In all the classes that I have taught, reluctant writers have been among the student population. Despite their negative feelings towards written tasks, they still need to learn how to compose text. How can teachers get these students to engage in writing? Fields, Magnifico, Lammers, and Curwood (2014) suggest that the use of social networking sites can create a sense of community and allow all students to refine their ability to write (p. 19). This could be a way in which reluctant writers could become more engaged with tasks. For example, Figment is an online site that allows users to share their creative writing through forums (Fields et al., 2014). Writers are directly involved in the design process and they are able to interact with others to get feedback and suggestions. “Figment and Scratch encourage youth in the direction of creative media production by connecting them to others interested in reading, writing, programming, and designing.” (Fields et al., 2014, pp. 22-23). It may be beneficial for classroom teachers to look into such creative DIY communities to see what features could be integrated into their literacy lessons. These sites allow students to be collaboration and interacting with peers in a way that may encourage them to write (Fields et al., p. 23). For my reluctant writers, I think that making writing more social would allow them to feel less isolated and see the usefulness of what they are writing. Furthermore, if students are involved in similar online forums, they are contributing their creativity and opinions towards a project that they can relate to. This makes their compositions more meaningful and significant to them. It also allows me, as a teacher, to take a step back and empower the student to develop their creative thinking skills through a process that they control.
Reference: Fields, D. A., Magnifico, A. M., Lammers, J. C., & Curwood, J. S. (2014). DIY media creation. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 58(1), 19-24. doi:10.1002/jaal.331
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The way hip-hop performers like Lil B and Kanye West present themselves can be intriguing. Often times, they are more engaging than other figures in the media (like politicians). What does this mean to teachers and the students they teach? Regardless of whether or not you like this genre, it is everywhere. Its presence and impact can be utilized during instruction. I think hip-hop offers a way to spark students’ passions. Passion allows students to investigate issues and look for solutions to advocate for change. “I also believe that something real is happening when Kanye West, in the process of saying essentially nothing, brings himself to tears and a crowd to its feet” (Marantz, 2015). This power, to inflict emotional reactions among the masses, is something that can’t be ignored. “Rap concerts, political rallies, acceptance speeches at awards shows—all are opportunities to deliver rhetoric with such incantatory power as to generate a response from the audience” (Marantz, 2015). The artists and themes in hip-hop songs give students a springboard to being to start thinking about how things impact society the significance to their own lives. For example, one can examine the power struggles in American and the gaps between those in power and those who are marginalized (Marantz, 2015). The interest in hip-hop can give teachers an entry point to begin to discuss important social justice issues. I think using it within the classroom setting enables students to become actively engaged in topics that may be boring but extremely important (Maratnz, 2015). Reference Marantz, A. (2015). “Kanye West For President”, The New Yorker. Retrieved: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/kanye-west-for-president?mbid=social_facebook I must admit that I am not a Star Trek fan. My Grade ¾ students, however, may well be and this is a factor that needs to be considered in lesson planning. The grade three students learn about how the Europeans came to settle in North America. They learn about the impact this had on the first nations people as well as the racism they had to face. In this instance, they are reiterated as being “others”. “In Star Trek, species becomes a signifier for race (in much the same manner as the power of whiteness and the ethoracial pentagram obscures and confuses ethnicity, race, and social class)” (Anijar, 2000, p. 154) Students could use class discussions to draw comparisons between Canadian history and the social relations in Star Trek. By doing so, they are able to make connections and hopefully understand the significance of the treatment of the first nations people. In addition, Star Trek can provide an interesting opportunity for the examination of social class structures that exist within society (Anijar, 2000, p. 152). This can support the teaching of the feudal system in medieval Japan for the grade fours. Since I am not that familiar with the Star Trek empire, I think that my best approach would have to be to empower the students as experts. Let them teach me about Star Trek. By doing this, I would be able to learn more about my students. I could then take their knowledge of the show and implement it into my teaching.
Reference Anijar, K. (2000). Resistence is Futile: You will be Assimilated into the Predatory Jungle. In K. Anijar, Teaching toward the 24th Century: Star Trek as Social Curriculum (pp. 156-190). New York: Falmer Press. I have to be honest – I am not much of a science fiction, fantasy or horror fan. However, while I may not be an expert in such genres, my students maybe and this needs to be taken into consideration. This week’s readings included a documentary by the Discovery Channel (2012) that discussed the Zombie Apocalypse. I was fascinated with the preparation that was underway and how seriously committed the people in the video were to their cause. I was left wondering how this could be applicable to the classroom. Upon further research using the Internet, I came across a fascinating site about Zombie-based learning (Hunter, 2016) to teach middle school geography. I have come to the conclusion that ZBL is another way of engaging students with the curriculum. It factors in their interest in pop culture and uses it to help them understand issues around geography and history. Furthermore, this strategy highlights the need for educators to be open-minded in their planning. If we want our teaching to focus on the student, then we need to be able to let go of control and set out of our comfort zone. For me, this may mean using topics like the Zombie apocalypse, which I am not that familiar with. That’s not to say that experts exist among the students I teach, who may have their interests peaked with ZBL is used in-class. If I want my lessons to be meaningful to my students, I need to implement ideas that involve their interests and understanding of popular culture. Zombie-based learning, here I come! References: Hunter, D. (2016). Zombie-Based Learning. Retrieved: http://zombiebased.com. The Discovery Channel. (2012). Zombie apocalypse. Retrieved:https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=75&v=YdAe18Xvs4Q. Imperialism is a reoccurring theme in history and the study of international relations. It is important for students to study this phenomenon of past events so that they can better understand the current state of the world we live in. Yet, I have noticed that there seems to be a disconnect between the student and the study of history. This has been my experience both as a teacher and as a student of the topic. How can this be changed so that students can engage in more meaningful ways? The integration of science fiction in the classroom can help students connect to topics like imperialism and politics. As Saunders (2015) notes, many students have knowledge in this area of pop culture and it is this “intellectual shorthand that accelerates learning, facilitated critical analysis, and enables thoughtful discussion and debate” (p. 150). The establishment of European dominance over the First Nations people of North America is an imperialist example that is often discussed in social studies classes. When I have taught this topic, students will wonder what relevance past events have to their lives. A way to show them the correlation could be via science fiction. By comparing and contrasting to science fiction examples, student will be able to gain a deeper understanding of the significance of such movements. For example, Avatar is a movie that has many similarities to the imperialism of North America (Saunders, 2015, p. 155). The reason for this is because the movie looked at how one group of people desired to take over land and not really care about he native inhabitants or how they would impact them. Such movies are a part of our popular culture and can help to make connections to actual historical events. Using such examples further supports increased engagement on the part of the student. Science fiction essentially offers teachers a way to help their students make personal connections and understand the significance of imperialism. Reference: Saunders, R. A. (2015). Imperial imageries: employing science fiction to talk about geopolitics. In F. Caso, & C. Hamilton (Eds.), Popular Culture and World Politics: Theories, Methods, Pedagogies (pp. 149-159). Bristol, U.K.: E-International Relations Publishing. |
AuthorMy name is Reena and I am a Masters of Ed student at UOIT. I have created this blog for Professor Guertin's course, EDUC 5199G. Archives
November 2016
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