Literacy Project

With a heterogeneous class of 25 learners ranging in English language proficiency, native language ability, and learning preferences, I find myself challenged year after year.  How do I most effectively meet the varying needs of individual students when they’re so vast and different? Through student questionnaires, I gathered information that shows a learning preference that ranges from independent learning with teacher scaffold, partners, triad, small group, and even whole group.  This coupled with the assistance of technology, it adds a whole new layer to the learning preference.  

As an ELL educator, the acquisition and use of home language play a major role in proficiency of English oral language development.  The Developmental Bilingual program model has allowed me the opportunity to conduct a study in the last two years.  Before the Developmental Bilingual Model, Providence School District used the Transitional program model where students exited upon meeting the EXIT criteria.  With this outdated Transitional model in place, I could not follow student progress, so it was mere speculation.  Under the updated Developmental model, however,  I am able to follow student progress because students who meet the EXIT criteria remain in the program for the remainder of their elementary school career.  Through the study conducted, I could see parallels between English oral language performance and testing performance.  Since English language proficiency is an indicator of students’ achievement as it relates to testing because there needs to be an understanding of language to make meaning.  

This current year, according to the WIDA ACCESS literature score, the upcoming academic class of 2018-2019 is as follows: three students are ‘Entering,’ three is ‘Emerging,’ nine is ‘Developing,’ seven are ‘Expanding,’ one is ‘Bridging,’ and two are ‘Reaching.’  The two ‘Reaching’ have met the criteria for EXIT. What does all this teacher terminology mean?  It means I have beginner, intermediate and advanced English proficient students.  Because of my experience and study conducted, it will mean I have to find a relationship between their oral language and learning with interactive approaches that encourage more student talk and less teacher talk.  As Wesch would suggest, learning happens in the absence of a teacher, for it then that the learner pursues which great passion the questions that are meaningful and relevant in their own lives.  

The use of technology, Google Classroom will allow to more effectively meet the needs of the students.  As one educator trying to meet the needs of 25 students simultaneously, technology will allow me to do just that without sacrificing most students for some students or teaching to the middle.  It will allow me to simultaneously diversify the lesson scaffolding individual students’ needs at their pace.  Although students enter the program in Kindergarten and sometimes Pre-K, while having access to the similar educational experiences, the outcomes vary.  I can assign the work online providing scaffolds that range from pictorial and graphic representations to more specialized application options.   Also, the use of technology allows for students to take responsibility for their learning, where teacher acts as a facilitator.  Students assume the role of the expert, where the information needed is at their fingertips, using this information they have to teach.  In the process of teaching, they are learning.  “Teaching to learn and learning to teach” I believe empowers students by giving them a voice and helps them to feel that they too have much to contribute.  The learning is not the sole responsibility of the teacher, but a joint collaboration between student to student and teacher to student.  As Sugata Mitra, from school in the Cloud had stated, it is a self-organized learning environment, S.O.L.E.  The differentiation of the same lesson adapts the range of items the learner is expected to complete. The level of support will vary depending on which games students will choose to play if the audio along with the visual will help the learner.  The difficulty will be adapted to how they choose to teach the word to the class.  The roles students work in will be dependent within their collaborative groups.  

I like to think of my classroom as a platform where I encourage the students to develop their identities through leadership opportunities.  The student-leaders develop quite naturally as some students embrace the idea to take the lead while others cautiously observe as I did when I was young.  I observe their individual personalities and encourage all students to improve their actual and perceived needs through sharing stories.  I let the students share their personal narratives in written form that are later published by Student Treasures.   I believe everyone has a story to tell and through storytelling, we can find common threads and realize our strengths and find healing.

....I believe in the power of empowering students. 

My task as a digital immigrant, in conventional speed it to pick-up into twitch speed to engage the natives.  To do so according to Prensky, I must learn the language and the culture of technology. This use of technology is a gradual transition from technocrat, to techno-traditionalist.  I will be using technology proficiently to accomplish a traditional task.  It a step moving towards a techno-constructivist where hopefully, technology will change my approach to teaching and learning. In this approach, students work with teachers to gain a deeper understanding of the material.  Ultimately, the goal would be to move towards students creating and producing their own content not just consuming it through media. 

As a result, the media literacy class has inspired me to use the tool of technology to take my beliefs and philosophy about teaching and learning to another level.  As the presentation, Pecha Kucha will demonstrate the growth process undertaken from digital immigrant to learning about digital natives has been a journey.  Before this class, I would not have conceptualized simultaneously meeting all students' needs as a single educator.  I would find myself saying, " I am one teacher and there's 24 of you.  This is why I need leaders in my class." With technology, the possibilities are endless.  I can have student leaders and still meet the varying needs of students.  It allows me to think outside the box.  The sky is the limit with what could be done with technology and our environment will thank us for it.  

This I believe

This I believe...

As an educator, I locate myself with my students by sharing with them my Dominican roots.  I find the students are able to better connect with me when I share my personal struggles as a student in the classroom.  When I explain that I was that student sitting in their seat.  I was that shy little girl who spent a year “silent period” just observing everything before I found my voice.  I shared, how I repeated the first grade because I lacked English proficiency and the teachers thought I needed more time.  My mother unknowingly agreed.  

...I believe in transparency...Sharing who you are to being vulnerable to your students. 

Being an educator in the Providence School District in a Developmental Bilingual Class of 24 heterogeneous learners of the English Language, who all share a common thread creates a challenge.  Although, we are all recent immigrants or children of first-generation immigrants many of the cultures represented in my room are from the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. This common root connects us all together as we navigate our way through life trying to find our truth of who we are in a land foreign to us.  Struggling to identify with unfamiliar cultural concepts that both challenge who you are and society thinks you should be is a process.  This process of acculturation creates a divide between the two worlds, one of your ancestors and the other you are trying to make your own.  

...I believe in being content with who I am and embracing me. 

I like to think of my classroom as a platform where I encourage the students to develop their identities through leadership opportunities.  The student-leaders develop quite naturally as some students embrace the idea to take the lead while others cautiously observe as I did when I was young.  I observe their individual personalities and encourage all students to improve their actual and perceived needs through sharing stories.  I let the students share their personal narratives in written form that are later published by Student Treasures.   I believe everyone has a story to tell and through storytelling, we can find common threads and realize our strengths and find healing.

....I believe in the power of empowering students. 

Flight n' Crisis

The Flight from conversation by Turkle and The Crisis of Significance by Wesch share a theme evolving around how technology has impacted human interaction.   The flight leads to the disconnection felt with one another in any environment whether social, or academic.  The crisis begins when the search for meaning and inspiration remains unfulfilled for periods of time which may seem an eternity. 

In Flight from Conversation, Turkle claims conversations are sacrificed for mere connections when families and friends sit together, text.  This new art of “being alone together” has enabled us to be with one another and also elsewhere. Consequently, we end up hiding from one another as we connect to one another.  The author points out how technology is advancing to  look for ways to make artificial intelligence with more human like qualities.  This reminds me of a movie, Her  2013, based on a main character, Theodore who is recently divorced and finds himslef alone.  He invests in the latest technology,  a program for an Operating System designed specifically for him.   Eventually, he becomes emotionally and intellectually attached to Samantha, the operating system and its human like qualities.  However, the intellectual stimulus is no longer sufficient to satisfy Theodore.  He needs more.  Theodore needs companionship in the way that Samantha could not provide.  In our rush to connect, Turkle asserts we flee from solitude, but fail to experience people as they are.  

In Crisis of Significance, Wesch states that the physical structure of the classroom does not inspire dialogue and critical thinking.  His focus is on managing the environment.  He describes his auditorium-like class, as a sterile environment of neatly lined-up seats all facing a massive stage.  The podium, housed a computer with him as the focal point instead of the students.  

As the ad states, let's disconnect to reconnect. 

Let's Make Stuff Workshop

In class, we had a guest speaker who talked about the benefits of having students make stuff in class.  It holds students accountable for their learning in a way that simultaneously engages them.

 The implications for teaching and learning is to think outside of the "box" and allow time for creativity to flow.  We should not leave it up to the media to teach our children but guide them through thought-provoking conversations around the images we see.

Grammar Saves Lives

How to Use Grammarly

Using Grammarly can be broken down into simple step-by-step instructions.

First, you must sign in using a google account, Facebook or simply log in.

Once you are signed in, you will need to install the application.  

After the application is installed, you can begin using the features immediately.  On the home page, type or upload a new document.

Remember to set your goals.  This would prove helpful in the end for insightful tips for improvement.

Click the green button on the upper-right hand corner for checking assistance.

Underlined words will automatically appear on the document.  As you place the mouse over each highlighted word, options to correct, dismiss, flag and/or detailed explanations with specific examples will appear.  

In the end, insights will rank your writing in comparison to other users based on vocabulary and readability.  

Media Violence

Write about your chapter on your blog in a way that will help teach it to the rest of us who have not read it.  Include major argument (thesis) and any supporting examples the author uses to explain his or her point.

I chose to read the article Examining Media Violence: How can we help students to think about the relationship between media images and violence by Bakari Chavanu.  The setting begins in the classroom where an English teacher has to deliver a nine-week unit to his 11th graders on violence in society.  The author uses a resource entitled Beyond Blame produced by the Center for Media Literacy in Los Angeles. 

The major argument is that the media is not the sole cause for violence in society, but that the media plays a major role in reinforcing the myths, images and even attitudes that support a culture of violence.  Just as the media shifted around smoking, cholesterol, and buckling your seat belt, it can do the same to encourage choices about violent behaviors. 

One particular exercise the teacher uses with the students is “Damsels in Distress: Women and violence.  Student set the purpose before watching video clips by having to circle descriptive words that describe how men and women are depicted in music videos.  The first part of the activity served to help the students recognize the differences in gender.  After this activity students watched a selection of videos first with sound and second without sound.   The students quickly realized that the music served as a distractor and they were able to see more without the sound. 

Another activity the teacher includes from the resource is entitled Media Heroes, Real Heroes.  Students had to call out descriptive words used to describe actions of a typical hero. Then students had to describe people in real life who they could describe as heroes or heroines.  The point of this exercise was to help them see the contrast between media and real-life heroes.

The teacher finally ended with a segment special Kids Killing Kids and a discussion about non-violent solutions. One student was quoted as saying, " Without violence, TV would be boring." What do you think?

Animated Culture

What is your relationship to Disney and animated children’s culture?  What role did these texts play in your life as a child, if any? In that of any children you share time with? How do your memories challenge or reflect Christensen’s claims? How does Frozen meet or challenge your memories of princess culture? 

In unlearning the myths that bind us by Linda Christensen, the “secret education” refers to the indoctrination of young children through books and movies.  This wouldn’t be so dreadful if it were not for the fact that the marginalized remained voiceless and invisible.  

Because most of our early information about how others live does not come from first hand experience, our cultural stereotypes are shaped and distorted by what is seen in the media.  

For me personally, being in the minority of the minority, Hollywood and media images portrayed did not represent me.  The images of the Latina in the ‘novelas’ were always fair-skinned or white as this is what is valued in the Latin culture due to colonized mindset. Whenever, I would see the images depicting Latina that are upheld as a standard of beauty.  I was not celebrated, as I did not see my reflection in them.  My image was not mirrored within the dominance of the minority culture. This absence is an aspect of the oppression I felt.  The indoctrination left behind by the colonizers runs deep in the blood of my people that the ideologies are accepted and the vicious cycle of negation is perpetuated.  The negation of who we are to who we think we must be.   

How has this affected me in my adulthood?  Accepting the notion, that I could not play the damsel in distress as I lacked the characteristics of beauty as portrayed by the media, I came to a resolve that strength and intellect would be my innate qualities.  These same qualities have been my driving force and kept me motivated to push past and redefining for myself what is beauty. 

Frozen the Disney movie challenges my memories of princess culture, because she chooses her love for her sister to teach her how to control her powers.  Even though she is locked away and isolated in a castle, it was by choice.  A choice made from desperation and lack of guidance.   In the end, she no longer had to hide and suppress who she is.  Embracing her true self, and understanding her love for her sister lead to her happily ever after.