd/education/classroom.png

Double Journal entry 2

I think this is an important point to make.  It is not up to us as educators to pass any sort of judgement on the child parents or their way of life! We are called to educate all children to the best of our ability and if we allow prejudice or judgement  to cheat a child of their right to the best education we can provide we have failed not only as educators but as human beings.  We are all products of our environment but also of our experiences.  This holds true for the students who are brought into our classrooms.  We are part of their experiences and are honor bound to give them our best.

What is literacy knowledge? Give examples of both print and non print literacy knowledge. It is understanding that reading and writing involve certain aspects such as reading words out loud or writing symbols into words. How do stereotypes interfere with literacy instruction? Stereotyping someone as a dumb hick and therefor unable to learn etc means a teacher is more likely to push that student aside and focus more on the "worthy" students. How do schools and teachers contribute to poor literacy instruction in school? By allowing students who are stereotyped to be shuffled aside or placed in LD classrooms instead of pushing them to achieve more. What is the relationship between language, social class, and the denial of educational opportunity?  Many people feel that if you have a accent or use a rural or urban dialect then you are automatically from a lower class and therefore unworthy having extra time and effort put into your education. What are some misconceptions about the relationship between language and literacy? Many feel that the way a persons speaks will tell you how intelligent you are.  I know that can be true but I also know that especially in WV it is usually false.  Many who speak with a relaxed southern drawl do so simply because they feel at ease with you.  If they are speaking in what you consider not proper English consider it a compliment because you are considered a friend and an insider. What can schools and teachers do to improve literacy instruction?  Encourage reading in all aspects of life, not just academic reading.   How do you feel about use of the term "Proper English"?  I think that Proper isn't too bad but maybe business English or even Technical English is more accurate.   Next read the New York Times Opinion piece titled Tall Tales of Appalachia (Non Print: WebPage) "Outsiders came, ones who didn't care about the thriving farms. They wanted raw materials for their factories, and the mountains had them. Our mountains were covered with the largest and oldest hardwood forest that people had ever seen. The coal deposits were the richest in the world. Industrialization came here like a cyclone roaring through the mountains. People like my ancestors were bullied, threatened and cheated out of their land. By 1920, timber companies had cut the entire forest. Most of the profits left the state along with the timber and coal." You still see this today. You look at our land and see the scars from the strip mines and the over timbering but do you see the profits in our communities?  I grew up in Flemington WV.  A small town in Taylor County.  It was a coal town, one of the many.  The houses were cheaply built by the coal company and housed the workers.  My Grandma lived in one.  The house was actually split into two so that it housed two families and was so cheaply built that you could clearly understand every word of the conversations being held by the neighbors. These houses still stand and people still live in them over 7o years after the company has moved on.  This is not unique and you see it in every county.  As long as we continue to allow outside companies to come in and make money off our resources and people  we will continue to stay a poverty stricken region. (1902). Retrieved from http://www.atoztheusa.com/state_images/Timeline/WV/s-wv-1902_strike.jpg Purcell-Gates, V. (1991). "...as soon as she opened her mouth":issues of language literacy and power. InThe skin that we speakRetrieved from https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6DFAmexYq7vMGQxMjI1OTEtMjAyZS00NzJmLTg1OTUtODlmMGQ0ZDIxOTVk/edit?hl=en_US O'Brien, J. (May , 2003 05). Tall tales of appalachia. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/10/opinion/tall-tales-of-appalachia.html

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Double Entry Journal #1

Due Midnight on Wednesday (5 Points) Research Review for Inclusive Practices (Non-Print WebPage) In a blog posting complete the following 4 tasks: Task #1:  Define  Inclusive Education and describe the kinds of students  "inclusion" is meant to benefit.  Task #2: Name 3 types of students Inclusive  Education is meant to serve.  2 characteristics of Inclusive schools 1 strategy that helps students become more responsible and effective in the inclusive process. 3. Find an article, video, podcast, blog posting, image related to what you have read and link to it or embed it in your Blog. Then explain why you chose the resource. 4. Include citations for all the sources referenced in your blog posting including the text assign be it video, podcast, article, or blog post.

Task #1

Inclusion is a restructuring of the educational program to get the best results for a wide variety of learners and their extremely complex learning styles.  Many of these include programs that support the students family and community.  It is meant to benefit all types of students from the learning disabled to the minority and low income.

Task #2

Some of the students that inclusion serves is homeless or low income, students with learning or other disabilities and those students who speak other languages. 

Inclusive schools provide a sense of community where every child is respected as an important part of the school and the community.  

Inclusive schools have problem solving teams instead of expecting one person to shoulder the responsibilities of solving a problem.

One way to get children involved and responsible in the inclusion process is by the use of cross age tutoring, or using older students to help younger students learn.

This photo is from an inclusive schools art contest.  I chose it because I felt that it shows that inclusive schools aren't just about severely disabled students learning basics.  Inclusive schools are about all students having an enjoyable time in school learning all the subjects.

(2009). 2008-art-contest-awards-group-picture1. (2009). [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.laddc.org/main/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/2008-art-contest-awards-group-picture1.jpg

Research review for inclusive practices. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.prel.org/products/Products/Inclusive-practices.htm