Cadeiro-Kaplan, Failing Still to Address Poverty Directly, Professional Knowledge for the Teaching of Writing

   Welcome back to another installment of Frankie's blog. In this week's episode, we take a look at an excerpt from The Literacy Curriculum and Bilingual Education: A Critical Examination by Karen Cadeiro-Kaplan, Failing Still to Address Poverty Directly: Growth Mindset as Deficit Ideology by P.L. Thomas, and Professional Knowledge for the Teaching of Writing from ncte.org. Let's dive in.

   The Cadeiro-Kaplan reading was interesting as it dealt with problems that English language learners experience in a typical school setting. One difficulty students go through is the idea of cultural literacy. Cadeiro-Kaplan explains that cultural literacy assumes that all readers understand certain ideas of a culture. This could be a little difficult from someone coming into this country with English most likely not being their first language. Readings that involve U.S. history, American authors or poets, or American traditions may confuse foreign readers. They aren't less intelligent because of this, they simply haven't been exposed to these ideas before. 

   The quote found within The Literacy Curriculum and Bilingual Education sums this idea up well: "The curriculum of cultural literacy has been with us since the Enlightenment and has been long evoked as an argument for the reproduction of elites. It is a position that advocates a social system in which a select cadre of intellectuals... are the only individuals deemed fit to possess the culture's sacred canon of knowledge, which assures their supremacy" (Cadeiro-Kaplan 8).

   An idea I enjoyed from Failing to Address Poverty Directly was that teachers should rethink how they form and grade a test. Typically, tests are graded by starting off with the highest score, and then being subtracted from there. Instead, teachers should start imagining a student with a zero and what they learn builds from there. With the state of the current deficit ideology we demand students perform outstandingly in school as if they have no problems outside of school. This is a theme in these writings, and I agree wholeheartedly. We can't expect all students to forget their problems at the door upon entering school. We need to work with students to help them feel not as pressured.

   The final reading, Professional Knowledge for the Teaching of Writing, had some good pointers for future English teachers. The idea that stuck out to me the most was that teachers need to show students that writing can be so much more than essays. It is the ultimate form of expression, and that idea is sadly lost on many students within high school. It is not entirely the student's fault however, most of writing throughout high school is for an essay to receive a grade. If the teacher can show the student what the literacy greats have done throughout history, I believe they have done their job. I don't believe this involves putting heavy emphasis on Romeo and Juliet and The Odyssey however. While both stories are great, most of the time the idea that students are looking for something more personal to connect to is overlooked. I believe these tales should be taught, but further exploration of what a student is interested in can hook them on reading for life.

Blog Post #1 - Christensen, Gallagher, To High School English Teachers, Blogging is the New Persuasive Essay

   In these pieces, each author tackles different elements of teaching writing. Each reading talked about important elements of why teaching writing is important. They also focused on why connecting to your students is essential if you want to keep their attention. I found the article "Blogging is the New Persuasive Essay" by Shelley Wright particularly interesting. Web logging is a relatively new idea in the field of English. I personally did not do too much blogging throughout high school, unless you count reblogging pictures of cats on tumblr. I like the idea of teaching blogging to younger students. I believe it is an easier way to transition into the world of writing. Like Wright states, "... blog paragraphs tend to be shorter. It allows the piece to feel fluid and speeds up the rate at which your reader reads" (Wright). I think this is perfect for younger children. With easier to read, shorter paragraphs, I believe younger students will be able to focus on blog posts more than perhaps an article from the newspaper.

   I do not believe, however that blogging should be the only strategy in teaching writing. Writing by hand is the tried and true form of expressing ideas. There are more mental processes at work when writing thoughts down in a notebook or diary and I think this is important in becoming a better writer. With that being said, I still enjoy the idea of blogging for younger students to eventually transition into the world of writing. It is a fun and approachable starting point.

   One striking quote that I gleaned from the "To High School English Teachers (and All Teachers)" article by P.L. Thomas was "[students] must often demonstrate literacy proficiency in the worst possible settings" (Thomas). I had not thought about this idea before. Many students come to school with much more on their mind than the lesson at hand. Some have trouble at home, others might not have had breakfast. A few might even have a learning disability that has gone undetected by professionals. I feel like what this article was trying to get across is that students require a large amount of attention when teaching a lesson. I believe English is a great subject to connect to a student through. I think that writing is very personal, and teaching writing allows a close connection to be made with the teacher and student. Thomas is saying to not only teach what's on paper, but to go the extra step and relate ideas of class to the student personally. This will allow the student to feel like they have someone to turn to at school.

   I also enjoyed the Gallagher piece as well. I believe the main idea of the first chapter is found on page 4 and states, "In an increasingly demanding world of literacy , the importance of our students leaving our schools as effective writers has magnified. The ability to write well, once a luxury, has become a necessity. Today, writing is foundational for success (Gallagher). I believe this idea rings true for many employers looking for potential employees with effective writing skills. This chapter also stated that to secure higher level positions at certain jobs, companies look for writing skills. I believe this is something to keep in mind for many English teachers.