TCH 207
Literacy instruction in culturally and linguistically diverse middle level classrooms
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #1-CLASS DISCUSSION, 1/24
This week in class, the discussions were very interesting to listen to and be apart of, and really got me to start the critical thinking that is going to be occurring in class. Throughout elementary, middle, and high school, I went to fairly diverse schools, and coming from a rather large suburb outside of Chicago, I thought I knew a decent amount of information when it came to diversity, and the ability levels of my peers. However, after class discussions this week, I have come to realize that there is a lot I do not know, and there were a lot of explanations for things that I did not previously realize before.
For example, at the end of class on Thursday, January 24th, we were discussing language acquisition, and how students who may be trying to learn an english language may go through a process to do so. We additionally, watched a video of students who were going through the different stages of acquiring a knowledge of a new language. To me, it was very interesting to see, and I think that it explains what it is like to learn a new language, especially within a formal setting. Going to a public school, where there were people of all different cultural and ethnic diversities coming together, I remember a lot of students that were going through very similar stages in their development of their new language. One stage, particularly, stuck out very vividly in my mind. The first stage in language acquisition, being the silent stage, is one that I remember two students I grew up with particularly, experiencing during their kindergarten and first grade year. Even at such a young age, they were beginning to develop their English, and to me thinking about how they progressed throughout the years is something that is so amazing, and so interesting to me. These students I grew up with went from being very reserved because they were not quite comfortable with the language of English yet, to being able to speak is very fluently, and with great confidence. This shows the advanced step of the language acquisition process. Truly, something very wonderful to witness as a fellow student, and I cannot wait to help my future students through this process as well.
This first week of diving into some deeper discussion in class, relates to teaching and the classroom so much, there are more ways than not as to why it important to discuss and be aware about the process of language acquisition. As a future educator, it is important to understand where your students are coming from, not only geographically and culturally, but also where they are at pertaining to their abilities as well. I am truly looking forward to growing so much in this class, and expanding what I thought I previously knew before taking this class.
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #2-CLASS DISCUSSION 2/5
This week in class, we discussed a lot about different types of learning styles, and the strengths and weaknesses each of those learning styles have. This particular class occurred on February 5. I have been familiar with the different learning styles when it came to kinetic, visual, auditorial, and such, but was not familiar with how even our cultures can shape our learning styles as well. In our class discussion, I compared how I would most identify with being a field independent learner. In addition, others in the class identified as field sensitive, or analytical, or global learners. What I think was so interesting about this class discussion, was how we could identify how each of these learning styles had aspects that were really positive, and things that maybe that group of learners would really excel at. We also identified what types of obstacles these learning styles would have to overcome.
For example, as a field independent learner, I know that typically, I like to work on tasks alone, break things down into parts, and analyze the information in chunks, rather than as a whole. While it is great that I can be very independent with tasks, I also need to be considerate of working in groups, and how some people prefer to work in groups. For me, sometimes a weakness would be that I have trouble seeing the big picture of things, and chunk things down, and oftentimes stress myself out about the details of an assignment or task, rather than seeing the large scale picture. This is not to say that I am incapable of working in groups and seeing the big picture, but there are aspects of my learning style that wire me to prefer otherwise or find different methods to digest material, or analyze information in class.
This being said, as a teacher, i need to take into account the type of learner I am, but also take into account that my students are going to be a wide variety of learners, with an even broader variety of learning styles. One of the most exciting things about helping students develop a new language, or new information, is seeing how they get there and developing my knowledge as a teacher even more, for the following students. I really love how as a teacher, you are always learning, and you truly never know it all. There are always things to expand on, and techniques to perfect, so that we are offering our students the best learning opportunities possible.
Following this lesson, I feel more prepared to notice my habits and teaching techniques that I am developing, and apply the knowledge I learned from class this week to better know how to reach out to every single student I have, and all of their different learning abilities.
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #3-CHAPTER 5 LEVINE/MCCLOSKEY TEXT
As I was reading chapter 5 from the text titled, Teaching English Language and Content in Mainstream Classes by Levine and McCloskey, I was really interested into understanding more about the oral development of the ELL (English Language Learners) students. What I found to be especially important for me to understand, was the stages of oral development, how to to plan my lessons in a way that is understanding and nurturing to those who may be in different stages of their oral development of a new language. The stages listed in order flow like this:
Level 1: Starting
Level 2: Emerging
Level 3: Developing
Level 4: Expanding
Level 5: Bridging
It is important to know these stages and what they entail, for so many reasons. Throughout the reading, I learned that throughout the many subjects and content areas, some may be easier for ELL students compared to others, based on the level that they are in. This would help me, as a teacher, understand why they may struggle more in my class, compared to another.
Additionally in the reading, there are certain techniques that are used based on the level that the student is in, pertaining to their oral development. This helps me as a teacher because I can create more effective lesson plans that will make the material easier to understand.
When I reflect on a lot of these techniques, I realize that they are effective for both ELL students, as well as students who may be speaking their native language in the classroom. For example, throughout a lot of these levels, role playing is a great way to learn material, and make it a positive learning experience for all the students involved. I remember, specifically, a social studies teacher I had that really loved to reenact historical events. This made it so much more fun for everyone, and I was picking up on the material a lot more easily, and retaining it.
This being said, these techniques would be excellent for english language learners, and I plan to really bring a lot of the methods, knowledge about the different levels ELL students progress through, as well as the techniques on how to help them, and use them throughout all of my classroom.
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #4-CHAPTER 7 LEVINE AND MCCLOSKEY TEXT
Chapter 7 from the textbook Teaching English Language and Content in Mainstream Classes, by Levine and McCloskey is entitled, Teaching Vocabulary to English Learners. I think this chapter presented some very interesting ideas. Oftentimes, native speakers of english fai to realize the complexity of the english language, and how there are so many meanings for words that look identical. This is something I never really considered until I got into higher level english courses. I am not an English language learner, therefore, I have no idea how difficult it is to understand and decipher when the word ‘run’ could be one thing, and when it could mean something entirely different. This is a concept I think speakers using their native language really take for granted just understanding, and having it be a second nature to be able to understand the different uses for the same word. It is concepts in the English language like this, that make it even harder for English Language Learners to learn English.
There are many effective ways to teach this vocabulary, and many ways that are not so effective. For example, too much information too soon is just going to allow the learner to only pick up on very limited information at a time. The goal is to not overload and stress the learner, and try to force them to pick up material quick, but rather build learner control by focusing on developing ways to solve problems on their own, and take control of their independent vocabulary learning. Creating a more explorative environment encourages the learner to divulge in material, rather than just merely being exposed to the vocabulary, and not really picking up on it.
As I was reading through the interactive strategies one may use to help teach vocabulary more effectively, I noticed a lot of similarities between what was in the book, and what I personally remember my teachers using in school. One method, in particular, I remember very well, is the Semantic Mapping method. I believe that it is a very effective method to use not only for ELL students, but for other students as well. With semantic mapping, you are breaking down the word, and the many components that explain the word’s meaning, definition, synonyms, examples, and antonyms. I think this always the learner to understand more than just the context of which to use a certain word, but allows them to make connections and strengthen aspects of their vocabulary that they already may know, as well. However, an argument against using this method could be that this method would require some prior vocabulary knowledge before, and they would also have to feel confident and excel in physically writing out vocabulary as well. Despite this counterargument for using Semantic Mapping, I still believe this is a great tool for learners to use, especially when they are developing upon knowledge that they may already know.
Throughout all of many different techniques that are shown throughout this chapter, in regards to teaching and explaining vocabulary, it is also important for me as the teacher to understand how to properly assess my learners as well. This comes in many different forms and many different helpful hints can be applied. Whether it be to give signals for vocabulary assessment to keep students engaged, and help them understand what they will be assessed on, or making a clear difference between what examples would and should look like, versus what they do not look like, or what would not be a positive example.
Through the material I learned in this chapter, I can now more effectively understand how to teach learners how to develop their vocabulary, assess them on their knowledge, and help them grow.
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #5-VIRTUAL CLINICAL #1 FROM CLASS 2/19
Today in class, we viewed a virtual clinical that was focusing on teaching students about the Civil War, and teaching students about various vocabulary that pertains to the topic of the Revolutionary War and American history. I noticed that the classroom was filled with books, in boxes perhaps pertaining to various reading levels for students to choose from, and ELL students had books that had supplemental illustrations throughout to better help explain the topic they were discussing. I think these elements of the classroom were important to recognize throughout the course of the lesson, and allows me to gain more insight on how this classroom functions and what type of resources are available to students. Throughout the lesson, students were working on word webs in small groups, focusing on defining their word, illustrating their word, and coming up with various explanations and examples of their vocabulary word. This is an activity that I think can be very effective if administered properly, and I did view a lot of both positive and negative aspects of this lesson and how it was taught. I really appreciate opportunities to views others’ in their classroom, as it helps me develop as a teacher as well.
Overall, I really enjoyed the way the teacher that was leading the groups of students had placed the students into small groups, and was fostering an environment in which the students were able to learn from one another. I personally really enjoy the use of group work mixed in with individual work to complete, as this really aids in collaborative learning. The teacher went from group to group, checking up on them, and helped lead them through aspects of the activity that the students were having a difficult time understanding. I think she really adhered to her students’ Zone of Proximal Development, and was very aware of what the groups were capable of doing on their own, and what they may be needed more help with. I really thought it was very positive how much she was complimenting and encouraging her students for working so well together, as this positive reinforcement engaged students with each other, and their given activity. This use of collaborative learning throughout the lesson plan really allowed students to develop their skills pertaining to working in groups, and also allowed students to try to figure out the answers to their questions when they were stuck on their own, rather than need the teach to guide them through. One thing I noticed that I thought could possibly be a negative aspect of this learning experience for the students, is when there was a point in time that the teacher was working with a group on the vocabulary term, ‘taxes’. The teacher asked a question that came off to me as slightly uncomfortable. She began to ask her students if their parents paid taxes, if they paid taxes, and why we have to pay our taxes. In theory, I think that the instructor did not mean to ask uncomfortable questions, but I think in regards to my reflection and how I would move forward with this lesson and activity on my own, I would steer away from asking personal monetary questions. Not only do I think this question begins to test what is appropriate to ask students and what is not appropriate, but it also seems to me to be a little out of grasp or understanding for the students. I noticed when the teacher did ask this question to the group that was working on their word web for ‘taxes’, they all kind of nodded and looked at one another for reassurance. The teacher explained to them how it is bad if you do not pay your taxes, so despite I think truly understanding what taxes are and what their function is within society, the students already had a preconceived idea of how they should answer her question, do you pay your taxes? I think that perhaps an approach that might be more effective is relating the term, taxes, to perhaps a third party subject. For example, maybe a group of people that would have had to pay taxes during that time period, or even a made up character students could apply the information too. This way, possibly sensitive information is not shared and also the concept can be analyzed further if needed, to help with understanding. Something very important we have learned in TCH 207 so far, is that it is important to be understanding and cautious of sensitive information with students in your classroom, and that should always be a top a priority. If the classroom becomes an uncomfortable and/or confusing environment, learning will not be productive.
Applying everything I have learned within this virtual clinical to my future practice, there are a lot of aspects that I have found to be very helpful in shaping how I will run my future classroom. First and foremost, I really enjoyed how the teacher had her classroom set up, and how she implemented several resources for her student, including herself, to best lead her students to success. Around the classroom, I really liked how she had many different baskets of books, that I am assuming offer many different levels of material for her students to choose from. I plan to hopefully be able to provide my students with the same resources, as the idea of a ‘one size fits all’ text does not work within any classroom setting, and especially with ELL students. I am very much becoming aware of the types of materials that will best suit my ELL students and diverse learners, as well as the many different learning styles my students will have. I am constantly wanting to improve myself as a future educator, and even when I am in the field, knowing what resources will best suit my students and how to further myself as a successful educator is something that will be a constant focus in my career life. I additionally really think that the positive reinforcement, and encouragement the teacher was providing each group with, was something that really stuck out to me and made me reflect upon my time spent in the student role as a young adolescent. It made a world of difference when a teacher pointed out to me when I was doing something right, and I want to bring that same positive energy to my classroom as well.
With every virtual clinical and clinical I physically attend, I plan on making sure that I am constantly looking for ways to improve myself as a teacher, and that makes me incredibly excited to see where I will be a year from now, or further in the future and in my teaching career.
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #6-CHAPTER 9, LEVINE AND MCCLOSKEY TEXT, 2/20
I was very excited to read a chapter dedicated solely to writing. I have always really loved to write myself, and I realize how important this skill is within any context. As a future ELA teacher, I want to give my students the tools they need in their tool box in order to succeed not only in their academic life, but their personal life as well. I believe that writing and writing skills allow students to begin to take their thinking to a new level, and being to form their own critical analyzation process. I know that I have a lot yet to learn on what methods are the best way to help English Language Learners develop their writing skills, but this chapter was a catalyst for a lifetime of learning how to best aid my ELL students and diverse learners about writing, and how to develop their writing skills.
When I read the ‘Getting Started’ paragraph on page 213, I noticed that there were a lot of parallels between my own personal experience, and what was mentioned in the textbook. Methods for beginning to teach writing to ELL students included literary logs, content learning logs, mailboxes/message boards, journals, and a lot of other very interactive writing activities and methods. These are very informal ways to begin teaching about constructing one’s own writing, and beginning with a more informal approach would allow there to be a little more simplicity compared to jumping right into harder, more formal content. In my own personal experience, I was not an English Language Learner, but I did participate in many activities like this in my own schooling experience. For example, I remember throughout many different grade levels, I had teachers that would utilize journaling throughout several subjects, to warm us up for class, activate our thinking process, and also aid in our writing skills. These were very simple, beginning of class, work freely on your own, types of journals that allowed me to work on my writing skills, free of judgment from peers or my teacher. These journals were more for my own benefit, and when I think about connecting this activity to an ELL student, there can be many positives seen throughout the course of these journal assignments. This is an activity where the writing can be more conversational, the student may use what they previously know from their language in conjunction with what they are currently learning in the new language, and construct something that allows the student to work on their writing skills, and also self evaluate themself as well. This is very beginning of the writing process, however, this is crucial through all grades and all ability levels to consistently be improving and working on their writing.
In my classroom, I plan to help my students develop their writing process by being a resource for questions, someone to aid and check their writing and their writing process, and someone to build them up throughout their development through their writing. I want my class to be a positive environment that allows students to feel comfortable making mistakes and asking questions. This is something that is so incredibly important when going through the motions of the writing process; pre-writing, drafting, sharing and reviewing drafts, revising, editing, and publishing. It is a lengthy process, but with the proper guidance, can really be a positive experience for any student beginning to develop their writing and who they are as a writer.
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #7-VIRTUAL CLINICAL #2 FROM CLASS 2/26
In class today, we watched a virtual clinical, to which I had a very positive response to. The class was composed of 24 students, 90% of whom only spoke Spanish at home. 4 of the students in the classroom were ELL students, and approximately 7% of the class receives some type of special education. The performance truly varies from student to student within this class, and this showcases the diversity among each student’s abilities in that moment of time, and how the teacher might help them advance to the next level. The class was a 7th grade class, including both ages 12 and 13. In addition to the demographic of the students, I also noticed the demographic of the teacher as well. The teacher was an african american female, and she herself had a strong accent. Despite her strong accent, I still found it incredibly easy to understand her, and it was obvious her students understood her very clearly as well. The teacher was very aware of her students backgrounds, and the differences between her students’ many different ways of learning.
The class was having a socratic seminar about the book, The Scholarship Jacket. All of the students sat in a wide, open, circle and all faced one another. They went around the entire circle, each sharing their different opinions about characters, the plot, and conflicts within the novel. The teacher was facilitating the conversation, and leading students by asking an initial question, to which students would answer. The students all had a small slip of paper with them, perhaps as a guide, and it seemed as though every student came very prepared to class for the socratic seminar. The teacher also thanked and praised students for participating, and encouraged them to share their ideas. There was a lot of positive energy between students and the teacher, as laughing and smiling was evident throughout the lesson as well. The students were confident when giving their answers and their opinions, and spoke very clearly and audibly.
When I first viewed the actual, physical classroom, I noticed that there was posters on the wall, and some helpful material written on the white boards, however, there was a lot of empty space on the walls as well. There way, however, some different technology to enhance students’ learning. There was an overhead projector and televisions to help aid in student learning.
I think that this class is a fabulous way to see how young adolescents communicate with one another in the classroom, and how especially ELL students most effectively begin to learn how to communicate with one another. The socratic seminar format is a great way for students to develop confidence to share their thoughts with other students, and especially at the middle school level, this becomes a skill that is necessary to obtain as they move forward with their education and move on to later grades.
Connecting this virtual clinical back to class, there are a lot of connections that could be made to the material in which we have been learning about in TCH 207. We have discussed quite often about the levels of language development, and this is a concept that I think was illustrated quite well within this video. As many know, the stages of language development flow as such;
Level 1: Starting
Level 2: Emerging
Level 3: Developing
Level 4: Expanding
Level 5: Bridging
Within this virtual clinical, the students exhibit confident behavior when speaking to their classmates, and also speak very clearly. I think this shows how they are in their expanding stage of language development. The students still have a lot of improving that can still be accomplished, but is it evident in this video that they are truly expanding their vocabulary, their communication skills, and growing their confidence with sharing their ideas, and speaking them out loud.
I strongly believe that the students are so confident about sharing their ideas, due to the environment that the teacher has created for her students, and the encouragement she gives her students throughout the length of the socratic seminar. She actively participates in the conversation, and thanks students who also participate. I think by creating this environment that makes students feel comfortable, and willing to share their ideas, students are able to more confidently speak up during activities and conversations like this in class, and not be afraid of making mistakes.
Overall, after viewing this virtual clinical, there are a lot of applications I have made to my future practice of becoming a future educator. I think that fostering an environment, and being encouraging as all my students participate in activities, is something so simple, yet has such a large impact. Additionally, I think because this teacher in the virtual clinical was so aware of her students’ levels of language development, and how to best help them excel, this really made a different in her students’ learning experiences. I know that I plan on being very aware of my students’ abilities.
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #8-CLASS DISCUSSION, 2/28
I found this particular chapter in The Pain and Privilege text to be extremely eye opening, and educational for me, and it is something that perhaps one day I would like to share with my future students.
Within chapter 6 of the The Pain and Privilege text, we got to know the vyer personal, and educational story of Susan, a Korean woman who was adopted by a white family, and the struggles she had to overcome when it came to finding her identity. Throughout her life, Susan felt that she identified more with the white culture she grew up in, but her white peers always saw her as Asian. However, Susan did not fit in with her asian peers either, as she was called a derogatory term called ‘fasian’, or a ‘fake asian’, for not being entirely immersed in her Korean culture. This pain that Susan went through when it came to finding her identity, and just wanting to relate completely with her white peers, caused Susan many troubles throughout her life, and frustration grew when people would ask her inappropriate questions like,
“ What are you?”
“What do you mean you don’t like spicy food, you’re Asian!”
I can remember a close friend I had in high school, that had some similar experiences to Susan. She was half white, half Chinese, and she would go through periods of time where she would feel as though she related to one over the other. Sometimes, she would celebrate her Chinese heritage and culture, and other times, she tried very hard to suppress it. At the time when we were in high school, I was always confused when she would try to hide her Chinese lineage. We went to high school in Naperville, and it was an area that although fostered a lot of diversity, I think there are some areas of the town that the majority of the people within that area are white. I was always raised never to see color, but to see people, and that we are all the same. Obviously, I was aware growing up, that people were physically different, but inside, we are all the same. I was raised to believe that regardless of
I think it was truly not until I read about Susan’s story, that I finally started to understand why my high school friend felt the way that she did. I understand how Susan felt juxtaposed, and pulled in different directions to struggle to find her identity and who she wanted to relate to. I cannot speak for my friend, but perhaps that is what my friend was experiencing. I will obviously never be able to fully understand how these individuals have felt, or how they currently feel, when it comes to their struggles with mixed identity, and finding themselves, but I am glad to know that this text has provided me some enlightenment that I can take with me into my classroom, and educate my future students with.
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #9-CHAPTER 10, LEVINE & MCCLOSKEY TEXT
This particular chapter in the Levine and McCloskey text is something that is so important to anyone that is wanting to go into the field of education. Being aware of different lesson types and how to construct the best lesson possible for your students, that adheres to all of their needs and ability levels is in my eyes, one of the top goals for any educator, anywhere. Additionally, I found this section to be very helpful, since I just recently began my
A very important aspect of this chapter to stand out to me, was defining content objectives. Content objectives are so important to make very clear to not only yourself, the instructor, but to your students as well. Making sure that you point out content objectives, language objectives, and learning strategy objectives for students, especially ELL students is crucial to their learning process, and the learning experience that they will be having. By illustrating the different objectives for the student, students are able to set goals, accomplish tasks within their ability level, prioritize, and it also helps the students to not feel overwhelmed. In some ways, giving objectives for the lesson, the day, and the activity, allows for students to have a clear focus of what is expected from them. Especially when it comes to ELL students, planning out different objectives for students are so necessary.
An activity that was written in the book within this chapter, and also discussed about and used in class, was the idea of the jigsaw activity. I think this activity is a great way for students to really become experts in certain topics, and also feel good about sharing their newfound knowledge with their peers. This activity works best when material can be broken down into several parts, and fosters much collaboration between students. With the jigsaw activity, it would be incredibly easy to also create heterogeneous groups that mix different types of students with different ability levels, and this would allow for students to learn from their peers, collaborate, and begin to feel comfortable working within a group.
I personally remember teachers that would often use the jigsaw activity to teach new lessons, and I always remember really enjoying them. This is definitely a method I can see myself using within my own classroom.
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #10-CHAPTER 9, PAIN AND PRIVILEGE TEXT
This chapter really stood out to me because I think it very effectively portrays a lot of the key concepts that are illustrated throughout this textbook. Each individual that contributed their story to this book allowed a very personal portion of their life to be shared with everyone,and each has really left an impact on me. However, this one spoke of a different kind of emotion to me, as the reader,and the learner.
In this particular passage, we see how Sika had dealt with so much in regards to not only searching for her identity, but also the treatment that others gave her as well. What really stood out to me, was how incredibly mean people were to her, even when she was a young child. The comments people made to her about her family, and how she looked, were beyond degreading and cruel, they were evil. I found a strong connection between this passage and Sika being so brave to share the difficult story of her life, and how I want to run my classroom. There will be a zero tolerance policy for any type of rude, mean, remarks made between my students and/or other faculty members, and I will do my best to ensure my students feel comfortable in the environment I will be providing them with. I want to teach my students more than just the content knowledge, but rather also give them the knowledge and tools they need to be respectful, kind, trustworthy, functioning, members of society.
There was something else that Sika had mentioned in her passage, and I think that during the current times, is incredibly applicable and useful for everyone in this generation to realize. That is the conflicts that come along with social media. Social media is a great tool to spread news, gain awareness, and stay connected with family and friends we might not otherwise remain connected with. However, there are many aspects of social media that prove to be slightly controversial and troublesome. In Sika’s passage, she talks about how a Facebook fight she had was very frustrating, hurtful, and emotional for her. A woman on Facebook, who she did not even know, attacked her and made very hurtful, racist comments towards SIka. This shows how social media can truly be a hurtful place, but also, this teaches the lesson that whatever you post on social media, will always be there and for people to access. This made me reflect on how to I want to make sure that my students understand internet safety, and if they are going to post things on the internet, that they are respectful, and reflect positively who they are as an individual.
In conclusion, this passage was a very personal, emotional, passage that I found to be of the utmost importance, and something that I will remember as a future educator. I want to strive to be opening, welcoming, and do not define my students by their ethnicities or culturels, but acknowledge the differences between my students in a celebratory way. All the while, making sure that my students are comfortable in my classroom, and never feel ostracised.
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #11-CLASS DISCUSSION 3/20/19
Today in class, on 3/20/19, we had a really valuable conversation that had a lot of key points that stuck out to me, and got my brain thinking about aspects of testing and assessment that I had not thought of before.
Growing up, I think that I never really thought about the effects assessments and testing really had on my education and my development, but something that now, as I am studying to be a teacher, I really reflect more upon. Throughout the chapter we had read, and the discussion in class, it became apparent to me that as a society, we put so much value and trust into our testing to determine so much. I was never the bets test taker, and a lot of times, this caused me to feel like I was not achieving as much as I could, because I was not the best at ‘playing the game’ of test taking. When I hear how at ACT is not a very reliable test, it almost makes me infuriated, that so much of my life depended so much on this one test. I feel like I had so much more to prove of myself beyond that test, and it was frustrating to me that my worth was based off of a test score. Despite feeling this way towards the testing, I trusted that it was a reliable test, and it must be used for a reason.
During our class discussion, it became really apparent to me that a lot of this standardized testing and its importance really comes down to companies wanting to make money and have some type of gain out of it. There are good forms of testing like MAP testing, that when used correctly, can really benefit teachers and students by helping them gage what could be improved on throughout the school year, but a lot of standardized testing it really not as reliable, or has the great amount of validity we as society think it does.
Throughout this discussion, it did also become apparent that it is still important to assess students often and consistently, but there are definitely right ways to assess, and perhaps more weak ways of assessing students. This is something that I will learn a lot more about, when it comes to the specifics of good assessments and how to assess my students, and it is something that greatly fascinates me, as I think assessments are a great way to not only allow for student growth, and visibly see that growth, but teacher growth as well.
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #12-VIRTUAL CLINICAL, METCALF 3/7
I have really enjoyed all of my clinical time that I have spent at Metcalf school, the lab school we have on campus here at Illinois State University. However, there is certainly one particular observation that I had completed that really stuck out to me, and allowed me to see some aspects of diverse learning within a classroom.
I had been observing an 8th grade language arts classroom on March 7th, 2019, and there happened to be a blind student that was in that class. The classroom was filled with all types of different decorative posters that held various aspects of language arts knowledge that help and guide students throughout what they are learning about. The classroom was about 30 or so 8th graders, and had 1 blind student that was in the class. At Metcalf School, there is quite a broad program for deaf and blind students, and resources throughout the school for students who may be deaf and/or blind.
Before class had even started, there were braille notes for her prepared, and the teacher, as well as her aid, made sure she had these materials were prepared every single day for class. This particular classroom teacher was so knowledgeable about her students abilities, and explained to me that this student is very independent, despite being blind, and learned just like the rest of the other students, she just had a few accommodations for her disability here and there, such as having braille notes. It was so amazing for me to see how this student was so well supported by her classroom aid, as well as the classroom teacher, and I think this greatly contributes to this student’s success.
This classroom had such an inviting vibe to it, and the teacher really knew all of her students quite well. She would joke around with them, encourage them, and be a positive role model to her students, all while still being the respected teacher figure she needed to be. She ran her classroom in a way where yes, differences in learning were acknowledged, but she held everyone to the same expectations and explained to me that even though one of the students within the class was blind, she was very much capable of doing everything that everyone else does.
This observation really encourages me to break barriers throughout my class, and always make sure that everyone is equal. Yes, accomodations need to be made for learners who may learn differently than others, but we all learn differently, and that’s what makes a classroom environment so incredibly special. I really look forward to helping students of all backgrounds succeed, and learn more about how various different learners, learn.
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #13-CHAPTER 10 PAIN AND PRIVILEGE
When I first started reading this chapter, my heart really felt for Lynnette. Something as simple as taking a taxi cab, can be turned into an uncomfortable interrogation of, “What are you?”
Too often people think asking people what they are in an okay thing to do, but the labels we give one another are hurtful, and sometimes asking someone, “What are you?” has a very derogatory meaning to it. Lynnette discusses how even within groups of friends who are also of mixed identity, Lynnette is still labeled as complex, because of her identity, and being furthered labeled within her own friend group. Having lived in several different countries with several different experiences, Lynnette’s story is so important for people to hear about, and it really opens one’s eyes to thought of the little things really do matter. Every little thing you say or do matters, and instead of tearing one another apart, and further distancing ourselves due to our differences, we need to celebrate one another, and who are is not something to judge people off of.
What I found to be especially interesting about Lynnette’s story, is how poorly she was treated by other African American woman, despite her being African American herself. Her father was African American, and her mother was white, and so when she would go into various markets in South Africa with her friend who was also of mixed identity, she was treated poorly, ignored, or scrutinized for her physical appearance, because she didn’t appear as African American as her friend who was half Puerto Rican and half African American. As she spoke with a coworker about the treatment and events she was experiencing, she was confused as to why she was treated so poorly and where this hatred was coming from. Her coworker explained to her that it was tied back to Apartheid, and the feelings that people had developed during Apartheid ran very deep.
This showed my how deeply rooted assumptions about others can really be, and how history really proves to be a learning lesson for all of us. We can never forget what happened to various groups of people throughout our nation’s history, and throughout the world, but we also cannot let it continue and run how we feel about others. These events are remembered so that we can learn to never act that way again, and live in peace. It is so incredibly upsetting that we live in a world where so much hate is fostered throughout people's’ everyday lives. We must take the knowledge of the history we learn about, and vow to aim towards working for a peaceful environment within our world, that respects one another. It is truly shocking to me that this is still such a difficult accomplishment for some today, as equality between one another should be an expectation, not something that happens occasionally.
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #14-CHAPTER PAIN AND PRIVILEGE TEXT
Throughout this chapter, we follow the story of Hannah Stohry, and her journey to the United States, post moving from Korea. She brings up a point that I think is a newer point of view in comparison to the other stories that were discussed throughout this text, and that point of view stems from the view of someone who is grieving. The grief that Hannah had experienced is something that is new to what is being discussed in this textbook, and one that I think is extremely important to discuss.
Hannah’s family moved an extensive amount due to her father being involved in the military, and having to pick up and move around quite frequently. Being half white and half asian, Hannah felt more accustomed to the culture she grew up within Korea, and when she moved to the United States in the 8th grade, this caused a lot of confusion, pain, and suffering for her. When she mentions how she went through the entirety of the grieving process once moving to the United States, I think that this presents a new idea, and something that as a teacher, we need to be very mindful of. The idea that there is a lot of grief when trying to find your identity, fitting into new surroundings, and accepting who you are, is something that is crucial to recognize, especially as a middle level educator who works with students who are constantly searching for their identity.
Hannah additionally discusses how there is a lack of research for students and individuals who are biracial, who are also experiencing a third world culture, having been immersed in countries and cultures that did not match her own culture. I think this is a very interesting fact for Hannah to divulge into, because it is so true. To me, it is shocking how little research and information there is to help students and individuals who may be biracial and living in countries that do not reflect their personal cultures. The reason it is so shocking to me, is there are thousands and thousands of people who are probably experiencing Hannah’s lifestyle, yet society is so naive to this and does not serve the validation these individuals need, and the comfort these individuals need, to prosper wherever they are, whoever they are.
As a future educator, this poses a lot of information, facts, and topics that are really important for me to digest and think about when I am affecting the lives of my students. Oftentimes, I think as teachers, it is easy to think that we don’t have as large of an impact on our students as we really do, and we may only being of aid when the student who needs comforting and a positive role model while they are physically in our classrooms, but this is so wrong. By being accepting, open, and allowing these students to feel the validation they need and deserve, we are opening so many more doors for them that transcends the classroom. You are able to allow them to find their identity, and feel comfortable with who they are, and that is so incredibly powerful in this world.
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #15-PAIN AND PRIVILEGE TEXT, CHAPTER 17
In chapter 17, we follow the story of Iman Fagan, and her life and childhood as a biracial individual. Iman’s mother was white, and her father was black, but she really only related to her mother, as her father was never really around when she was growing up. This caused her to feel outcasted and hurt when peers would degrade her for being biracial, and children did terrible things like pour water on her for being partially African American. Throughout this chapter, I think it is a really good glimpse of what it is like to be a child thinking through this discrimination, and how the identity search is shaped from such an early age.
I really like how Iman discusses how relating to Disney movies really allowed her to have a positive outlook on her identity and who Iman is, however, she does explain how it is saddening that she related so well to wild animals in Tarzan, and that she found comfort within that movie and the plotline between Tarzan and his gorilla relatives. I think that this is a very powerful topic that Iman presents in her chapter, and we can see how even at such a young age, the hurtful things that her peers were telling her, and her wishing to just be understood and blend in, had such an everlasting effect on her throughout her childhood, that followed her into her later life.
Iman furthermore presents another topic that holds to be extremely important. She discusses how her race is just an aspect of her identity, but it does not define her entire being. I think that this is extremely important to realize, both as just a functioning member of society, but especially an educator as well. There are some individuals who want to identify more with their racial, cultural, religious, and whatever other aspects of their identity define them, more than others. Whereas, there are also individuals who see certain aspects of their identity, as merely pieces to the puzzle of their entire being. Having been adopted, I really resonate with this idea that your cultural background and who your biological roots are tied to, does not necessary define who you are as a person. I really plan to make students feel comfortable within my classroom, but letting themselves decide who they are, and let there be a focus on people will identify themselves. I think that this is crucial, and common sense to not put labels on people, but oftentimes,it happens quite a lot. This is something that as an educator, it is crucial I walk into my classroom free of judgment, and leaves labels, stereotypes, and whatever else may be wrongly placing people into categories based on a first glance judgement, at the door.
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #16-CLASS DISCUSSION 3/26
During class today, we had a lot of insightful conversations that helped me develop what is most important in facilitating my classroom and my lesson planning, and this has truly left quite an impact on me,walking away from class today. Of course, there is much for me to learn about thematic instruction, and how to best incorporate aspects of teaching, language, and content knowledge into my classroom, but I think that the exposure I got today made me realize a lot of things.
One of the huge takeaways I had today from class, was the importance of obtaining a trifecta of skills to best adhere to becoming a successful middle level educator. It is important not only for me to love my content area that I will be teaching in, and of course enjoy working with my students, but it is also important for me to love helping my students overcome obstacles and help them to develop their language. As a future language arts teacher, I truly do love working with students to help them better their reading and writing skills, and I think that this kind of encompasses all three of the listed above aspects of loving working with children, loving my content area, and loving language and helping others succeed, no matter what their ability level may be. Despite making an easy connection to how I plan to put this trifecta into place in my language arts classroom, it helped me to realize an additionally important point.
When applying this trifecta of how I plan to become the best middle level educator I can possibly be, I also want to make sure that I am making connections to my other content areas as well, and not just language arts. It was very easy for me to pull in the importance of language into the language arts class, but when it came to my other content area, I had a much more difficult time, as social studies classes might not provide me with the time I need to make sure I am hitting on all three of these targets, especially language. However, it is something that of course will be developed throughout my experiences both student teaching and teaching, and I am very excited to become more well rounded as a teacher.
Thematic teaching is something I plan to heavily implement into all of my classrooms, and I cannot wait to begin working on the skills to becoming a well versed middle level educator, who adheres to the needs of all of my students.
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #17-LEVINE AND MCCLOSKEY TEXT
In chapter 12, I read and learned about thematic instruction, and why one would teach thematically. I found this to be a very valuable chapter for me to read, as my growing curiosity about the best ways to run an effective classroom continue to flourish. The idea of thematic instruction, as I had learned in this chapter, is an approach to instruction that allows for learning activities that follow a type of theme, and can span across multiple content areas.
This concept really stuck out to me as I was reading, because this is something that is so incredibly beneficial to the middle school concepts that are talked about and analyzed in TCH 130, also known as Introduction to Adolescent Development. In TCH 130, the middle school concept of ‘teaming’ is introduced. The idea of teaming, is that teachers spanning across multiple content areas can work together as a team to work with the same group of students, shared among the same teachers, and this idea of teaming would allow for collaboration across not only the teachers on the team, but the students who are on the team as well. Through the use of collaboration within a team, thematic teaching can most effectively be achieved, and themes can really encompass lessons that span across all content areas. Through this use of connecting information between lesson plans and content areas, students are really becoming fully immersed in what they are learning, and this allows for a very positive learning experience.
The argument for teaching thematically is that everything is connected to everything. Students are able to really grow their thought processes and make deeper connections using their brain. I think that allowing students to make these connections, really helps not only achieve the inclusion of content standards more easily across all subjects, but also allows for objectives to be made very clear to students throughout the entire team. With topics and objectives more clear to students, the possibilities for making connections and bettering the learning experiences for students is endless.
This chapter has allowed me to actively reflect on what kind of classroom I would like to uphold in my future as a teacher. I think that this reflection brings up crucial questions for me to ask myself, like what is the best way to run my classroom? How can I change most effectively to the needs of my students? I think that these questions will definitely be an ever growing process that I will continue to answer as I teach more and more, but I am looking forward to learning more about ways to manage my classroom, and monitor how I am developing the many skills that go into becoming and maintaining being a great teacher.
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #18-VIRTUAL CLINICAL #4: “HOW RACISM HARMS WHITE AMERICANS”, A LECTURE BY JOHN H. BRACEY
In this particular video I have chosen to use as one of my online, virtual, clinical experience, John H. Bracey conducts a lecture about how there have been many economic, political, and social effects of racism on white Americans. Though he divulges into many different types of analysis he makes throughout his lecture, Mr. Bracey focuses on the high price white people have paid, in particular the working class white population, for race based policies and attitudes.
Mr. Bracey was speaking to a group of adults at this particular lecture, but this does not mean that the information in which he was providing the listeners with is not applicable to the young adolescent. I think that Mr. Bracey did a phenomenal job discussing a sometimes rather touchy subject of race. However, when applying this to my future classroom, I can not be afraid to address uncomfortable matters with my students, and in this day and age, it is no longer acceptable to to stray away from topics of conversation in the classroom, even if they may or may not be uncomfortable.
Within the lecture, a particular idea had been presented that was very interesting for me to reflect on. Mr. Bracey discusses about times where there were white individuals who were so afraid of being integrated with individuals who did not appear exactly like themselves, that they actually went to great lengths to keep everyone segregated. For example, Mr. Bracey’s mother wished to attend the University of Mississippi, but because she was African American, they did not allow her to attend. They went to the lengths of paying for her education at the University of Chicago, instead of just letting her attend University of Mississippi. This seems very counterproductive to me. In my eyes, I would hope that people would be able to go wherever they wish regardless of what their outwards appearance may be, but I understand that, that is simply just not the case, and things like this happen all of the time.
He provided another example, and talked about how social security for individuals of all races, was not made a thing until the 1960’s, 30 years after social security had already been implemented. The rule in the 1930’s about social security, had cut off social security for those we were working in domestic labor positions, as well as farming labor positions. This included individuals who were not just African American, but also included individuals who were white as well. These white individuals were happy that they were not receiving social security, solely because they knew that other African American individuals were also not receiving social security. Which seems crazy to me. The question I kept asking myself was, isn’t it just easier to all be equal?
When connecting this to young adolescents, there are a lot of things that come to my mind. The differences from students to students, is something that was an obvious connection I had made throughout watching this lecture. In the classroom, young adolescents are developing who they are and identifying their identity. This can cause labeling and sometimes stereotypes to occur, which is something that as a future teacher, I want to monitor and make sure is not happening within my classroom, hopefully aiding in the action to make it not happen outside of my classroom walls. This definitely is also very applicable to the content we have been learning about in 207, because we have talked a lot about students who are of different cultural backgrounds, are oftentimes marginalized for their identity. In this case, as discussed throughout the course of the entire lecture, individuals would go to great lengths in order to marginalize people who were not exactly like them, and had a different color of skin than themselves. Throughout the Pain and Privilege text, this is a common theme where the individuals that have shared their stories in that book, have been outcasted for their differences, in some very upsetting situations.
In conclusion, I believe that as a teacher, one of the best things I can do for my students, is to just be aware of what is happening in the world, and that this type of discrimination and prejudice is something that transcends beyond just something that happened in the past. It still happens today, and I can help my students by creating a positive space for them to express themselves, and love who they are.
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #19-CLASS DISCUSSION-3/28
In class today, I thought that very valuable discussions were had throughout the course of the period, and it left me thinking about several different topics, that will shed important light on how I want to operate my classroom, how I want to operate as a teacher, and overall how I would like to operate as a human being. In the Reflectivity of Pain and Privilege text, there is a wide range of different stories and research that have been outlined for us to read. Today in class, we read a couple of the last bit of chapters for the text, and had a really valuable discussion with some common themes that are outlined throughout the entire course of the text, and are truly themes of the course as a whole as well.
Today, in particular, we were focusing on chapter 14, the story of Hannah, and her experience having moved from Korea to the United States, and belonging to a military family that was always relocating and shifting from place to place. In Hannah’s passage, she discusses a bible quote that a peer and I had been discussing throughout our analyzation of the conclusion of Hannah’s chapter. The bible verse was used as a metaphor to describe a very important message that Hannah was truly to share with the world, and this message at first was very difficult for us to decode.
As we were trying to decode what her overall message was trying to convey, we referred to the following chapter, Iman’s chapter, chapter 17. In Iman’s chapter, she discusses having to ‘walk the line’ between her identities, and having various friends and family members force her to try to choose which identity she felt more accustomed to. This caused Iman a lot of frustration, and shared with us the importance of celebrating people of mixed identities, by appreciating and celebrating all of their identities, not just a singular one. This allowed us to realize the overall message that Hannah was trying to convey to readers and listeners.
Hannah explains through her metaphor, and throughout the course of her chapter, how we, as teachers especially, need to acknowledge who we are, and who others’ are, but to take that knowledge and realize that all walks of life and all types of different people are on a journey through life, and every way is acceptable. This means it does not matter what background you come from, or how many identities you have, we should celebrate them all and allow for all paths of life and all differences between people to be recognized, and let people identify as live as they want. It is crucial that we do not stigmatize people, and force them to choose one identity over the other, but rather allow people to be who they are, without judgement.
I think this chapter really encapsulates a huge message that is presented throughout the entire book, and a common theme that can be identified throughout any chapter. That theme? Acceptance, acknowledgement, being conscious of others and what they are experiencing and going through. Staying woke.
~JOURNALS~
-A peek into my journey through TCH 207-
JOURNAL #20-CLINICAL #5 FROM CLASS 4/11
When watching this virtual clinical, I think there were a lot of different techniques and observations that I had made, that really allowed for me to have a lot of positive reflection, no only when reflecting within this journal, but for applying this reflection towards my future career as an educator.
There were a lot of elements of the teacher and teaching that I had picked up right away, one of the most noticeable being how energetic, animated, and excited, the instructor was when working with her students. I think that this really made the students very engaged in her lesson, and perhaps made what she was discussing with students, easier to understand. I really like how even though the teacher had made a couple of content mistakes throughout her lesson, that she, upon her own personal reflection, was able to recognize the mistakes that she had made, and illustrate ways for her to improve for next time. I think that this is such a valuable skill for any teacher to obtain, and something that I really admire.
In addition to her animated personality, the teacher was moving around, almost acting out the concepts, in a way to make them more easy to understand among her students. I think that this allows for students of all learning backgrounds, to have concepts that might be very difficult to understand, become simpler through having an acted out, visual representation.
I think if there were some things that might help for the next lesson, I would suggest perhaps having a cheat sheet, or notes list for students to look off throughout the lesson, to aid in comprehension and discussion, as some students may really benefit from the extra help, and be able to participate more.
When relating all of these observations and notes back to our class, TCH 207, I think that there are a lot of things to be discussed, but one of the most important connections that I had made, was the connection on how to best use this knowledge, to improve how I would facialite lessons within my own classroom. For example, providing students with a handout as a resource to aid them through a lesson and discussions, would really help to provide students who may come from a culturally and linguistically diverse culture, to have extra resources to use throughout the classroom, that not only culturally and linguistically diverse students would benefit from, but all students would benefit from.