As a teacher and literacy coach, I have observed teachers who use a similar curriculum, Daily Oral Language. In my opinion, the IRE model of teaching did nothing to enrich students' language experiences, but rather promoted a teacher-curriculum centered classroom. (IRE is an acronym for I- Initiation; R-Response; E-Evaluate). When asked what value teacher's saw in the curriculum, answers were similar to the ones in the study, "The state assessment requires students to make grammar corrections," or "It's to prepare students for the state assessment." Instead of using a deficit modal to point out what isn't right, a curriculum is needed that embraces a child's home dialect and banks on their strengths. Research by Valdes (2003) showed childrens' ability to "interpret, comprehend, and switch between languages" should not be viewed as a deficit, but rather as a gift.
The studies from this weeks readings all point to the need for more research on ways to integrate these differences into lesson design. For example, research is needed on ways to bridge the students' home and community language and literacy experiences to support what they are required to learn in school. Also, professional development is needed to support teachers in finding ways to integrate home language and cultural experiences into the curriculum. For example, Hip Hop could be used as a teaching tool to teach rhythm and elements found in poetry. Teachers also need support on how to affirm racial identities in the classroom. Most educators have their students best interests at heart and aren't aware of the ways a child's cultural identities and voices can be silenced. Raising awareness to social equity in the classroom begins with acknowledging and affirming these differences.
Reyes, I. (2012). Biliteracy among children and youths. Reading Research Quarterly, 47(3),
307-327.
Godley, A., Carpenter, Brian. (2007). "I'll speak in proper slang": Language ideologies in a daily editing actvity. Reading Research Quarterly, 42(1), 100-131.
Valdes, G. (2003). Expanding definitions of gifteness: The case of young interpreters from immigrant communities. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Tamra, you are so right that educators should look to ways to affirm the diversity of cultures and skills that come to our classes. I too used that Daily Oral Language methods because it seemed in the beginning it was a good idea and then eventually it grew to be a school norm for helping students prepare for state tests. I always wondered where the objective was as the practice seemed very random. But, it was part of what was expected. Today, I would remove it from my practice and really work towards using home languages/dialects and grammar that would be more productive such as daily journal writing that has greater connections to other core subjects or better, the social community that they are a part of. Finding ways to teach literacy that is more relevant than programs that ask students to follow a format/pattern would appear (according to our readings) to improve engagement leading to higher academic success rates.
ReplyDeleteYour bring up great points that are filled with positive ideas and options! Nice!
Tamra, you are so right that educators should look to ways to affirm the diversity of cultures and skills that come to our classes. I too used that Daily Oral Language methods because it seemed in the beginning it was a good idea and then eventually it grew to be a school norm for helping students prepare for state tests. I always wondered where the objective was as the practice seemed very random. But, it was part of what was expected. Today, I would remove it from my practice and really work towards using home languages/dialects and grammar that would be more productive such as daily journal writing that has greater connections to other core subjects or better, the social community that they are a part of. Finding ways to teach literacy that is more relevant than programs that ask students to follow a format/pattern would appear (according to our readings) to improve engagement leading to higher academic success rates.
ReplyDeleteYour bring up great points that are filled with positive ideas and options! Nice!
Reflecting back to my first years of teaching, I can remember Daily Oral Language routines being implemented across grade levels. Similar to Valerie's school, Daily Oral Language practice also served as a norm for prepping our students for state assessments. Even though some educators may still use Daily Oral Language to practice grammar and sentence structure, my core values and beliefs are more represented in Bakhtin's concept of dialogic teaching. Bakhtin (2007) found that when teachers and students engage in conversations about sentence structure, writing improves.
ReplyDeleteSherry, I agree and it is a slow learning process. Bakhtin, Dewey and others do encourage teachers to utilize student conversational engagement! The engagement becomes something that is deep, affirming and encouraging to students as they navigate the school curriculum culture from that which they bring from home.
ReplyDelete