Guiseppe,
It was really interesting to read about your work with FLL. I would love to chat about this sometime.
Cindy,
Thanks for your response.
I would be curious to hear about what you decide to do here:
Many of my students are autistic and are in love with the computer. My students especially in my 8:1:1,struggle with reading, writing, and math in school, it is imperative that they learn techniques to improve these skills.To get them to really engaged in a lesson, I usually have to have them participate via smart board or an iPad doing a app. To get them to a point where they could make the own app would be great. Their focus is usually in learning new programs and incorporating coding will help my students gain skills such as sequencing, problem solving, math concepts, as well as perseverance so that they will become better readers, writers, and mathematicians.
Hi Giuseppe,
Thank you for your post this week, It was a refreshing read and I was nodding in agreeance all through your post. I specifically like that you pointed out a very familiar truth within the standardized testing world and its relationship to our students identity and their history.
In regards to an individual’s identity and history, both enable a huge role in one’s comprehension. Many students of color specifically African-American students in my school statistically scored well below grade level on our science state exams and MOSLS.
At times, some educators can find themselves walking along a thin line between teaching the test rather than cultivating students to become fearless leaders of our tomorrow. Students learn best when whatever they are learning they can relate to, therefore if the questions on the MOSLS exams are not relatable and equitable low scores will be the outcome in the African-American school communities.
--Colleen
Guiseppe,
I agree with this:
Comprehension of a text means an individual is able to compartmentalize the literature they are assigned into their own words.
But I am wondering if there is also something about accuracy, meaning a direct relationship between the intended and interpreted meaning of a text. What do you think?
Cindy,
You are clearly engaged in this topic of culturally relevant pedagogy and how it plays out in student reading and writing.
I was particularly struck by this:
In my classroom, even though it is a 12:1:4, I try to make adapted books relevant to them and different techniques how I get them engaged in an ELA activity. I work in a school in which the majority is minority students and they are also special needs. I they are in tune to the environment and there is no way I can really engage then by introducing things to them that is not familiar to them especially since they function on systems and familiar routines.
Hi Dira,
I enjoy reading your post this week, it was very relatable. Just a few weeks ago I had the same revelations as you. I was looking around my classroom and thinking about how best I can help my students see the scientist in themselves and how should I use my classroom setting to make the instant change. I went on amazon right away and got these two posters.
I turn it in to a mini research project, where my students had to pick one of the persons on the poster and do a research project on the person and present it to the class. I have two students present on a person per a week, thus far learning about a new scientist that is of African heritage, helps them to build connection between their inventions and contributions to the Science community at large and whats been thought in my classroom.
I too believe in practice to make doing the work of an educator to be rewarding, keep focus and your students educational growth at the forefront and the core for a productive generation will be in place.
Dira,
This really jumped out at me:
Majority of my students are amongst the city’s lowest third population, for this reason I have made it mandatory to justify their answers for multiple choice questions.
I would love to know more about how this is going.