(11/26/12) The Power of Critical Literacy

Critical literacy is among the most important subjects for developing English teachers. As we talked about extensively last class, there is an internal struggle within many English teachers about how and what to expose their students to in terms of language and its political authority. Although we acknowledge that all students should feel a level of respect in regards to their own language and dialect, there is also a level of access that can really only be revealed through the study of the “power language.” I think critical literacy attempts to unite this divide within the classroom, as it empowers students to view language as a tool for social justice, and exposes students to the political and social implications of varying dialects and languages. In the United States, for instance, countless high school students enter school each day and speak (almost exclusively) a valid dialect called African American Vernacular English. It is first important to acknowledge the legitimacy of this language and its purpose as a dialect, in order to respect the language differences of all students. Legitimacy aside, the unfortunate truth is that AAVE is not the power language of our modern society, and a student that is fluent in only AAVE will have access to far less societal rewards than a student who is also fluent in the power language. Since the power language today is Mainstream English, it is important (for reasons of access) for teachers and students alike to approach it as such. Critical literacy promotes the idea that “language is not neutral” and all language situations are political at heart (Behrman 2006, p. 480). Language communication is perhaps the most political aspect of human life, as we all use language to represent ourselves to our immediate surroundings.

With that established, it is important for students to be equipped with the proper language tools in order to have access to multiple environments (beyond their “home” environment). Critical literacy helps expose students to these differing environments, as it develops students’ inquiry and analytical skills when addressing a text (Molden, 2007). Why was this written? What is the audience? How do I receive the text? Why was this included in my curriculum? All of these questions are critical for understanding the overall political purpose and power behind any given text. New research and studies about tangible classroom practices involving critical literacy will be key for the sustained impact of the theory, however as our readings revealed for this week, there are already many diverse practices being used in classrooms to promote critical literacy and to empower students language use and recognition abilities.

(11/11/12) Field Work Debriefing

            I am going to use today’s blog post to talk about some of my recent experiences in the field, as I was able to teach three lessons this past week and I have a lot on my mind. I taught the same lesson twice on Tuesday to two different classes, and I taught another lesson on Thursday. Both lessons revolved around the study of poems, with Tuesday’s poem being Dylan Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night,” and Thursday’s poem being Emily Dickinson’s “Much Madness.” Leading up to these lessons, I was definitely frustrated because my previous teaching experiences had all been a bit of a struggle. I was having issues with classroom management, student engagement, and the majority of my in-class discussions involved only a handful of students speaking and very little whole-class participation. So, leading into Tuesday’s lesson, I worked with Jonathon on some techniques I could use to help lead the class in a more productive manner, with my primary goal being to generate more student discussion. With those techniques in mind, my sixth period class on Tuesday had an incredible discussion that was about as encouraging a classroom experience as I have ever had. The first credit for the discussion must immediately be given to the students, but I was also happy to see that a few techniques I employed had a positive impact on encouraging student engagement.

The first specific adjustment I made this past week was to enter the discussion from the perspective of a participant, as opposed to the more formal role of a “teacher-leader.” I wanted to break down the separation I had felt between the class and myself over the previous weeks, because I thought that my presence as the authority figure was hurting the openness of the discussion. In order to accomplish this, I made the decision to actively participate in the pre-writing portion of the class by writing with the students as they answered the Contemplation Question. I did this for every lesson I taught this week and even when I was teaching the same lesson in back to back classes, I made sure to write a new response in each class so that my participation remained authentic. I think this  successfully revealed to the students that I was a member of the learning community and willing to commit and engage in the learning experience just as fully as the students were. This may seem like a subtle message, but I honestly believe the students recognized my participation and it paid off greatly throughout the discussion. A few times, I was able to volunteer my thoughts in response to student comments, and I did so not solely as the teacher but under my new role as a writer and member of the learning community. I also made sure not to insert myself into the discussion in a way that would represent my ideas as somehow “better” or "more-right" than the students. Instead, I simply offered my response as just another building block stacked on top of the student-generated discussion, and we all built our ideas together.

The second adjustment I made took place before the discussion even began. I told myself as I was writing the lesson plan, that no matter what, I would finally and truly “embrace the silence” of my students when it came to classroom discussions. In the weeks earlier, I felt as if I had been too eager to jump into the discussion if no students were speaking, but this week I simply decided to leave the floor open and be patient in waiting for someone to speak. The beginning of the dialogue was met with the same expected silence, but after a few minutes of awkwardness, a switch flipped and the group came together and really engaged in the discussion. One student comment led into another, and I was able to  facilitate the discussion by simply providing the class with some minimal structure (e.g. occasionally asking students to speak louder or repeat what they had just said). At the peak of the discussion, students were speaking directly to each other and were able to build an idea together. I would guess that out of roughly 23 students in the class, all but 6 or 7 students orally participated and even the students who were quiet the whole time seemed visibly engaged.

The third adjustment that I think promoted the lively discussion had to do with class structure and was totally out of my control (although in my future classroom the set up of the room will be within my control). Because the entire school had testing this past week, the classrooms were arranged in rows with the projector at the front of the class. This was a bit of a surprise when I first walked in, but it actually ended up being a wonderful structure that promoted a community feel. I was able to grab a stool and put it next to the projector up front, and I felt like I was sitting amongst the students instead of sitting in the more removed position within the normal classroom set up. A few times, I would stand up and point to specific words or phrases on the projector screen- and this was my physical cue that I was embodying the “teacher” role for a moment- but then I was able to sit back down and join the discussion as a member once again, with a nice ease of transition.

Overall, the sixth period discussions in both my Tuesday and Thursday classes were extremely encouraging, although the seventh period discussion on Tuesday was met with little success. There is a very complicated classroom atmosphere impacting this particular  class, however, one in which I am struggling to break through. At this point, the larger issues disrupting the environment are out of my immediate control, but I must admit that it has been a powerful learning experience trying to teach in such a difficult setting. I have been able to relate to many of my seventh period students during my conferencing portion of lessons and on an individual basis, but I think the class as a whole is struggling to establish themselves as a community and a “safe space” for honest dialogue.

(11/05/12) I am a Tempered Rebel, Hear Me Roar

            i don’t really feel like bloggin today. Im not sick but some days I just don’t want to have to deal with writing this thing. But anywho, I thought the readings were interesting enough. I didn’t really get the piece about relay writing though. I would be so frustrated with trying to write a relay novel cause other people would keep changing the direction of what I wanted to write, I mean, wtf. I guess the relay compliment activity would be okay cause it never hurts to get complimented, but still I don’t know if it would be a great thing to do in a classroom on a consistent basis. Well, that’s all I can handle writing today. Adios

            Above is my best attempt to position myself as a “tempered rebel” similarly to Evan in the West article we read for this week’s class (West, 2008). I was very interested by the article and I think it shined a positive light on the possibilities of blogging in the classroom, as even posts like mine above “use strategies that English teachers in our school model and expect from their students in terms of literary response in these entries” (West, 2008). It was especially interesting to read this article because we have been blogging this entire semester, and have had to position ourselves within our own online identity. This has probably been my biggest struggle, because I have been unable to really break from my traditional identity as a more formal writer (although I am attempting to do so with this post). Most of my blog posts have been written in a similar form to essays that I write, but I actually think secondary students would have an easier time relaxing their writing within an online community. Adolescents have constant exposure to informal digital authorship, from Facebook to text messaging, and it is increasingly important for modern English teachers to bring these new modes of literacy into the classroom. These less formal genres (including the online blog post) allow students a safer space to really contemplate the reading and curriculum they are encountering, without the constraints of a “formal” paper, and to engage in online literacy communities. As West argues, blog posts allow students to find a way to be both “normative” and “creative” in their writing, which can help engage students beyond traditional writing forms found in English classrooms. Ultimately, the more we can incorporate new literacy practices within the classroom, the more we can engage students in meaningful forms of expression.