Overcorrecting and the love of the red pen is bad.
Encouraging and using technology is good.
I realize those two sentences do not completely cover all the information, ideas, and suggestions offered in our two readings, but when a friend asked me to summarize what i had been reading, that is all that came to my mind. There is certainly much more both readings offer, but as i reflect on them i have decided that really those two sentences show most accurately what i gleaned from the reading.
There was one other underlying theme to both the readings that i really love, despite it being a difficult thing to do: try something new!! This is daunting to consider with an internship looming and the first year of teaching in the distance, ruffling feathers never is a good way to keep ones job. But i am encouraged by the reading to stretch the creative wings alittle and give some new idea or notion a shot. After all nobody wants to be that last dinosaur of a teacher who is still doing things the way they were done "back when i was in school."
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Thursday, September 13, 2007
I am from
I am from golf courses and sand dunes,
swim practice and saturday cartoons.
I am from Butches, Rays, skipped classes,
and a plethora of smart asses.
I am from heckling and the occasional boast,
and Michigan's grand west coast.
I am from James and Peggy,
learning to drive in a hand-me-down Chevy.
I am from more heart than height,
and learning when not to fight.
I am from the tourists destination,
a simple part in God's creation.
I am from sledding across the street,
and always having enough to eat.
I am from too much time in the pool,
and being raised as an individual.
I am from a family of love and care,
despite me keeping them up in prayer.
I am from an exceptional past,
with the future approaching fast.
swim practice and saturday cartoons.
I am from Butches, Rays, skipped classes,
and a plethora of smart asses.
I am from heckling and the occasional boast,
and Michigan's grand west coast.
I am from James and Peggy,
learning to drive in a hand-me-down Chevy.
I am from more heart than height,
and learning when not to fight.
I am from the tourists destination,
a simple part in God's creation.
I am from sledding across the street,
and always having enough to eat.
I am from too much time in the pool,
and being raised as an individual.
I am from a family of love and care,
despite me keeping them up in prayer.
I am from an exceptional past,
with the future approaching fast.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Second Questions
" To discover your voice, write fast and write out loud."
I selected this quote from "Starting to Write" because it reminded me so much of how I like to write and the connection between the two readings. The connection is the personality that yuor writing takes, it is yuor personality. Writing is a personal thing, it comes solely from inside you and is something that you can pick up years later and still see yourself in it. The "Read Around" piece talked about hte importance of including a students family and home life in their classroom, allowing the student to be themselves in the classroom. Allowing that connection, encouraging that connection is vital to a childs development as a functioning adult. The student needs to know that their different roles, child, brother, sister, student, etc. all fit together to make themselves, these roles should not be considered seperate but rather should play an intricate role with each other.
The second part, which i mentioned first, is that i think writing should sound like how a person is talking to you. Writing is a conversation on paper. I love the notion that one shuold turn off their monitor on the first draft, a feat that would probably kill me, or that one should turn up the velocity to out-write the censors, all fo them, teachers, classmates, colleagues, even your own voice. That is why there are spelling errors in this blog. I wanted to make it more like i was just talking with people, more like i was just referring to what i had read to someone who may be interested in English teaching stuff. It is hard, i keep wanting to slow down and check and see what i wrote and fix all the little red lines that are appearing, but i know that as long as i go fast enuogh to block the critics i will have answered teh question and followed the wuoute that i liked best from the reading. Good luck reading, sorry on the typos!!
I selected this quote from "Starting to Write" because it reminded me so much of how I like to write and the connection between the two readings. The connection is the personality that yuor writing takes, it is yuor personality. Writing is a personal thing, it comes solely from inside you and is something that you can pick up years later and still see yourself in it. The "Read Around" piece talked about hte importance of including a students family and home life in their classroom, allowing the student to be themselves in the classroom. Allowing that connection, encouraging that connection is vital to a childs development as a functioning adult. The student needs to know that their different roles, child, brother, sister, student, etc. all fit together to make themselves, these roles should not be considered seperate but rather should play an intricate role with each other.
The second part, which i mentioned first, is that i think writing should sound like how a person is talking to you. Writing is a conversation on paper. I love the notion that one shuold turn off their monitor on the first draft, a feat that would probably kill me, or that one should turn up the velocity to out-write the censors, all fo them, teachers, classmates, colleagues, even your own voice. That is why there are spelling errors in this blog. I wanted to make it more like i was just talking with people, more like i was just referring to what i had read to someone who may be interested in English teaching stuff. It is hard, i keep wanting to slow down and check and see what i wrote and fix all the little red lines that are appearing, but i know that as long as i go fast enuogh to block the critics i will have answered teh question and followed the wuoute that i liked best from the reading. Good luck reading, sorry on the typos!!
First Questions
Daniels & Bizar:
1) Best practice teaching is about putting the student's learning first and foremost. The method behind that varies per teacher and per student, but most important aspect is that the students well-being is put forward.
2) The tenets of best practice teaching include a classroom that is holistically student learning centered, uses social education, and collaborative work strategies.
3) Best practice is not where students feel like they are in a memory Olympics, it is not teacher centered, and it does not rely solely on reading and rote work.
4) I think the best way to get best practice involved in an english classroom is Literacy circles. It would open up students socially, get them to collaborate and deal with varying viewpoints. Literacy circles would also help build a community in the classroom which aids the best practice theory.
Murray:
1) To be a writer means to be self conscious of one's self. Murray really stresses the point home about how writing becomes an extension of the writer, and how a person re-lives, or first lives, because of their writing. Being a writer gives a person power, it gives the the power to escape, the power to create, the power to do and be things they could never be in reality.
2) "Nulla dies sine linea" I picked the Latin line from Murray because i love what he is trying to express about writing with it. Translated it means: never a day without a line. And that is so true, writing, like any sport or talent, takes practice. When I was a kid coming back to school after the summer was hard, not just because there was so much less freedom, but because I had not written during the summer, my hand was not used to having to hold a pencil and make legible sentences, I could however play tag with the best of them. And that was all because the muscle I had exercised all summer was my running, not my writing. I think with practice everyday writing will become easier, and develop into bigger and better things.
1) Best practice teaching is about putting the student's learning first and foremost. The method behind that varies per teacher and per student, but most important aspect is that the students well-being is put forward.
2) The tenets of best practice teaching include a classroom that is holistically student learning centered, uses social education, and collaborative work strategies.
3) Best practice is not where students feel like they are in a memory Olympics, it is not teacher centered, and it does not rely solely on reading and rote work.
4) I think the best way to get best practice involved in an english classroom is Literacy circles. It would open up students socially, get them to collaborate and deal with varying viewpoints. Literacy circles would also help build a community in the classroom which aids the best practice theory.
Murray:
1) To be a writer means to be self conscious of one's self. Murray really stresses the point home about how writing becomes an extension of the writer, and how a person re-lives, or first lives, because of their writing. Being a writer gives a person power, it gives the the power to escape, the power to create, the power to do and be things they could never be in reality.
2) "Nulla dies sine linea" I picked the Latin line from Murray because i love what he is trying to express about writing with it. Translated it means: never a day without a line. And that is so true, writing, like any sport or talent, takes practice. When I was a kid coming back to school after the summer was hard, not just because there was so much less freedom, but because I had not written during the summer, my hand was not used to having to hold a pencil and make legible sentences, I could however play tag with the best of them. And that was all because the muscle I had exercised all summer was my running, not my writing. I think with practice everyday writing will become easier, and develop into bigger and better things.
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