Prompt #6

Prompt: number 6
Connection: Delpit

The first day I read a book to the kids at The Garden Academy, I was concerned about my techniques because I was not sure if the children were really paying attention. I went home and researched what I could do to best get their attention. I felt it was important for them to attend to the story. I found some suggestions but they just didn’t seem to fit my classroom. So, I thought on my own, what could it be? We just finished reading Lisa Delpit in class. Lisa Delpit talks about explicitness being the key to communicating with students, especially children from low income families. Delpit says in her fourth rule, “if you are not already a participant in the culture of power, being told explicitly the rules of that culture makes acquiring power easier” (Delpit 4). When a teacher explicitly tells the class a set of directions, such as “take out a piece of paper”, she is giving them the power to learn.

I decided to be explicit with my students when it came to the story rug. Before I read the kids a book, I called them one by one to the rug. “Mayra!” “Come sit on the green number six on the rug please.” “Liu!” “Come sit on the blue letter “A” on the rug please.” I would continue to call all the children in my reading group to the rug. They were each told exactly where to sit. Next, once all the students were on the rug, I held my finger to my lips. This told them that they were to be quiet and listen. I welcomed them to the carpet. I next reminded them of the rules of the rug. I held my finger to my ear and told them, “we are listening to the person who is reading.” I then put my hands on my feet and said, “we are sitting criss-cross apple sauce on the rug.” Finally, I put my finger a little below my eye and say, “we are looking at the pictures on the page.” I smile and say, “We are now ready to read.” It worked beautifully. I have done this ever since when reading and when giving other directions on class work.

I have also found that picking out books that relate to the students works best. I knew I should be reading them books about living in the city, walking to the market, playing ball in the neighborhood, etc. this worked well. Next, I ventured into using their imaginations. I knew they could do that. They really enjoyed “Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me” by Eric Carle. I also knew that they enjoyed moving and it was a good way to have them respond to the story. So, I had them act out certain parts of the story. For instance, I had them hold out their hands to show how big the ladder was to get up to the moon. I also had them reach up high to pretend they were reaching for the moon. The movements helped me to communicate. By being explicit in my classroom and using gestures and movement, I am demonstrating sensitivity and responsiveness to the linguistic differences of my students.

Explicitness is not the only way I responded to their sociocultural and linguistic differences. I responded to them by using well-known hand gestures such as giving them a “thumbs up” when they did something good. This does not require any verbal communication. I also smiled or shook my head from side to side to give them positive or negative feedback. If I needed silence, I would put my finger on my lips, just as I did on the story rug. This would tell them it was time to be quiet. There are many, many ways of communicating non-verbally. I feel that non-verbal communication and explicitness worked very well as a way to communicate in my classroom due to the myriad of sociocultural and linguistic differences. The expressions on the children’s faces told me that what I was doing was a success.

Prompt #5

I may have a problem communicating with the parent or parents due to a possible language barrier. The parent may not understand what I am saying in writing or verbally. If I send home a letter about their son or daughter and they do not understand a simple word like peer and think it says something negative, it could make a big difference in the meaning of the letter. When personally meeting with the parent if I say things verbally and what I say is misunderstood, this could cause a problem. I may address this problem by having an interpreter come to the meeting. I could also address this problem by giving the parent “context clues” as to whether I am talking about or writing about something negative or positive. If I am sending a positive letter home, I may put it on decorative paper and put stickers on the letter to let them know that this is a positive letter. I could also try to use simple words in the letter so they understand. I may write, “Your son was good in class today” verses, “I have been pleased with your son’s behavior during the entirety of the day.” When talking, I could show positive looks on my face by smiling. This would let the parent know something is going well.

There may be problems communicating with the parent because of the language differences but there are other challenges, too. If the parent does not favor you as a teacher or does not think that you are competent, there may be a communication problem. I would have to perhaps spend more time with the parent so the parent can really get to know me.

I am planning on becoming a Special Education teacher. I plan to work with students who have disabilities. Some day I may have to tell a parent that their son or daughter has a learning disability. If the parent is not pleased with the news, they may be upset with me. Due to the anger and frustration, the parent may not communicate with me. This is a very tricky situation to handle. I may try to present the news with a team of other teachers verses by myself. I could possibly use the IEP team like we talked about in class. Other professionals like psychologists or guidance counselors on the team could offer insight or be able to provide comfort and resources in addition to what I am offering. This may help. These small changes may make a difference in communication skills with parents.

Although the parents may sometimes struggle to communicate, I am sure that every parent has something to contribute to my classroom. In my first blog, I wrote about the caring parents. “While waiting, I observed a mother talking to one of the greeters. She was telling him what she baked for the Valentine’s Day party; she was concerned about it being enough. He could have responded by rolling his eyes and cutting her short but he listened and kindly thanked her and said it would be enough. This was very touching.” The parents at The Garden Academy have something to contribute to the school. In my classroom I can give parents the opportunity to share comments or questions by holding a monthly parent discussion session/meeting. Parents can talk with not only me but also with other parents. I feel that this would be more efficient since most parents have similar questions. I can also use their hands-on help in the classroom by making them a “room parent” where they can come in and help with fun activities. I feel that by welcoming the parents into the room and having meetings/discussions dedicated towards them I would be demonstrating respect for the parents and their ideas and comments.

I can instantly relate this to Kilwer. Kilwer talks about how everyone can do something in the world despite his or her “disability”. The parents who have a language barrier could possibly be seen as having a language “disability”. I must go beyond the “disability” and know as a teacher how they can contribute to the school and my classroom. They certainly may have cultural contributions to add to my classroom. They may have abilities in helping organize a family night or event. Kilwer pushes several times in his article how you can make “disabled” persons part of society or, in my case, part of the classroom. By putting some of my focus on the parents being in the classroom, I am doing what Kilwer says is right. I am respecting their knowledge, skill, and even their willingness to contribute.

Post 4

Post: four
Connection: Johnson

My personal history/sociocultural characteristics may intersect with those of my students. When I think of the word intersect I think of how two groups are similar. My students and I may have many differences but there are things we have in common that should not be overlooked. The students at The Garden Academy are similar to me on a small scale and on a large scale. On a small scale we both have a place to live, clothes to wear, access to clean water, a school to go to, transportation to school, and the right to receive a college education. On a large scale, we both are humans, who live in a state, who can think about things and who have a potential to do something.
My family and I are Italian. This contributes to my ethnic background. We value family meals on Sundays, family time, respect for elders, and celebrating our religion every day of the week. Other than that, we value reading, art, classical music, talking with others, hiking, picnicking and traveling together. According to the Salt Survey, 39% of the Students at the Garden Academy are Hispanic or Latino. I do not know much about Hispanic or Latino ethnic traditions. Their traditions may not be exactly the same as my family's. But their culture may cherish and celebrate the same ideals as mine. Often times when my family and I go on picnics, go to national parks, museums, or monuments, we see Latino and Hispanic families also doing these things. So, after all, are we really that different?
I could have both challenges and advantages teaching in this classroom. One challenge I may have is communicating with the parents, or parent in some cases, if they only speak Spanish. I may also in some cases have trouble communicating with the students if they don’t speak English well. Other than the language barrier, I could also have trouble relating to the kids. I may not know much about their lives outside the classroom. It could be challenging to find out about their lives outside the classroom. I can assume certain things but, they cannot always be backed up. Also, I can not assume that they have ‘necessary’ things at home. I cannot assume they have a computer to do homework. This may make me think twice when asking them to ‘type’ up a book report or research something on Google. I also cannot assume that they get the Journal or have cable television. So I may think twice before I say to the fourth grade, “Did you see the article on the front cover of yesterday’s paper?” If they don’t get the newspaper, then they didn’t. These would be some of the challenges I’d have in the classroom relating to what they have “access” to. On the contrary, I have some major advantages if I were to teach this class. I am a well-rounded person and I have much to offer to the classroom. I have traveled all across the country and I could share with the class all that I have learned about different cultures and different lifestyles. I know how some things work, I know about traditions and the living environment in other places. In my travels I have seen poverty and people living in shacks or trailer parks. I have seen white, black and Native American children with their parents waiting to sell some of their goods at train stations. I am eager to know about the unknown as well. I will listen to my students (Vygotsy). Another advantage I will have, five years from now, is a college education in the field of Education. I believe that this is one of the biggest advantages I will have. I would have learned just what to do to teach children. Other than a college degree in education, the most important thing to me is having a passion and a desire to be in the classroom helping kids. I believe that when a teacher is passionate, the classroom is a better environment. A teacher’s passion and desire would lead to a desire to want to know the student’s background and ethnicity to make yourself a better teacher so you can teach them better. Johnson’s thinking would support the ideas presented in prompt four that the culturally competent person should be aware of the diverse cultural groups represented in his/her society and investigate the sociocultural factors that influence learning, and be able to integrate this acquired knowledge into his/her life.
I have encountered many misconceptions about various cultural groups while at The Garden Academy. One misconception I have encountered is that Asian Americans are the ‘smart’ ones in the class. When observing Liu and the other Asian Americans this theory proves true. But, I can guess that this is not true in all cases. I have also encountered the misconception that most poor schools have no white students. My class has two white students as a matter of fact. Another misconception I encountered while at The Garden Academy was that families in poverty may not outwardly show care about their kids. This is not true. While walking in to the Garden Academy, I could see parents dropping their kids off and giving them hugs and kisses. I could see parents waiting with their kids at the bus stop and talking to them. Also I have heard talk about the things the children do with their parents. The parents do care about their offspring. I have confronted many misconceptions at The Garden Academy.
As stated in the prompt, the culturally competent teacher understands and investigates sociocultural factors that influence students. Johnson supports understanding of how some people are privileged and says “we have to…. change…. how we think about the world….. and how we live our lives in relation to it.” Johnson supports finding out about people and being sure that we do not treat certain people as more important than others. He supports everyone becoming aware of how people are treated so that the world can be a better place for all. As a teacher, it is important to be aware of student’s backgrounds and sociocultural factors that can influence my teaching and student’s learning.

Prompt number three

Connection: Jonathan Kozol
Prompt number three

“Where is JoKwan?” asked Mrs. LaKing. “He went to Puerto Rico,” said Carlos. “Yes, now I remember. You’re going this summer aren’t you?” Carlos agreed. Mrs. LaKing was doing a formative assessment with Carlos just now. From this simple conversation, we can already tell a lot about Carlos. One, he knows English, two, he is going out of the country this summer and three he is observant and knows that JoKwan is out of the country now.

While looking through the piles and piles of books in the library at The Garden Academy, I saw many different books about unique living conditions, including living in a two family home and life with a single parent. Some of the books talked of holidays different cultures celebrate. By looking at all of the books in Mrs. LaKing’s library, I could see that she was responsive to the linguistic, ethnic, and sociocultural characteristics of some of the students in the class. The teacher could use the books for an formative assessment of how well the children could read. The children could relate to these books because they take part in some of the culture shown in the books.

Last month one of the students brought their own culture into the classroom. Liu arrived speaking boisterously, “I got you one last night!” I watched as she put her hand into her pocket and pulled out a fortune cookie. She gave it to Mrs. LaKing and Mrs. LaKing thanked Liu very much. Liu talked about how they went out for Chinese last night and she got a fortune cookie for the teacher. Liu is of Chinese descent. She is one of two Chinese students in Mrs. LaKing’s class. Being Chinese contributes to who Liu is and on that one particular day, she decided to share her culture with Mrs. LaKing. The teacher could administer a formative assessment to Liu by asking questions about Liu’s experience to see if Liu can recall facts, tell feelings, and mention problems and solutions.

Although the teacher has students that are aware of their linguistic, ethnic, and sociocultural characteristics and she has books that respond to the characteristics, the ‘assessments’ given do not portray the same spirit. When looking at the assessments that the kids are given they are orientated toward schools for children who live in middle class and upper middle class families. They include names like “John” and “Sally”. This is ironic because when you walk in the school, the signs are in English and Spanish and the place seemed responsive to the student’s different backgrounds, yet in the assessments, things are different.

Every week the Palm Pilot comes out for summative testing. Each student is asked to read a passage and a list of words to track fluency and progress. Mrs. LaKing must “type-in” the response from each of the students onto the Palm Pilot then the Palm Pilot is connected to her computer and the scores are tracked. The passages and words that they read are far from diverse and do not incorporate the linguistic, ethnic, and sociocultural characteristics of the student. The only positive to using the Palm Pilot is ease of data entry and production of reports.

This can be related to Jonathan Kozol’s article: Still Separate, Still Unequal. If the principal of the Garden Academy read this he may say, “My school is open to the linguistic, ethnic, and sociocultural backgrounds.” From a distance, they are but when you look closely, they are not responsive to the backgrounds of the children as far as assessments are concerned. Kozol says in his article that most schools still take part in “segregation” even though that supposedly ended decades ago.

If Mrs. LaKing decided to incorporate linguistic, ethnic, and sociocultural characteristics of the students into the classroom assessments, she could compose her own formative assessments. She may use names like JoKawn, Liu or Carlos. She could also write about things they are familiar with. Assessments now incorporate stories with words that rhyme or words that describe experiences like flying a kite on a lush green hill. Instead, she could assess with stories about crossing the busy street to play in the city park. These small changes may make the stories relate better to the kid’s lives and they’d possibly have an easier time reading it. If things were changed, Kozol’s theory of segregation being present would be negated to an extent, which is good for everyone.

Blog number two

Connection: Goldenberg

Prompt number two

“Sound it out, what does the first letter say?” I ask. “Hhhh” says the student.

“Good! Now say the ending.”

The child responds (slowly, hesitant) “aaa…n…d”

“Now, put it together,” I say.

The child responds (confidently), “and!”

“…not exactly, what sound does the first letter make again?” I ask.

“H”

“Add the ending.”

“h…and?”

“Good! Hand.”

Reading can be a struggle for second grader Mayra. Every day I go in, we work at sounding words out and figuring out what they mean. I have seen some improvements since my work with her. I have observed that Mayra is of Latino descent and that Spanish is spoken at home. She speaks English with a ‘Spanish’ accent, as do most of the other students at The Garden Academy. When looking at the demographics of The Garden Academy as a whole, 38% of the students are speaking the Spanish language at home. This information can be determined from the web and just by walking into the school. The school has signs in English and Spanish. I have seen some of these Spanish-speaking students and observed them first hand in the classroom. I can tell that reading is hard for most of them.

Wow, this week’s blog covers much material that can be related to Goldenberg’s “Teaching English Language Learners”. Goldenberg talks about ELL students in his article and as I mentioned, The Garden Academy has many ELL students. Goldenberg states, “ELLs learn more words when the words are embedded in meaningful contexts and students are provided with ample opportunities for their repetition and use opposed to looking up dictionary definitions or presenting words in single sentences.” The students at the Garden Academy are learning English by using it in conversations with other students and teachers. They are also reading texts where the words are embedded in stories and pictures. This supports what Goldberg says.

Another point that Goldenberg makes is to make “text in English more comprehensible by using texts with content that is familiar to students.” What happens in the classroom could link in an interesting way to this statement but instead what happens sometimes goes against Goldenberg’s statement. The Garden Academy students may not always have background knowledge to apply to school stories they are reading. So, technically, if the teacher made it a point to know what the students do/participate in outside the classroom, she could choose stories that can relate to them. They could also read stories that the teacher writes that relate to their lives from the stories they tell.

Finally, Goldenberg says “to use the primary language for clarification and explanation.” This is happening at The Garden Academy when you enter the school the signs are in English and translated into Spanish. The primary language is being used for support. Goldenberg relates to this week’s blog well.

During one of my previous visits I observed something very interesting and informative. I was working with a group of three boys, Carlos, Felipo and Gonzalo, all of which needed help reading. This is what happened. I ask, “Hey guys! You need some help reading?” Gonzalo responds, “sure, I can’t figure out this word.” “Well, let’s sound it out.” (Eventually Gonzalo understands what the word says after some assistance).

Gonzalo responds, “Thank you!” I ask Carlos if he has any questions? He responds, “No, thank you.” “ How about you, Felipo?” I ask. Carlos (interrupting) states, “Nooo, he can’t read this, he don’t read English.” Felipo (in a convinced manner) says, “I don’t know English. I can’t read this.” I (in a positive, joyful manner) say, “Oh, I think you can knock my socks off and read this. (Felipo then leans back in his chair and lets out a sigh)and says, “you just don’t get it, I don’t speak English and I can’t speak it.” I say, “Well, I think that you are a very smart person and I think that you can. Just give it a try.” Felipo eventually makes his way through the passage and is happy. I praise him and say “I knew you could do it!”

As I moved on, what happened with the boys stayed with me. I started to assume that Felipo’s parents might discourage speaking English at home. In the classroom, his classmates, Carlos and Gonzalo, were convinced he would not and could not speak English. But, he could speak the language. It was kind of funny in a sense, this little boy looking into my eyes saying as clear as day, “I don’t speak English.” One linguistic characteristic of the kids at The Garden Academy is that many students speak Spanish. This makes it difficult to learn to read. But on the other hand the culture the children are living in may make it hard for them to accept learning to speak and read English because it is not their first language.

“Are you going to the St. Patty’s parade tomorrow?” asked Charlotte. I told her I might go but I wasn’t sure yet. She continued to tell me about who in her family was coming to the parade, what they would do after the parade and what happened last year, all in an enthusiastic manner. Charlotte’s socio cultural characteristics and ethnic values were exhibited in the classroom that day. You could tell that her family and Charlotte valued family time and exciting events; it was part of her culture and her family’s culture. She also brought in from the culture that it was ok to talk to other people about what you are doing for fun, verses being silent and not sharing with others. One socio cultural characteristic and ethnic value of the students at The Garden Academy is spending time with family. The Garden Academy has other socio cultural characteristics and ethnic values coming from the parents. Such as being on time for school, listening to the person in charge, and seeing school as a fun and learning place to be. These opinions could also come from influences like older siblings in addition to the school personnel. The students at The Garden Academy bring in an interesting cultural capital to the school.

Fearlessness. The kids at The Garden Academy are fearless. They are never afraid to question someone or something. They also introduce themselves to someone new and say how they feel openly. When looking at the demographics of The Garden Academy on the web, most of the students are in living in poverty. I personally think that kids in poverty come into this world with a lot of burdens and that they must acquire the skill to be confident and stick up for themselves and their rights. Some people can take advantage of people in poverty but, for now, the kids at The Garden Academy are confident and determined. So, I do not think they will be taken advantage of. The student’s determined spirit is motivating to someone like me. The students have a cultural capital of being fearless. It is important to have fearless people in society. Although the students are fearless, they lack a sense of background knowledge and background experiences that can contribute to their ‘well roundedness’. In society if everyone has a sense of ‘well roundedness’ then the society as a whole will be smarter. When our students have an idea about the ‘outside world’ they are more aware and enter the classroom with background knowledge.

Prompt #1

Connection: Ira Shore's "Empowering Education" talking about John Dewey

When I drove up to the The Garden Academy it seemed relatively large compared to other schools I had passed on my journey there. The school has a ‘wide’ front with rows and rows of adjacent windows. It is a red brick building and is located on a large lot with athletic fields, a basketball court, and a seasonal swimming pool. There is a loop by the door for ease of dropping off kids to school. I decided to observe the neighborhood before entering.

The homes in the neighborhood look as if they have been there many years. The houses have makeshift barren gardens, cars in the driveway, satellite dishes mounted off porches and dogs barking at passing cars. Houses that looked to be acceptable at one time are now boarded up and covered with graffiti. Around the vacant homes, the shrubbery is overgrown and there is debris in the driveway. The homes in the neighborhood are walking distance to the school. This eclectic neighborhood also has homes that are well cared for.

Inside, the age of the school is noticeable. The school has marked up green painted walls and the aroma of a grandmother’s attic and drafty windows. I noticed that conversations echo through the long corridors. Every amount of space seems to be put to use in The Garden Academy classrooms and offices are cozy and snug. The structure of the school is basic with two levels. The windows on the front of the building dominate and let sunlight in. The Garden Academy has a separate building that looks like a gym. I am not positively certain about how this building is used. I would like to know someday.

I get good vibes from the school. The school feels like a very loving and supportive place for the students and visitors that come. Once I walked in I was welcomed by a kind gentleman and directed to the main office. Despite being a stranger to The Garden Academy, I was greeted with warm smiles. This contributed to my perception of the school. While waiting, I observed a mother talking to one of the greeters. She was telling him what she baked for the Valentine’s Day party, she was concerned about it being enough. He could have responded by rolling his eyes and cutting her short but he listened and kindly thanked her and said it would be enough. This was very touching. As I continued to wait for the reading coach, Ms. O’Doyle, parents and children came in together. It was touching to see parents reassuring towards their children as they left with a hug and kiss.

The Garden Academy’s classrooms are cozy. This contributed to the feeling of the school. The classroom is organized into sections. It had reading, science, and math centers. The classrooms have colorful posters up and motivational sayings. The desks in the classroom were grouped together and there were different tables for one-on-one work around the room. There were many manipulatives to go with the story or lesson being taught. Shore talks about Dewey in her book and says that Dewey believed that “only by active learning could students develop scientific method and democratic habits rather than becoming passive pupils waiting to be told what this means and what to do.” (Shore, 33) When the children go to the centers in this classroom and use the manipulatives in the centers they are taking part in what Dewey calls, “active learning.” The scientific method would be explored as children examined the rocks of various sizes, color, and shapes. I also saw democracy at work when I was asked to play reading games with the children. They had share and take turns and support one another. They had fun, learned and practiced cooperation.

The school values outdoor recreation as evidenced in the athletic areas. They value parents as seen in their greetings and how they allowed parents access into school. They certainly value college students helping; however, the strongest value that was evident was their caring about one another.

Ms. O’Doyle, the reading specialist, welcomed me in a caring way. Her room had motivational posters up and it felt like a place where caring professionals meet to discuss various topics.

When I met Mrs. LaKing, she was very welcoming towards me and she cared. In the classroom, kindness was valued. The first tangible evidence was the boxes of chocolate piled high on the teacher’s desk; these were gifts from the students. “How kind!” I thought. This also told me that the relationship between the students and the teacher was strong and that the students appreciated the teacher. Also, kindness was given the opposite way, from the teacher to the students. Mrs. LaKing was very nice and she was engaged with each and every child. When I walked in the teacher was giving out Valentine’s pencils to all the kids. This was kind of her. She carefully explained that they were to complete work in their reading workbooks. She made reference to the Valentine’s celebration that would come later. I also noticed that the students cared for one another. If a student was having trouble with a question, other students would help. The time Mrs. LaKing gave to me showed me that she cared about me. She respected me enough to give me a group of children to work with. I worked with two girls Roxanne and Bridgette. Working with Roxanne and Bridgette taught me a lot that I didn’t know. I felt for their struggles with reading. Homophones were challenging today but I could see how a little help went a long way. Mrs. LaKing cared so I got to work with the girls. The Garden Academy is a very caring place and I look forward to returning next week.

This is me

Hi! My name is Anna Christine Carnevale. You can call me Anna Christine. I am a freshman in college and I am studying elementary education and special education.

So far my second semester at college has been jam packed with many deadlines and many obligations to fulfill. At times it feels as though I will never get it all done. But, I know that I will accomplish everything for I felt just as anxious last semester and I made it. This semester, I am enjoying meeting new people in my classes. I am also amazed to hear about what some of my professors have accomplished in their lifetime. I am enjoying all of my classes so far and I am very excited about my field placement in FNED this semester.

Outside of pursuing my degree, I live a very active life. I spend lots of time with my family and caring for my younger cousin. I enjoy doing arts and crafts, scrap booking and making jewelry. Although I enjoy a good book, photography and baking, one of my favorite things to do is to swim at the recreation center on campus. I also enjoy working with children and families. What pastimes do you have? I look forward to 'blogging' my experiences in the classroom this semester and I look forward to hearing about you and your experiences!

~Anna Christine