Chapter Seven

As an English education major I feel like I see how important vocabulary is for the students, but I don't think too many others understand it.  So many students learn a word and it's definition only for the way it will be used on a test and then forget about it.  When I read in the chapter about how important the link between vocab and concepts are, I feel like it really clicked.  There is no way a teacher can teach an entirely new concept to the class without first teaching the vocab it includes.  Allen said, "Teaching concepts requires building the conceptual base and adding levels (vocabulary words) to the concept (92).  Knowing how to use the words you are learning is so important, and is something I think a lot of people take for granted.  Vocab words usually end when students enter high school, but this is the time to really improve their vocab.  When I was in high school I had the same English teacher my sophomore and senior year and I am now so grateful that I did.  She had a game called "Stump the Amster" and we would have to bring in words from the dictionary to try and stump her, but then she would turn our lists into spelling and definition tests.  My vocab expanded so much because of those two years and even though at the time it seemed annoying, I am so glad she made us do that.  I really believe that more secondary English classrooms need to keep the vocab going strong in the classrooms.  I really liked the classroom map strategies that were mentioned in this chapter like the "Context Plus" and the "Concept Circles".  I feel like these strategies are great to use in junior high/high school classrooms to help the students before the concepts get too intense.  I am always worried that I won't have any good tools to help my students, but I think these will be really great.

Chapter Four

I thought that this chapter was interesting because I think that the term "understanding" is such a confusing one.  When a teacher asks her class if they understand most everyone is going to say yes even though more than half of them truly do not.  There is no way to define understanding and I believe that is where a lot of the confusion in the classroom comes from.  I think that a lot of the times students are embarrassed to admit that they don't understand and too many times they just pretend that they do.  It's so upsetting to me that students are too ashamed to say that they don't understand.  I liked when the author said, "If we observe ourselves and our students in the act of understanding deeply, we might generate a far more useful definition of comprehension" (34).  I think it is obvious to see when a student truly understands something and it is a very cool sight to see.  In my practicum hours, I watched the students and you could just see it on their faces when something clicked.  I think that more teachers have to be willing to spend the time and I believe that when they see the true understanding their students have, it will be extremely worth it.  When teachers see the students understanding things in their own element then "we can use their own language and insights to contribute to a new definition of understanding" (33).  If the teacher is willing to connect to the students I think they will notice the effort and really appreciate it.  I like the idea of making the dimension of understanding chart with each individual class because I think it will really get everyone on the same page.  The students need to feel equal, but this way they will feel like the teacher understands their needs. 

Chapter 6 & Reading Strategies

I really enjoyed this chapter by Teri Lisene because I felt that it was really relevant to YA literature and the changes that have been occurring within it.  I have always loved YA literature and it is one of the main reasons that I want to teach junior high language arts.  I feel that YA lit can help a child through almost anything.  Just like everything else in our world, YA lit is starting to change too.  Lisene said, "The new YA literature differs in both form and structure" (63).  The books address hard-hitting issues that teens want to read about.  The books talk about sex, drugs, families, friends, and everything else.  Reading a book about something that is going on in your own life can be a really important thing for a child to experience.  A lot of kids can feel like they are alone in the world and simply reading a book can help them with that.  I think that the censorship laws on YA lit are crazy.  Some people are concerned that these topics are not appropriate for teenagers (Lisene 75).  However, the more realistic the books are, the more the kids are interested in them.  The authors are not stepping down and continue to write their stories that include controversial topics.  I think that this is the best thing that can happen.  I have loved to read for as long as I can remember and my parents never tried to censor my books.  Looking back now, I really appreciate that.  YA books can act as an escape for kids that might be struggling and I don't think sugar-coating the topics that can be talked about would be helpful to anyone.  So far this has been my favorite chapter because I feel really passionate about YA lit.  I have written two research papers on book censorship in schools and I feel like this topic is so important to be informed about. 

The reading strategies that were addresses in Jim Burke's book also seemed to be very helpful tips for the classroom.  I particularly enjoyed the section on Silent Sustained Reading (SSR).  When I was in junior high SSR was my favorite part of the day and I thought it was the perfect way to start class.  When I was observing in an 8th grade language arts classroom last semester, the teacher also used SSR.  It was evident that the 10 minutes the kids had to read really made a difference.  They were much calmer after the time and more relaxed and ready to learn.  Burke said, "SSR is considered one of the most effective means of improving students' reading capacity at any grade level" (4).  I definitely want to implement this strategy in my future classroom.  One other strategy I thought was really important was to "Create the Conditions for Effective Learning".  I have always been a naturally quiet person and I think it really says a lot if a teacher makes me feel comfortable enough to talk freely in class.  I want my students to feel like they can say anything they want and not feel like they are being judged or think their response is dumb.  I want to "foster an environment in which students feel secure enough to make their individual voices heard" (Burke 16).  I think this is one of the most important strategies because children have to feel comfortable in their classrooms. 

Chapters 3 & 16

I felt that both of these chapters held a lot of information that is extremely relevant to the literacy issues that are happening in the schools today.  So many students today are interested in literacy, however it just might not be what the curriculum teaches.  Donna Alvermann reported, "It's almost ironic that, at a time when young people are becoming credible consumers of mass media and popular culture, curriculur standards move further from real-life engagements with media more traditional approaches to teaching and learning" (19).  More than ever students are finding their own means of literacy through the internet, video games, cell phones, blogs,  etc.  However, schools are not acknowledging that times are changing and that students are not the same as they used to be.  I think that this point is really important.  The chapter mentioned that it is getting harder and harder for students to just sit in class for a lecture and then take a test.  The Institution of Old Learning (IOL) is now something that needs to remain in the past, not something we should center the entire curriculum on (26).  It is time for advocates of IOL to recognize that newer approaches to literacy are in fact beneficial to the students. 

I was shocked when I read that 7,000 students drop out of school each day.  That number seems impossible to me.  It really gave me hope to read about the one student who believed "one teacher motivated her because the teacher refused to believe the stereotypes" (244).  The teachers have to be willing to put in the time for each student.  I think this is where a lot of teachers go wrong in the schools.  So many teachers get burnt out and stop caring about each individual student, instead caring only about overall grades and averages.  When Jackson said, "teachers must first work smarter" I think that is right on (246).  It all starts with the teachers and I feel that too many people forget that.  Another point I thought was great was "confident teachers use strategies that empower adolescents" (247).  I think the best thing a teacher can do is to get his/her students to want to learn.  That is my biggest goal for when I have my own classroom.  When the students want to learn their initiative is so much greater. 

Chapter Ten Response

I thought that this chapter had a lot of really useful ideas that I will be able to implement in the classroom one day.  I think one of the things I am most worried about when I am teaching is that I will not have enough diversity in my lesson plans to keep things entertaining, but I felt that Jim Burke gave me a lot of really great ideas.  I like how he gave advice for all eight roles that will help make up the "New Middle [class]" (Burke, 2007, 152).  I have a few strategies that he listed that are my favorite because as I student, I feel like I would have personally really liked if my teacher had done these:

1.  "Establish a threaded discussion online..." (Burke, 2007, 153).  I think that a lot of times students really appreciate the time to think through their thoughts and write them down carefully.  Instead of always putting the students on the spot in class to respond to questions I think it is a great idea to have discussion forums.  Burke implemented this in his own high school classes and found great results.  He said, "It was as if all cylinders of the students' brains were lighting up as they told their stories through an experience I designed" (Burke, 2007, 163).  I think a lot of the quieter students will really benefit from the forums where they can write everything they are thinking instead of trying to spit it out in class. 

2.  "Focus on design when creating presentations" (Burke, 2007, 159).  In today's world more than ever, appearance is so important.  The students are going to feel much better about turning something in when they feel confident that it looks the best it can.  I feel like I never really learned how to do much on powerpoint and that most of my technology skills are not so hot.  It is so important to keep them up to date with everything so they don't fall behind. 

3.  "Bring speakers into the class from the work world so students hear what people in different fields must know and how they are expected to work" (Burke, 2007,157).  I think this is really important because so many kids think they are never going to be using the things they are learning in school again.  Having workers from various fields come and talk about all of the different skills they have to use in their jobs will really show the students how important it is to be well-rounded.  I think this is one of my favorite tips because I personally find it so much more interesting to hear real life accounts about the real world and I think students would really benefit from this also. 

I think that this article about the new "flat" world is really relevant to our world because there are so many changes for all of us.  If we as teachers are current on the changes in the world then we will be able to better prepare our students. 

Chapter One Response

I thought that this chapter in Adolescent Literacy was extremely informative.  Until I read this chapter, I had no idea how much of an importance is placed on Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in the schools.  It seems that the goal close the achievement gap in schools is never-ending.  As a future educator, one of the most important things to me is the happiness and successfulness of the students.  When I read this chapter, it was really sad to see how many school administrators are only concerned with the test scores their students get.  Beers gave one example of this when he was talking to a principal that said, “NCLB demands what?  That we close the achievement gap.  How do you know when that’s happened?  Kids pass the damn class” (Beers, 2007, 3).  Hearing the principal talk like this was surprising because the students need to feel like they are worth more than a test grade.  Reading about Derek and Collin really made the situation real.  I was sad for these two boys because both of their feelings were hurt due to test scores.  Derek has been “focused on the huge progress he had made and, until that moment, had felt good about that progress” (Beers, 2007, 2).  He was happy with his progress, but it still was not good enough.  I think that this mentality in the schools is going to cause the students to give up all together.                                                                                                                     

I was surprised to find out how many different shifts in literacy there have been.  Beers explained, “Literacy is a set of skills that reflect the needs of the time.  As those needs shifts, then our definition of literacy shifts” (2007, 7).   In today’s world I think the most important thing to realize it that the students need more from literacy than just getting their school high- test scores.  It is up to us as teachers to individualize literacy for each student and classroom.