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
Kaya Lani, I am glad you are finding many important learnings in this first semester of your graduate work. As you continue to write your entries moving forward, I encourage you to share with your readers how you see yourself using some of the key strategies discussed in your own teaching.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm interested to hear more regarding what you are having trouble keeping organized for yourself. Perhaps we should talk about how you prepare each week? Let me know.