Competing in an Age of Technology

Adolescents live in a world where they are bombarded with technology. They want information as soon as possible. Everything is available to them in a minute's time. If they want to know the capital of Hawaii, they can instantly google it on a computer and the answer will immediately appear. Some students even have the ability to access this information on their cell phone. They are used to having information given to them in an instant. One of the problems teachers will face when they assign students to read a text or a chapter from a book, will be that they are not interested in it. Many students will not care about Jane Eyre or about World War II. There are so many things that compete for their attention, like the Internet, Facebook, their friends, and after school activities. How do teachers motivate students to read? If teachers give their students a 200 page novel, what do they do to actually get the student to read it, instead of just reading the Spark Notes for the novel? I fear that it is common for students to seek instant gratification and if they do not understand the first ten pages of a book, they might give up and find the basic plot information about the book online.

One of the strategies for getting students interested and passionate about reading is to relate the characters or a central theme in the book to their own lives. I know the humanist part of me is coming out, but I personally think this is an appropriate tool to use, at least in an English Language Arts classroom. I think another strategy that can be used is the Vote with your Feet activity that we used in class. Students start to think, "What would I do if I were in that situation?" Using pre-reading activities can enhance a student's motivation to read the text.

Reading needs to be an active activity for students. Beers writes, "Reading is a social process, an interactive activity" (38). Students should be able to talk about the novel and learn from their peers when they are confused about a passage. Teachers need to make time to read in the classroom and have a diverse set of literature. It is important for teachers to include various literary texts, such as poems, short stories, novels, etc. and have literature from a wide variety of authors who have different demographics. Giving students options about which text they read also gives the students some power and they can choose a text that appeals more to their own personal taste. Beers states,

"Teachers who encourage a wide range of reading, who give their students plenty of opportunity for sustained, silent reading, who read aloud to their students on a regular basis, who provide ongoing opportunities for students to discuss- in small and large-group settings- their understanding of a text, who encourage extensive rather than intensive reading, who encourage self-selection of some texts...increase students' opportunity for developing a positive attitude toward reading, for improving fluency, for improving vocabulary, and for improving comprehension" (38).

This was a lengthy quote, but it states vital information. Teachers need to include students interections and discussions of critical thinking in class. They need to provide reading time for the students to read individually and the teacher should also read aloud occassionally. Teachers should use active activities for all three stages of reading (pre-reading, during reading, and after reading). When the text is finished, that does not mean that the learning process is over. After reading activities should be used like Likert Scales and my personal favorite, Somebody Wanted But So (Beers, 140-147). Using these techniques and activities will peek students' interests and improve their comprehension, which is the ultimate goal of reading. Of course, these strategies will not be successful for everyone. There will, unfortunately, be one student who refuses to read the text or engage in the activities. When this occurs, teachers should try to understand why they do not do the work. The student might not be able to read or their comprehension skills could be extremely low. If this is the case, then at least teachers know there are techniques and tools that they can utilize to teach the student how to read and to understand the material.

Technology is prevalent throughout the United States. I am typing this on a computer, for heaven's sake! Adolescents have many other things competing for their time, but if teachers show students that reading is fun and engaging, I think these strategies will at least encourage them to read. They might not enjoy everything they read, but at least they are motivated enough to pick up the actual book and not go on the computer to find the summary plot.

Discussions for the Deep Thinkers

Vital Learning Components of Classroom Discussions

Classroom discussions in an English Language Arts classroom is a wonderful and effective way for middle school students to actively participate in class. Discussions improve students social skills. They are able to speak to one another about a book and if they have questions, peers are able to help them. Their cognitive skills are also enhanced. Students bring up different views of passages in a book and discussions provide other students with new perspectives of a character or a specific passage in a text. Talking about the book helps students express their own point of view and they also improve their listening skills. Even if some students do not say anything in a discussion, that does not mean that they are not learning. Many introverted students learn by listening to others and taking in their perspectives, which can enhance their learning experience. I think discussions are most important when discussing a literary text that the students are reading or for talking about their own writing.

Classroom Discussions Can Be Scary For Teachers

Discussions can be hard for teachers because discussions mean that students have control of what is being talked about. In Beers' book When Kids Can't Read, Kate is debriefing a discussion she had with her middle school classroom, and she says, "sometimes it got harder to...keep them in control...It's just easier to, you know, just tell them what the story is about. With this, (the discussion) I had to be thinking, and trying to put it all together" (55). Beers says that sometimes it is easier to tell the students what a story is about, but Kate says when teachers do this, "then they (the students) don't get any better at figuring out how to figure out a story" (55). If teachers merely stand in front of the classroom and tell the students what each piece of literature is about and the significance it has, then students do not have any time to think about it for themselves. Students need to be active in this process, even if it is harder to "control" where the discussion is going. In Atwell's book In the Middle, she discusses writing and reading workshops where the students are constantly responding to one another about their own writing and they discuss various texts and readings. I think peer discussions and peer feedback is vital for middle school students and they learn much more when they think for themselves and form their own opinions, than if the teacher tells them.

Hope for Classroom Discussions

When I shadowed a high school English classroom last year, the students were discussing the book Jane Eyre. Very rarely did the students get off task or talk about something other than the book. I think this would be different in a middle school classroom, but it gave me hope that learning can happen when students lead the discussions and I was extremely impressed at the connections they made by themselves. If they missed a significant point in the book, the teacher brought it up and the students immediately remembered the passage and began discussing it. In discussions, teachers are there to help guide the students and facilitate the discussion if they need to. When I was looking for resources that would help teachers with classroom management for discussions, I found a website that provided a workshop guide for teachers. There is a DVD available to watch and there was also information provided on how to teach specific workshops, like poetry workshops and teaching persuasive writing. I think these tools could be especially useful for English Language Arts teachers.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Overall, I do not think discussions will work for every single lesson or activity in an English Language Arts classroom, but I do think it is an important activity for students to actively participate in discussions when they are reading literature and discussing their own writing. Students are able to say what they think and teachers can get a better understanding of where the students are in their comprehension level of the texts. Students also learn from their peers, which is a necessary tool for them to possess. Although having classroom discussions may not be the easiest thing a teacher can do, with practice, I think it will become more natural for both the teacher and the students.

Being Reading Teachers

I have to be honest that I have never thought of being a reading teacher. I assumed that by the middle and high school levels, students should be able to read. I thought I would be working on comprehension and grammar with students, but not the basic concepts of reading. Students who do not know how to read by sixth grade is a travesty and it shows a failure in the educational system. I do not understand how an elementary school teacher did not realize that one of their students did not know how to read. And if they did realize that one of their student's could not read, I cannot imagine why they would not have helped the student or informed a reading specialist. Regardless, this is the reality that some middle school teachers face and we, as teachers, can only look forward and change some of the elementary processes and continue to work with students until they can read. Reading is vital for every person, regardless of what the student's future career is. In the article "Center Middle School students read across America", an eighth grade student named Christian Brown is interviewed, and he said, "If you aren’t strong in reading, you can’t be strong in science or social studies, and your writing might not be as good.” He is absolutely correct. Teachers need to help their students who are struggling with reading because their future is at stake. The following are important aspects of decoding and vocabulary instruction that teachers should know. I would like to mention that I obviously am not a teacher so I honestly cannot comprehend all the other responsibilities that they have, and I am certainly not an expert on decoding or vocabulary instruction.

Vocabulary Instruction:

1. Have no more than 10 words in a list.
In the book, When Kids Can't Read What Teachers Can Do, Beers says that students need to effectively know the words and this means, "that students learn the words, use the words, and remember the words" (179). I completely agree. Student's cannot be expected to effectively learn more than ten words, so keep the list short.
2. Use the words in class throughout the week.
If teachers do not use the words in everyday speech, how are the students supposed to?
3. Learning the words should be an active process.
In the blog "Vocabulogic", it states that "Teaching vocabulary primarily through dictionary or glossary study is not effective, especially for students with learning difficulties, at-risk readers and English language learners" (http://vocablog-plc.blogspot.com/p/vocabulary-brief.html). Students should not just be memorizing the words and forgetting them the next week. Instead of having the students simply copying the dictionary definition, they should have a more creative way of learning the definitions, like drawing pictures next to the words or as Beers suggests, creating a vocabulary tree (189).
4. The students should continue using the words after the test is over.
Exposing the students to the words will help them remember the words even after the test is taken. During our discussion today, the group I was in talked about teachers telling the students to use at least one of the words in a homework assignment or essay for future assignments.
5. Have relevant words on the lists.
If teachers have the option of which words are on the tests, they should pick words relevant to the book that the student's are currently reading or words related to English class, like synonym.

Decoding

If a student is struggling with decoding, I think it is important for teachers to help the student with "chunking". The teachers should ask the students if there is a part of the word that they recognize. A teacher can also read aloud to the student so they can have a better understanding of the inflections of the words, which might help them identify a word. Realistically though, I think a middle school teacher should inform a reading specialist when a student has trouble with decoding. If the reading specialist is already teaching several students, then they can at least give some advice to the teacher about what they can do, but I think it is important to inform and recieve help from a reading specialist because they are the expert in this field.

Overall, the most important thing to do with a student who is struggling with reading is to not give up on them and to continue to help them. This is easier said than done, but I truly believe that teachers have the obligation to make sure that every student knows how to read. Reading is crucial in our culture and everyone should know how to do it.

The Characters in the Middle School

When I was in 8th grade, I had a wonderful English teacher. She respected us and was knowledgeable in her subject area. She constantly challenged us and engaged us in whatever we were doing. My teacher constantly made references about current literature, movies, and music so that we were able to relate what we were reading in her class to our modern lives. She had the perfect balance between being our educator and disciplinarian, and at the same time being sympathetic and supportive. These are all qualities I believe middle school teachers need to have. They need to be passionate in what they are teaching to get the students excited. If the teacher does not like what they are teaching, then neither will the student! A middle school teacher needs to be a leader and a role model for their students. I believe that I already have respect for students. I am a sympathetic person and respecting others comes naturally to me. I do however need to work on being a figure of "authority" when it is necessary. I need to find the perfect balance that my middle school English teacher had. I believe this will come in time with experience and practice.

Middle school students need to acquire the knowledge they need to be prepared for high school. They need to learn how to be independent learners and to be active in whatever assignment they are doing. Specifically for English classrooms, mid-level students should learn how to participate in a discussion and to back up their point of view with evidence from a text. They should also learn how to be critical thinkers and to comprehend what they read. It would be ideal for middle schoolers to find a specific genre of literature that they like to read and learn how to read independently in their free time. Most importantly though, middle school students need to feel comfortable in the classroom. The teacher needs to create a safe environment. If the student is in a safe environment, they will be able to increase their self-esteem and be able to be successful in the classroom, and that is the most important aspect they can learn, if they hadn't already. Middle school can be a stressful and awkward time for students, but I believe that teachers have the power to influence students and to encourage them that they can succeed in life.

Blog Regulations

Here are some suggestions that I think we should adhere to when writing and commenting on blogs for this lovely class:

1. Be respectful towards the writer. Comment on the content that the author is writing and do not attack the actual person.
2. Do not write something that you wouldn’t say to the authors face. I think part of the thrill of writing blogs is that you aren’t standing in front of them, so some people write things that they would never say to the author in person.
3. Think before you write a blog. Use common sense. These blogs are for a college course, so they should contain pertinent information to the class and they should be professional.
4. Don’t post information that you’re not comfortable sharing with the entire world, including your grandma.
5. Remember the audience that you’re writing to in your blog.
6. Provide accurate and succinct information.

Obviously, these guidelines are self-explanatory and we are all adults, so I’m sure this is going to be a positive and exciting new adventure for all of us. I chose these specific regulations because I think a vital aspect of writing blogs is creating a safe environment and a professional one in this setting. These blogs are not meant to be personal, but for educational purposes. Let the blogging commence!