The "how-to" on Grading

Christensen's little secret is that she does not grade papers. As a future educator, reading that can seems a little far fetched simply because we do issue report cards and we do have to assess our students writing somehow! The system that she promotes or encourages is instead of correcting with our notorious red pen all of the errors the student made, we should start with what our students do right. Not only what they do right but what are their strengths in their writing before completely faltering a students confidence to write. We don't want our students to "clam up" and want to avoid writing at all costs, considering many are hesitant to write as it is. We can point out what is working and in the areas that could use improvement, give actual feedback. Some ways she suggests is to write questions to encourage deeper thinking and writing. Having these questions not only is concrete feedback, but from personal experience, can be very helpful when editing or revising a paper. It allows the student to understand what the teacher is looking for but also HOW to go about adding and editing their work.

Christensen also brings up a great conversation around the language of power. As ELA teachers, we will have students from multitudes of backgrounds with different home languages and a vernacular we may not be accustomed to. As we have talked about many times, we should not discourage the range of languages and vernacular in our classrooms because in doing so, we may lose the "meaningful" aspect of our students writing if forced to only write in Marketplace English. With that being said, we cannot forget that being ELA teachers, we are responsible for teaching our students these conventions and grammar in order for them to succeed. A great way Christensen introduces the idea of correcting is by using a Patterns of Error sheet that students will have access to when revising their work. These patterns allow students to monitor their corrections as well as for teachers to monitor their progress. Finding the patterns of errors will give teachers insights into why the students are making these mistakes, as well as give students the skills to develop a habit of self checking their small grammatical/conventional mistakes.

Hawley Turner and Hicks also add great insights on the importance of using technology in a purposeful and realistic way when using it for writing. If we create a rubric with exact checkboxes to check off (the example they use is how many slides/images/ etc) students will either 'over do' it or will add anything just to meet the requirements. This does not constitute as Meaningful Writing assignment. We have to find ways to ensure that our assignments are purposeful and have the capacity to feel their writing is meaningful and will be something they want to work on. Whether its a video production, blog, voice over, etc we have to remember why we are assigning it and what we want students to leave with. These readings definitely got me thinking about my MWP and the possibilities in our units!

How can we empower our ELL students?

“Young people who have experienced migration and/or are disempowered within their communities can bring their home artifacts into the classroom and make them come alive with their new meanings.”

The readings, Pahl and Stewart, are the first articles that I feel really have helped me understand the importance of spending time really understanding how we can access our ELL students as well as empower these students in their classrooms. Like discussed in practicum, we talk about how majority if not all curricula "leave out" what they want and select what's "most important". There will be students in your classroom who will not have one 'mirror' in your classroom.What does this tell our students? It tells them that their story doesn't matter, or count. It's a reflection of power that is engrained in our society that becomes undeniable when looking at what we teach our students.

The readings also point out that children do not see the relevance of “schooled literacy”. From being in classrooms for practicum I can completely understand why they are not valuing or recognizing the importance of school because educators are not connecting their work to their lives. As we hear time and time again, we have to bridge students home lives with their experiences in schools. Once we bridge the two, students become interested and meaning making can finally happen.

Artifacts are brought up a multitude of times as a way to bring these two worlds together. What is an artifact? This can be many things. They focus in on how artifacts do not have to be simply stories or texts. It can be something they listen to, feel/touch, drawings, how something tastes, etc the list goes on and on. In doing this, it opens up the kind of instruction that we can do with our students. It becomes less of direct instruction and creates a more student centered learning and students own discovery/observations. Not only do students get the opportunity to share something about themselves and culture, they also start that conversation that links back to power and privilege.

By not taking these things into account, (migration, ELL/EB students) we continue the power structure of the students that "fit" in the school system. Students that will succeed under the curriculum "fit" under this umbrella and it "worked" for them. I had a conversation with another classmate about the fact if I had not learned about differentiation and finding ways to access all students, I would be okay with sitting in rows, and learning straight from a book, with no other supplementary readings or thinking about my Emergent bilingual students, etc. The school system "worked" for me. I was a student who enjoyed the direct instruction, the lecture, and projects, etc. After taking my education courses I now understand how important it is to stray from that traditional scope of teaching and is something I really look forward to as a future educator.

How to Approach Our ELL Students

Before reading Fu and Martinez, I had a general understanding of the importance of encouraging students native language. After reading Fu, I found that she did a great job of laying out the stages of an ELL's journey when writing in their native language as well as writing in English. Almost a "chart" to guide educators through an outline of the expectations for their students as they continue to develop as a writer. As Fu reminds us, academic writing is difficult for everyone especially emergent bilinguals who are not encouraged or even forced to use English only when writing. Unfortunately, in doing so, students are not able to use their strengths in their native language to then translate their ideas to English.

Whenever reading topics around ELL and emergent bilinguals, I try to put myself in the shoes of these students.  I imagine myself in a classroom surround by those who speak anything but English and not having the opportunity to use English in the classroom. Writing in a completely different language would be impossible for myself; I cannot imagine attempting to write an entire academic paper in Spanish, for example. Allowing students to use their native language and how Fu puts it, following the "natural stages"(Fu 22) when developing their writing is an approach that is much more student centered and less deficit based language. These students are acquiring a different language at a quite a fast pace in my opinion. Fu's approach to ELL or emergent bilinguals seems to follow a more "natural" process which is very different than my experience with ELL students. Many teachers would hand out worksheets with different vocabulary words or grammar practice problems that they would fill out and do nothing with. Writing can be used as a tool to get our emergent bilingual students invested in their writing and continue to develop the skills to over time, code-switch and interlanguage to eventually writing in English.

Jamilia Lyiscott: "Three ways to speak English"

Martinez focuses on another aspect that Fu doesn't indulge in which is their cultural identity. Forcing students to not use their native language can be an act of "linguistic terrorism" (Martinez 183). As Christensen also reminds us, focusing too heavily on grammar and syntax of our writing and speech can derail a students writing progress, but also correcting students constantly on their English abilities  will hinder their view of themselves and close off their ability to express themselves and make meaning. Not only could this cause students to maintain a deficit perspective of themselves, but can also manifest into a form of internal oppression. Our main focus as educators is to give our students the space and opportunity to express themselves in the ways they feel most comfortable. Establishing this understanding will create a more open and safe space for their own progress in code switching and interlanguaging to develop their writing in English.

Digital Literacy Can't Wait... and is long overdue

Before even diving into the readings and the podcast, the title "Digital Literacy Can't Wait" struck me. Hicks and Hawley Turner really dive into the fact that it is our responsibility as educators to facilitate our own professional development and keep up (catch up depending how you look at it) with the advances our technological world is facing. I find that in my high school experience, there wasn't much focus on digital literacy as much as I have experienced in college. From the short three weeks that I was observing in North Providence I realized that (even though they are not much younger than me) I was missing some references and connections that students were making. I do believe that it is crucial to stay up to date and know whats going on in the world for your students.

I really enjoyed Hawley Turner and Hicks brings up the activities that analyze commercials and marketing tools. I find this to be a great way to physically show your students the sly and strategic tools marketing teams use to get people to buy their products and ideas. The activity they portray really digs into the particular strategies and how they make you feel or how they "show" you an idea without even using words. These are most definitely Digital literacy skills that they need to be aware of. Not should but NEED.

Also shedding a light on how digital platforms use the power of reviews and testimonials to promote a product or could potentially threaten the success of the product. Showing students their own agency and power on these platforms will encourage these students to get into these writing projects. The Podcast from Onbeing, with Danah Boyd really ties the readings together really well.

Digital literacy is clearly something that is necessary in the 21st century, because of the fact our digital platforms, "show various extremes but the practices themselves say a lot about humanity (Boyd). I can absolutely agree that in this day and age, social media and the internet has created a platform to shed light on these systemic issues right at the core. Boyd poses a great idea around why this next generation of kids don't play outside anymore as well as the dangers of bullying that come with the internet. Kids aren't playing outside anymore because the way American society has transformed itself, our parents have filled up our schedules as much as possible that sometimes the only way to stay in touch with friends other than school is through some technology platform. Many worry that bullying has increased because of the internet. I'm unsure of the legitimate statistics, but from personal experience I do believe it gives students a different way to engage in bully-related activities. However, this technology also gives us a window to what the "adult world" as Boyd likes to reference it, models for the children in the next generations.

"How do adults interact? We interact through what we call politics, reality TV, and our modern day news stations."

What kind of model do "adults" give their children when they scrutinize and criticize absolutely everything in such a hard and critical way. This can definitely contribute to having bully tendencies because of what they seem to emulate from parents, public figures and celebrities. Like Hawley Turner and Hicks reiterates, teaching the younger generation on how to look at any form of social media or news with a critical eye. We have to teach these skills to students in order to not "fall trap" to the propaganda our media platforms bombard us with. I found the podcast to be very interesting because it lays out how the internet and computers/technology has evolved in such a short amount of time. Computers were originally viewed as educational only and it has blossomed into such an expressive and connecting network that has become part of our own beings. I'm not pro-technology but I am also not delusional to the fact that it is a part of the world we live in which also makes it my own responsibility to educate myself in order to advocate for my students and understand where their needs are. If we cannot understand our students, we will always create a gap between the educator and the students that will hinder their own progress.

Essay Writing

After reading Christensen's chapter on essay writing, it is clear that her approach to writing is completely different than what I was exposed to in my student career. While reading I found myself highlighting and saying, "YES!" multiple times. Her approach is not only a more "student centered" approach but also one that will meet the NEEDS of your students.

In doing this, Christensen models that teaching the skills necessary to write an essay is crucial in getting your students to write that "fire" paper. We cannot expect students to become excited or at all engaged in their writing when they are not explicitly taught how the process works! It is not to say it has to be the "5 paragraph" essay that has no playful writing, but I appreciate that she mentions,

"Essays have a set of conventions that most writers follow. Students need to be explicitly taught those conventions, so they enter the academic world and feel comfortable there". 

I completely agree that we need to teach the basics of how to write papers in general. If we do not, you're always asking an impossible task of writing an organized paper with supporting evidence and direct quotations to support their main thesis. You can sometimes be speaking a different language to them using these kinds of terms. Therefore breaking down the material and expectations will alleviate the stress students may encounter when essay writing. She also mentions how modeling is a great way to show your students the different types of writing. This is where I underlined and wrote "YES!" a thousand times. I remember in high school not having much of a model when writing essays and even when we did, it was never an example of something that did not fall under the category of academic writing ("boring 5 paragraph essay). Showing that you can be descriptive and playful, sassy even, opens the door to new ways students will access work. I was personally never exposed to these different forms of writing or encouraged to step outside of the academic realm. 

Reading Christensen's ideas about thesis writing, gave me a great idea for my future classroom. She mentions of having a thesis wall where students would write a "working thesis" on the wall that they can display and change whenever they feel appropriate. This could be used as a workshop tool for students when beginning their ideas and thesis of a paper. Writing on the white board different students thesis, they could work as a class to dig deeper into the meaning and find ways to improve it together. In doing so, the students are able to learn from one another as well as improve their thesis in the process. I say this all the time but I am definitely keeping this book!

Racial Justice is not a Choice

    "Assuming that standardized testing accurately measures teaching and learning" in theory standardized tests would be a great way to determine what our students know. However, it is clear, simply from personal experience, that standardized testing can not evaluate a students knowledge entirely based on one test. They could have woken up late that day and missed breakfast or they were up all night because their baby brother was screaming all night, or they had to work the night before so they were up late, etc, the list goes on and on. To say that a student falls at the bottom of the curve from one particular test is absurd. I was a student who did not enjoy standardized testing except maybe for the readings because I was weird like that and enjoyed reading. Other than that, I had such anxiety knowing that I was going to be tested and timed on subject like math and science that I struggled so much on. I found these cartoons to be eyeopening to say the least. From being in the education program the past three years we learn a lot about the CCSS and how it "places you in a box" and "lacks the ability to showcase strengths and display diversity among students". I have heard many many educators who complain about the CCSS because of these very reasons. I have experienced even in my practicum placement students receiving their PSAT scores, comparing theirs to their classmates. Overhearing many students scoring low and either bragging on how much better they did than so-and-so and those who hide their score because they are embarrassed of how low they had scored.

  After reading Wayne Au's Racial Justice is Not a Choice, I was left feeling a bit uneasy. A line that really struck out to me was that, "standardized testing supports white supremacy" (Au 243). I never thought of standardized testing in this way and found the claim to be a little too bold. After completely reading through the argument, I understand what Au is trying to get at. I can agree that standardized testing comes with immense pressure that "hopes" to close the achievement gap but instead is doing the opposite. Believing that these tests will create racial equality without taking into consideration all other outside forces is absurd. "Test score correlate most strongly with family income, neighborhood, educational levels of parents, and access to resources-all factors that are measure of wealth that exist outside of schools" (Au 244).

Au continues the argument that these tests have a history that originated to enforce white supremacy, create rigid curriculum and materials, and place a physical restraint on students taking these tests. All are valid arguments to support the argument that standardized tests are active participants in racial inequality in our classrooms. However,  I found this article to be a bit unorganized and almost propaganda-like. Not to say that his argument is not valid, but something about it did not sit right with me.

I found it interesting that in the beginning of the article, there is a section of five separate quotes all relating around the idea that, "education is a civil rights issue of our time" (Au 243). The quotes date from 2002, 2004, 2010, 2011, and 2017. Clearly this is an ongoing issue that was not resolved with the NCLBA and is currently still something we struggle with in 2018.

Politics of a Paragraph

Thinking about last weeks class, we talked a lot about how we all have experienced the rigid five paragraph essay that we have been taught as gospel. All through high school we are focused on how to write in this "formulaic" way, with concise writing, no "fluff", etc. However, personally I believe this class has challenged that way of writing in multitudes of ways. I am a believer in the structure of paragraphs and the formulaic nature to it because that is what I know and have mastered between high school and college. SED 445 has brought what Christensen, Michelle Kenney and Chris Kindred  talk about and is pushing to change the way we think about our writing in schools. 

Academic writing takes away the creativity that students want to incorporate in their writing because they follow the academic structure of, "TISAS (pronounced “T-sauce”—topic sentence, introduction to supporting evidence, supporting evidence, analysis, summary, transition sentence) (Kenney and Kindred). I completely resonate with this format because I can see my old graphic organizers with these key words as sentence starters. Kenney and Kindred argue that this kind of writing is not engaged writing and I agree that this limits our thinking and almost makes writing like completing a math problem. (Why would we ever combine math and writing!) Writing is an act of discovery and should not be limited to this unmalleable structure. 

Christensen promotes the idea that students should be given opportunities to write with, "Subjects that are broad; they give students room for choice within the topic, and they offer multiple entry points" (Christensen 61). I like Christensen's word choice of entry points. Giving students these multiple entry points gives students agency to start with something that resonates most for them. Not every student may resonate with the one writing prompt that is framed to have a particular expected development. Therefore, giving multiple options encourages students to look at things from multiple perspectives. 

I also enjoyed how Christensen values narrative writing as a tool that can also aid them in understanding, "how authors construct stories and use literary tools like characterization, flashback, interior monologues, and figurative language" (Christensen 60). The more students are exposed to narrative writing that uses these tools to engage the reader in the writing, the more students will feel comfortable attempting to use these skills in their writing. "Blocking" is a theatre term I am very familiar with and I believe to be a great way to show students how descriptive a piece can really be. After reading a small passage, without assistance, students are able to 'act out' the scene being laid out. This is a great way to get students up and moving but also show them the power of words. That straying from the rigid academic formula can be very impressive writing. It shows there are other styles and tools they can use to take their writing to the next level. I love reading Christensen because she lays out her rationale with concrete ways and examples of how to facilitate these skills to our future students. Definitely keeping this book!