Double Entry Journal #10

Kidwatching is a critical approach to knowing the students in a classroom. Teachers can know what their lives are like outside the classroom, where they come from, etc. However, if they are also observing how the students work in the classroom in different situations, then they are getting to know their students more fully, instead of just partially. This will allow the curriculum planning to be more directed to the needs of the students, and can create more one-on-one situations that will better benefit the students. The teachers can use what they know about their students' lives outside the classroom to affect how they work with the students (which ones are targeted more, etc.) but this is an effective tool for all students, and will assist teachers in more ways than they may realize. It may be a time consuming task, and may not be done as often as teachers would like, but can be worth the time in the long run. This can also continue throughout the school year, but may be most beneficial at the beginning of the year, and then can be built upon as learning progresses.

Double Entry Journal #9

By allowing students to switch between the primary language and the one they are learning, they are able to continue to make connections between the two languages, as well as further develop each language. Students can use experiences from both sides, strengthen what is being learned, and feel more confident. Teachers need to make sure that students have chances to do this. They can use oral language and communication with others to help the students learn. Dialogue journals can also be a good thing to allow the students to use both languages, and the teachers can see where the students are in their learning, find ways to help them, give individualized feedback, and so on.
I think that this could apply to children with Appalachian dialects, especially the use of dialogue journals. Students can write freely without the need to focus on spelling and/or grammar, hold on to what they know as their dialect, and the teachers can assist them and learn more about them on this level.

During a teacher centered read-aloud, the teacher is in control of how the discussion and reading goes. She is the one who is guiding the questions, possibly reading the story, and maintaining how things in the classroom go. However, when the read-aloud is student centered, the children have more control over their learning. They are able to discuss with classmates, work out ideas by bouncing them off of another person, and generate their own learning in a way that is not as possible with the teacher centered approach. Both can be beneficial, but it depends on the task(s) and the situation(s) as to which is more appropriate at the time.


Related Resource:
This is a directory for resources on teaching Appalachian topics in school, that has many categories, including literature.

http://www.appalachianstudies.org/resources/K12/ASAs_K12-ResourceDirectory.pdf

Double Entry Journal #8

From -- Getting to know students: Developing Culturally Relevant Practices for Reading and Writing

It is a mistake to group all English as a second language learners together for several reasons. As seen through Bianca and Rosa, they may not want to communicate with each other. They may be on different levels in their learning, have different learning styles, different interests, etc. Just because they are learning English as a second language does not mean that they are destined to be the best of friends or the perfect match of support. Students who are English as a second language learners also need interaction with many different people, instead of just people who are similar to them. By being around the same type of person all day, these students may only be exposed to similar things and most likely aren't getting any new experiences that will aid their learning. Also, if a teacher is immediately lumping these students together, they are not fully taking the time to get to know their students, what their experiences and funds of knowledge are, how they learn best, and so on.

A virtual backpack is just a more concrete way of visualizing the funds of knowledge that students bring with them to classrooms. Teachers need to think about this backpack and all of its contents, such as their knowledges, skills, how they act, who they are, where they come from, their experiences, etc. This backpack is full of so much that teachers often tend to write off because they may feel that there is no way to incorporate the backpack into their teaching, or because they may not realize how vital it is for these students to be able to use their virtual backpack's contents in the classroom and in their learning. By finding a way to bring these aspects together with the classroom and curriculum, students can have more ways to be successful, can feel more welcomed in the classroom, and can build and develop more connections between home and school.

Related Resource:
This was an interesting document found on the NCTE website that sets up eight beliefs on teaching English as a second language learners.
Supporting Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Learners in English Education

Where I'm From Reflection

When it comes to the digital story “Where I’m From” project, many aspects of culturally responsive teaching were evident. For many students in West Virginia, the so-called “cultural deficit” of living in West Virginia is all they hear about, and they are unable to take pride in their home. This project allows students a chance to really connect with where they are from, as well as share their story with others. I found myself falling back in love with my home state, and really taking a new-found sense of pride in where I come from and wanting to show the cultural capital I feel with the world. I was also able to get to know my peers on another level through watching their videos, which allowed me to feel more connected to them and as though our classroom was becoming a community.

Creating digital stories also allows students a new opportunity to create their own learning, as it is an open ended assignment that allows students to work with more non-traditional ways of completing assignments. Students can step away from the traditional pencil and paper, and can build their 21st century skills to learn in some unique ways. With the assignment being open ended, we were able to take the reins in our learning and creation of the projects, and I really enjoyed that. It gave me a chance to get excited about a project, and take pride in my work for the first time in a long time.

Digital stories also reach to students on many different levels with many different learning styles. With the various aspects of text, pictures, music, and video being put together in this assignment, students of all learning styles can be reached. Students can also bring their prior knowledge and/or outside knowledge to the project to assist in the development. I was able to bring in my love of photography and editing, as well as my interest and passions, to create a video that contained many different components able to reach my various learning styles.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this assignment. I was able to learn about myself, take pride in myself and where I’m from, and then share that pride with others. My family even enjoyed this project, because it was something that I took pride in and wanted to share. I even made them cry! From my experience, I can see that this is something I want to institute in my future classroom with my students. Not only is this a good alternative to typical assignments, this will allow me to get to know my students, their families, their interests and beliefs, where they are from, any funds of knowledge they are bringing with them, and so on. I recommend that all teachers do something similar to this, because if the students get as excited as I did, this assignment will become more than a project – it will become an adventure.

Double Entry Journal #6

As I was reading the article, I was having a difficult time thinking of culturally responsive teaching that I had encountered during my time here at FSU. However, when I got to point six in the article, Reshaping the Curriculum, I saw that one of the ways mentioned was to interview a community member about the topic at hand. I, then, remembered that I did an interview assignment my freshman year in Intro to Education with Coach Baker. I was to interview a former teaching about the education profession. I remember that it was a neat opportunity to see a former teacher in a new light, as a potential colleague, as well as learning about their thoughts and feelings on the profession, along with some of their strategies. I'm not sure if this is really considered culturally responsive teaching, but this is the first thing I resonated with as I read.

Reference:
Principles for culturally responsive teaching. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.alliance.brown.edu/tdl/tl-strategies/crt-principles.shtml

Related Resource:
I just really liked this image. When I think of culturally responsive teaching, this picture is what comes to mind.

Double Entry Journal #5

From the reading, NCTE Beliefs about the Teaching of Writing

3 Things I Learned:
- "As they grow, writers still need opportunities to talk about what they are writing about, to rehearse the language of their upcoming texts and run ideas by trusted colleagues before taking the risk of committing words to paper." I knew this, but it does not happen much anymore like it should. So, even though this thought has crossed my mind, it doesn't happen in schools past the elementary levels, and it should happen some more.
- "...teachers must minimally understand...Ways of organizing the classroom and/or schedule to permit individual teacher-student conferences." This does not happen in the classroom much anymore either, and this should be something that is working on in teacher education, as well as something that experienced teachers often try to work on.
- "Writing happens in the midst of a web of relationships." It can be hard to imagine just how much can, or should, go into writing. It was neat to read about all the relationships and paths that writing crosses.

2 Things I Found Interesting:
- "One of the features of writing that is most evident and yet most difficult to discuss is the degree to which it has “voice.” The fact that we use this term, even in the absence of actual sound waves, reveals some of the special relationship between speech and writing." This was just a very interesting statement to me!
- "It makes a difference, too, the culture a writer comes from, the ways people use language in that culture and the degree to which that culture is privileged in the larger society." A lot of people would never imagine that culture plays a part in writing, so this statement was interesting.

1 Question I Have:
- What is the best way to incorporate all of these situations, like culture, technology, student-teacher conferences, etc., into the already crazy hectic and cluttered curriculum requirements? Just in little steps as best is possible?

Reference:
National Council for Teachers of Education, (n.d.). National council for teachers of education beliefs about the teaching of writing. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kBob4rwoBfMr5KibZLGhE7RopH9ZVrXij2XWhbNzeVk/edit?hl=en_US&pli=1

Related Resource:
This was a neat article called, 30 Ideas for Teaching Writing, and I thought this was a neat list with lots of possibilities.

Double Entry Journal #4

Quote:
"An important aspect of the teachers' participation in the household research became the more sophisticated understanding they developed about the children and their experiences. There is much teachers do not know about their students or families that could be immediately helpful in the classroom..." (Moll , Amanti , Neff, and Gonzalez, 1992)

Response:
I really liked this quote and connected to it. There is a lot that teachers do not know about their students. Looking back to Table 1 - A sample of household knowledge, it is easy to see just how much outside knowledge students can bring with them into the classroom. I know that I had never really considered students carrying this knowledge with them into the classroom until recently, and a great deal of teachers across the country probably have not thought about that either. I know that teachers need to "know their students" and many probably feel that they do. However, if they are not allowing their students to use what they already know and are carrying with them in the classroom, then they are not really getting to know their students. There is a lot more to children than just what they like to do, where they live, etc., and that is what this research helped me to realize.

Reference:
Moll , L. C. , Amanti , C, Neff, D, & Gonzalez, N(1992). Theory into practice: qualitative issues in educational research; funds of knowledge for teaching: using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. (Vol. 31, No. 2, pp. 132-141). Taylor and Francis, Ltd. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B6DFAmexYq7vZTI5ZmI3M2EtNzVlOS00MWQzLThkZDgtNDQwNWJmYmFmMzBl&hl=en_US

Related Resource:
This video was made by someone for a class project. It is a good way, in my opinion, to show a student's funds of knowledge. It shows a child in the classroom, as well as at home and in his community. This video shows that they is often a lot that a child brings with them that the teacher may not know and/or understand.
Click here to view video.

Where I'm From PhotoStory

Where I'm From Poem

I am from the heavenly hills of West Virginia, from peaceful sunsets and animals roaming free. I am from the blue house with burgundy shutters, from home grown gardens, from swaying hayfields. I am from family; from the Brown’s, from the Paugh’s. I am from where moms and dads were high school sweethearts. I am from puppies that become like children. I’m from remembering; from guardian angels who are still surrounding us. I’m from Memorial Day Parades, Friday Night football games, and marching band. I’m from God’s grace, and knowing He’s always near. I am from racing, from country music, from spending time with friends. I am from Grafton, West Virginia, from history, from my home among the hills.