Kimberly E Northrup
ED 228
Professor Brock
6 December 2011
Final Reflection
More than Just Words, Words, Words
Content area literacy is something that every middle/secondary educator should be able to define for his or her subject area. In general, it involves building language and looking beyond the meaning of each word, sentence, or paragraph; it involves delving deeper into text in order to build upon one’s schema and make connections to other academic concepts. Looking specifically at the Spanish content, content literacy is about building a relationship with the language and immersing oneself in the literature of the language to build cultural context and develop a stronger vocabulary base.
As with any academic concept, content area literacy comes with its obstacles for both teachers and students. Struggling students won’t advance very far on Bloom’s taxonomy. It’s important to identify these students and reach out to them, and the best way to find these students and help strengthen their literacy skills is by formative assessment. While summative assessment is another way to gauge a student’s progress, it is best to identify the needs of a student early on through formative assessment so as to better prepare them for a cumulative evaluation. In the middle/secondary setting, it is especially important to keep in mind that students are going through a lot of developmental changes, whether they are physical, emotional, social, or intellectual. Students may appear to have a fair amount of learning responsibilities, but it is integral to keep in mind that they are also going some key life changes at this stage in their lives, including such experiences as puberty, maturing of the brain, finding one’s identity, and finding one’s role in society. In order to better accommodate these obstacles in the classroom, teachers should make a strong effort to know their students as a class, as well as individually. By means of formative assessment, as well as personal relationships, teachers can better gather data that may help them create assignments more relevant, interesting, and meaningful to students. As mentioned on page 355 of Vatterott, using more performance-based assessments allows more student-centered activity and gives students more freedom, which is one way to work with students during this challenging time in their lives.
Fortunately, there are many strategies educators can use to effectively teach struggling students and build upon literacy skills in their content areas. One significant way teachers can reach out to students who may be having trouble is to help students recognize that literacy isn’t just reading a chapter book; it can include poems, songs, and storybooks, as well. Being relevant to students is a huge factor in whether or not they will have the desire to continue improving upon their skills. Another important thing teachers must do to help students improve is to embrace scaffolding and build upon what the students may already be capable of doing in order to progress. In terms of instructional practices, it is a great idea to develop a comfortable environment for all students that invites them to participate and be engaged with the material. Looking specifically at ENL students, it can have a huge effect if teachers are deliberate in their speech and actions, and tie or relate different ideas together often. At times, it is best to be explicit in the connections present among materials. Another good idea is to start small and work off of the students’ strengths. Thinking back to my field experience with ENL students at IPS 109, I remember choosing activities deliberately and going beyond the intended curriculum. One specific example was when I had the students work with consonant blends; I had different monosyllabic words that began with two consonants together and I had students shout out how to pronounce them. Afterwards, I went beyond what was required and asked students questions specific to the vocabulary word so that they were familiar with the term and knew how to use it on their own.
Thanks to this course in content area literacy, I have opened my eyes to the significance and ease in incorporating literacy in all content areas. I definitely see myself as a critical educator, as I will always take a look at my work from my students’ perspectives, and I will always tweak what doesn’t seem to be working among my students. Something we discussed as a class in early September was to ‘always read critically and don’t always accept the text.’ Just as I will always read critically, I will also strive to look back at my past work critically so as to improve for the sake of my students. I wish to work intentionally and always define the purpose of what is being taught to my students so as to inform my students and easily define what is to come. I think it is important to keep a goal, but it is also essential that changes in the plan to reaching that goal are embraced. It is my philosophical belief about schooling that all students are capable of, and deserve to have an educational experience that is not only entertaining and worthy of their attention, but also influential in their futures as lifelong learners.