Friday, February 27, 2009

English Education Topic: Praxis

10-second review: What is the definition of “praxis”? Praxis: intersections between theory and practice.

Source: H. Roskelly. English Education (July 2005), 288. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Comment: I think “praxis” is an interesting idea. I think “praxis” is what you do when you plan and carry out action (classroom) research. RayS.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

K-12 Topic: Parents and Schools

10-second review: What do most Americans want in their schools? “Americans seem to want schools to be more or less like the schools they attended."

Source: Yagelski. English Education (July 2005), 267. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Comment: Interesting piece of information. What was it like when I went to school? Some of what I learned in school was interesting. But I encountered a lot of uninspiring teaching. Rote memorization. Read the chapter and answer a ton of questions at the end of the chapter. The smell of formaldehyde. Never being taught to write compositions or term papers. When I wrote my first composition in college, I didn’t know enough to provide a summary paragraph. Research papers would have probably been downers, though, with the emphasis on correct footnotes and bibliographies and without any emphasis on content.

What I missed the most about schooling was a sense of purpose. Why am I being taught this stuff? Diagramming. Diagramming and more diagramming. But I will never forget the [Christian] Brother Henry who read Shakespeare aloud to 50 boys who couldn’t care less about Shakespeare, but, as he read it, we cared. We were on the edge of our seats waiting to learn about how that pound of flesh was going to be taken. He is one of the reasons I became an English teacher. That and to try some different approaches including writing, spelling with trouble spots, vocabulary with roots, prefixes and suffixes, and literature as a way of understanding life. RayS.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

K-12 Topic: Action (Classroom) Research

10-second review: Begin action research with a question. Read background information. Start with Eric: (Education Resources Information Center) http://www.eric.ed.gov/ Then plan the study.

Source: Review of Taking Action with Teacher Research. E Meyers & F Rust (Eds.), 2003. Book consists of reports of action research. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. (May 2005), 717-718. A publication of the International Reading Association (IRA).

Comment: I wish I had tried more action research during my career as a teacher and supervisor. RayS.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Secondary School Topic: Beowulf

10-second review: What are some creative activities in response to Beowulf? Students create kennings after reading Beowulf—alternate names for people and things. Example for Grendel: “misbegotten son of a foul mother” and “guardian of crime.” Also "swan road” for sea lane and “God’s beacon of brightness” for the sun.

Source: R Stevens. Classroom Notes Plus (January 2005), 14-15. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Comment: Fun. Play with words. Good way to teach the vocabulary of Old English. RayS.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Topic: Interpreting Literature

10-second review: What do we mean by teaching students to “interpret” literature? “One of my favorite teaching phrases is, ‘Great literature lends itself to more than one interpretation,’ a line I usually add to, ‘If the text supports it, it’s valid.’ ”

Source: B Bennett. English Journal (July 2005), 63. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Comment: Of course. But don’t assume students can do it without being shown how. RayS.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Topic: Multi-cultural Literature

10-second review: What are some problems with using multi-cultural literature? Carol D. Lee (1993): “One cannot adequately read the literature of a people without knowing something of the culture and the historical circumstances of that people.”

Source: Carol D. Lee. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy (May 2005), 720. A publication of the International Reading Association (IRA).

Comment: Makes point that just adding multicultural books to the class list is not enough. Teacher has to prepare by building up background information on the culture. RayS.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Elementary School Topic: Fairy Tales

10-second review: What hidden messages do classic fairy tales convey? Classic fairy tales convey the message that physical beauty is to be prized. “Not only is beauty associated with goodness in these tales, but evil is associated with ugliness.”

Source: Dr. Lori Baker-Sperry. The Writer (April 2005), 12. The Writer is a magazine written by writers for writers.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Topic: Multi-cultural Literature

10-second review: Why use multi-cultural literature? "We want students to see themselves in what they read; we want them to understand other, unfamiliar cultures; we want them to learn what we share as humans; we want them to learn to feel empathy, not dislike, for people who are different from us…. We want them to learn 'to appreciate, not fear, differences.' ”

Source: CZ Zitlow. English Journal (January 2005), 93. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Comment: Just a reminder. Never buy books to use in class without first having read them. I know, that sounds like common sense. But I've seen it happen and the results have been disastrous. RayS.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Topic: Multi-cultural Literature

10-second review: What are the effects of reading multi-cultural literature? “When I began to read about other cultures, I felt doors opening on a world that was far greater than I had realized.”

Source: L Yep. English Journal (January 2005), 54. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Comment: Plenty of professional journals review recent multi-cultural books. Need to set up a reviewing committee in conjunction with the school's librarian. Teachers need to learn about available multi-cultural literature. RayS.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Topic: Hans Christian Andersen

10-second review: Why are Hans Christian Andersen’s tales different from other tellers of fairy tales? “This year marks the bicentenary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen—who launched a new form of story telling by actually creating new tales for children, rather than simply recording or retelling existing oral traditions.”

Source. The Writer (March 2005), p. 10. The Writer is a magazine by writers for writers.

Friday, February 13, 2009

High School Topic: Huck Finn

10-second review: “We think that Huck Finn is an important work of art that should be available in every library in the world, but we don’t think that it should be required reading in any predominantly white high school where African American students are in a small minority.”

Source: M Franck and N Nilampti. English Journal (July 2005), 20. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Comment: I think this is an issue which the students should decide. The problem of language in Huck Finn is well known to the majority of students. Whether it should be read in class and why should be openly discussed. Beyond the language, why is Huck Finn a novel that most American students should read?

If the students are mature enough to see beyond the language, to recognize that the language speaks vividly of the times in which Huck Finn takes place, then the students should read and understand Twain’s re-creation of the South during the time of slavery and Huck’s struggle with public and personal values.

If students will be offended by its language, then don’t read it. However, the teacher could discuss the novel without reading it, in hopes that the students will read it on their own. Better yet, read excerpts from it aloud. Some of the scenes are downright hilarious and others, as in Jim’s stories about his family, are moving and unforgettable. RayS.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

K-12 Topic: Teaching and Tracking

10-second review: How should teachers look at the supposed homogeneity of their classes? “We have concluded that if we want an educational system in which increased numbers succeed, we will have to stop striving for homogeneity in our classrooms. Rather, we will need to assume heterogeneity, regardless of whether or not classes are tracked. If we work from an assumption of heterogeneity, we would never think we could teach the whole class, and we would not believe tracking would make teachers’ jobs easier.”

Source: Freedman, et al. Research in the Teaching of English (August 2005), 121.

Comment: Ouch! I am guilty as charged. RayS.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Topic: Heterogeneous Ability Grouping

10-second review: How should teachers deal with “untracked” classes? Authors challenge the belief that untracked classes (students of all ability levels) should engage in multi-ability small-group work. Teacher used whole-group instruction with much teacher attention to individual needs.

Source: Freedman, et al. Research in the Teaching of English (August 2005), 62-126. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Comment: Worth a try. Whole-group instruction will require serious planning, effort, evaluation and willingness to revise procedures. But I still think the whole-group effort is worth trying. RayS.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Topic: Tracking Students

10-second review: What is the problem with “tracking” students? Tracked students achieve/behave according to the level of their track. We need to see them as individuals. We need to know and encourage their aspirations.

Source: R VanDeWaghe. English Journal (July 2005), 85-86. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Comment: Tracking works against students both ways, at the top and the bottom. Just because students are in the highest-tracked classes does not mean that they are all equally talented. We need, as the author said, to recognize them as individuals with individual strengths and weaknesses, as individual human beings. On the other hand, students who are tracked at the low end of the scale are treated by teachers as “dummies” and the teachers’ expectations and the students’ are just that—dummies. The lifeless curriculum and the discouraged attitude make sure that the students live up to their expectations. I have seen too many true-life examples of that.

Example: A teacher invited me in to see her teach grammar in a mixed group of fifth-grade students. She did a marvelous job. Her enthusiasm for what she was teaching was contagious. The students had a great deal of fun and they learned the grammar she was teaching very well. I stayed around to see her teach reading groups. She started with the bottom group. Her teaching turned from lively to lifeless. The best way to describe it was “wooden.” Her questions lacked any enthusiasm and the students almost fell asleep as she droned and they droned answers to questions about a basal story.

On the other hand. I have also had very talented teachers take on the problems of working with difficult students. I have seen some of the best stay with it for a year or two and then request not to continue. The students were achieving so little that the teachers became discouraged. There’s a problem here. Tracking is certainly not the solution. Tomorrow’s article deals with that problem. RayS.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Topic: Terminology in the Curriculum

10-second review: How does terminology get in the way of teaching and learning? Author “demystifies" math by changing formal terminology in math to terms that more clearly relate to the concept: For example, why use "percentages"when "hundredths" would do?

Source: Review of Demathtifying: Demystifying Mathematics by L Samson. Reviewed by JW Lott. The Mathematics Teacher (February 2005), 446. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).

Comment: Consider doing the same in English grammar. Why not "—ing verb" for "gerund," etc. I know that I have used successfully an approach to punctuation that I read long ago, the three most important uses of the comma: after “introductory expressions,” around “interrupting expressions” and before “afterthoughts.”

Look at all of the grammatical terms used to describe “introductory expressions”: “direct address,” “prepositional phrases,” “verbal/gerundial/participial phrases,” “infinitive phrases,” “subordinate clauses,” etc. I have found that the term “introductory expressions” helps to simplify and clarify this use of the comma. Grammatical terminology only adds clutter and confusion to the procedure for separating the introductory expression from the rest of the sentence.

“Interrupters" include “direct address,” the “appositive” and “relative” or “Parenthetical” clauses.

“Afterthoughts”: The technical grammatical term for an “afterthought” is an “absolute,” an isolated construction. Many years ago, when people in English worried about defining a “mature” writing style, I read an article suggesting that the outstanding trait of mature writing was the frequent use of absolutes. Absolutes do seem to be plentiful in sophisticated and scholarly materials. The term "Afterthoughts" is a much clearer description of the concept than "absolute."

By the way, I need to give credit for the terminology—“introductory expressions,” “interrupters,” and “afterthoughts”—to a short note in an old copy of the National Council of Teachers of English quarterly publication, College Composition and Communication. A college—Susquehanna?—used these terms in describing what they had discovered to be the most frequent uses of the comma from an analysis of published writing. I remember the terms, but no longer have the issue of the publication, nor do I know how to find the information, which was added to fill space at the end of an article. For me, that terminology has been one of the most useful tools for teaching punctuation I have ever found.

It would be fun to go through grammatical terminology to see if we could find more descriptive words. Grammatical terminology is probably the most difficult and abstract reason, jargon, that distracts students from learning English grammar—that and the fact that grammatical information has very little application as it does in foreign languages. RayS.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Topic: Reading on the Internet

10-second review: What advantage does the Internet have in increasing understanding of words? “In a traditional print environment, the discovery of new word meanings might be through the use of contextual clues, morphological [prefixes, roots, suffixes] awareness, or the use of external reference materials. Online, the reader might use hypertext links to access a dictionary or alternate pages with detailed information, diagrams or other images that explain and elaborate definitions and related concepts.”

Source: A Kymes. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy (March 2005), 495. A publication of the International Reading Association (IRA).

Comment: There are some definite advantages to reading on line. Teachers and students need to become familiar with using hypertext while reading. Teachers and students also need to learn how to access a vocabulary definition quickly from an on-line dictionary. Google, at http://www.google.com/, is a convenient source for Web Definitions. Merriam Webster’s On-Line Search offers oral pronunciation of difficult words (http://www.merriam-webster.com/). RayS.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Topic: Successful Readers and the Think-Aloud

10-second review: What are some examples of modeling reading skills and strategies? “The think-aloud is a technique by which the individual voices her or his thoughts during the performance of a task…. …the think-aloud has been used to provide information about user cognition and processing during task performance or problem solving.”

Source: A Kymes. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy (March 2005), 493.

Comment: Instruction in the think-aloud strategy must be modeled. Teachers read passages aloud and tell what they are thinking as they read. I don’t know about trying this strategy with chapters or short stories or novels. Identifying difficult passages and modeling how teachers would read them seems to be the best use of the strategy. In short, keep it short. RayS.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Topic: Reading on the Internet

10-second review: What are some reading skills that are needed to read Internet text successfully? “With printed text, readers may skim or scan to determine length, organizational format, and key passages that might relate to the purpose of the reading activity…. Due to the volume of text on-line, it is necessary for students to become proficient at skimming and scanning for information.”

Source: A Kymes. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy (March 2005), 494. A publication of the International Reading Association (IRA).

Comment: My definition of skimming is to search through the text rapidly to find the answer to a question. My definition of scanning is to read the first paragraph, the first sentence of middle paragraphs and the last paragraph to gain an impression of the main ideas and important details. RayS.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Topic: Reading and Prior Knowledge

10-second review: What is the role of prior knowledge in successful reading? “In the online environment, it is equally important that the reader or searcher consciously activate her or his prior knowledge.”

Source: A Kymes. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy (March 2005), 494. A publication of the International Reading Association (IRA).

Comment: The more you know about a topic, the more you will comprehend what you read about it. One of the easily forgotten pieces of instruction when assigning reading is to remind students to think about what they already know about the topic and what questions they might have.

In class, I would have students brainstorm what they know before they read for about five minutes. Then I would have them read the title, the sub-title, the first paragraph, last paragraph and the first sentence of every middle paragraph. Finally, I would ask them what questions they have and the answers to these questions would become the purpose for reading. If the article does not answer all the questions the students have, I would have them try to find the answers on the Internet. RayS.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Topic: Modeling Reading

10-second review. Demonstrates what a successful reader does.

Source: Wenk, M. English Journal (July 2005), 42-48. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Comment: For example: Chapter in a textbook. Read title and sub-title. First paragraph. Last paragraph. First sentence in middle paragraphs. Charts. Diagrams. Purpose for reading: raise question, “What do I want to know from the chapter?” Read to answer. Apply the information in some way; for example, what can I learn about the topic on the Internet? Note: I think professional articles about reading say very little concerning applying the information students learn from reading information in textbooks. RayS.