Service Learning Project: Reflection #3

On my final visit to the YWCA I brought with me a copy of Jane Yolen and Mark Teague's book How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?. I chose this book primarily because the language was aimed at primarily at preschool aged children and matched the language of the books I had seen Ms. Nancy read to the children earlier. What captured my attention about Yolen and Teague's book, however, was the lesson in good manners it taught the children. I had looked through many books geared toward a preschool audience before finding this one and was unable to find a book with any sort of theme beyond basic identification. The setup of this book also lent itself well to reenactment, a teaching tactic I had seen Ms. Nancy use upon several occasions in the classroom before. So, as I read the story aloud to the children I had them stand up and act out both the good and bad actions of the dinosaurs. The children really seemed to enjoy the book and the silly actions they had to do to mirror those of the dinosaurs. After I finished the story the children returned to their seats and I thanked them for their participation. 

In retrospect, I wish I would have interacted with the children more as I read them this story, making sure they really got the concept behind the actions of the dinosaurs. I could have achieved this objective by reading through the story by itself once through, then asking the children to identify the good and bad actions of the dinosaurs before they go to bed. After this, I should have read he book a second time during which the children acted out the actions of the dinosaurs, afterwards reiterating the differences in the behavior of the good dinosaurs and the bad ones. 

Service Learning Project: Reflection #2

As I mentioned before, I was amazed, upon my first visit to the YWCA, at how open and accepting the children were to interacting with new people. This was particularly true of the little girl I worked with on a fairly regular basis on my visits to the daycare center. The first time I met this child was when I first walked through the doors of the YWCA, as soon as it became clear that I was going to stay, she invited me to come play with her and her friends. A natural leader, she guided her peers and myself through a multitude of activities centered around dressing up and make-believe. Her vivid imagination and enthusiasm carried over to the classroom where I had the opportunity to lead her in several learning activities. Through these activities this child illustrated her ability to quickly learn new concepts and ideas, easily mastering the activities I presented her with. As my time with her progressed I also noted her eagerness to participate in classroom activities, she was often the first to volunteer her services to any project with indescribable enthusiasm and joy. While her enthusiasm sometimes caused some interference with classroom order, she overall behaved in a manner that suited the classroom environment.
From an education stand point, it was wonderful to be able to see how one specific child related with her peers and adults both inside and outside the classroom as this is something educators don't normally get to witness. From my personal interactions with this child in both settings, I was able to observe certain personality characteristics (leadership, enthusiasm, imagination, etc.) that lent themselves well to the classroom environment at the YWCA and several that did not (speaking out of turn, over activity, etc.). In observing her behavior in these two different settings I was able to gain insight into her character and how my future students might act outside the classroom as well.

Service Learning Project: Reflection #1

Upon first entering the YWCA, I was immediately swept into the play of the children. No sooner had I set my coat down then they asked me to join in their games. After a brief round of introductions we were all soon caring for children donning dresses and heading to a birthday party. The openness of the children to new comers at the YWCA was remarkable and really speaks to the staff's ability to create an environment in which the children feel safe and comfortable enough to talk to someone they hardly know without a trace of shyness. So, while I was unable to observe the children during this portion of the day, I was able to study the children as the participated in Preschool classroom.
As I observed in the classroom I noticed how structured and regulated the daily schedule for the children was. Each student was given a job rotation for that day from snack-helper to line-leader. This in particular gave each student a sense of individual purpose within the classroom. After the jobs were announced for the day, each student was counted by a peer and a letter in the alphabet was discussed. This task was followed by a short story, some exercise, free-time, snack, an enactment of a story chosen by one of the children and music before heading out to lunch. These events occurred in a fairly sequential order everyday, giving the children a sense of normalcy as they knew what to expect at any given moment. I must admit that I personally was surprised at how closely this regimen was adhered to, as I always imagined preschools to be more unregulated; however, upon observing the children at the YWCA I realized how important this sense of rhythmic normalcy is, as it enables them to focus on the task at hand rather than worrying about what was going to happen next. 
Overall, my first trip to the YWCA captured my interest as a future teacher as I was able to observe a point in development that all my students will have to go through. By observing them at this stage, I will be able to better understand the factors that influence my future student's behavior and interest in a given subject.

Response to Service Learning Project

Upon visiting the YWCA of Kankakee, I was immediately impressed with their mission of empowering women through the provision of subsidized childcare services. By providing this service, women have a safe place to leave their children while they attend school or work; because of this the value of the daycare facility to these families cannot be underestimated. I am very excited to begin working in this facility as it provides me with an opportunity to interact with children from lower income families, this will help me to understand some of the situations my future students might be coming from. I also hope to learn from this project methods and ways in which I can include service learning in my own classroom someday to help students better connect with certain topics and issues in the literature they read.

Response to Chapter Five: Tom Sawyer Teaching Talking

Robert E. Probst's chapter of Adolescent Literacy: Turning Practice into Promise outlines the value of teaching students value of teaching students how to talk, focusing particularly on ways for teachers to aid in their student's growth in this area. As a future teacher, I plan on having my classroom revolve around class discussion, however I found Probst's chapter on this subject interesting. In the chapter, Probst refers to talking as a "natural skill that can be improved with attention and effort and... can be elevated with... training" (2007). This passage challenged my preconceptions of discussion, as I have always believed that the ability to speak well in public is a natural born gift, I often forget that the voice, like any muscle can be trained. As a future teacher, hoping to use discussion in her classroom, this passage proved to be very valuable, as it  reminded me of the importance of teaching discussion not just as vehicle for teaching literature but also as a skill to be honed.
There were several tools Probst included in the chapter to ensure this happens, my favorite of which being  his icebreaker activity entitled "Find the Poem" in which students have to piece together various poems from the lines they are given on an individual basis. I though this would be a wonderful activity for English teachers to do on the first day of school, as it gets the students accustomed to getting up out of their seat and moving around the classroom to discuss a literary work with their peers in a nonthreatening way. At the end of the chapter Probst also included a dialogue booklet as a subtle way of outlining for students ways in which to discuss a particular work without dictating to them exactly what must be said. As a student myself, I have received a handout very similar to this and found it to be a useful tool in discussing a work of literature. Overall, Probst's chapter outlined some good activities to teach students how lead discussions on their own while illustrating the importance off talking as a skill.

Response to Delpit Chapters

The two selected chapters from Delpit focused on the lower expectations placed on students of lower social-economic standing.
The first chapter illustrated, through the stories of Shannon and Carter ways in which students are "permitted to fail" and methods teachers can employ to ensure that this does not happen. After telling the story of Shannon, an African american girl allowed to not participate in classroom activities that would facilitate her ability to learn, the chapter outlined several goals teachers must have to ensure successful learning. These goals focused on creating an environment of: academic achievement, cultural competence, and socio-economic consciousness which can be applied by teachers in school systems across the United States. As a future teacher I had heard all these aspects of basic teacher expectations in different places but this was the first time I had seen them all united in one place. The effect this had on me was significant as it allowed me to start to really think as these goals as absolute classroom necessities rather than something I would implement "if I had time." The chapter then continues to give an example of these goals in the classroom of a young teacher, Carter, and his efforts help his students learn to enjoy writing. What really struck me about this scenario was when the author talked about Carter's demeanor towards the students writing, "Carter does not talk about 'loving' his students. Rather focuses on 'caring' about and for them" (Delpit 2007). This passage really made me reconsider my attitude towards my future students as I have often thought the two to be synonymous with one another. However, upon reading this I realized that this distinction enables the teacher to constructively teach their students even if it might make either party uncomfortable.
While the first chapter focused on ways to raise literacy expectations in the classroom, the second chapter addressed the preconceptions of society towards those from lower socio-economic classes with limited exposure to literacy and the effects this has on their schooling process. The chapter's discussion of literacy followed the story of an "poor urban Appalachian" boy, Donny, and his illiterate mother and the problems they faced in trying to acquire literacy due to prejudices in the school system. The author's research illuminated data that indicated that students, such as Danny, receive a lower exposure to literacy than that of their more financially secure peers. As a result, when placed in school systems these students have no point of reference to base their learning on and do not understand that "written language communicates." Therefore, teachers need to recognize that these students do not necessarily need to be placed in  remedial classes, but rather need to be provided with a context in which to put reading and writing. By setting aside a couple minutes before reading and writing assignments, teachers can provide a context in which to put their lesson and make it pertinent to their students so they better understand how the purpose of the activity outside of school.  The final section of the second chapter discussed how there is "always this generalized belief that they [students from lower income families] cannot learn as well as those in power"(Delpit 2007). This quotation really spoke to me as I have often made assumptions about lower income students based on their home life, making excuses for their behavior and believing that they were unable to learn as well due to all the distractions in their life. I realized that this belief though it springs from compassion and a desire to sooth, does not help students. This passage made me realize that in order to truly help students I need to set standards for them to achieve and believe that despite all that is going on in their personal lives they can achieve them.

Response to Chapter 14: "Unleashing Potential with Emerging Technologies

Sara B. Kajder's chapter in Adolescent Literacy: Turning Promise into Practice entitled "Unleashing Potential with Emerging Technologies"begins with a short anecdote on how one particular student used technology outside of school to express himself in writing. The chapter then goes on to outline several different technologies available for teachers to use in their classrooms to get students to engage with the content being taught in class. These technologies ranged from classroom blogs, similar to this one,  to podcasts and book trailers.
As I was reading the chapter, one of Kajder's initial comments on the use of technology in the classroom resonated with me a professed technology moron. Kajder writes of teachers that "It's as if our instincts lead us to take what we've done in the past and reproduce the process using different tools to create the same product"  (2007). It is so easy for teachers to fall into the habit of the familiar, and the security of knowing the outcomes of a given assignment. As a result, they forget to explore options for instruction that are pertinent and relevant for the students they are teaching. From personal reflection, this is largely due to a feeling of incompetency. If I do not understand how to use this new resource how can I expect my students to do the same? This largely comes down to an issue of trust. It is important to remember students' ability to learn, adapt and teach even we as educators cannot do so.  I mean this in no way to demean the position of teachers, by stating that students can learn on their own, teachers should let not to let personal fears or insecurities about technology hinder their use of it.
Of all the technologies Kajder outlined in the chapter the concept of podcasting really intrigued me; not only as a method of better monitoring group discussions but as a way of exploring a different method of communication outside of writing for those students who might be more verbally inclined. This process also enables students to think at higher levels as they have to "evaluate what to say, consider options, and make choices" (2007). Because their "Learning rests on risks" as their work is being published online for others to hear, students are more motivated to participate in well organized and thoughtful discussions, making podcasting a useful tool for cognitive and motivational purposes (2007).