Teaching and Teacher Education
Writing on the walls: supporting 21st century
Thinking in the material classroom
Introduction
A school’s walls are taken-for-grant spaces not seen as
central to teaching. This article asks: how do teacher facilitate writing on
the secondary classroom and hallways walls that helps to build rich text
environments through texts that are local, material, and multi-modal? Further,
how are those texts reflect of literacy practices appropriate for the 21st
century, resistant to standardized curriculum, and built on pupil’s literates
lives? Findings suggest that teachers used butcher paper, markers, post-its, magnetic
tile words, and wall to engage pupils in 21st century literacy practices. And,
even within a test-focused curriculum pupils produced an array of multi-modal
compositions. When we conceded standard-based reform, we expect that our pupils
will converge and have similar learning outcomes; however, it is not that
simple. We need to account for inclusion, which naturally brings a divergence
of student learning styles and challenges. As stated in the introduction,
teachers are being called upon to produced greater similarity in learning
outcomes, despite diversity in students population.
Discussion
Materials
in the typical general education classroom tend to be limited in scope.
Commonly found supplies such as textbooks may be supplemented with students’
workbooks or worksheets. Sometimes manipulative and specific multimedia such as
number-line sets for math, a globe for social studies, or videos, software, and
internet resources may be used to support learning. These tools typically
function as add-ons to the curriculum rather than as an embedded tool for
delivering the curriculum. Many schools and districts do not have the funds to
purchase these add-on materials. Students in those districts have few options
that can be matched to their learning style or diverse needs. Alternative
formats of basic materials can also provide for students disabilities, such a
braille texts for students who are blind, large print text for students with
low vision, an d CDs with audio output for students with dyslexia.
Reflection
Effective
teaching is focused on the total development of learner. The school system has
provided means of ensuring that effective teacher will lead to quality output,
the holistic development of the learners. I believe that the school can be the
best venue for the learners’ total development as they spend most of their time
in the classroom. The learner is the center of any educative process in the
school. While as a teacher you need to provides the learning opportunities and
guides learners as they undergo the stages of the learning process.
The Importance of Education
Introduction
If I touch a
hot stove and burn my hand, I immediately learn that touching a hot stove
results in the burned hand. My brain makes the connection almost
simultaneously. There’s little need for reflection because the “hot stove burn”
connection is one that my mind makes almost immediately. Similarly, suppose I’m
driving in bad weather and going away too fast for the conditions. If my car
spins out and I find myself stuck in a ditch, I’ve learned a lesson about
driving in a bad weather. Again, the connection is almost instantaneous.
Discussion
Academic
learning however is seldom that obvious.
Let’s pretend
I’m a fourth grade student, distracted by everything from cafeteria food to the
playground outside my classroom window. If I fail math test, am I immediately
able to tell you why? Most kids aren’t self-aware enough or mature enough to
tell you why they failed at something (or in some cases, why they got in
trouble). The younger the student, the more difficult this is. More than
likely, since I’m not sure exactly why I failed a test, the only connection my
brain makes is “Math=F”. Since most kids really do want to be successful,
students also equate “F=Failure” and “Failure=Bad”. They don’t understand that
failure is a part of the learning process, largely because we as a teacher
don’t allow students to re-do work and learn from mistakes. As a result, they
come to hate the subject or the teacher, never really knowing why other than “I
suck at Math.”
Consider John
Dewey’s famous quote “We don’t learn from experience. We learn from reflecting
on experience.” Reformers like Mr. Dewey have been talking about the importance
of reflection in the learning process since the 1930’s for more contemporary
spin; consider the work of Dr. Bobb Darnell and his website
achievementStrategies.org. Darnell describes the learning process as
“Input-process-Output-Reflect” and notes that without reflection, it is very
difficult to have genuine learning.
If the goal
is not merely coverage but actual learning, than reflection is no longer
optional it’s an essential piece to transition a classroom from “covering
material” to being “focused on learning”.
Reflection
As a future
educator, I will know the strength and weaknesses of my pupils. I will motivate
those slow learners to study hard because they can do it. And I will make a
different activity for those fast learners so that they can enhance more their
level of thinking. I simply wished to become an educator. I was full of dream
in my chosen course that I am a teacher. And now my wish has been granted by
our Dear Lord. After striving, aiming high, ignoring all the obstacles, I can
proudly say that soon I will be the same as all the teachers I had in
elementary, High School and College. I can surely say I am ready to reform my
novel duties to all the children here or if it’s God’s will, abroad.
