Teaching creatively

1. Read the Introduction. What "dominant paradigm" is showing signs of wear?

The idea that knowledge comes only from a teacher or a book is beginning to show wear. We are learning that students need to learn how to learn, not just memorize facts.

2. According to the research, how does Project-Based Learning support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.

Project-Based Learning helps students to better learn material, apply new knowledge to other situations, and have more confidence about learning than students who learn using traditional techniques (Barron). 

3.  According to the research, how does Problem-Based Learning support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.

Problem-Based Learning helps students to learn how to apply knowledge learned in school to problems they will face in the workforce. They are also able to form better hypotheses and form better explanations (Barron).

4.  According to the research, how does Learning by Design support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.

Learning by Design helps students to learn material more deeply and think creatively.

5. What are the differences between the three approaches?

These three approaches are different in what they require students to do. In Project-Based students are required to do something, in Problem-based they propose solutions to a problem or issue. In Learning by design they create and design an artifact. 

6. In your opinion, what is the most important benefit to learning that is common across the three types of inquiry-based learning approaches? 

The most important benefit is that students are the ones that are primarily responsible for gaining knowledge, learning, and creating with the language.

www.edutopia.org. (2003, August 01). Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/edutopia-teaching-for-meaningful-learning.pdf

The Power of Literacy

Literacy and language are powerful things. So much of our world depends on reading and writing. For people who do not have this skill, so much of their life is shut of from them. Books, web searches, menus, all are impossible to decipher.

Language is also important. As Purcell-Gates (2002, p. 133) states "the language one speaks is the clearest and most stable marker of class membership". This means that language often functions as a instantaneous label maker for many. If you speak like the power elite do then you must be in that group, or at least be like them.

This is also true for minorities. If you speak like a gang banger then you must be one, or if you drop your “G’s” and say y’all like a hick then you must be one. This becomes especially troublesome in Appalachia. The media, for over 100 years, has been perpetuating that idea that people from Appalachia are uneducated, violent, uncultured, and ignorant. The connection between the media’s portrayal of Appalachians and their dialect that now, nothing more than a few seconds of speech can get you labeled as a lost cause. This is what happened in “…As soon as she opened her mouth!”

It is vital that teachers in Appalachia see the effects that this can have on students. Students know that these stereotypes exist and some have internalized the negative. Some now believe that they can’t go to college or graduate high school because they are nothing more than a back-woods, West Virginia hick. If teachers know that these attitudes are there then they can work to eradicate them and replace them with a pride in where they are from.

Additionally teachers need to be careful to cultivate a cultural difference perspective instead of a culture deficit. “This [perspective] justified the belief that certain groups were intelligently inferior to others, particularly to the group in charge.” (Bolima , D. (n.d.)) Teachers need to realize that differences in other cultures do not imply a deficiency in those groups.

One way to overcome this cultural deficit perspective is to tap into each student’s unique funds of knowledge. Students in Appalachia have a different set of background knowledge than students from New York City. One set of backgrounds is not better than another. As teachers, it is our job to realize that and to embrace every student and the cultural capital that they bring to the table.

This can be done by selecting activities, lessons, and projects that relate to their backgrounds. This will also give them a chance to make connections between the classroom and home. This is facilitated by the fact that “Many families had abundant knowledge that the schools did not know about”. (Additionally it will give the classroom activities a greater meaning. This will help students to do better in the class room.

Another way to help students, especially in the area of reading is to help them see that their dialect isn’t wrong, just non-standard. You can do this by allowing students to linguistically study their dialect. This study will not only give students a better appreciation of their dialect and culture but also a wealth of information about code switching and linguistic code. “"By using their own words to describe these patterns, students move from what they intuitively know about language to an understanding of language variation and how it works in different settings and with different audiences." (Epstein P., 2011)

The photostory project helps students to realize the value of their culture and where they are from. It allows them to make connections between the classroom and their home and family. It also shows students that their culture is worthy of classroom study, just like the culture of any other place. By watching other students’ photostories, students can gain a better appreciation of the heritages of others and to know each other.

In my classroom, I would like to use this photostory idea as a jumping off point. It would be a good opportunity to get to know my students and also for them to use novice level Spanish to talk about themselves and where they come from.

I also plan to help students see more clearly the approaches to reading and writing in a second language. In the second language classroom every student has low literacy, and therefore every student will need support when it comes to reading and writing.  

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

Epstein P., H. (2011, September 15). Honoring dialect and increasing student performance in standard english. Retrieved from http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/3655

Funds of knowledge: A look at luis moll's research into hidden family resources. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B38BSV_Zo7aHSGVoMWEtOFRGMVE

Purcell Gates, V. (2002). As soon as she opened her mouth. In L. Delpit & J.K Dowdy (Eds.), In The skin that we speak: An anthology of essays on language culture and power. (Print: Anthology)

Culturally Responsive Teaching and Literacy

In “Honoring Dialect and Increasing Student Performance in Standard English” Epstein and Herring-Harris discuss some of the effects of a dialect on education and ways to use a dialect as a tool. The authors bring up several very good points that I had never really internalized. One was the affect that a non-standard dialect can have on standardized test performance. It is hard for Appalachian students to determine the right or wrongness of a particular grammatical structure when what they hear in everyday life is so different from what they hear in the classroom. Also students that study their “native” dialect are much better equipped to code switch when necessary. The study can also have a positive effect on their performance in the standard language. By understanding the basic grammatical and linguistic structures that underlie a dialect, they can better understand the foundations of the standard version of their language.

 

Several of the strategies mentioned in this article supported culturally responsive teaching. One was the comparative study between the native dialect and Standard English. This helped students to make a meaningful connection between the language that is used at home and the language that is used in the classroom.  Another was fact that they were even studying the Appalachian dialect. Most students have probably heard that their way of speaking is wrong. Studying it in an academic manner would help students to realize that their way of speaking isn’t wrong, just different. It would help them to see that their culture and way of life are important and worthy of being taught.

 

During my schooling I have experienced several different instances of culturally responsive teaching. One example occurred in my college Spanish Literature class. We read a short story about a silver mining town in the Andes. The story dealt with the tragedy of a mine disaster. After reading the story we discussed some of the similarities and differences between the mining village depicted in the story and the history of mining towns in WV. The story sticks out in my mind because of that connection.

 

There are many different resources that can help teachers be more culturally responsive. One is the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCREST). I have linked an article from them about culturally responsive teaching and literacy.

Callins, T. (2006). Culturally responsive literacy instruction. Retrieved from http://www.nccrest.org/Briefs/Literacy_final.pdf

Epstein P., H. (2011, September 15). Honoring dialect and increasing student performance in standard english. Retrieved from http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/3655

Where I'm From

 

I am from mountains, from Kraft mac & cheese and home made ice cream.

I am from the tree shaded white house on Grassy Lane.

I am from the spring lilacs, the summer gladiolas, and silent winter snows.

I am from family reunions in the mountains of Preston Country, from Grandpa Leland and Grandma 
Ethel and the Sypolts and Bolyards.

I am from generations of farmers who love the land.

From “You're only as good as your word,” and “Were you born in a barn?”

I am from a church on the side of the road, an old fashioned pastor who preached fire and brimstone, 
love and salvation.

I am from church dinners in his front yard, creek baptisms, and revivals.

I'm from years and years of church camps and friends that you do the craziest things with.

I'm from West Virginia, from the highlands of Preston County, and the “lowlands” of Lewis.

From the way that both of my grandfathers did all they could to own their farms, the long hours they spent on the land, and the hallowed peace of back porch sittin'.

I am from family bibles, and crates of old photos, cracked and split, handled with care.  

I am from corn cakes, and lasagna, and 50 year old recipes.

I am from a Dresden plate quilt, hand pieced and hand stitched, and from crocheted afghans, marked with a grandmother’s love.

From an insatiable thirst for good stories, from Narnia, Gallifrey, Randland, and the power of your imagination.

I’m from sunflowers in Hungary, the people of Nepal, and the city life of Buenos Aires.

I am from a wanderlust that leads me to every corner of the world, and a connection to the land that 
will always bring me back.

I am a West Virginian.