Entry #5

 Dear Dr. Jones,

This is the first semester that I am officially in the Inclusive Early Childhood Education program. I would say that so far it has been a success and I believe that I am doing well in this class. I wasn't sure what to expect from any of my masters classes because I had not yet been in the program but it is a lot different than I am used to. It has been very different from my bachelors but a good different. I am surprised about the way we our learning in the sense that the work is generally discussion based with outside readings involved. 

This class has not only increased my awareness about my own literacy but also of others as well. I am understanding the range of capabilities of literacy and teaching it as well as evaluating it. By using methods such as SQ4R and close reading strategies I realized that I tend to skip over words or miss pieces of information but finally catch them after the third read. I tend to notice the general ideas but also the small details in a text and it also takes me a while to read a text. I also learned that discussion helps me think about what I already read in a different way and gives me ideas on a new perspective.

The Liz Kleinrock presentation was amazing and really focused on communication, speaking up for the oppressed and adding to the teachings we already are doing but shifting our mindset. From what I am learning about literacy development I believe that the work we do in class with introduction to books is how we are going to successfully teach an anti-bias approach to literacy. Like Liz said if we use what we already have and expand on it then we have the support of the original foundations of literacy. 

The only struggles I feel like I am having in this class is with organization. For some reason I feel like I am all over the place when I am learning in this course. I don't know exactly what it is, maybe the structure is different than I am used to but I am trying to get ahold of it. I am just focusing on making sure I am writing everything I need to get done down.

Sincerely,

Kaya Lani Panneitz

Blog #4

 3 Ideas To Ponder...

To effectively teach is to be aware of the way that the individuals in your classroom learn and then plan your lessons accordingly.

You must understand your own identity before you can teach others.

Literacy can be engaging when taught by connecting the student to being a writer and reader. Leave the learning to the students instead of telling them what to do and how to learn.

2 Comments That Inspire Me.....

"Teachers engage students with experiences so that they construct their own knowledge." (Tompkins, 2019, pg. 7)

Tompkins, G. E., Smith, C., Campbell, R., & Green, D. (2019). Literacy for the 21st Century: A balanced approach. Pearson Education Australia.

I chose this quote because there is significant importance in allowing their students to find their own path while learning. Too often children are losing interest in their own education because everyone tells them how to learn and what to learn instead of the children wanting to learn it for themselves. For a long time schooling has been competitive and test based and it has taken the joy from the children's learning experiences.

"This historical narrative sharply contrasts with what I see in schools today." (Muhammad, 2020, pg.37)

Muhammad, G. (2020). Cultivating genius: An equity framework for culturally and historically responsive literacy. Scholastic. 

I chose this quote because it really resonated with my experience as a student and as an educator. While I was in school personal histories and identity was not very prominent but it was talked about occasionally. However, as I have worked in areas of education recently I have been seeing small shifts of inclusion of subjects such as religion but not necessarily what Muhammad talks about in her book. This inspires me to help be the change to help create a learning environment that sparks something within our students that makes them confident, want to learn, get excited about who they are and who their peers are.

1 Commitment I want To Make For My Future Students....

A commitment I want to make to my future students is that I will put them first; pay attention to each students as people and to include individual culture and views into our classroom.

Entry #3

 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Brcq3laa52AnrAhs5KsqTR0gcYkoV0Y9Ox4Wwha7Hxw/edit?usp=sharing 

Entry #2

This week we focused on the use of SQ4R, a reading strategy which allows an individual to break down an article or piece of writing in multiple ways in order to achieve a greater understanding of what we are reading. During the process of using SQ4R I found myself constantly finding more information and things that I missed after every time I read. It was as though my first time reading was just the surface and after every time I read it again and took more notes I kept deepening my understanding of what I originally thought that I read and understood. I not only became aware of the content of the article but I also began to understand how I read. When I read pieces for the first time I tend to miss key details or misinterpret what the article might be trying to say. When I keep going back through I begin to be a little bit more thorough each time and I put more of the pieces together and understand the article a little bit more. I begin by seeing the information as pieces and by the end of it I see the message in it's entirety. 

Using the SQ4R method helped me understand the articles in more depth allowing for a richer conversation with my peers. The idea is that if we deepen our understanding of what we are reading then we can develop our ideas and connections further allowing us to enrich our classmates in a flowing conversation of questions, responses, ideas, and perspectives. Knowledge is power and using this power to generate good conversation is strength. I think it is important to first note though that each of us individually have things to learn from each other. 

Moving forward, I think that having habits of asking even more questions or even reading the article in a group for the last read would be a good idea to get a variety of perspectives when reading. I think having that variety of people reading something also opens up more questions and ideas because everyone has their own background like Kucer said and it's important to note the importance of including and welcoming those different perspectives. I think that having more ownership would consist of me being harder on myself when asking questions, for me to really think deeply about it. To be a creative reader I think it is important to take a break and look at things from different points of views before I continue to judge a piece. I think that I could make the habit of having specific questions and points that I could bring up to my peers in conversation. Making note of perspectives I would like to hear from others. This in turn will spark creativity in all of us, new ideas, perspectives, and likely a newfound appreciation for each other. Sharing these inner thoughts is very valuable and can make us vulnerable at times. Sharing that vulnerability with others can actually bring people together and create something beautiful. This will be a good foundation and opening to conversation.