Oral Language: Literacies, Languages, and Chicago

In the article, "Literacies and Ethnolinguistic Diversity: Chicago", a major theme that was discussed was the different ethnolinguistic and literacies that make up, and even define, the city of Chicago. For the majority of Chicago's history, the city has been known as a crossroads of trade and (more importantly) a crossroads of ethnicities and linguistics. From Native Americans to today, Chicago has seemed to always be the place where various people from various ethnicities and/or who speak a different language come together to trade, work, or live. A great statement that accurately sums this up is, "thus both historically and currently, ethnolinguistic practices in Chicago are inextricably linked to events, people, and institutions in their places of origin" (278).

Although this article continues to talk about the difficulties that many ethnicities have had to overcome in order to establish an identity from their original country, I think a bigger "take-away" from the article is thinking about how our students are reacting to this environment. For the most part, not all of our students are going to come from the same ethnolinguistic background, and one of the problems that our adolescent students will face, especially the ones in high school, are establishing an identity for themselves based on their domestic cultural and linguistic upbringing and the culture(s) and linguistic(s) they experience around them. This can be extremely difficult enough for our students, but what can make this even more challenging for them is not allowing them to develop their identities in schools (and I guess in this case it would be high schools) by shoving academic language and literature down their throats for seven to eight hours, five days a week.

There needs to be a balance and a connection between academic ethnolinguistics and the cultural ethnolinguistics for our students during school. Many students dissociate cultural ethnolinguistics from their academic subjects because they do not see how the two worlds connect. I think that it is very important as teachers to connect what we are teaching to our students' ethnolinguistic background so that they can have a better understanding of the importance of the material being taught to them and how it helps them in developing their identities. A simple solution to this is allowing our students to speak in their ethnolinguistic preference to one another in the hallways, before class begins, or to help them think of an answer, and to not have (or show) a negative label on our students for it. By creating this respect, teachers can create a classroom that is open for all students to learn and to not worry about being judged based on who they are.

Another important statement in the article was, "The world's languages and dialects, used alone and mixed with each other or English, create vibrant communities with range of oral and written genres" (278). Because of the way technology has advanced and mixing of ethnolinguistics, our usage of slang has increased and advanced. Instead of trying to completely cut it out of schools though, we should allow our students to speak in their own way to help them understand academic material.

Oral language in the classroom

 As future educators, we will encounter students with diverse backgrounds and languages. We should support and empower our students' voices. This week's reading by Marcia Farr, was insightful and put into perspective how the literacies and enthnolinguistic diversity in Chicago shapes identities. The relationship between language and culture encompasses ethnic/racial, gender, class, and other identities. Farr argues that individuals create identities around the verbal styles that characterize them. Thus, it is an integral part of one's life. Chicago is a prime example of a multicultural and multilingual city. Our students' languages are an inherent part of their identity. We should acknowledge the importance of their language and encourage and teach them academic language. However, oral language in our classrooms can both hinder and support learning in our classrooms.

How can oral language hinder our students? As a former ESL (English as a Second Language) student, (I say former because nowadays I mostly speak,write, and read in English than Spanish, even though I try to keep a balance.) I struggled with literacy, especially reading. I came into kindergarten speaking only one phrase, "I need to go pee pee!" I took ESL classes until 5th grade, when I started learning a third language, Italian. I flourished in my Italian class because of its resemblance to Spanish. I owe much of my success in English to my teachers and parents. I had very supportive and thoughtful teachers who encouraged me and provided extra help with reading or with vocabulary. English language learners (ELLs), for example, may need more help with vocabulary and grammar. As teachers, we may need to modify texts for those students or have students work in groups. Discussions are effective because students can take part in rich and structured conversations. Also. hearing and listening to their peers will help them learn English. In my elementary school, I never spoke Spanish but I think it helped me learn English faster because no else was speaking Spanish. 

Code-switching

 I often refer to my language as Spanglish. I do this a lot especially when speaking with my parents or older family members. But what exactly is code-switching? Well, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as: "the switching from the linguistic system of one language or dialect to that of another." Here's a *funny* example:

 This article lists interesting explanations as to why we code-switch. I know I definitely code-switch when in a classroom. The jargon I use when speaking with a professor, is very different from the one I would use to speak with a friend. Our students will come from different backgrounds so it is imperative that we teach them and guide them to use academic language in our classrooms. However we should be careful not to label their home language as wrong, but rather have them recognize the difference between home and school speech. 

Anchor Standards (Common Core)

"To build a foundation for college and career readiness, students must have ample opportunities to take part in a variety of rich, structured conversations—as part of a whole class, in small groups, and with a partner. Being productive members of these conversations requires that students contribute accurate, relevant information; respond to and develop what others have said; make comparisons and contrasts; and analyze and synthesize a multitude of ideas in various domains."

These standards are helpful when preparing students for college and careers. 

How do you think code-switching can affect our students' literacy? 
How will you empower students' voices? 

Formative Assessments and Adaptability

This week's reading, Assessments to Guide Adolescent Literacy Instruction, focuses on the use of formative assessments in the classroom and how the information gathered from these assessments can be utilized by teachers to mold their lesson plans to fit their students needs. The reading states that  "Assessments given to obtain information useful for guiding instruction are typically referred to as formative assessments." There are three different types of formative assessments: Classroom based assessment, benchmark assessment, and formal and informal screening and diagnostic assessments." Much of this article focused on classroom based assessments, which are the daily assessments used by teachers to monitor their students progress through out a lesson. The reading later explains that the information gathered from these types of assessments is only useful when the teacher who gathers it is able to adapt to their approach to instruction based on the information stating that " formative assessments are only effective if they are followed by effective instructional responses or appropriate feedback."

I completely agree with this statement, it is extremely important for a teacher to know how to successfully take the information they have gather and use it to adapt their lesson plans to fit their students needs, but it is also important for teachers to understand how to adapt on the spot if the information they have gathered requires it. One example that is given in the reading is of a teacher who was instructing an eighth grade class of children with learning disabilities. The class was learning how to analyze text to find evidence to support an argument. As the teacher walked around the room she noticed that many of her students were not using the correct strategies needed to efficiently find the information that was required to support their arguments, so asked them to explain how they were analyzing it. After the students explained their technique, she adapted to the situation based on the information that she had just received, and created a "mini-lesson" on the spot to teach her students more effective tools and strategies that they could use while analyzing text. After, this she made a note to remind herself to monitor students independent use of the strategies, so she could further assess thief progress. 

The reason I think this example is so important is because it shows how you can effectively use the information gained through formative assessments and quickly adapt your lesson plan to fit your students specific needs. Also, the ability to when know how to take the information you have gathered and improvise on the spot allows you to quickly clear up any misunderstanding in your classroom and allows you and opportunity to provide scaffolding for your students to improve their knowledge and chance of success in your classroom.

Literacy Assements

Testing our students.












This article talks about the various ways,we as teachers, can asses our students to see what their capabilities are and to indicate us, based on their results, on how we should modify our curriculum. The article mentioned one of the most common assessments teachers use today, which is formative assessment.

By definition, formative assessment means, "assessments given to obtain information useful for guiding instruction." If this is the case, then in my opinion, we shouldn't  penalize our students for doing poorly on such test. We should reiterate to them that the results are used to indicate us what their problem areas are. The article mentions the three crucial times students should be assessed to monitor their progress and identify their struggles: begging, throughout, and end of the school year. I think this a great way for teachers to check progress, but in my opinion the scores shouldn't be used as grades.

As great as formative assessments sound, it is my experience that teachers generally do not use their student's test results as a way to shape their curriculum. From the times that I've observed, being in a high school classroom, teachers don't care too much about the scores their students get as a way to form their next lesson plan. The most that I've seen teachers do is a test review, and then they move on to the next lesson. Teachers will suggest that students seek tutors and study on their own time, but I've never actually seen a teacher alter their curriculum based on assessment scores. A lot of teachers have their curriculum planned from the begging of the school year and most of them are set in their ways.
 
In my opinion, that s not the way to go because when a student is struggling in an area that is essential to their learning and it doesn't get the attention that it requires, the student will then have gaps in their learning. As the class get harder and harder the students who did poorly on the assements test will most likely fall behind because they cant advance to more difficult skills without fixing what they previously missed. If student don't know or learn the basics, how can they be expected to master the rigors of advanced material? How do they go from A to Z, when they're having a hard time getting from A to B?

I think this is where students get frustrated the most, because as the class advances, and the assignments get harder and harder, they're going to struggle to keep up. It is here where we see students give up, or have lack of motivation. That's why, I do agree with formative assessments, but I know that a lot of teachers don't practice it. 

Adolescent Literacy Instruction

As I read this weeks assigned reading Assessments to Guide Adolescent Literacy Instruction, a few points resonated with me. This article, specifically the 20 pages or so assigned provides empirical evidence as to the success of formative assessments within the classroom on not only learning, but student achievement of state standards. As the article states, " To be maximally effective, both instruction and classroom formative assessments should be aligned with state standards." This statement does not sit right with me to say the least. I understand formative assessments are only as successful as the instruction provided however, if aligning our assessments with state standards has proven successful why are students still underachieving? Isn't the entire reform of public education thus far been to promote achievement following the failure of No Child Left Behind and the currently controversial Common Core? Isn't it possible that higher performing schools have an easier time adopting assessment and instruction to their curriculum than lower performing schools? This article states the common trend that lower performing schools according to Langer tend to use test preparation strategies to teach rather than formative assessments. However, what does the data tell us when lower performing schools incorporate differentiated instruction and formative assessments?  I have a difficult time accepting that formative assessments and differentiated instruction are as successful in achieving standards as this article states.

Furthermore, the article suggests instruction is more important in regards to student achievement, "evaluations of classroom-based formative assessment are as much an evaluation of the instructional adjustments resulting from the assessments as they are of the assessments themselves." I think this article demonstrates the instruction we as educators provide as essential to achievement rather than the assessments themselves. Feedback and gauging where students struggle is effective when altering lesson plans and focusing on improvement. Essentially, I disagreed with the first 10 pages or so of this article, but I found the section dedicated to proper instructional strategies and formative assessments intriguing.

If we are doing formative assessments, but nothing is done with the assessments in terms of instruction they assessments become pointless. Offering pre and post assessments as this video states is a way of understanding the achievement of where the students are struggling and need improvement. However, if nothing is done in terms of instruction following assessments, the students fail to learn accordingly and nothing changes. Incorporating rubrics prior to assignments is a point this article makes early on. From my experience I firmly believe this is a useful assessment when preparing for large assignments such as essays and projects. Moreover, the use of group discussion as a means to improve reading and comprehension is something we see on a daily basis in higher performing high schools. I find the instructional strategies provided in this article as useful for us as future educators, but the alignment of standards and assessment is still something I feel is difficult to do successfully.

Do you believe if all states provide nationwide formative assessments we can successfully achieve standards? The video above provides examples from Michigan as educators collaborate to study formative assessments and effective instruction, and is quite informative on this entire process.

Digital Literacy in the Classroom

Today's young people are often referred to as the "selfie generation." Today's technological advances have made it possible for us all to stay connected and even a little narcissistic. Technology is ubiquitous in every aspect of our lives'. Why shouldn't that be the case in our classrooms as well?

This week's article provides insightful strategies in which we can teach digital literacy to our students. Brianna Crowley uses The New York Department of Education definition for digital literacy: “having the knowledge and ability to use a range of technology tools for varied purposes.” If an individual is digitally literate, they will have the skills to strategically find and evaluate information. This is especially important in the discipline of history. Our students will need to develop research skills in order to write coherent and argumentative papers. 
The links provided within the article are extremely helpful resources. As educators we should provide guidance, instruction, and practice so that our students understand what it means to be positive and productive digital citizens. We have to teach our students how many things online are not real or accurate. We must teach them the "benefits, dangers, and opportunities technology provides." 

One resource Crowley mentions that has been very beneficial in the classrooms I have been observing, is Google and YouTube. 

We can help our students become efficient searchers. In all subject areas our students will need to be able to find and access information. Whether it be for projects or research papers, they can use resources like Google Search. 

"A Google a Day" is a great way to teach our students essential research skills and engage them to go deeper into exploration. 

As we are teaching our class how to use the internet for research purposes, we must also incorporate ways to make sure that the information we are gathering can be trusted or accurate. If our schools are fortunate enough to have the resources, we should teach our students how to take full advantage of them. Here at UIC, for one of my History classes, I really appreciated learning about the UIC library's services and collections. I felt more confident in my ability to research and gather the support needed in my paper. 

Social Media
As 21st century learners, our students will probably be very excited to use social media as part of an assignment or project. (I'm even using it currently for my HIST 255 "History of Chicago" class. We are suppose to take "selfies" at the museum/neighborhood we will report on. And of course this class!)

Here's, a great article on 7 ways we can use social media in the classroom. 

The Time article, Crowley presents, argues that society's response to kids with devices has been "fear-based and reactive." I find this true because I'm sometimes hesitant to let my daughter use my phone or ipad. I believe in teaching the parents how to monitor and use social media. The internet is a powerful tool, so we must be able to keep up with it and guide each student to use it responsibly. 

What Digital Literacy Looks Like in a Classroom

What Digital Literacy Looks Like in a Classroom

The Wonders of Technology

In the article, "What Digital Literacy Looks Like in a Classroom", author, Brianna Crowley, shares how she uses the technological advances of today into her classroom to make the connection between education and how to use technology in the classroom to further the education of our students. She addresses the question, "what does it mean to "digitally literate"?" and answers it with the definition of the New York Department of Education definition of, "having the knowledge and ability to use a range of technology tools for varied purposes". Because of the technological advances, everybody is familiar with the internet, smart phones, laptops, tablets, computers, etc, and in some way it is hard not to say that people today are not affected by technology in some way.

A great statement Crowley makes is when she says, "many of us wrestle with how technology is shifting they way kids learn" because it is true. The way younger generations learn has been affected by the way technology has advanced and their high amounts of usage with it. So why not create a classroom with digital literacy where we are using apps that many students are familiar with to relate to their learning in the classroom? In her article supporting digital literacy, Crowley goes on to talk about the various ways she incorporates apps such as Twitter, Google A Day, Instagram, etc into her classroom and the difference she has seen with her students' behaviors towards learning, and she highly encourages for all teachers to create digital literacy in their classroom.

However...

To be honest, I really disagreed with the article on numerous points made. Although I agree that teachers should use more technology in the classrooms, especially with younger generations growing up in a world of advanced technology, I don't think that teachers need to centralize their curriculum around the use of technology. There are many reasons why I believe this, but in short here are the three main reasons why teacher's shouldn't centralize their curriculum around technology:

1. Not all schools have the funding to support a technology-rich curriculum.
2. Not all students have the necessary technological tools to use in the classroom.
3. Creativity in the curriculum will begin to disappear.

As I was reading the article and came across my first reason and second for not liking it, I was pleased to read at the end that someone commented on the same concern I had. I don't know who Ford is or what their background in education might be, but I think they are absolutely right when they say, "Until we ensure that every student has equal access opportunities to technology, every day, digital literacy goals will not be realized by everyone". Even though it is hard to imagine someone without the daily access of a smart phone, laptop, computer, tablet, etc, There are still many students in low-income communities nation-wide that don't have easy access to the internet and their only way is to go to their local public library after school or on the weekends. Schools in low-income areas struggle with funding for basic materials like textbooks, and having to fund enough technological tools (i.e. computers, laptops, and/or tablets) for students is pretty much out of the question.

Another concern that entered my mind as I read the article came after Crowley was explaining how she brings digital literacy into the classroom by saying, "I've used Google A Day challenges to teach my students advanced search strategies". Although it seems that Google A Day is a great app to use, the statement made me think of what future lesson plans will look like. Using technology can be very creative in a curriculum, but after a certain point are teachers really going to be thinking of different apps to use for activities and projects or will everything be copy and paste from the internet? Will the actual lesson plans be individually created by the teacher, or will there be one app that teachers can go on and pick and choose what activities they want to use in their lessons and which outlines and/or presentations to use for their classrooms? The internet is great because so much information and ideas are accessed globally, but too much information can lead to mindless copying and pasting ideas, methods, strategies, etc into a lesson plan to the point where the teacher doesn't need to think of what they want in their curriculum.

I'm not saying that we, as teachers, shouldn't try to find ways of bringing technology into the classroom, but I don't believe that our entire lesson plans should be entirely centered around it. Along with that, a final question came to my mind after reading the article that really bothered me at the end when Crowley asks, "Are you preparing students to use devices and technology successfully?" My final question; Is it every teacher's responsibility to teach students how to use technological devices? Should it?