Double Entry Journal #6

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

 

The instructional model of the teacher and the textbook as the primary sources of knowledge, conveyed through lecturing, discussion, and reading is the "dominant paradigm" that is showing signs of wear due to innovative learning, project-based curricula, and performance-based assessment. (Barron & Darling-Hammond)

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 involves completing complex tasks that typically result in a realistic product, event, or presentation to an audience. Research on project-based learning (PBL) has found that students who engage in this approach benefit from gains in factual learning that are equivalent or superior to those of students who engage in traditional forms of instruction. This approach aims to take learning one step further by enabling students to transfer their learning to new kinds of situations and problems and to use knowledge more proficiently in performance situations. (Barron & Darling-Hammond)

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

 

 In problem-based learning, students work in small groups to investigate meaningful problems, identify what they need to learn in order to solve a problem, and generate strategies for solution. In all problem-based approaches, students take an active role in building their knowledge, while the teacher’s role is to make thinking visible, guide the group process and participation, and to ask questions to solicit reflections. This type of learning helps students learn to analyze complex, multifaceted situations and to develop knowledge to guide decision-making. This approach has been found to be better in supporting flexible problem solving, application of knowledge, and hypothesis generation rather than traditional approaches. Additional studies have demonstrated that students who participated in problem-based experiences are better able to generate accurate hypotheses and coherent explanations and to support their claims with well-reasoned arguments. They also experience larger gains in conceptual understanding in science with this approach over traditional ones. (Barron & Darling-Hammond)

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  is based on the premise that children learn deeply when they are asked to design and create an artifact that requires understanding and application of knowledge. Design projects require students to set constraints, generate ideas, create prototypes, and develop plans through story-boarding or other representational practices. Studies show  that the design project led to better learning outcomes than the traditional approach to instruction. The research team found that both higher- and lower-achieving students showed strong evidence of progress in learning the targeted science concepts, and that students were able to apply key concepts in their design work. They also noted a positive effect on motivation and sense of ownership over designs among all the students. (Barron & Darling-Hammond)

 

5. What are the differences between the three approaches?

In my opinion the three names of the approaches simply explains the main difference between the three approaches. Project-based learning involves creating a realistic product, problem-based learning involves creating a solution, and learning by design involves creating artifacts. 

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

In my opinion, the most important benefit to learning that is common across the three types of inquiry-based learning approaches is that the students are learning and understanding information more effectively than they did with traditional approaches. We want our students to succeed therefore it is important to understand that other methods do work better than traditional ones. 

Citations: 

•  Barron, B., & Darling-Hammond, L. Teaching for meaningful learning. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/edutopia-teaching-for-meaningful-learning.pdf

Double Entry Journal #5

"We argue that reverence is central to the kind of teaching and leadership we need in today's schools and that listening is one of the prime activities of reverence" (....) I selected this quote because I agree with the idea of reverence within the classroom especially in today's society. The environment and our surroundings are changing, if teachers do not model reverence than students may never understand the importance of it. I believe listening is a major activity of reverence because in order to show respect one must be able to listen. In my opinion, if students talk in the classroom while the teacher or other students are talking than they are being disrespectful because they are not listening. Therefore listening is a huge aspect of reverence. 


1.What is reverent listening and how can it support culturally responsive teaching? Reverent listening is the idea that by listening to others you are being respectful. Reverence is a virtue, a trait of character; so too is reverent listening. Reverent listening can support culturally responsive teaching because it gives students the opportunity to learn about one anothers culture. 

2. Give an example from your own schooling experience of what this quote means:

    "Reverent listening is not to be confused with humiliation and domination by others who force us to listen,and even less so, with the kind of incompetence that wants to be told what to do."

In school teachers constantly were telling students to listen; many of my peers got yelled at for not listening to others. In my opinion when you are young you don't fully understand why you "must" listen in school. It was to learn new things but it was mainly due to the fact that listening is a sign of respect and as a class or community we should always be respectful of each other. I recall students getting mad for getting yelled at to listen, but with my experience if a teacher reinforced to me to listen I felt ashamed because I knew I was being disrespectful and my parents taught me to always be respectful of others.

3. What is meant by a "laundry list of value ethics"? Give an example from your own schooling experience. And then explain how this approach to character education can be NON-culturally responsive. In my opinion a laundry list of value ethics clearly means that a list of value ethics was created and the ethics upon it are most important to be taught and conducted just as a laundry list. This approach can be non-culturally responsive because who is picking and determining these value ethics. The person creating this laundry list may have a different viewpoint from other people within the classroom/area.

4. Have you ever had a teacher that at one time or another exhibited the traits of a reverent teacher? What did they do? How did they make you feel? Yes, I have had teachers who exhibited the traits of a reverent teacher. One teacher was very persistant on the importance of reverence; she constantly spoke of respect. On the other hand, another teacher within my school was less successful with this approach because in my opinion she was so concerned with receiving respect from her students that she became more of a friend and lost even more respect from the students because she lowered herself to their level.

5. What factors contribute to a "toxic" school culture? According to the text non reverant listening is a major contribution to a toxic school culture because this leads to violence and other out breaks. Teachers who are not leaders in reverence contribute to this toxic environment because then students do not have a role model to look up to.

6. Find a quote in this article that you would like to incorporate into your own philosophy of education and explain how it fits or changes your philosophy of education. N/A Honestly I found this article very confusing and although I agree with the ideas in it for my philosophy, I could not choose a specific quote because the vocabulary seemed rather confusing to me and I could never see myself speaking in the form used throughout the article.

7. Find a strategy/activity conveyed in a video, blog posting, lesson plan, or online article that will help you become a  teacher who cultivates a reverence in their classroom and school community (key search terms: teachers and reverence, teachers and mindfulness, teachers and rituals, routines (do not search teachers and ritual without the routine qualifier. If you do you will se disturbing stuff ). Link to it and describe how you will use it in your future classroom.

This teacher had students create this video called, Respect Rap Only, to explain how they feel about respect... they speak about respecting the teacher around 2:11. The video is a great creative way for students to understand the importance of respect.

Activity Three

     In my opinion these three subjects, language, literacy, and power, all link together which causes a relationship. The language one speaks is a vital marker of class-membership and social class withholds a disclaimer over individuals' will to learn. Power intertwines all of these. It is important for educators who plan to teach the Appalachian region to understand that relationship because although the students in this area speak a different dialect they are not incorrect. The way they speak is how they were raised; teachers need to intertwine the three subjects and allow students to speak the way they were taught. "I knew she was ignorant just as soon as she opened her mouth!" (Purcell-Gates) I chose this quote because after reading the entire chapter I still felt it was the most important sentence within the article. I was so surprised that someone could be so judgmental over language. Where would the world be today if we judged every person based on their dialect or accent? The nation we live in today is constantly growing in population and diversity! Teachers along with others should never judge "a book by it's cover". Just because someone speaks or looks differently than yourself does not mean they are ignorant or uneducated. Teachers can overcome cultural deficits perspectives of their students by getting to know and understand where they come from. As stated in Luis Moll's Research, "The home investigations revealed that many families had abundant knowledge that the schools did not know about..." (Funds of knowledge) This quote proves that no matter what people look like they are always capable of anything; they may just simply need to retrieve the information in a different form.

      Elementary reading instruction can contribute to poor literacy attainment and instruction because the emphasis on processes of how to read can crowd out attention to reading for ideas, information, and concepts—the very skills needed for literacy attainment. Also teachers and schools can contribute to poor literacy instruction because of a cloudy judgement pertaining to cultural deficits and or cultural differences. For example, a teacher who may move to China to teach math may have the cultural difference perspective that all students from this culture are mathematically inclined which may not be true. An example for a cultural deficit perspective could be that a teacher from Pittsburgh may move to the lower area of Appalachia and immediately assumes that the students lack elements to succeed in education because the area is different than Pittsburgh or may seem to withhold a lower class. Again, power and social class definitely affect these theories and outlooks. "Ogbu claims that these variables and others create barriers for involuntary minorities and keep them in a position of subordination" (Bolima). It is important to allow students to speak their personal dialect. This is who they are and with these terms they will perform best. Students who learn to write in their own dialect first have a better chance of grasping English literacy skills. By allowing students to write and talk in their own dialect teachers are showing them that although the languages are different they are similar and okay to use. Some strategies that can improve literacy instruction for speakers of non-standard English include building bridges of meaningfulness between home and school experiences or acknowledging the legitimacy of the cultural heritages as worthy content to be taught in the formal curriculum. With these strategies the teacher again is showing that the students' cultural capital is important and that although their dialect may be different it is not wrong; they are capable of learning!

     The "Where I Am From" project supported culturally responsive teaching because it allowed each and every student to be themselves and share their individual cultural background. This project showed the class that everyone is different and similar. The photo stories helped build bridges of meaningfulness between home and school experiences. The class created an encouraging and supportive environment by watching each others' videos and making positive comments on them. This project also showed the students that the teacher acknowledged the legitimacy of all the cultural heritages as worthy content to be taught in the formal curriculum. I plan on implementing culturally responsive teaching practices in my future classroom by creating instruction that centers around all learners. In my opinion the curriculum should be active, inquiry-based activities that engage reluctant academic readers and writers. I would also use inquiry based writing that connects writing practices with real-world experiences and tasks.Technology will be used within my classroom as a tool to engage and motivate students. A strategy I would implement to support literacy learning for all learners would be to allow students a choice in writing tasks and genres because this will cause better motivation and engagement. I would also be sure to use texts that relate to students' cultures to alleviate cultural deficits and to keep students engaged. (Adolescent literacy)

 Citations:

• Adolescent literacy. (n.d.). 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 
• Epstein, P., & Harring-Harris, L. (2011, September 15). Honoring dialect and increasing student performance in standard english. Retrieved from http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print
• 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/edit
• O'brien, J. (2003, May 10). Tall tales of Appalachia. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/10/opinion/tall-tales-of-appalachia.html 
• Purcell-Gates, V. P. G. (n.d.). As soon as she opened her mouth!: Issues of language,literacy, and power. In The skin we speak. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6DFAmexYq7vMGQxMjI1OTEtMjAyZS00NzJmLTg1OTUtODlmMGQ0ZDIxOTVk/edit?hl=en_U

Double Entry Journal #4

 1. It is important to allow students to speak their personal dialect. This is who they are and with these terms they will perform best. Students who learn to write in their own dialect first have a better chance of grasping English literacy skills. By allowing students to write and talk in their own dialect teachers are showing them that although the languages are different they are similar and okay to use.

 

2. 

•  Build bridges of meaningfulness between home and school experience. The strategies within this article reflect this because the teachers allowed the students to speak at school how they speak at home and the teachers also had the students interview their parents or grandparents to better understand their dialect.  
• Acknowledge the legitimacy of the cultural heritages as worthy content to be taught in the formal curriculum. This strategy reflects culturally responsive teaching because within the article the teachers were sure to let their students understand that allow their dialect is different it is not wrong. The teachers allowed the students to speak and write in their dialect which taught the students that even though there dialect is different they are still intelligent and capable of learning. 

3. When I was in school teachers used the Red Robin Reading strategy almost everyday in class. This strategy does not reflect culturally responsive teaching because while the students nervously read the teacher immediately corrected you if a mistake was made. This strategy definitely singles out students who are struggling readers and definitely embarrasses them in front of their classmates.
4.

 

 

 

 Citations: 

 

•  Epstein, P., & Harring-Harris, L. (2011, September 15). Honoring dialect and increasing student performance in standard english. Retrieved from http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print
  

•  (2011). Retrieved from http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=593&tbm=isch&tbnid=8dtgLVjKTECEfM:&imgrefurl=http://www.catlin.edu

"Where I Am From"

My "Where I Am From" Photo Story!

Where I'm From

I am from Baltimore, Maryland, from Eglon, West Virginia, extreme physical features.

I am from the sky scrappers and the rolling hills. 

I am from Bells Ford Court, and Slaubaugh Road.

I am from choir on Sunday morning and deer hunting on youth day, from Christine Slaubaugh and Arnold Slaubaugh.

I am from the opening of presents on Christmas morning and the celebrating of birth on Saint Patrick's Day.

From a loving family that knows I will succeed and cherish the concept of family as they have.

I am from the crosswalks in a city and from the fan club of a Raven.

I'm from the holler upon Mt. Grove and withhold the spirit of a true mountaineer.

From the many acres of sled riding, the yard filled with chickens and rabbits, and the love of a long lost friend; Preston. 

I am from a family of adventure, the start of a new beginning, and I contain the belief that anything can happen as long as you remember where you come from!

By: Elana Slaubaugh