Sophie Weeden EDUC107 – First Assessment
Explaining Knowledge Processes
The multi-literacy learning pedagogy is called learning by design within this pedagogy there are four different learning outcomes or processes. Experiential learning is about experiencing the known and experiencing the new. In experiential learning there are two different levels in the experiential phase the first step should be to involve texts from their own world which they can analyse. These texts relate to their own world, cultures and identities. Another technique is that we can immerse students in new kinds of texts whether it is either a book or any other texts. The students may find things that are strange or new where they can be pushed to a new territory of learning. Russian theorist Vygotsky said that what the students learn can not be to new, his research stated that effective learning can only occur in a zone of proximal development which occurs when the learning is balanced between what the students already know and what is new but not to new. For example if we were to work with only what we know we would know nothing because we are already familiar with the content being discussed. We should always be pushing the boundaries and learning new things but we can not learn entirely new things because we would also learn nothing. For example if one was to be put in an advanced Chinese class knowing no Chinese you would learn nothing because you know no Chinese. So experiencing the new needs to be within a zone that balances between the new and familiar. Experiential learning is about active learning and getting familiar with the unknown. After experiencing the subject the next step is to conceptualise. Conceptualising is where you name and conceptualise with theory. In education there are various terminology like nouns, adjectives, commas, verbs. These terms can be built into theories. If you want to be a good writer you need to know how language works. An example for a theory on how language works is theory of how to write an argument. So if you were to write an argument here is the theory you begin with a theory, backup the thesis with claims and then use evidence to back the claims and then follow up with a conclusion. You have the terminology of the components of the argument but the theory is how the argument hang together using the metalanguage of the argument. This stage is taking the students into overt instruction which is allowing the children to conceptualise particular experiences. We can also understand language with the way it functions. Being able to analyse critically gives us a deeper understanding. To analyse functionally we can use tables to identify linguistic features, for example in the text and their effect in the text. Analysing critically means responding to texts from different perspectives for example someone who works with refugees, a close family member of the author’s, a politician, a journalist. To teach this stage you need to teach children how to think critically. Using the six thinking hats method. White: facts and questions, Red: feelings and intuitions, yellow: positives and successes, black: caution, cynical and identifying weak points, green: creative and alternatives and blue: thinking about thinking planning action. The final stage is applying knowledge appropriately and creatively. This section is related to assessment of the task that has been previously experienced, conceputalised and critically analysed. In this process it is important for the teacher to create a task the is appropriate meaning it links to the actual subject that has been investigated and is appropriate for the abilities of the class. It is also important to make it creative and stimulating for the class.
Discuss the reasons for tapping into and building upon children’s existing fund of knowledge and virtual school bags that they bring into literacy classrooms.
The influence of home on a child is very significant element in the development of a child’s literacy learning. Teachers need to learn to establish links between home and school which build on the existing practices and understanding the homes of the students. Teachers need to have a understanding of the cultural, linguistic and social assets that the children bring with them from home. Despite the fact in this new media age literary practices have evolved and these changes have been recognised by professionals. The application and conceptions of literacy arguably remain somewhat print-orientated and book-bound, educators still use the traditional notions of reading and writing. This traditional application also causes the teachers to focus on measureable attainment which leads to a homogenizing effect and results in the childrens’ literacy skills to only be discussed according to levels and descriptors not the context of a childs home and family history. This approach to teaching literacy is called the didactic pedagogy which involves as stated above direct and explicit instructions encouraged conformity and avoids personal and cultural experiences, perspectives and opinions. As discussed above the standard approach to teaching literacy is to identify the weaknesses of the student and the teacher will immediately set to fixing the students problems. It is a very direct, structured and traditional approach to the concept of teaching literacy. In the 21st century this method has started to be challenged. The concept of a childs exiting funds of knowledge and the virtual schoolbag. All communities have resources that regrettably often remain invisible and under-valued when it comes to the school system for examples knowledge of the earth, plants, building, animals. Some communities have their own method of dealing with problems that occur throughout life like transport, care for the young and old…etc. Barbara Comber and Barabara Kamler stated in their research in developing methods of teaching aimed at viewing students as a research that ‘ if teachers knew more about communities’ funds of knowledge this will help with the way teachers design curriculum content, how they structure their classroom activities and create a sense of respect for the community. These improvements will improve the learning engagement of the children and their educational experience. Tapping in the virtual school bag is another important aspect for inclusive and effective literacy education. Children come to school with these virtual school bags that are full of so many resources from their home and community. But because teachers do not open these bags and make use of what is inside childrens experiences remain unused. In Comber and Kamler’s work they found that when teachers noticed when they re-worked the curriculum to re-engage alienated students their classes became more engaging the students had become motivated by the new approach ( Comber and Kamler, 2005). There various reasons for the teachers needing to understand and use the knowledge that the student already has in existence. This knowledge can be seen as a resource rather than a reason why they are never going to succeed in literacy. But some would argue that the best method for teaching literacy is the didactic approach very structured and organised with very explicit instruction. An example of such traditional ‘back to basic methods is in the example of Tale of Two Classrooms, in the class at Ethnic High. This is a classic example of didactic pedagogy with the way the students sat, to pedagogical formalism and the focus on western classics. This is not bad way of teaching in this example the pedagogy reinforces powerful cultural identity and the idea to succeed in school to do well in the world. Ethnicity in this example was not as prominent it was hidden in the mission to succeed in the Western society. This is shown the traditional practices of the school. But are these ideals important the cultural diversity in this school is following the dominant society to get the best end results. It did not encourage any language backgrounds or cultural values of the children within the schools. It did not allow any thought from the students to reflect on their own experiences or generate their own understanding of the things being studied. The school did not encourage inquiry and setting up the students within the school to fail as they will be unable to deal with the diverse outside of their high school. Teachers need to learn and appreaciate the cultures and communities of the students within their classroom to be a effective and engaging educator.
Describe the changing nature of texts, and the changing ways that literate people interact with texts, in 2017, where we have moved away from a print-based view of text, and moved towards ‘produsing’ rather than reading and writing and speaking.
The information age has changed how literacy can be defined. Literacy in the 21st century has dramatically changed over time, literacy in this day and age requires the ability to move confidently, efficiently and ethically between a range of written, visual, print, live, digital and electronic text types. Literacy before the 21st century was limited to the ability to read and write print texts. Texts were limited to books, novels, textbooks, poetry all of these were considered literacies. This definition does not apply to the 21st century. Snyder from Silicon Literacies stated that the world needs an expanded definition which can recognise reading and writing are only a part of what literacy means. In this day and age we can recognise that written, oral and audio visual modalities are communications that are integrated into multimodal hypertext which can be accessible through the internet and world wide web. (2002, p.3). Now in the 21st century the definition of texts is not so cut and dry. In this day and age literacy is no longer seen as isolated elements of subject content, like grammar and spelling, but it is the ability to use language with purpose and skilfully in regards to different contexts and purposes. Texts are various some examples of texts include, cookbooks, movies, music, tv shows, art, blogs, social media, signs, sheet music and there are still more out there that being created at this very moment. These texts are classified as multiliteracies, there are two key aspects of multiliteracies social diversity and multimodality. Social diversity is the varying conventions of meaning in different cultural, social or domain-specific contexts. This is saying that the focus should not be on one single standard form of language for the nation but the use of different languages in different contexts. Multimodality is where meaning is created in various different ways through literacy – written-linguistic, visual, spatial, tactile, gestural, audio and oral patterns of meaning. The progress of technology has greatly affected the progression of these literacies, now through smart devices everyone is able to have greater participation in their own literary world. We have become producers not passive consumers of literacy but active producers. An example of technologies deep impact is social media facebook, tumblr and pinterest in these programs people are able to comment, post, create playlists and view art. The statistics show that the average person spends two hours on social media each day, in those two hours people are exposed to more literacies than people in the past were able to experience in one day. Social media is not the only place where print-based texts is being shelved and instead the focus has become on the produsing not consuming. In education, the standard written exams and assignments are being modified to allow children to create. In English ,HASS and science teachers are introducing more multimodal methods to summarise the content they have learnt in class. For example, my sister was learning about cells in her science class and the final assessment she was asked to create her own cell they can pick how they wanted to present their cell whether it be on paper, 3D model, in a digital form any way they can think of to present their cell. This is a great example of the students produsing their own work. Another example is the use of websites in the classroom, I observed in one class a teacher asked the students to create their own online platform like a pinterest or facebook page or a blog and respond to things in class in any form they wanted through pictures or words. In the 21st century literacies have become accessible and more participatory. In this day and age no one can say they are illiterate because literacy has become such a broad definition so anyone and everyone can produse.
References
Comber, B. & Kamler, B. (2005). Turn-around pedagogies: Literacy interventions for at-risk students. Newtown, NSW: Primary English Teaching Association.
Cremin, Teresa & Mottram, Marilyn & Collins, F & Powell, Sacha & Drury, Rose. (2012). Building communities: Teachers researching literacy lives. Improving Schools. 15. 101-115. 10.1177/1365480212450233.
Kalantzis, Mary and Bill Cope. 1993. “Histories of Pedagogy, Cultures of Schooling.” Pp. 38-62 in The Powers of Literacy: A Genre Approach to Teaching Literacy, edited by B. Cope and M. Kalantzis. London: Falmer Press.