The first writer I will talk about is Villanueva. I learned a lot reading him. He wrote about that culture must be thought about, while teaching WAC. He states "The idea of all cultures living together in mutual understanding is not yet practical"(WACNM.pg169). What he is trying to express is that we cannot teach like we live in a fair society. Culture cannot be overlooked while teaching WAC. He uses the word"Jaiberia" as a way for suppressed cultures to overcome their situations. Jaiberia is a subversive complicity, that is achieved by maintaining a cultural identity, while complying with dominance. In a country that is becoming more and more diverse, it is very important to take Villanueva beliefs under advisement, while teaching. a teacher must adjust to their students not the other way around.
Berlin was very hard to understand, but I learned a lot while reading him. He wrote about the New Rhetoric style of teaching writing. This method of teaching writing beliefs that knowledge comes from two opposing points of views facing off, and a new truth coming from it. I like this theory a lot, because it makes a lot of sense. The best way to learn is to study both sides of an issue, and come to a answer that combines the two opposing points of views. This allows the reader to be fully educated about the subject. Then when they write about it they are able to create their own truths.
Britton talked about the different styles of writing. He wrote that there was no real way to distinguish what is literature and what is not. It is very hard to answer that question. Is email and other informal ways of writing literature? Does the level of skill of the writer come into play when we are trying to determine what is literature? These are questions that have really not been answered. They are really questions that cannot be answered. That is because literature is something different to each person, it is up to each individual to decide what is or is not literature.
All of the great writers that I have read during this class have taught me a great deal. That is because they ask the reader questions and they talk about both problems of the past and problems that are new to teaching. With the rise of technology teaching has changed just like everything around it has changed. In this class we have learned about different ways to teach our students using technology and also have learned about what we may lose in a classroom by using too much of technology. There is a fine line about just how much technology we should use in teaching our students. I think the clear truth in this case though is simple and that is you can`t turn the clock back. If there is one thing to learn from history, it is that you can`t stop progress. We as teachers are going to have to learn about the new technology. We are going to have to use it and one day soon there will be no debate about whether we should use it or not, but rather it will be use it or find some other job. This class was a great first step for myself learning about how to use technology in teaching and for that I will always be thankful.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
reflection, on blogs seven through nine
I liked this style very much. It allowed us to see what every student was thinking. It kept the imformation from becoming stale, and changed the discourse with every new post. It made me think of things that I would not have come up with on my own, or with the help of just one other student. I also like the fact that you write one post and then have to wait a day or two to write the next. This gives you more time to look at the content area and come up with new ideas.I like the fact that you really don`t know what you are going to write, until you see the last post before yours. This makes the writer adjust on the fly and creates a different style of writing. All in all I would clearly use this method in teaching my future students.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
blog number six and reflection
Dear Rios
I agree with you that Berlin was very hard to follow. He wrote about four dominant historical groups with regard to their methods of teaching writing. The first group was the Classicists which follow the philosophy of Aristotle. They believe in deductive logic. An example of this would be, when you begin with a generalization such as "All men are mortal, and go to a specific that "John is mortal". It is important to understand that when it comes to Aristotle he believes that each word has a meaning in and of itself.
The second group is Current Traditionalist. They believe in induction. They believe you learn the truth by observing and experimenting. This style does not believe that a word can have meaning without context, unlike Aristotle beliefs. They believe in proof plain and simple. This style of teaching believes much more in arrangement and style, than the Classicists.
The third group is the Current -Traditional Rhetoric. They can be traced to Emerson and its original source is Plato. They believe that truth can be learned, but not taught. Plato believes that truth can be learned individually. The world we live in is always changing , therefore it holds no truth to itself. Therefore the only truth is one persons own reality.
The last group which is Berlin`s favorite is the New Rhetoric. This group believes that knowledge comes about from two opposing points of view. The result of these two opposing theories going head to head creates a new truth all to itself. An example would be the factory workers fighting with their bosses. The result of that could be the start of labor unions. Therefore those two opposing arguments created a new truth all to itself. This theory also believes that language helps create truth. It makes me wonder do they think then that we would be feeble minded without language?
Reflection on peer writing
I loved this style. It helped me come up with different ideas to write about. Two minds work better than one. It made think when I was reading about what the other person must be thinking. It really kept my mind alert, while writing and reading. I think this style would work great with high school students. I would without a doubt use this method of writing in teaching a high school class. I think it could help students prepare for tests as well. It really helped prepare me for class. I came into class with two points of view on the content, instead of only one. This method is sought of like the New Rhetoric style that Berlin likes. In this style you take two theories, and create a new truth all to its own.
I agree with you that Berlin was very hard to follow. He wrote about four dominant historical groups with regard to their methods of teaching writing. The first group was the Classicists which follow the philosophy of Aristotle. They believe in deductive logic. An example of this would be, when you begin with a generalization such as "All men are mortal, and go to a specific that "John is mortal". It is important to understand that when it comes to Aristotle he believes that each word has a meaning in and of itself.
The second group is Current Traditionalist. They believe in induction. They believe you learn the truth by observing and experimenting. This style does not believe that a word can have meaning without context, unlike Aristotle beliefs. They believe in proof plain and simple. This style of teaching believes much more in arrangement and style, than the Classicists.
The third group is the Current -Traditional Rhetoric. They can be traced to Emerson and its original source is Plato. They believe that truth can be learned, but not taught. Plato believes that truth can be learned individually. The world we live in is always changing , therefore it holds no truth to itself. Therefore the only truth is one persons own reality.
The last group which is Berlin`s favorite is the New Rhetoric. This group believes that knowledge comes about from two opposing points of view. The result of these two opposing theories going head to head creates a new truth all to itself. An example would be the factory workers fighting with their bosses. The result of that could be the start of labor unions. Therefore those two opposing arguments created a new truth all to itself. This theory also believes that language helps create truth. It makes me wonder do they think then that we would be feeble minded without language?
Reflection on peer writing
I loved this style. It helped me come up with different ideas to write about. Two minds work better than one. It made think when I was reading about what the other person must be thinking. It really kept my mind alert, while writing and reading. I think this style would work great with high school students. I would without a doubt use this method of writing in teaching a high school class. I think it could help students prepare for tests as well. It really helped prepare me for class. I came into class with two points of view on the content, instead of only one. This method is sought of like the New Rhetoric style that Berlin likes. In this style you take two theories, and create a new truth all to its own.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
letter to Rios blog number five
Dear Rios
I thought that what Young had to say stuck to me the most in this week`s readings. The one idea I would like to talk about is the example he gives about an accounting professor assigning his class to write a poem(pg19). I found this to be very clever. Creative writing is not just for English classes. It is also not just for fun. It is a valuable academic tool. To write without using half of your brain, is to not write at all. When one writes strictly in an academic format, without using any creativity, it becomes a blank page with random letters on it. Therefore I think it is very important to stress to students to exercise their creative minds, when preparing for any type of writing assignment.
I was watching a special on the fall of Rome the other day and I asked myself a simple question, how do they know all of this information that has happened so long ago? Rose gave a very simple answer to my question? The information was written down. Rose explains that without writing there is no history, or philosophy, or sociology(pg348). We have always taught WAC in the classrooms, we just didn`t know it.
In reading Bean I began to once again think about what is academic writing. I can recall my last class that I took before this semester a couple of years ago, and the professor told me affront of the whole class that she didn`t know how I got to this level of education. She didn`t think I belonged, because she didn`t think I followed quote on quote the academic principles of academic writing. I think in reading Bean and the other two writers, one can begin to realize that the most important part of any writing, is to make your point. It is to have something to say with a purpose. The academic community sometimes tries to keep people out, they try to find all sought of rules that allows them to think they are smarter than everyone else.It becomes a form of segragation. This attitude stops many young pople from ever getting past high school in their academic careers. The only rule in writing something, is to have a purpose in writing it. I am interested to see what you think about what I wrote.
I thought that what Young had to say stuck to me the most in this week`s readings. The one idea I would like to talk about is the example he gives about an accounting professor assigning his class to write a poem(pg19). I found this to be very clever. Creative writing is not just for English classes. It is also not just for fun. It is a valuable academic tool. To write without using half of your brain, is to not write at all. When one writes strictly in an academic format, without using any creativity, it becomes a blank page with random letters on it. Therefore I think it is very important to stress to students to exercise their creative minds, when preparing for any type of writing assignment.
I was watching a special on the fall of Rome the other day and I asked myself a simple question, how do they know all of this information that has happened so long ago? Rose gave a very simple answer to my question? The information was written down. Rose explains that without writing there is no history, or philosophy, or sociology(pg348). We have always taught WAC in the classrooms, we just didn`t know it.
In reading Bean I began to once again think about what is academic writing. I can recall my last class that I took before this semester a couple of years ago, and the professor told me affront of the whole class that she didn`t know how I got to this level of education. She didn`t think I belonged, because she didn`t think I followed quote on quote the academic principles of academic writing. I think in reading Bean and the other two writers, one can begin to realize that the most important part of any writing, is to make your point. It is to have something to say with a purpose. The academic community sometimes tries to keep people out, they try to find all sought of rules that allows them to think they are smarter than everyone else.It becomes a form of segragation. This attitude stops many young pople from ever getting past high school in their academic careers. The only rule in writing something, is to have a purpose in writing it. I am interested to see what you think about what I wrote.
Monday, October 5, 2009
letter to Rios blog number four
Dear Rios,
I agree with your assessment on chapter one of WAC for the New Millennium. It amazed me how diversified this movement is. After reading this chapter I am sure this movement is here to stay. Writing is a tool that is needed for academic success. There is no reason why it should be taught only in the English class room. I really enjoyed how it has reached out into community programs. Schools are not the only place to learn how to write. It also makes sense to me that if you can learn other content material while learning to write, that is making the most out of the time the school has with its students. Why should we teach only one thing at a time, when we can successfully teach several things at a time. I agree with you that this movement can help with SAT`s scores. I think that writing to learn is a very effective way to prepare kids for tests. This chapter taught me a lot of useful information that will help me in my teaching career.
I think that peer tutoring is a great tool that is not used nearly enough. In Writing to learn and the WAC book, both express the importance of peer tutoring. I believe students are much more likely to listen to their peers, than their teachers. It is a more comfortable experience for them to learn. Both books also point out that it is a learning experience for the tutor as well. I was a English major and in many of my writing classes, we were judged by our peers much more so than our teachers. This was especially true in my creative writing classes. It can be humbling at times, but in the end it serves a vital purpose. My concerns with it are that the right people need to be matched up. A bad experience in learning with your peers could set a struggling student back in their studies.
You made a good point about the importance of starting this process with younger students. If the students are more familiar with these teaching methods when they get to higher learning, then they will be more effective. It is always good to start new teaching methods with younger kids, this way they will know nothing else, but the most up to date teaching theories.
The comment that Bean made that good writing grows out of good talking, I thought to be excellent. I think this is the best way to teach students. We care so much about where a comma is and all that stuff, but we don`t focus enough on the student`s writing voice. That is why there is such a disconnect with students and writing. If you teach them that writing is just another vehicle for them to talk, then they will be much more engaged. It has been a pleasure exchanging ideas with you.
Donald Ritter
I agree with your assessment on chapter one of WAC for the New Millennium. It amazed me how diversified this movement is. After reading this chapter I am sure this movement is here to stay. Writing is a tool that is needed for academic success. There is no reason why it should be taught only in the English class room. I really enjoyed how it has reached out into community programs. Schools are not the only place to learn how to write. It also makes sense to me that if you can learn other content material while learning to write, that is making the most out of the time the school has with its students. Why should we teach only one thing at a time, when we can successfully teach several things at a time. I agree with you that this movement can help with SAT`s scores. I think that writing to learn is a very effective way to prepare kids for tests. This chapter taught me a lot of useful information that will help me in my teaching career.
I think that peer tutoring is a great tool that is not used nearly enough. In Writing to learn and the WAC book, both express the importance of peer tutoring. I believe students are much more likely to listen to their peers, than their teachers. It is a more comfortable experience for them to learn. Both books also point out that it is a learning experience for the tutor as well. I was a English major and in many of my writing classes, we were judged by our peers much more so than our teachers. This was especially true in my creative writing classes. It can be humbling at times, but in the end it serves a vital purpose. My concerns with it are that the right people need to be matched up. A bad experience in learning with your peers could set a struggling student back in their studies.
You made a good point about the importance of starting this process with younger students. If the students are more familiar with these teaching methods when they get to higher learning, then they will be more effective. It is always good to start new teaching methods with younger kids, this way they will know nothing else, but the most up to date teaching theories.
The comment that Bean made that good writing grows out of good talking, I thought to be excellent. I think this is the best way to teach students. We care so much about where a comma is and all that stuff, but we don`t focus enough on the student`s writing voice. That is why there is such a disconnect with students and writing. If you teach them that writing is just another vehicle for them to talk, then they will be much more engaged. It has been a pleasure exchanging ideas with you.
Donald Ritter
Thursday, October 1, 2009
reflection on first three blogs
I liked the format very much. It made me think deeper about the readings. It allowed me a chance to communicate with the authors. I would without a doubt use this style of writing with a high school class. It would give them a chance to understand their readings better. It would also make them read on a deeper level. This style of writing allows for more creativity. It gives the writer more places to go with their responses to the readings. I really enjoyed this method of writing and it helped me understand the readings much better.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
blog number three
Pratt- "Sam learned the history of American racism and the struggle against it through baseball"
Ritter- There are many lessons to be learned from sports. The Jack Johnson - Jim Jefferies fight, of 1910 led to many race riots and deaths. Sports can bring the best and the worst out of society. It is a vehicle to see the world through. Jessie Owens disposed of many of Hitler`s myths, when he won gold medal after gold medal, in the 1936 Olympics. He did this in Hitler`s Germany showing courage that has been remembered long since. The Joe Louis- Max Schmeling fight, of 1938 has been considered America`s first battle of World War II by some history scholars. Billy Jean`s King`s victory in 1973 over Bobby Riggs, changed the way the country looked at women. It gave them many outlets they did not have prior to that moment. There is a link, between sports and history. You can learn about race, war, gender ,and the ability to overcome adversity through it. Sports can be a time capsule, it can be a vehicle of how we judge a certain period of time.
Russell- "College writing proficiency requirement to show formal recognition of the fact that teachers in departments other than English may assume the responsibility of judging a student`s ability to read and write well".
Ritter- Literacy is a part of every subject's content area. Therefore, it should be taught in every class room, regardless of the content being taught. You can learn how to read in a History class, just as easy as you can learn how to read in an English class. Writing is a tool that is used in almost every class, therefore the responsibility to teach it, should not fall to the English teacher alone.
Gee- " They lower the consequences of failure. When players fail, they can start from their last saved game. Players are encouraged to take risks, explore, and try new things".
Ritter- This is Gee`s best point throughout the book. True success can only come after failure has been tasted. Any success worth having does not come, until one has failed at least once, if not several times. How many times have teachers heard a student say I am just not good at this. That is a line heard throughout a school many times every day. At that point a student can work hard and become better at the content area they are weak at, or they can quit and be bad at it forever. It is a decision that has far reaching consequences outside of the classroom. It sets a pattern of facing adversity and overcoming it, or running away from things, when they get tough. You must learn to embrace failure, before you can ever get to understand the true meaning of success.
Williams- "Amazingly, you`ve just created a css layers web page"(pg67).
Ritter- I am afraid to attempt to create a web page,because it seems extremely difficult.However, if you take the approach of one step at a time, it becomes much easier.This statement shows you that if you don`t get to far ahead of yourself,you can accomplish almost anything.
Ritter- There are many lessons to be learned from sports. The Jack Johnson - Jim Jefferies fight, of 1910 led to many race riots and deaths. Sports can bring the best and the worst out of society. It is a vehicle to see the world through. Jessie Owens disposed of many of Hitler`s myths, when he won gold medal after gold medal, in the 1936 Olympics. He did this in Hitler`s Germany showing courage that has been remembered long since. The Joe Louis- Max Schmeling fight, of 1938 has been considered America`s first battle of World War II by some history scholars. Billy Jean`s King`s victory in 1973 over Bobby Riggs, changed the way the country looked at women. It gave them many outlets they did not have prior to that moment. There is a link, between sports and history. You can learn about race, war, gender ,and the ability to overcome adversity through it. Sports can be a time capsule, it can be a vehicle of how we judge a certain period of time.
Russell- "College writing proficiency requirement to show formal recognition of the fact that teachers in departments other than English may assume the responsibility of judging a student`s ability to read and write well".
Ritter- Literacy is a part of every subject's content area. Therefore, it should be taught in every class room, regardless of the content being taught. You can learn how to read in a History class, just as easy as you can learn how to read in an English class. Writing is a tool that is used in almost every class, therefore the responsibility to teach it, should not fall to the English teacher alone.
Gee- " They lower the consequences of failure. When players fail, they can start from their last saved game. Players are encouraged to take risks, explore, and try new things".
Ritter- This is Gee`s best point throughout the book. True success can only come after failure has been tasted. Any success worth having does not come, until one has failed at least once, if not several times. How many times have teachers heard a student say I am just not good at this. That is a line heard throughout a school many times every day. At that point a student can work hard and become better at the content area they are weak at, or they can quit and be bad at it forever. It is a decision that has far reaching consequences outside of the classroom. It sets a pattern of facing adversity and overcoming it, or running away from things, when they get tough. You must learn to embrace failure, before you can ever get to understand the true meaning of success.
Williams- "Amazingly, you`ve just created a css layers web page"(pg67).
Ritter- I am afraid to attempt to create a web page,because it seems extremely difficult.However, if you take the approach of one step at a time, it becomes much easier.This statement shows you that if you don`t get to far ahead of yourself,you can accomplish almost anything.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
blog number two
Gee-"In the traditional view, concepts are like general definitions in the mind(like definitions for words in dictionaries). In the traditional view, the mind thinks through stored "facts" and grand generalizations that are like statements in logic"(PG91).
Ritter- In this statement Gee is explaining the conventional methods that most teachers use in teaching students. They teach them in a black or white fashion. They give you the facts and they expect you to memorize them, then they test you and that`s it. This method believes that grades are how you judge a student`s knowledge. This method does not allow a student to transfer knowledge. It does not allow a student to be creative and it makes a concept fixated and a finished thought. Gee, points out in this book "Concepts are never set and finished". The common method of teaching is in contrast to Gee`s belief. This method of teaching also hurts the students who need the most help. It does not allow students who need help, to transfer their knowledge and experiences in order to relate to certain concepts.
Williams- "Experiment with search tools like Google and Yahoo to expand your search into images and news"(pg39).
Ritter- It is very important that you continue to search after you get your initial feedback. This is because there is still much more information available to you. This is something that I did not know until reading this book, learning this information makes sites like Google and Yahoo much more valuable.
Gee-"Different cultural models hold different implications"(PG151).
Ritter- This is a great statement. There are certain families where a student getting anything less than an A is a cardinal sin. There are other families where if the teenager stays out of prison, then he isn`t doing half-bad. A teacher must be able to deal with both of these types of extreme situations in order to be an effective teacher. You must be able to incorporate lesson plans that both types of student`s can relate to. You must have an demeanor that different types of students can feel comfortable with. It is a extremely hard thing to do, but that is what doing the job right requires.
Gee- "The first strategy, calling on previous experience, is an example of what learning theorists call "transfer"(pg126).
Ritter- The transfer theory of teaching is an excellent way to get through to students. It allows them to relate a subject matter that they are knowledgeable about to a subject matter they are struggling with. It is a great tool for teachers to use in order to get students more interested in their class. It also can help struggling students to work harder and not to become frustrated or hopeless in a class. In order to get through to a struggling student, you must somehow get their attention. This method provides an avenue to use various different content material in order to reach them. In order to challenge an exceptional student you must grab their attention as well. This method can help an exceptional student soar to new levels.
Gee- "If you can`t use "democracy" in a situation specific way in such dialogues, then the word does not make sense to you, no matter how well you can repeat its dictionary definition"(pg85).
Ritter- This is a very important lesson in both teaching and learning. One does not know the meaning of a word, just by memorizing its dictionary definition. A person does not know how to dribble a basketball, just by bouncing it on the floor. There is a way of dribbling correctly and one must learn how to do that. A student must learn out to relate the word to real life, as well as be able to carry on a conversation involving the word.
Ritter- In this statement Gee is explaining the conventional methods that most teachers use in teaching students. They teach them in a black or white fashion. They give you the facts and they expect you to memorize them, then they test you and that`s it. This method believes that grades are how you judge a student`s knowledge. This method does not allow a student to transfer knowledge. It does not allow a student to be creative and it makes a concept fixated and a finished thought. Gee, points out in this book "Concepts are never set and finished". The common method of teaching is in contrast to Gee`s belief. This method of teaching also hurts the students who need the most help. It does not allow students who need help, to transfer their knowledge and experiences in order to relate to certain concepts.
Williams- "Experiment with search tools like Google and Yahoo to expand your search into images and news"(pg39).
Ritter- It is very important that you continue to search after you get your initial feedback. This is because there is still much more information available to you. This is something that I did not know until reading this book, learning this information makes sites like Google and Yahoo much more valuable.
Gee-"Different cultural models hold different implications"(PG151).
Ritter- This is a great statement. There are certain families where a student getting anything less than an A is a cardinal sin. There are other families where if the teenager stays out of prison, then he isn`t doing half-bad. A teacher must be able to deal with both of these types of extreme situations in order to be an effective teacher. You must be able to incorporate lesson plans that both types of student`s can relate to. You must have an demeanor that different types of students can feel comfortable with. It is a extremely hard thing to do, but that is what doing the job right requires.
Gee- "The first strategy, calling on previous experience, is an example of what learning theorists call "transfer"(pg126).
Ritter- The transfer theory of teaching is an excellent way to get through to students. It allows them to relate a subject matter that they are knowledgeable about to a subject matter they are struggling with. It is a great tool for teachers to use in order to get students more interested in their class. It also can help struggling students to work harder and not to become frustrated or hopeless in a class. In order to get through to a struggling student, you must somehow get their attention. This method provides an avenue to use various different content material in order to reach them. In order to challenge an exceptional student you must grab their attention as well. This method can help an exceptional student soar to new levels.
Gee- "If you can`t use "democracy" in a situation specific way in such dialogues, then the word does not make sense to you, no matter how well you can repeat its dictionary definition"(pg85).
Ritter- This is a very important lesson in both teaching and learning. One does not know the meaning of a word, just by memorizing its dictionary definition. A person does not know how to dribble a basketball, just by bouncing it on the floor. There is a way of dribbling correctly and one must learn how to do that. A student must learn out to relate the word to real life, as well as be able to carry on a conversation involving the word.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
blog number one
Gee- "The key is finding ways to make hard things life enhancing so that people keep going and don`t fall back on learning only what is simple and easy" - (page 3).
Ritter- In order to teach a student material, you must first answer a common question - how will they use that material in life, how is it relevant to their long term goals? You must teach them why they are learning something, before they actually start learning it. This especially applies to material that is challenging. The student will want to know why should they work so hard on something if it will not impact their lives. Therefore if you can convince them that certain material can benefit them now or later, then you have accomplished the first and hardest step in teaching them.
Gee- "Today`s world is very different from the world baby boomers like me grew up in and on which we have based many of our theories.Is it a wonder then, that by high school, very often both good students and bad ones, rich ones and poor ones, don`t much like school" -(page 5).
Ritter- There is so much interference in the teacher- student relationship today. Schools now apply a "teach for the test" philosophy. Students are taught for tests. Principals get bonuses on test results. Politicians get elected on standardized testing results. A teacher is limited in trying to find creative ways of teaching their students. School becomes more of a work environment to the student, than a learning enviorment. This takes away any enjoyment the student might have in the school setting. It also puts the students who need the most help at a severe disadvantage, because they need creative teaching in order to be a motivated student.
Gee- "Success without effort is not rewarding; and effort with little success is equally unrewarding"(pg58).
Ritter- This creates a fine line for the teacher, if you make the material too easy then you lose the students. If you make the material too hard you may also lose the students. Gee explains throughout the book that the video game designer also faces the same dilemma. The best way to deal with this is to create a teach without a ceiling philosophy. A teacher needs to create exercises where students with limited skills can improve and where students with exceptional skills can soar. This is the same thing a video game designer must do in order to create a product that sells.
Gee- " This is true of all good learning-we gain a new valued identity that gives us new powers"(pg61).
Ritter- Each time we learn we add to who we are as a person. A basketball player who learns to shoot becomes a different player once he adds that skill to his game. A student becomes a different person once he adds the ability to write or do math. The world becomes a more vast place to a student once they obtain the skills to compete in it. This is true to a video game charcter, the more powers you give them, the more they can accomplish. A student`s idenity changes a little bit with each piece of information you give them, that allows them to grow from their present form. Once I was taught creative writing, I saw the world with different eyes. Once a student is taught skills which relates to their interests, they see the world in a different light..
Gee- " This view holds that humans learn, think, and solve problems by reflecting on their previous experiences in the world. That is,humans have experiences, store these experiences, and make connections or associations among them" - page 71.
Ritter- We learn through our experiences. What we see of the world, is what we make of the world. That is why it is so important to be able to relate to your students. It is a teachers responsibilty to connect to each students own world. You must teach each student differently, even as you teach them in a group. This is not easy, but it must be done in order to gain access to the student`s world. You may not want to teach two students about trees in the same way if one comes from an urban enviroment and the other a surburban enviroment because their perceptions could be different. One grew up with trees, the other did not. Tests don`t equate for these differences, but teachers must or students will continue to be lost in the systems world.
Ritter- In order to teach a student material, you must first answer a common question - how will they use that material in life, how is it relevant to their long term goals? You must teach them why they are learning something, before they actually start learning it. This especially applies to material that is challenging. The student will want to know why should they work so hard on something if it will not impact their lives. Therefore if you can convince them that certain material can benefit them now or later, then you have accomplished the first and hardest step in teaching them.
Gee- "Today`s world is very different from the world baby boomers like me grew up in and on which we have based many of our theories.Is it a wonder then, that by high school, very often both good students and bad ones, rich ones and poor ones, don`t much like school" -(page 5).
Ritter- There is so much interference in the teacher- student relationship today. Schools now apply a "teach for the test" philosophy. Students are taught for tests. Principals get bonuses on test results. Politicians get elected on standardized testing results. A teacher is limited in trying to find creative ways of teaching their students. School becomes more of a work environment to the student, than a learning enviorment. This takes away any enjoyment the student might have in the school setting. It also puts the students who need the most help at a severe disadvantage, because they need creative teaching in order to be a motivated student.
Gee- "Success without effort is not rewarding; and effort with little success is equally unrewarding"(pg58).
Ritter- This creates a fine line for the teacher, if you make the material too easy then you lose the students. If you make the material too hard you may also lose the students. Gee explains throughout the book that the video game designer also faces the same dilemma. The best way to deal with this is to create a teach without a ceiling philosophy. A teacher needs to create exercises where students with limited skills can improve and where students with exceptional skills can soar. This is the same thing a video game designer must do in order to create a product that sells.
Gee- " This is true of all good learning-we gain a new valued identity that gives us new powers"(pg61).
Ritter- Each time we learn we add to who we are as a person. A basketball player who learns to shoot becomes a different player once he adds that skill to his game. A student becomes a different person once he adds the ability to write or do math. The world becomes a more vast place to a student once they obtain the skills to compete in it. This is true to a video game charcter, the more powers you give them, the more they can accomplish. A student`s idenity changes a little bit with each piece of information you give them, that allows them to grow from their present form. Once I was taught creative writing, I saw the world with different eyes. Once a student is taught skills which relates to their interests, they see the world in a different light..
Gee- " This view holds that humans learn, think, and solve problems by reflecting on their previous experiences in the world. That is,humans have experiences, store these experiences, and make connections or associations among them" - page 71.
Ritter- We learn through our experiences. What we see of the world, is what we make of the world. That is why it is so important to be able to relate to your students. It is a teachers responsibilty to connect to each students own world. You must teach each student differently, even as you teach them in a group. This is not easy, but it must be done in order to gain access to the student`s world. You may not want to teach two students about trees in the same way if one comes from an urban enviroment and the other a surburban enviroment because their perceptions could be different. One grew up with trees, the other did not. Tests don`t equate for these differences, but teachers must or students will continue to be lost in the systems world.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)