Blog Post 2 (RLL 4430 Spring 2011): The Presence of the Past leads to the Art of Discovery

We know more about how the brain works now than we have perhaps, at any time in human history. We know that in order to incorporate new knowledge we must have an experience that connects with something we think we already know. Our brain stores information into chunks and we associate words, whether we realize it or not with other words, visual images, and with our prior experiences. How we store, how we learn and how we remembered what we have learned has huge implications for us as reading teachers. Keene spends an entire chapter recalling her reactions to Maya Angelou's, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and associated experiences with Southern segregation, "dresses into dreams," and her realization that two folks can read a story and have entirely different experiences. I believe Keene shares these pages not only so we can see that readers have different experiences but to show the richness that each one of our students brings to the reading process. This takes time. Getting students to discuss literature in such way simply takes time and patience. As much as I do appreciate spending time in the classroom activating students prior knowledge, we also must be careful when planning instruction for students reactions potentially sensitive topics such as 9-11, so-called "terriorism," and ideas about equity. Its important for us to share our personal stories when helping students connect with new information. Chapter 5, provides us a way to have these conversations with students, and an underlying assumption is that teachers know the readings that they share with kids. How do you plan for these conversations as a teacher? What does that look like? Furthermore, who has time in the day to creating a voluntary study group with teachers? I especially value this idea of creating professional learning communities as it is essential to the life blood of the school.

Blog Post 1 (RLL 4430 Spring 2011): Creating a New Mosaic in Changing Times to Help Our Mindful Readers

What is it that helps to remember what we read? As a matter of fact, when is the last time we read something that really left a deep, down-felling of personal transformation, some heart-felt tears, or left us with a laugh so hard it hurt? Do we have these experiences with us when we teach reading to children? Can they feel that deep love and passion for words, language and experiences? I believe on a very basic level we understand that it is essential that we help students to read in our specific content areas but as Chapter 1 presents, its not that our students, particularly those at the elementary grades do not know how to read, its can they have experiences and make connections and build upon what they have read. Can we give students choice in what they read when it comes to teaching topics in U.S. History such as Reconstruction, the Extermination of Native Americans (see: Brother Eagle, Sister Sky) or even, dare I say Algebra concepts? By giving students choice in what they read, we are not only empowering youth but we are also structuring our classroom to incorporate multiple perspectives on a particular topic (see: Literacy Circles). This contributes to what Keene refers to as the "thoughtful classroom" in which students can score high on standardized tests and work is "interactive and conceptual" rather than prescribed and worksheet and text-book driven. We can begin to create these classrooms and environments with by having students continously speak, think, act, write, share what they are reading. The strategies that we learn in this course are really secondary to the underlying pedagogy we employ. If we believe that students should have choice and multiple opportunities and platforms to express their ideas and reactions to what they are reading, then we will see huge returns on the strategies presented in this and other progressive courses. This is when we do need to become aware of the challenges that children experienced when working with reading strategies and how we can best support. In Chapter 2, Keene speaks to "four reasons" why students often "complain" in response to working reading strategies. We must help students to see the value in this work but using a gradual release method and leveraging our personal relationships to motivate and encourage. Students must know that when encountering a text like Jamaica Kincaids, "Girl" or technical manual for assembling a bike, its important for kids to have tools to use. We can teach the tools and we must create the proper environments; our environment must be rooted in a love for reading, proper tools for helping students understand what they are reading and deeply connected to the real-world and the larger community.