Challenges...

There are several challenges to implementing an inquire approach to teaching. One is lack of teacher understand of what inquiry based learning is. Teachers will not be able to implement this teaching style effectively unless they really know what the process entails and the types of supports that students might need. Another challenge can be the lack of previous student experience with working with this type of learning. Students who aren't used to group work will need assistance learning.

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.

Literacy and Culture

Literacy is so important in life, but it seems that some students miss out on learning the joys and the wonder of reading and writing. Some just end up missing out on reading all together. 

1.       Elementary reading instruction contributes to poor literacy attainment for older children in several ways. One is the lack of foundation. If children do not receive the proper instruction on how to read and write properly, as well as strategies for getting the most out of text, they will most likely do poorly in middle and high school.

2.       Reading test scores work excellently at inducing a sense of panic in relation to reading education. However they don’t provide an accurate picture of the individual differences that can affect learners.

3.       The reading myth that surprised me most was that students finish learning about reading and writing when they leave elementary school. I would have thought it obvious that students do and need to continue their education in reading and writing up through college. Writing and reading are two skills that one can never practice enough, and they should make like long practice of the two part of their life.

4.       I know that it is important to teach reading comprehension in the content areas. Each subject has its own special set of symbols, definitions, and system of organizations. Without some practice and thought, the reading skills don’t automatically transfer. My two content areas are math and Spanish. In math, students need to know how to read equations, graphs, and charts. In Spanish students especially need good reading comprehension skills. Spanish students face the unique challenge of working in a second language. This makes comprehending the readings exponentially harder. Going back to reading skills that students learned for reading in English class can help them to successfully read in Spanish class.

5.       Many literacies find no place in the classroom. I have literacy in reading latchhook guides, maps, GPS compasses, and reading house plans. These literacies weren’t focused upon during school.

6.       An example of a literacy practice is a young student writing a poem that reflexes his or her culture.

7.       A discourse community is a group of people tied together by a common trait whose communication is governed by rules.

8.       When students feel that their multiple literacies are not recognized as valuable in school the begin to reject school literacy. Students need to be able to make the connection between the value of what they do in school and the things that they like or choice to do in their free time.

9.       Teachers can use construction plans to talk to their students about lengths and areas, or angles and shapes. A student who is competent in reading construction plans will see the connection between school and their life outside of school.

10.   In my 10^th grade Honors English class we did a Fantasy/Sci-fi unit. At the beginning of the unit, every student was able to look at copies of 10 different books. We then ranked to books according to how much we wanted to read them. From those rankings, we were assigned to a group. Each student got a say in which book we read. This made sure that we had a book that we were likely to read and that we would be more involved in the project. We were also more interested in each other’s projects since not everyone was reading the same thing.

11.   In my AP Literature class we read texts from several different eras, from authors of different races and cultures.

12.   Teachers that have their peers and supervisors’ respect have students that do well on standardized tests.

 The National Counsel of Teachers of English. (2007). Adolescent literacy. Retrieved from 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 

Dialects and Judgement

We judge people. We do it every day, consciously and subconsciously. It's a part of human nature, a product of our species' need to survive. The caveman that wasn't willing to size up his competition based on his clothing or his looks was likely to end up dead. Today we don't typically judge a stranger to determine whether or not they are likely to put a knife between our ribs, but we still judge. First impressions are made quickly and are hard to shake. Everyday we look at people's clothing, their personal hygiene, their car, their house, or their skin tone and we make determinations about them. We also listen to their speech and make snap decisions about their level of education and their socioeconomic status. Often speech is a good indicator of class and eduction "because the language one speaks is the clearest and most stable marker of class membership" (Purcell-Gates, 2002, p. 133).

Even though we make these judgements, the key is to not let what we think determine how we treat others. This is especially true in the classroom, where a teacher's attitude towards a child and his or her abilities can have as profound of an impact as the child's actually abilities. Purcell-Gates (2002) states, "If the child's family is poor, his parents undereducated, his dialect nonstandard, then we are much more likely to interpret experiential difference as a deficit in the child, in the parents, in the home, in the sociocultural community within which this child has grown up. And when we do this, we play God, conferring or denying educational opportunity to individual, socioculturally different children. And we do not have the right to do this" (130).

Every child has the ability and the right to learn. They also have the right to do so without hearing that they will never be able to learn as well as other students because they are black, Mexican, not Asian, or a fifth generation backwoods farmer. My mom and her friend, Ida, who was the valedictorian of their Preston County high school, were told by their guidance councilor that they shouldn't go to college. Technical school was the highest goal that those Preston County farm girls could aspire to. College was a ridiculous dream, after all they would be barefoot and pregnant in just a few years. To this day, those words still ring clear in my mother's head.

Education is one of the best means for a person to gain a better life. When teachers determine a child's ability based on where they came from, they are not only telling that child that he or she can't learn, they are telling them they can't be any better than their parents. "He's from the projects, he'll never learn to read." or "She's just a backwoods hick, she'll never graduate." is the same as saying "Where you come from is the most important thing in life and you will never escape it." This can create a sense of shame in where the students come from and reinforce the idea that they have to forget their past, their heritage to be successful.

In "Tall Tales of Appalachia",  O'Brien says, "[My father] took the hillbilly stereotype to heart and all of his life believed that he was backward and inferior -- a despair I, too, have been trying to escape all of my life." (O'Brien John, 2003) This "despair" is one that I too carry. Never in my life have I been told by a parent, teacher, or guidance councilor that I can't achieve my dreams, but because of the media continuously perpetuating negative stereotypes of West Virginians and hillbillies, this "despair" has seeped deep into my subconscious. There it lurks in the dark corners whispering that I'm not as good as my peers from other states. I am currently researching colleges, several out of state, where I can get a masters in Spanish, either in applied linguistics or second language acquisition. That "despair" nags at me, saying that I'll never make it out-of-state. I know that in another state, I will be judged by where I'm from, my tendency to say "fer" instead of "far", and  the number of G's that disappear from the ends of my gerunds.

Literacy knowledge is knowledge of the system or reading and writing. An example of print literacy knowledge is knowing that written words have meaning. Non-print literacy knowledge is knowledge about how reading and writing are done, such as the fact the we read left to right. Stereotypes can interfere in literacy instruction in a few different ways. One is when teachers assume that a lack of literacy knowledge reflects a deficiency in a child's upbringing or culture, instead of just a difference. Another occurs when teachers allow stereotypes to determine how much they think that a student can learn. Schools and teachers contribute to poor literacy education when they refuse to compensate for student's lack of literacy knowledge.

Some will judge students on the basis of their language or social status. They will then use this to determine how much students can learn. They will never strive to have the student achieve more than their low set bar. They will deny them educational opportunities because they believe that the students will never be able to take advantage of them.

Some believe that you can not learn how to read and write a proper language until you speak that proper language. This is not true. There is always a disconnect between the written word and the spoken word. Teachers can improve their literacy instruction by showing students example of written language in different registers and situations. They can show them that everyday colloquial speech shows up in written works just the same as formal erudite language.

The term "proper English" implies that there is one specific dialect of English that is superior to others. This does a disservice to the rich, diverse, linguistic history of English. The different dialects of any language reflect the unique and varied influences that have shaped not only the language of that location, but also the history and culture. Different registers and tones in language also reflect the diversity of the people.

Mastering a language isn't just about obtaining the ability to speak a certain dialect. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages have developed Proficiency Guidelines, which are used to determine an individual's mastery of the language. Their highest level of mastery, Distinguished is not reserved for those that can speak the "proper" dialect of a language. This distinction is given to those that "are able to use language skillfully, and with accuracy, efficiency, and effectiveness. They are educated and articulate users of the language. They can reflect on a wide range of global issues and highly abstract concepts in a culturally appropriate manner. They can tailor language to a variety of audiences by adapting their speech and register in ways that are culturally authentic." ("Speaking - ACTFL," 2012) Distinguished proficiency in a language includes being able to communicate authentically with the lower level dialects as well as the proper ones.

As a Spanish student, I see the most foreign language instruction focuses on the "proper" form of the language, which is a good foundation. Foreign language teachers must also be careful to show students that the proper way of speaking a language is only one way, and that it is not always the most effect way. They have to show that other dialect have value. In a letter to the editor of The New York Times, Maria Arreaza- Coyle (2000) says, "As a longtime teacher of Spanish as a foreign language, I have always found myself explaining the differences between the written and the spoken language and defending Mexican and Puerto Rican dialects from attacks by students who believe that Spanish from Spain is ''purer'' and therefore superior."

O'Brien John. (2003, May 10). Tall tales of Appalachia. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/10/opinion/tall-tales-of-appalachia.html?pagewanted=2&src=pm 

Arreaza- Coyle, M. (2000, February 11). Defending language. The new york times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/11/opinion/l-defending-language-766895.html?src=pm

Speaking - ACTFL guidelines 2012. (2012). Retrieved from http://actflproficiencyguidelines2012.org/speaking 

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)