Third class

I've started incorporating at home some of the techniques we've been addressing. My daughter is going on 2 1/2 and she enjoys when we read to her. This week, I began to make the experience a bit more interactive for her. She's learning how to identify the front cover, back cover and spine of the book. Also, I show her the title page and the author. I've been having her make some predictions about the book before we open it up to read. Of course, most of them she has already read so she has an advantage, but it is interesting to see that she does comprehend the main story points. I also have begun running my finger along the bottom of the words as I read to her, so she can identify the words on the page and follow the pattern of moving from line to line and reading left to write. I have noticed when she "writes her name" with a pen and paper, she will write from left to right and she's starting to do the up/down zigzag thing. It's so exciting!

Class 2 reflection

Early on, in response to one of the articles presented, we ended up on the NCLB discussion again. Take a bunch of educators, mix in a little political controversy and you're sure to have a lively discussion. You're sure to find more here. For my two cents (which are worth less and less every day due to inflation, right?), I just don't see how the federal government gets the authority to dictate my classroom, my child, or my education. Why do we Americans think as a whole that our teachers are incompetent and that parents can't be trusted to pick an educational system that is the best for them. Are voters more concerned that, as a nation, we're getting dumber as the rest of the world is getting smarter? I, for one, don't believe that is true and to boot I don't think centralized planning of education would ever fix that if it were. Do I see benefits of NCLB? Yes. Do I think that any individual state could reap those same benefits and loads more through less invasive measures? Absolutely.

Class 1 Reflection

The content of the first class revolved mostly around language/literacy belief systems and how teachers come to form their own. This led to a discussion about how instructional approaches vary based on those belief systems.

Anyone forming their own belief system should incorporate personal knowledge, practical knowledge and proffesional knowledge in order to ensure the beliefs are grounded in reality. In following the recent presidential primaries, I've started to re-evaluate some of my own political beliefs. When dealing with issues at a federal level, I've come to realize that my own personal knowledge is non-existent, practical knowledge is hard to come by, and professional knowledge takes a great deal of research to aquire. So I feel very much in the dark.

Thankfully, I don't feel that way when forming my own language/literacy belief system. My personal knowledge at this point is a bit lacking (being that I have a hard time remembering specific techniques that were utilized in English classrooms when I was growing up). I have gained a good deal of practical knowledge through practicum I and II and through lesson planning for various classes. Some of my practical beliefs have also been developed while giving private guitar instruction. Wilmington U has also helped me to develop a great deal of professional knowledge, through instruction, seminars, and classroom activities.

All in all, I feel that I have a solid foundation of understanding language/literacy in the classroom, which I will continue to develop as my professional career progresses.