Create A Classroom Where All Students Want To Learn

Multiculturalism - So many things apply this to word yet it sometimes does not get all of the attention it deserves. This weeks beneficial, as always, readings helped us as future educators better understand this term. To start off - The House on Mango Street was a nice quick read yet it unpacked many inciteful characteristics in each mini chapter. Although the minature chapters made the book seem choppy in my opinon, I believe it would be a good book to get my students involved, especially those who are "low tracked" or those who do not like advanced work. Due to the plot being involved in an innercity Chicago Latino neighborhood, it would be nice to implement these types of stories into the classroom for students to understand economically, racially and academically.

"A Class Divided" was a really interesting documentary! I watched it while at a friends and they even thought it was interesting and a good idea. I really liked how the teacher conducted the experiment. It was nice to see the same students come back years later to view the video. I also really liked it when the other professor used it in the classroom and older students were analysing the video. I wonder how a video like this would work on students in modern day. I really liked when she gave the lecture and experiment on the adults and her and the other women were "having it out" HA!

More specifically on multiculturalism in the classroom, Christensen focuses on ways that students of different racial and economic backgrounds are "treated differently" based on their academic levels. It is said to believe that those who are in lower education courses are those students with lack encouragment to advance and do not have parents who help them. These students are 'typically' those of lower level incomes and different racial and ethniticity groups. I thought it was really beneficial for the author to break down the different ideas of tracking and not tracking as well as students feelings about it. It was nice to read about those students who typically do not do well in the classroom verses those who do and ways to implement different strategies into your lesson plan in order to tap into their thinking patterns. I guess it was nice to see this done because I never really recognized 'tracking' as something that can be changed, because it was just always done. I failed to realize in highschool or for the matter, now that tracking is wrong in more than one way. Teachers should either combine forces to challenge school districts who track and make our students feel like they lack potential or at least should try to implement ways that these students can be grouped together and learn off of each other. I think it is really important to look out our school districts and the way they group certain people together based on their abilites of work ethic in order to better understand our students as a whole.

Since I really hope to work in a diverse school district, it is really intriguing to learn of situations that students are 'banned' from working together due to tracking enforcements. I believe that all students have the ability to reach any goal that they are willing and hoping to acheieve. With the strength of themselves, their educators, mentors, whether that be friends or family, students should be able to have enough confidence to reach out to resources available to them in order to reach that climax of a potential. As Christensen mentions in her article, teachers need to let their students know they are resources as well as explain to them other types of resources. This will help those students who are 'tracked low' overcome their fight of bad views of multiculturalism in the classroom!

Visualization Techniques in the Classroom

Visual methods are extremely important for the classroom in order to tap into all of Gardner's multiple intelligences. In order for educators to do so, new and improved techniques should be tried in classroom lesson plans. Techniques vary, but this week's concept is Graphic novels. Although I am not familiar with many comic books, it was really nice to see how as a teacher you can implement them into your classroom.

I read Dr. Mortimore's "The Conventions of Comics" first and thought this was extremely beneficial to one who is not completely familiar with graphic novels. This article pointed out many key symbols that I would not have not normally focused on when reading a graphic novel. This includes but is not limited to, the energy and action in the text or text boxes, spacial gaps (which allow students to 'unpack' the ideas, which is the rich part of the comic), as well as other shapes and coloring elements that unify the main purpose of the graphic novels.

In The article "Using Graphic Novels.... in an Urban High School" is interesting to read because it focuses on scaffolding and using new creative ways to do so. Because graphic novels lack long paragraphs filled with extreme details does not mean that graphic novels lack complex meaning. Since the comics have minimum reading, it grabs those students, who do not enjoy reading, attention. These novels are filled will "visual vocabulary" and use "techniques that convey meaning"(20). I liked how this article focused on what types of devices students gained from reading graphic novels, as it suggests, "visual stories allowed students to discuss how the authors conveyed mood and tone through images" (21). This is a really important goal for students to develop because usually it is through words, instead it is through the actions of the comic. I liked how it states that students do not realize the power they have until reading this new type of media form of literacy, which helps educators help the students build more confidence in reading and therefore helps the teacher scaffold for individuals.

In YGBB, I enjoyed how Wilhelm provided more clarification on the SRI activities.As well as the idea that SRI can be used to identify irony, symbolism, satire etc. because I failed to realize that I could use these types of techniques in this strategy. Where this is a twist for new criticism approach :) As for scaffolding purposes, he talks about how these forms of language activities improve student's abilities as speakers, writers, readers and listeners (156). It is definintely a proven fact that visualization activities in the classroom improve many students literature potential, it is just a matter of incorporating it into the classroom in thoughtful instructional and current and up-to-date ways. As a student, I always enjoyed making creative projects for school. I plan on incorporating collages as a means of judging my students understanding of the texts. It is a good way to evaulate their responses and introduce new ways of deeper meaning with a touch of individual creativity. I also liked the mentioning of post card exchange, which would also be a cool activity to do. My only "scare, judgement. etc" (lack of a better word) is that many students do not believe they can draw or fear their drawing is not good, (as I am) so I liked that Wilhelm included the idea that students can use magazines to create visualizations.

Visually understanding text helps students gain clarification as better develop analysis and elaborate on conflict, setting and characters. Graphic novels, anime and comic books all do this for students!

YGBB is a really good book for our class to read as future teachers. I constantly was making marks, underlining etc. because this book will stay on my book shelf for future need. The intro and first three chapters really got me interested because I wanted to know about the teacher's research and how the student's reacted to literature as well as hear their responses about different reading skills etc. I personally want to become a teacher because I am intrigued by getting students involved in loving to read, and interested in English all together. So this book is particularly important to me.
It is really important to produce and create meaning for students and Jeffrey Wilhelm does a great job of showing his readers how he did this with his students. His strategies for getting the readers to be more engaged interested me. More specifically, his idea of what he refers to as SRI (Symbolic Story Representation) really caught my attention. I enjoyed the idea of making cut outs to represent scenes, setting importance, or even cutouts to represent the reader. This idea is one that I definitely want to use in my classroom. I am alll about getting involved in new and inspirational ways to engage my less experienced readers. Like I mentioned, I want to be a teacher who does move students to a happier viewpoint about English, reading, and writing. I also did not even think of posting in a teaching journal before this book and now, I can not wait until I can actually begin one! It is a fantastic idea because you get to see/ write how the class turned out, see what methods worked and which did not and in the future go back and reread what you wrote. It will be a personal tool that will assess me and continuously help me, help my students. The author makes strong points about having to get to know your students in order to help them get to know themselves, their reading strategies etc. which allows them to have an aesthetic experience. This is really true and I can't wait to finally make those connections with my students in the near future.

It is also strong to note that the author of YGBB is concerned much with the idea of meaning making. I really agree with him. Reading and teaching skills on how to get the best out of reading is through meaning making and connections, as well as "determining importance, summarizing information, drawing inferences, generating questions and monitoring comprehension" (31). Visualize, elaborate, compare, experience, connect, participate, reflect, understand - these are all descriptive words that define the activities of getting your students involved. I am really looking forward to completing this book and in near future going back to it for advice!

Reading through the eyes of Amanda Starner

Long and many years ago, I can remember being in highschool where I read for pleasure often and was intrigued by varieties of books. Even though many years ago refers to not that long ago since I graduated in 08, my parched mind forgets too much! I used to love doing book reports and even additionally asked my teachers for extra credit if I did additonal ones. I always took advantage of it and got good grades in English. Even so, I can remember back to my beginner days when I was fascinated by The Jungle Book as I read it multiple times. As well as the Goosebump classics. A big favorite of mine was Maniac Magee, and I even did a lesson plan on it! As I began to become more familiar with the world I started to engage in novels that discussed abuse or rape, along with other reality topics. I enjoyed the connection that I got between the characters and myself. Once I got old enough to get a job, I got one as a hostess. And boyy, were there boring times! So I started to read for pleasure again during those long summer nights standing there greeting costumers at my hostess stand. I fell IN LOVE with Jodi Picoult and all of her real life situations. So I now own plenty of books that are hers. So yes, I would consider myself a reader even though I pretty much only read whats required for my education now because that is all that time allows me to. Even though I should and could read instead of many other things I fill my time with. I enjoy reading about others lives and what they discover about themselves and or their world around them as I gain insite by reading how they deal with their individual situations. I would consider myself a motivated reader when it is an enjoyable read. Not so much motivated to read all of the ollld gibberrish that we(English majors) are suposed to adore. I do not fancy a lot in the English major yet see myself only involved in English and in teaching and movitating students to enjoy their English class through modern techniques, styles, reading and understanding of text.
This semester and forward I hope to learn to take notes while reading to better my understanding and love for the not so easy to understand works.