Writing and Representing

The main goal as a teacher is to teach that writing can be enjoyed.  If you can teach your students to enjoy writing they won’t see writing as a chore and will write more in their everyday lives. I agree with the IRP that the more you write the better you read, but more importantly, writing on its own is beneficial to students as it allows children to “express themselves, clarify their thinking, communicate ideas, and integrate new information into their knowledge base “ (IRP).  As a teacher you cannot sit in front of the class and teach how to enjoy writing, you have to teach in a way that lets the students to experience first hand the joys of writing.  The best way to do this is to create a good writing environment, one that uses and teaches many different writing strategies.

My Ideal Writing Environment

Like Raffaella Montemurro, from the textbook I believe that “good writing comes from reading good literature.” Therefore it is very important to have a learning environment that has a wealth of novels, picture books, and poetry.  These are great resources for students to use when they need writing ideas.  Writing ideas such as characters, settings, conflicts, theme, writing styles or plots. (Bainbridge 2009)

I also feel the classroom environment needs to be one that is supportive.  Students need to feel comfortable; this will allow them not to get hung up on mistakes. Through class discussion we learned that girls often have a perfectionist attitude and will not go on until each word is spelt correctly (Robin Stevenson).  This is very detrimental to the writing process, as the student’s end up not being able to freely write and communicate their thoughts. There are two teachable strategies I think that are important to overcome a scenario like this.

The first is to have rule-less, nonjudgmental, free writing opportunities in the classroom.  An example we discussed in class and that is in the textbook is the “Think Books” and “Journals.”  It allows children to write freely and as the book states, “write for learning.”  This means that they are learning without knowing, as writing freely in journals allows students to practice their writing skills and formulating their thoughts. 

 The article, The Reading–Science Learning–Writing Connection: Breakthroughs, Barriers, and Promise by William G. Holliday and the textbook also express the importance of having journals in other subjects other then English. Research has proven that writing out math and science procedures and questions allows students to make more sense of how they reached the answer and the student is more likely to remember the steps. For that reason I feel that intergrading journals cross circular is very valuable.

 

Another great use of journals is for the teacher to use them to evaluate students understanding, see common popular topics among students, and informal documentation of students writing ability through the year. (Bainbridge 2009)

The second strategy is to teach students that writing requires a lot of revision and that the first draft is never perfect. I think it is very important to portray to the students that even professional writers go through many revisions and drafts before they reach the final results. The textbook describes this best by saying, “There is no such thing as a finished piece of writing. As they think, and as they think and receive feedback, they revise, develop new ideas, begin new pieces, share old ones and continue their development,” and “The writing process is spiral not linear.” (Bainbridge 2009) It is also important to teach this concept by modeling either yourself or inviting local authors into the class. 

Another aspect of being supportive, which leads to better enjoyment, is providing students with some autonomy in their writing.  This can be as simple as letting the children choose the book they write about or any general topic they are interested in.  The textbook expresses that this is very important. Stating that autonomy allows the students to bridge what they already know with what they have learned, resulting in an overall better understanding.  When a student cares about what they write they are usually more motivated and comfortable to write. Often this means allowing students to write about their own experiences. The book, Love That Dog is a very good example about a teacher allowing the student to make poems about his own life.  At first he couldn’t write anything, but once she showed him that the writing he already enjoys doing, about his own life experiences can in fact be used as poems he was able to conceptualize that he too, could be a poet. 

The teacher in the book, Love That Dog also allowed the boy to not write his poems in the ‘conventional’ poem-writing format.  This brings me to another strategy that teachers should use to support their students and encourage them to enjoy writing.  Giving students the opportunity to express themselves in different ways. The PLO’s give teachers this freedom, as they do not specify specifically writing formats the teacher needs to use. For example the grade three PLO’s are: “C7 - use writing and representing to express personal responses and opinions about experiences and texts “ or “ C8 - use writing and representing to extend thinking.” (IRP) Allowing students to choose different voices of writing (expression, poetic or transitional), and/or forms of writing (narrative, expressive, informational, nonfictions, comic strips) will result in better end results and interest in writing. Furthermore, this strategy of options will directly correlates with the overall writing purpose of the IRP, which is “Write and represent to create a variety of meaningful personal, informational, and imaginative texts.”

More options also foster children’s abilities to be more creative in their writing. In the article, Structure and Freedom: Achieving Balanced Writing Curriculum by Mara Casey and Stephen Hemenway, Page reflected her lost passion for writing because she no longer had a choice in the way she expressed her thoughts.  The process and format was the same each time and this made writing feel as though she was working on a production line. She felt forced to do the same thing over and over. Page also expressed that the structured topics and lack of freedom to express her views lead her to write for the teacher, and no longer to please herself, resulting in a loss of enjoyment for writing. Page’s example is what is seen often in schools today. Pages main advice, which I agree with, is to have a balance between structure and creativity to keep the children motivated and interested in writing.      

Lastly, the IRP uses the word “meaningful” in describing the overall purpose of teaching writing. Which I think is a very important element when teaching. If the text the student produced is meaningful they will be able to look back and be proud of what they wrote. I feel that meaningful and enjoyment, go hand in hand.  If the students enjoy what they are writing, they will have more passion that will lead to a meaningful outcome. Therefore, all the strategies mentioned above can be used to make the students writing and representing more meaningful.  

Wynston Wysdom Reporting Live!!!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlEPHAHeMKE

Writers note:

I would like to change a comment made in the interview.  I had stated that uploading your podcast is a simple process and anyone can do it.  This statement was based on reading I had done on podcasts.  However, having tried to upload my first podcast I now feel the complete opposite.  It is not as easy as made to sound (I would like to point out here that podcast under one minute are easy to do and upload for free). When looking for a podcast site I found many that would allow me to upload, but there was a cost for podcast longer then a minute.  Then I had to deal with the conversion and compression of files from one program to the next.  I know confusing right!! It was actually a nightmare, which resulted in me posting my podcast through youtube.  I do feel that if your school is already subscribed to a site that uploads podcasts the process would be simplified, but I assume there is a cost to this.  Uploading through Youtube was easy and is free! I do stand by all my other comments about how it can be used in the classroom!  Hopefully this doesn't change when I first try incorporating podcast into my lessons out when. 

The Up’s n Down’s of the IRP

The Intergraded Resource Package (IRP) is a great guide for starting teachers.  As a new teacher the IRP is broken down in a way that is easy to follow and understand.  I really liked how it describes an overall goal for the teaching of English Language Art (ELA).  It provided me with an overall ‘big picture’ that I know as a teacher of an earlier grade I am contributing to and working with fellow teachers to create.  At first I felt overwhelmed at this huge task ahead of me but then I realized that I am not left on my own to decipher what to teach certain grades. 

Let me provide an example to clarify my thinking.  Below is a quote from the beginning of the IRP:

“Language is fundamental to thinking, learning, and communicating in all cultures. The skilled use of language is associated with many opportunities in life, including further education, work, and social interaction. As students come to understand and use language more fully, they are able to enjoy the benefits and pleasures of language in all its forms, from reading and writing, to literature, theatre, public speaking, film, and other media. They also come to understand language as a human system of communication – dynamic and evolving, but also systematic and governed by rules.”

My initial response after reading this (and rest of the beginning of IRP) is what have I gotten myself into.  I have to take a fundamental of life and teach it so a student not only understands it but also enjoys it?  The IRP however takes this picture and breaks it down into manageable pieces.  This is great for me as a new teacher, as it educates me on how I can teach my grade and in turn contribute to this ‘big picture’ philosophy. The breakdown of the three components of ELA (Oracy, Writing and Reading) and further breakdown by grade, makes the IRP such a great tool to always be able to quickly refer back when making a lesson plan.  I also feel that it explains quite well what is expected of me to teach for ELA in whichever grade I teach.  Furthermore, having a group of teachers from different districts with many different experiences collaborate on the IRP, makes it an even more of a legit tool.

Lastly, another great thing about the IRP for new teachers is the section on additional information.  I find it great as it includes things a new teacher might not consider when making a lesson plan.  Things like understanding everyone’s needs in the classroom, or considering using aboriginal resources for a lesson….etc. 

The IRP does answer many questions I have as a new teacher but it does also leave many questions unanswered.  This is one draw back.  The IRP alone is not enough.   What I mean by this is that yes it covers all the areas (theory) a new teacher needs to know before they consider teaching a class or even make a lesson plan, but the real learning I think is being hands on in a class and dealing with these topics first hand.  Everything looks great on paper, but as a new teacher I have to understand that the IRP is a utopian representation. At first, I may not be able to use all the additional tools, but I can use pieces of them here and there and then reflect back and next time incorporate more.    

Snap Shot of my Future ELA Class

“In 2005 alone, Canada accepted an additional 262, 236 permanent residents into the country. Canada now has some of the most culturally and linguistically diverse cities in the world.” (Bainbridge, 2009)

From what I have read and discussed the classroom is full of diversity. The classroom mirrors Canada’s mosaic population. Yes, diversity in a cultural sense, but also in learning abilities, and disabilities.  Students also have their own past experiences that contribute to the dynamics of diversity in a classroom.  For example in class discussion with Carol we discussed how diverse her class in Winnipeg was.  This was a school heavily populated with immigrants (many from war stricken countries), first nations and problem students.  Just with these cultural and socioeconomic differences I must be sensitive to your teaching in ELA class.  Is the literature appropriate for these students? Will they be comfortable reading this?  Will it strike a nerve or offend their beliefs?  Also, am I providing a learning environment that is inclusive to all these diversities?  I am happy to see that the IRP is updated and hopes to include all cultures in the learning outcomes.  

Sometime it may not be easy and as a teacher I must understand that some students may take more time to learn, and may require a different form of learning.  This is what I learned from the article, The Need to Write, The Need to Listen by Ruth Shagoury.  In this article there is a new student from Bosnia and she isn’t receptive to the open learning environment of the class, she doesn’t want to share with other classmates.  This doesn’t mean she is not learning or she is just choosing to be bad.  She wrote beautifully of her past and her introverted writing was a way for her to work through the horrible stuff she experienced.  With time and work this student let down her guard and created relationships with students, becoming an active learner.  This is just one example of a teacher catering to students needs to help them be a better learner.  In a classroom there will be many needs to cater to.

I am also happy to see the IRP’s recognition that the way students learn best, is in an active learning environment and one that incorporates all the learning styles.  As we discussed in class this isn’t a new concept but rather a concept that is being revisited.  This leads me to my other understanding of what my future ELA students will look like.  It will be one that is rich with different learning levels and styles. Examples I have learned of this are: In kindergarten there could be a 5 year learning level gap. In every class teachers are faced with auditory, visual and/or kinesthetic styles of learning. There are many different learning disabilities, for example a teacher may have a student that can only pronounce vowels.

Within this group as mentioned in the text you need to also consider the gender of your students.  Generally boys have been seen as poorer reader then girls.  The text however, points out that this is partly due to the fact that traditional teaching and material catered more to female learning styles.  An example the text points out is the type of books available in schools tend to be more fiction based, which generally girls prefer. 

As a new teacher I know that having a diverse classroom will challenge me and through this challenge I will learn and grow.  I also know that this will provide my students with a fuller and richer learning environment. 

Life is More Fun as a Cartoon Character

Hello!  I would like to introduce myself to you. My name is Kyle and this is me as a cartoon character.  As a child I always wonder what it would be like to be in a cartoon, how fun life would be jumping from cloud to cloud, in a world where everything seems so wonderful, vibrant and even the grey rainy days are rich in colours.  This is the power of dreaming which I do often.  It is good to dream, because dreaming allows you to see beyond life’s boundaries.  I guess as a child, I was always looking above and beyond. I never saw lines on a colouring page as barriers but more of a starting point.  When you colour beyond these lines that is when you get to make your own image and really be able to identify with the whole picture.  This is how I derived my titles to this blog.  I realized that this is the kind of teacher I want to be; one who doesn’t put constraints on children’s ideas. I want to provide my students with a starting point that they can freely interpret what is being taught and then draw their own picture to be able to identify and understand better.

I am going to use this blog to share my reflections on my learning’s. It is through looking back on my learnings I will be able to move forward and be the dream teacher I have always dreamed of becoming. Right now I am a cartoon teacher 

(not real) or a picture that is just scribbles of colours.  I must learn the proper tools to be a great teacher.  These tools will allow me to make sense of those scribbled drawing and see the real picture and transform me from a dream cartoon teacher into a real one.  I am excited to have Language Arts as my starting point! 

Language Arts has always been a weakness for me, because I have struggled with Language Arts throughout my whole life I know how important it is to create a positive perception of Language Arts for the young learners.  A positive experience will allow students to create a solid foundation to forever grow from and use in all of their learning environments.