ED 3700 – ELA
Reflection of your thinking, work, experiences; good metacognitive review and closure to course. Looking forward, as you described and honour the work you have been doing.
1. I can help my students with their reading by…
Ultimately, the most important I think I can do to help my students with their reading is to find what interests them and share my passion about reading. My plan, in my own classroom, is to have a wide variety of reading material available at all times that will hopefully have something that appeals to all students. On top of that, I want to expose my students to a wide variety of reading mediums, whether digital, interactive, graphic or otherwise, so that students who might not have otherwise had the chance to find their passion for reading can do so, without being judged about what type of medium it is. The last thing I would ever want to have happen in my classroom is an establishment of an “elitism” of reading, saying that some books are better than others. Even the most poorly-written of fan-fiction still has some merit; even if that merit might just be that it got someone to read it. Any reading is good reading in my opinion, because we live in a society where reading skills are more important than they have ever been, but the value of reading have never been considered more poorly. That’s not irony; it’s just sad. As a teacher, I want to change that, in whatever small way I can.
2. Students can improve their writing by…
My answer to this is very much the same as my answer to the first question. I want my students to find their passion, whatever it is, and know that they can express themselves in my class in a judgement-free environment. Every student has a right to their own voice, their own opinion and their own means of expression. If a student is dead set against writing or typing, they can hand in a visual only project, as long as it is done with passion, enthusiasm and done thoughtfully. Coming from and arts background, I’m not specifically tied to the written word. In fact, I’m very aware of just how much of our world depends on symbols and visual imagery to communicate. And, because our community is going more and more global every day that need for visual literacy is getting more and more important, as we become a multi-lingual community, the common language will still be symbols. On the other side, if a student is very well-written and verbose, they can hand in long assignments, and I will relish every word, knowing that these students have unlimited potential to express themselves and the right to be heard. So, whatever form of writing I receive will be treated with the respect and dignity it deserves. Any assignment I give is going to have a choice of mediums from which the student can express themselves. On top of that, there will be an “unwritten” (but very well-known and addressed) rule in my classroom that the choices I give are not the only ones available. I can’t think of everything, I might not be aware of the potential of some new app or technology, or maybe the student just has an idea so out of the box that it never occurred to me. However that may come about, they will know that they are not only encouraged, but will have my full support in expressing themselves with these ideas. I embrace outward thinking and hope that my students will continue to surprise with their creativity and originality.
3. I have learned a lot about the English language arts curriculum…
I would say the biggest thing I have learned about the English Language Arts Curriculum is how wide-open it is, and that is a good thing. Everything I have mentioned above can be worked into a Language Arts curriculum. Creativity and freedom of expression can work hand in hand with the curriculum, whose GLOs can be met through a variety of mediums. As long as the six strands are covered, and the GLOs, the sky seems to be the limit, and that’s wonderful! I feel confident that if I needed to, I could successfully teach an entire class without uttering a single word. In fact, that might be a fun exercise later in the year. The five GLOs get to the core of literacy; how a student interprets, digests and responds to communication. Whether that is on a personal level, the people around them, or the world around them, these discussions with language will develop students in a way that will make them want to actively seek out more stimulus. And that’s fantastic. Before this class, when I looked at the ELA curriculum, it seemed daunting in its vagueness. Now, thanks to this class, I see that the vagueness of the document, is not something to be feared, but something to be embraced. It is instead a powerful tool for creating classes that will engage a variety of different learners on a number of different levels. I have never been so excited to teach ELA before!
4. When I reflect on 3700 these past three weeks the main ideas and things I noticed and remember to help with my own teaching career are…
AS I mentioned above, I have never been more excited or more passionate about teaching ELA. This is largely due to the strength of my instructor, but also in the new way I have decoded the ELA curriculum. I don’t see it as this vague, monolithic text anymore. Thanks to Dr. Fowler, I see it as the beginning of limitless potential and possibility, and feel confident that I can mold and shape that curriculum so my students get the most out of it. That is fantastic! I couldn’t ask for more. I very much hope that I get to teach ELA in my career. I have been inspired to give my students what they need and to shape the class around their interests and needs so that they become as excited and passionate about reading and interpreting the world around them as I am. And in those moments where my enthusiasm may begin to flag, I want to look back on this class and re-ignite those fires. 3700 has been a defining moment of my studies in education, that moment where things went from potential to active. Before, I had ideas for class, but held myself back for fear I wasn’t complying with regulation (the curriculum), largely due to a lack of understanding on my part. Now, after having gone through this amazing experience, I am not only confident that I can teach ELA, but am hungry to do so. The way this class was presented, the focus on the students and how to help them best, meshed so well with my own ideologies about teaching that I can’t wait to be able to help kids read better, and write better, and more importantly, find their own voice. A class is made by the strength of the instructor, and in all my time here at the university, I have never had better. Thank-you Dr. Fowler. If I become a tenth of the teacher you are I will be amazing!