Interviews with low performing and high performing seventh graders

High performing student

 

 

Low performing student

ThinkQuest Project

The project "Lights, Camera, Action" would be great for third grade visual art helping students see how to create a movie. Students could even create a movie themselves on a topic they are discussing in class.

The WV CSO I would use for this would be:

Visual Art

Third Grade View

VA.O.3.6.1

recognize how some presentations can contain several arts disciplines; e.g., theater, set-design, puppetry, opera, movies, music videos.

The link for this project is:
http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00741/

A Standards Movement in the Spirit of Expeditionary Learning

The article "A Standards Movement in the Spirit of Expeditionary Learning" supports culturally responsive teaching strategies in many ways. The students are involved in authentic learning/assessments which helps them build bridges of meaningfulness between home and school experiences. The students are also able to work with professionals in that fieldwork. This project seems that it uses a wide variety of instructional strategies that are connected to different learning styles. Students are up out of their seats experiencing hands on activities. Another strategy this project is most likely using is using small groups to foster collaborative learning which in turn means the students should be encouraging each other to know and listen to each other. This project supports many aspects and strategies of culturally responsive teaching.

Link for "A Standards Movement in the Spirit of Expeditionary Learning" article:
http://elschools.org/best-practices/standards-movement-spirit-expeditionary-learning

Culturally Responsive Teaching Reflection

Reflection

There is no doubt that there is a major problem with teachers stereotyping students who speak Appalachian English. Teachers need to understand that just because students speak the Appalachian language does not mean they are not intelligent or below poverty. It is extremely important that students do not feel as if they are being judged by their teachers because of the way they speak. If they do, then they will not participate in class discussion because they feel that they do not speak "proper English." Students should not have this Cultural Deficit Perspective, they should believe that they are building on the language in which they already know.  As Purcell-Gates states in "As soon as she opened her mouth:"

"If the child's family is poor, his parents undereducated, his dialect nonstandard, then we are much more likely to interpret experiential difference as a deficit in the child, in the parents, in the home, in the sociocultural community within which this child has grown up. And when we do this, we play God, conferring or denying educational opportunity in individual, socioculturally different, children. And we do not have the right to do this" (Purcell-Gates, 2002).

Teachers contribute to poor literacy instruction by having a "cultural deficit perspective" or a "cultural difference perspective." What they need to do is to take the prior knowledge of  students and embrace it. Once a teacher knows what literary skills the student possesses they can move forward and build on it. Students are getting judged because of who they are and where they come from. If they are from a poor part of town and do not speak "proper English" then they may be deemed culturally deficit or different. Students also get judged because of how their parents speak or where they are from. Teachers need to embrace the variety of backgrounds they have on their classroom and build on each of their prior knowledge. As stated in "Dialect Awareness Education: The importance of Watching Our Words:"

“[a]s the teacher seeks to eradicate vernacular language and culture, not only does she remove a link that could bring relevance to the classroom lives of the children, but she assails the child’s family and home community, thus contributing to a barrier between the values of home and school” (Rowland & Marrow, 2012).

One of the best ways for teachers to overcome cultural deficit perspectives is to reach out to the community. Teachers are able to receive help from members of the community and maybe even learn more about their students' backgrounds. This way teachers can see firsthand what kind of environment their students are a part of. Another way to overcome the deficit is to not judge a child by their background. Just because the child's parents do not speak "proper English" does not mean the child cannot or is not capable of learning. Lastly, teachers need to bring what is going on in the child's life into the classroom. Teachers may be surprised to find out how much their students know about careers and events that are happening in the community.

"An important aspect of the teachers' participation in the household research became the more sophisticated understanding they developed about the children and their experiences. There is much teachers do not know about their students or families that could be immediately helpful in the classroom," (Moll, 1992).

One strategy that can help improve literacy instruction for speakers of non-standard English students is for a peer or teacher to write down a story that the student is telling. Once they are finished, the student who told the story will be able to read what he/she has just said. Another way of doing this would be for the student to tell a story about where he/she is from and their family. This way the student is able to bring the "funds of knowledge" into the classroom and still learn about writing. Another strategy could be for students to go home and write words or phrases of activities they do after school. The next day the students can present their list to the class and the students are able to see the variety of "cultural capital" in their classroom. If teachers are able to show their students that writing is all around them no matter where they are from it will help students with their writing. The "NCTE Beliefs about the Teaching of Writing" states that:

"As much as possible, instruction should be geared toward making sense in a life outside of school, so that writing has ample room to grow in individuals’ lives" (NCTE, 2008).

The "Where I am From" project supports culturally responsive teaching by using a variety of instructional strategies that are connected to different learning styles. This project does not have students following a strict set of directions. Students are free to create their project how they feel they can best complete the assignment using the most comfortable method for themselves. This project also encourages students to share their varied perspectives and experiences, creating a supportive environment where this can occur. When students share their videos with the rest of the class they are showing the class their experiences, by showing this students are able to understand each other better and become supportive. Also, by watching this video as a class it encourages students to know and listen to each other. 

I believe that it is important to implement culturally responsive teaching into the classroom. I will do this by getting to know my students and viewing their cultural differences as cultural capital. It is important for the students to feel as if they are a part of a community in the classroom and not be afraid. I will not discourage or put down students for their prior literary experiences, only embrace it and build upon it.

Works Cited:

Purcell-Gates, v. (2002). "...As soon as she opened her mouth!" In L. Delpit & J.K Dowdy            (Eds.), The skin that we speak: An anthology of essays on language, culture and power.

Rowland, J. & Marrow, D. (2010). "Dialect Awareness Education: The Importance of Watching Our Words." USC Undergraduate Research Journal vol 3.

Gonzales, N., Greenberg, J. & Velez, C.. Thanks "Funds of Knowledge: A Look at Luis Moll's     Research Into Hidden Family Resources." CITYSCHOOLS, 1 (1), 19-21, 1994.

National Councils of Teachers of English (2008). "National Council of Beliefs About Writing."    Retrieved October 12, 2012. http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/writingbeliefs

Where I'm From. . .

Where I'm From

WHERE I'M FROM

I am from the town of the old stone bridge, from homemade zucchini bread and concession stand hot dogs.

I am from the house up on a hill with a great view, a house built just for us thats first memory with us was a record breaking blizzard.

I am from apple trees, vegetable gardens, and a womping willow.

I am from Springer's and Palmer's, from people of strong faith, from Nana and Grammy, kind-hearted and sassy, emotional and honest.

I am from the people who would do anything for a friend and a place where family means everything.

From a teacher who believed wrong answers were "sorta, kinda, almost, but not quite right" and a father who yelled from the stands each game "What you got for me 8?"

I am from friends who are INCREDIBLE, ones who have been, and will be with me my entire life.

I am from a band room, where I found the love and power of music.

I am from Otterbein United Methodist Church. A youth group that showed me how fun and powerful faith can be.

I'm from the town of the WV record breaking football team, daughter of James and Rhonda Springer. From Peking Chinese, Rita's Italian Ice, and the land of Waffle Houses.

From the Palmer Clan of Branson Missouri, the place where Pap got into trouble with a capital "T," and from the Easter dinners with an uncle who showed us all how precious life can be.

I am from Sycamore Lane to a house on a golf course, memories that no one can take from me, from dirtied soccer cleats to the smell of fresh cut grass on early Saturday mornings. From it's time for school to it is time say goodbye.

Cultural Difference vs.Cultural Deficit

            I believe that the Fox News and Ebonics video reflected cultural deficit perspective. This is because the students were not being corrected in the classroom when it came to mispronouncing and not enunciating certain words. They were deprived of the corrections that would help them academically succeed down the road. This video showed how the lack of correction affected student performance within the academic system.

            The "What Matters: Code Switching" video reflected a cultural difference perspective. There are many different styles of language in the world and teachers must learn to accommodate the different ways words are used. With the issue of code switching all cultures do it, just in different ways and with different meanings.  Code switching is more of an inadvertent misunderstanding among teachers and students.