Teacher Research and Final Reflections

Teacher Research is a subject that I had not given much thought to prior to the work that we have done with it in Methods this semester. After developing my own idea for what to research throughout my student teaching semester, I learned a lot about how to go about actually performing and using the research that I planned to execute. One of my favorite methods came from our textbook, Living the Questions: A Guide for Teacher Researchers, by Ruth Shagoury Hubbard and Brenda Miller Power. Shagoury and Power introduce the concept of sociograms. Sociograms are basically mini surveys that teachers ask their students to complete. Questions may include something such as "List the three students in class that you would most like to have lunch with." By having students complete sociograms, a teacher may gauge which students hold social power in the class. This information can further be used to develop observations regarding teacher research.

In my own Research Brief, I have decided to explore the presence of introverted students in the classroom. I want to learn how to incorporate these students into activities such as discussion so that they may participate in a way that is comparable to that of extraverted students. This choice is a personal one, as I have an introverted personality, and have had to attempt to "grow out of it" throughout my educational experiences in order to achieve better grades (and eventually to become a teacher!).

In my own teacher research, I plan to use sociograms to monitor the distribution of social power in the classrooms in which I will be working. I want to test whether or not this power is held exclusively by extraverts, or if introverts also sometimes hold social power in the class. Additionally, I feel that this information will be useful to helping me to formulate methods for integrating shy students into class discussions.

As for reflecting on the semester, I have definitely learned a lot in Methods, and as a result feel much more prepared to enter public schools as a student teacher next semester. I am so excited to use the knowledge and methods that I have learned in our class to use. Having to extensively plan lessons and units has made me much more aware of how I put lessons and text together. Additionally, I feel like I received a reality check in the complications of teaching reading, writing, and grammar all in the same units. Overall, I would just like to say thank you for a great class, and I will be looking forward to student teaching! I hope that I can do our class proud!

Teaching Grammar

Being the second experience I've had with both "The English Teacher's Red Pen: History of an Obsession," and Noden's Image Grammar, I feel much more prepared in handling these texts. While I may not yet have fully determined exactly how I will pursue the task of teaching grammar, I am certainly much more confident in the idea than I was the first time that I read these texts. I would like to dedicate the majority of this post to the "Red Pen" article, because I feel that it has been of more controversial interest to our class.

Steven Zemelman and Harvey Daniels definitely know that they are on to a sensitive issue as they write, "We think that a student paper with two or three hundred red circles and marginal comments is nothing special; it is simply another workmanlike bit of English teaching. To us, intensive correction is the standard, responsible, professional way of responding to a piece of imperfect student work" (1). The authors are correct, additionally mentioning that as English teachers, we are expected to teach this way, the old way. It seems to be culturally accepted that a vital piece of an English teacher's job is to tear student work apart with their usual weapon of choice: a red pen. A solution for this problem is difficult to devise, however, because it seems to be so deeply rooted in our education system. While I agree that drowning a student paper in red is discouraging, and may even cause the student to stop caring, I worry that the opposite approach could have the same effect. I consider this possibility because this method of correcting papers has also been accepted by students. When receiving a paper absent of extensive markings, students are likely to assume that there is no additional work to be done, and still choose to toss their papers in the trashcan without a second glance. 

I believe that as English teachers we can combat these attitudes in multiple ways. First, I feel that it is important to be up front with students in the way that their papers will be evaluated and graded. If adopting the mindset suggested by Zemelman and Daniels, we must make it clear to students that all of the errors may not be marked, and it is their responsibility to use the suggestions and corrections that are provided to improve their work without having every single error pointed out to them. Second, I would like to make a habit of having regular writing conferences with all of my students in which we sit down and review their work together. In creating even a short amount of time to talk to students individually, they will be able to listen to constructive criticism, as well as praise in relation to their work. I feel that verbal communication may be more effective for some students, as many of them won't take the time to read over feedback that is written in red ink. 

In reference to the chapters from Noden, I am so appreciative of his practical and explicit approaches to teaching grammar. Many of them seem to have real potential for helping students to learn to use grammar in their writing, rather than viewing it as a painful subject that they are forced to acknowledge during English class. Additionally, I believe that these lessons would be much more fun to teach than simply creating "skill and drill" worksheets. I feel that it would be very beneficial to teach students grammar through use of Noden's 5 brushstrokes because they will be able to see writing as an art form, and grammar as a way of creating it. I want writing and grammar to function this way in my classroom. I want students to feel inspired and believe that they are artists as they create work that ranges from critical essays to creative writing projects. 

In addition to treating grammar as a way to enhance art, I want my students to realize that it is also a way to enhance their expression of themselves, particularly at the secondary level. Students must realize that their use of grammar is important because it affects the way that others will view them. High school students must have a strong understanding of how to use grammar to their advantage as they begin applying for college and/or jobs. By making the subject of grammar an incorporation to writing of all forms, I hope that students will see the two subjects as one in the same, and that they will have a new appreciation for grammar. 

                          

Teaching Writing

After spending the majority of my fall break observing in an 8th grade classroom, I feel like I have the same ideas about teaching writing, but that those ideas are now paired with a slightly different perspective. Teaching students to write in the ways that we are reading about in Gallagher and Smagorinsky, though certainly possible, is even more challenging than I had thought before. I was astounded to observe some of the writing levels of 8th graders in that many of them were much lower than I had expected. My cooperative teacher was fantastic and enthusiastic toward the students, but in reference to writing expectations, some students failed to pay attention to them, some intentionally choose not to comply with them, and others have no means to comply with them. On the other hand, some students in the classes that I observed were great readers and writers, clearly working above their grade level. Upon noticing the varying skill sets of these students, a soon-to-be student teacher can't help but ask, how do I handle this?

As always, Gallagher is extraordinarily helpful in suggesting solutions to problems such as these. In reference to various writing levels in a class, Gallagher writes that his "mantra" is "'everyone improves'" (143). This means that students, no matter what their starting point, are not to focus on reaching one certain point. Instead, everyone focuses on the goal to simply improve. I think that this suggestion is very helpful because students do not have to feel so much pressure in reaching a certain place, they only have to worry about moving forward. This means that especially low level students are in no way expected to catch up and compete with high level students.

For students that are more wary of writing in general, Gallagher provides several ideas for increasing interest and bettering student attitudes toward writing. His first idea is to allow students to choose their own topics because it will help create a "feeling of ownership in the writer" and that choice will result in a more careful revision process because students will actually care about what they are working on (91). I agree with this idea, especially after seeing this methodology put into practice. While observing at JBMS with Mrs. Best (an 8th grade reading teacher), I also had the opportunity to observe two other teachers in the building. One of these was Mr. Cromwell, who is an 8th grade English teacher. Mr. Cromwell's class functions mainly as a writing workshop. The day I observed, students were mainly working on their own pieces while Mr. Cromwell conferenced with some of the students individually. Unlike the work ethic that I saw in reading class with reading log oriented journals, the students in this English class were on task and engrossed in their work. Students in Mr. Cromwell's class have nearly complete freedom over what topics they write about and what form these pieces take. (They are able to choose between narrative, informative, and persuasive pieces, but may write on any topic.) It is clear when listening in on some of the conferences that Mr. Cromwell tries to foster the feelings of ownership and empowerment through writing to the students that Gallagher discusses in his book. Students in this class are able to believe that they are not just students submitting a paper for the teacher to grade, but that they are writers who share their stories through the work that they do in class. It is truly amazing to observe, and this type of practice in teaching writing inspires me to consider this type of methodology for my own future classroom.



Both Smagorinsky and Gallagher discuss response and audience in teaching writing. Smagorinsky writes that peer feedback approaches not only offer students feedback to help them with their next drafts, but also that "students get experience as critical readers that may help them in reading and revising their own work" (98). I think that in addition to these benefits, students who are used to exchanging their work with others are more able to be a part of a conducive learning environment. When a safe place for sharing writing is created, better relationships, as well as better products are created in the classroom. Gallagher builds on these ideas with his "Friday Night Lights" methods. Some of my favorite components to this strategy are the Author's Chair and Golden Lines. I think that these activities could really help students to feel that they have an audience in their peers. Additionally, having especially well-written sentences highlighted and being able to read the work that they are proud of will help to build their confidence, and therefore cause them to take more pride in their writing.

I am very enthusiastic toward the prospect of teaching writing to students. The writing aspect of English classes has always been my favorite, and I'm expecting that it will continue to be throughout my teaching career. I guess that when reading authors such as Smagorinsky and Gallagher, I see how wonderfully their suggestions could work, but they don't necessarily tell you how to create an environment into which these practices would be accepted. With hard work and a good attitude, I am sure that this type of environment can be created, and I plan to try to do just that as I move toward becoming a teacher.

My Prezi: The Graveyard Book

Link: The Graveyard Book: Text Satellite

Above is a link to my Prezi which is based around The Graveyard Book, a supernatural novel by Neil Gaiman. I chose this book because I felt that it was seasonal and would appeal to a wider range of students than the texts that I have chosen previously for work in our class. My intended grade level for these lessons would be 8th grade. Though the actual text in the novel is fairly easy to read and comprehend, I believe that the issues and concepts presented in this novel hold potential for deep discussion and higher thinking among older middle school readers.

If you are unfamiliar with the novel, it centers on the life and growing up of a young boy named Nobody Owens. Nobody, better known as "Bod" throughout the book, is left to survive on his own as a baby when a man named Jack breaks into his home and murders his parents and older sister. Bod crawls away to safety, eventually ending up in a cemetery in which he is adopted by a husband and wife--who happen to be ghosts.

Some of the themes of the novel are family, self-identity, traumatic life events, loss/gain, growing up (coming of age), good vs. evil, and perseverance. I included two articles about adoption. The first, "Russian Kids in America: When the Adopted Can't Adapt," is from Time and discusses the problems experienced by those adopting children from Russia, mainly due to the traumatic events in the children's lives prior to their life in America. I accessed the other article, "Cross Cultural Adoption: Adults Say the Darndest Things," through the Washington Post online. This article features a discussion about the reaction adoptees and their parents receive from the public. Both of these articles are meant to serve as a basis for discussion about what family is, how families are formed, and the different forms that family may take.

Other texts I've chosen to include are parts of the Harry Potter series novels and movies, a movie trailer for Disney's Tarzan, "After 20 Years" by O. Henry, "Loss and Gain" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, "Second Chance" by Shinedown, and a quote from Virginia Woolf. All of these texts are meant to converse together, mainly about growing up, family/friends, and how people change over time. Additionally, the Harry Potter and Tarzan story lines work very well beside The Graveyard Book, as they are very similar.

I hope you enjoy my Text Satellite! I enjoyed creating it!

Note: For some reason, my first Article of the Week link is inaccessible through my Prezi. Here is the link: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1997439,00.html

Assessment Practices

Assessing students should not be as simple as creating a surface-scraping multiple choice quiz. (Although, after my first attempt at writing multiple choice questions, I'm not sure that it's so simple.) However, if this is true, why is it that many students are almost exclusively exposed to this type of assessment? Even during some of my level I observations, I noticed that many of the assessments being given to students were multiple choice, true false, and fill in the blank.

 Kelly Gallagher offers teachers insight into this classroom issue, writing about one of his own experiences during his first year of teaching in his book, Teaching Adolescent Writers. Gallagher describes an assessment that he designed for students in which they were required to create a portfolio including writing pieces from all of their other classes. Unfortunately, he found that students had done no writing in their other classes. After reading about Gallagher's experience, I took some time to reflect on my own. How much writing did I do outside of English class in high school? Though I seem to remember doing more writing than is described by the students in Gallagher's district, I realized that writing was largely missing in a few of my science and social studies classes. Considering Gallagher's conclusions and reflecting on some of my own experiences, it seems more clear as to why even students writing at the college level are not performing to the standards that one would expect.

Gallagher provides many ideas and solutions for creating an environment in which writing is central for students. This focus on writing is meant not only to help students find success in school, but also into their college years and/or adult lives. One of my favorite pieces of Gallagher's advice is one that he borrowed from Donald Murray, which is to "teach the writer, not the writing (29). This statement reminded me of an idea which we focused on in History and Structure about not falling victim to "red pen syndrome." Even assigning an essay and grading it is not enough for students. In order to help students become good writers, we have to instruct them. Gallagher adds to this idea in chapter 4, writing that the formula for better writing is "lots of reading + exposure to intensive hands-on writing instruction" (75). I agree with him and was able to connect many of his statements regarding frequent readers with the ideas he stressed in Readicide. 

In increasing the amount of writing that students do in a classroom, it is equally important to consider how to assess this type of assessment. In chapter 3, Gallagher advises teachers to be open with students about the grading policy and not to grade everything. As Gallagher writes, "Imagine being a painter and every time you try a new medium or new brush stroke technique someone looms over you with a grade book" (53).

             

Students do feel pressure when writing and knowing that they will be graded, especially during their first attempt. In an assignment for my Teaching Adolescent Literature course this semester, I interviewed my boyfriend's younger brother about his literacy habits. When we discussed his favorite and least favorite writing activities, he told me that he feels most confident during the drafting process because he does not have to fear judgment. Additionally, he shared with me that his favorite in-class writing activity is free writing for similar reasons. If students actually enjoy writing, why don't we let them? Though I believe that some writing does have to be formal and graded, I heartily agree with Gallagher in that students need an outlet to practice and perfect their writing skills before they are actually expected to perform.

Overall, I feel that I can really connect with many of Gallagher's ideas and that his methods are very usable. I do not want to be a teacher who assigns a pointless quiz, test, or activity just because I'm too lazy to grade it or create something meaningful. Writing definitely needs to be a part of this process, because in my mind there is no more efficient way to see what someone knows than to ask them to express it on paper in words.

Teaching Reading/Promoting Literacy

One of the tasks that I am both looking forward to and fearing the most as a future teacher is teaching reading. For me personally, there is rarely a time that getting cozy with a blanket and a good book does not sound appealing. Therefore, I would like to believe that this will also be the case for the majority of my future students, but I think that all of us know better than that.

In the introduction of his book, Readicide, Kelly Gallagher briefly discusses the decline of student enthusiasm toward reading as they reach higher grade levels. He writes that as kindergartners, students are enthused by reading time, but by fifth grade this enthusiasm begins to dwindle, and by twelfth grade the shift in attitude is completely negative. Gallagher explains, "This unfortunate shifting of reading attitudes--from enthusiasm to indifference to hostility--is a pattern I have witnessed firsthand during numerous visits to schools across the country. But I don't need to visit other schools to see this; I witness it firsthand in my own classroom" (3). After reading this information, my questions were simple: Why is this the case and how will I combat a negative connotation toward reading in my own classroom?

Gallagher provides much insight to the matter and also suggests several strategies for changing poor student attitudes toward reading. One of my favorite ideas for creating more interest in reading, establishing a book flood zone, was suggested in Chapter 2. Gallagher writes that students need to have authentic reading experiences in "large doses" (29). Establishing a book flood zone is a way to encourage students to have these types of experiences in that the teacher introduces a book to the students in a way that generates interest. This may include providing background information about the plot or author, and perhaps reading especially gripping excerpts from the book. In order to make the book flood zone successful, Gallagher writes that "instead of always taking students to the library, it is often much more effective to bring the library to the students" (53). This means that when introducing a book, teachers should have copies available to the students at that time. I really enjoyed this idea and can definitely see myself using it in my own classroom. Book flood zones could even be connected to other class reading and enhance the background information students build to help them with their regular coursework. For example, teachers could choose the book that they preview based on what type of unit students are currently studying in class. I think that even more important than the actual content of the book being of interest to students (while this is extremely helpful and important) is that the students can see how passionate their teacher is about them. If students can see how much I enjoy reading, maybe they will consider that it isn't so bad and that maybe they should try it.

Aside from these narrower details of the reading, Gallagher's larger conversation focused on the difference between teaching students to succeed in "shallow testing" versus encouraging them to become lifelong readers. He brings to light the importance of daily and substantial reading experiences to success in not only the standardized tests by which schools are judged, but in the students' lives in general. Gallagher's ideas about avid readers having a broader expanse of background information giving them much higher success in standardized testing makes a lot of sense. However, this brings us back to the question of how to get students to consider reading as a source of enjoyment or at least as an activity that is worth their time.

It is understandable that students may attach a negative or even possible a painful connotation to the idea of reading for pleasure. The mere sight of a thick literature textbook in our class this week reminded me of what it feels like to be sitting in a high school English classroom again. Though English was my favorite class in high school, I can understand why this may not be the case for many students. Perhaps what makes the thought of reading so daunting for students is that they do not get to choose what they read and therefore they make no plans to even try to enjoy it. Presenting students with heavy textbooks that contain even heavier coursework are probably not the best way to convince a student that reading can be fun.

Gallagher expresses the importance of SSR (sustained silent reading) in classrooms. While I do agree with him, the mention of SSR brought back memories of my own middle school reading class experiences. When teachers allowed for SSR time in my classes, it was often optional to work on homework as well. Gallagher notes that SSR fails if students are allowed to do other academic work during the time set aside to read (44). Of course this is true because many students opt to do their homework rather than read, and why wouldn't they? If students have not yet learned to enjoy reading, time will have to be provided and completely dedicated to SSR during school. Otherwise, students will likely drop the idea all together. Additionally, during my time in middle school, students were required to complete computerized multiple-choice quizzes upon the completion of any given SSR book. In my opinion, this assessment process completely diminishes the value of SSR. Sustained silent reading is intended to help students learn to enjoy reading for recreational purposes. By requiring that they glean certain surface information from the text for the pure purpose of regurgitating it on a quiz, students are engaged in a very similar exercise to the test preparation that they now complete in lieu of SSR.

After reading all of Gallagher's information in the first two chapters of his book, I am very interested in reading more about his practices and suggestions for promoting literacy and teaching reading. I feel that my own personal experiences reflect that his theories are correct about avid readers being more prepared for standardized testing than even the most "well-prepared" student.