Paulo Freire's goal was to help his students 'read the world.' If that is to be the goal of an educator, I feel the foundation of their teaching must be grounded in the principles of literacy. Literacy, in this case, goes far beyond the ability to read or write. In this case, literacy must mean the ability to consciously gather, process, interpret and create information. As I look back on the semester, I feel empowered with educational tools meant to aid my students in cultivating literacy.
Within Social Studies are multiple opportunities for students to engage in critical literacy. By comparing documents, photographs, legislation and statistics, students can come to understand how certain groups, races, and genders have been excluded, underrepresented and even oppressed throughout history. As the popular saying goes, "recognizing there is a problem is the first step." After helping students 'recognize the problems,' I can help them discover ways in which they can change the world.
To build students up to critical literacy, I will help them lay a strong foundation of comprehension, vocabulary and writing. As a long time student, I understand the essential nature of primary source documents in the study of history. For the untrained, these documents can prove difficult. By providing good comprehension instruction before, during and after examining these documents, I feel students will gain confidence, not only in history, but in a variety of subjects. These documents could also prove invaluable in generating vocabulary for further study. Often times primary source documents are impregnated with vocabulary that define the era in which it was written. For example, The Declaration of Independence includes such words as tyrant, despotism, liberty, unalienable rights, government and so forth. These are the words that defined the era. By providing students the opportunity to define these words, study their roots and encounter them multiple times, they will gain greater understanding of the philosophies that founded the nation. Finally, by giving students the chance to write frequently concerning their understanding and feelings, the material of the past can find new meaning. Many individuals find historical writings to be boorish. I feel this sentiment would not long remain should those same individuals truly understand the content of those writings. By allowing students the chance to synthesize the information in new and creative ways, I feel they will discover how the themes of the past are not so different from the themes of today. By building comprehension, vocabulary and writing, students will have many of the tools necessary to engage in critical literacy and 'read the world.'
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
For my self-selected project, I combined forces with Brittany to read two high interest texts in my content area. As Social Studies majors, we had a large pool of texts to choose from. Given our mutual interest in the Civil War, our final decision, thanks to Brittany's suggestion, fell on two novels from the same author. James L. Swanson, an award winning author and historian, has produces two texts for young readers. The first novel, Chasing Lincoln's Killer, followed the man, events and conspirators behind one of U.S history's most famed Presidential assassinations. The second novel, Bloody Times, continues the narrative from Lincoln's assassination to his funeral all the while chronicling the flight of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Both books presented wonderful narratives supported heavily by primary source documents.
Swanson's amazing use of primary source documents added validity to his interpretations. As a Social Studies teacher I would not hesitate to incorporate these novels into my curriculum. As a supporter of primary source document use in the classroom, I feel these texts are in line with my own teaching philosophy. Swanson was very successful in presenting, and explaining, his material, all the while providing the reader with an enjoyable narrative. Both books struck me as enjoyable, readable and accurate.
Swanson's amazing use of primary source documents added validity to his interpretations. As a Social Studies teacher I would not hesitate to incorporate these novels into my curriculum. As a supporter of primary source document use in the classroom, I feel these texts are in line with my own teaching philosophy. Swanson was very successful in presenting, and explaining, his material, all the while providing the reader with an enjoyable narrative. Both books struck me as enjoyable, readable and accurate.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Post #4
As far as digital technology goes, I'm afraid I tend to fall behind the times. In any given week I do spend a fair amount of time accessing the internet in one of the campus computer labs. Most of my time online is spent checking email and completing online assignments. I did recently join Facebook so as to keep in contact with a close friend that moved. While I have found the whole social media experience enjoyable, I don't feel myself to be an addict. A regular 7 day stretch finds me checking for updates around 2 or 3 times. I do have to say my most consistent use of online time, other than email, would be reading the articles on Yahoo News. As my email is through Yahoo, I can't seem to escape that site without investigating at least one article.
While I do not own any Apple products (not that I wouldn't like to) I do own a touch screen LG cell phone. I do find myself utilizing text messaging quite often, I'd even dare say on a daily basis. A lot of my messages are spent in coordinating car pools and work schedules for my America Reads mentor team. I also tend to keep in touch with my widely dispersed family through text messaging. Other than my phone and a computer, my television is the only other form of digital tech that I utilize on a regular basis. While my schedule is busy, I do enjoy winding down at the end of the day with a good movie. With little exception I perform this end of day ritual with great consistency.
As an educator I do feel the importance of keeping up with the times. I understand many of my future students will be utilizing digital technology far more than I usually do. As a big fan of Smart Boards I will endeavor to make this interactive piece of technology a centerpiece of lecture and presentation. Within my teaching I will also endeavor to utilize a variety of digital media such as video, audio and written texts in an effort to engage my students more fully in the material. As many of histories most important documents are digitized, students can access them easier than ever. To encourage student interaction, with the material as well as with one another, I feel the use of a class blog, website and podcast site would be helpful. Should some of my students struggle with the incorporation of certain programs or technologies, I feel there are several avenues to which I could turn. Not only could I go through the process with them, but I could also employ the skills of the schools media specialist. Through demonstration and instruction, I feel students could overcome the hurdles of digital illiteracy.
As far as digital technology goes, I'm afraid I tend to fall behind the times. In any given week I do spend a fair amount of time accessing the internet in one of the campus computer labs. Most of my time online is spent checking email and completing online assignments. I did recently join Facebook so as to keep in contact with a close friend that moved. While I have found the whole social media experience enjoyable, I don't feel myself to be an addict. A regular 7 day stretch finds me checking for updates around 2 or 3 times. I do have to say my most consistent use of online time, other than email, would be reading the articles on Yahoo News. As my email is through Yahoo, I can't seem to escape that site without investigating at least one article.
While I do not own any Apple products (not that I wouldn't like to) I do own a touch screen LG cell phone. I do find myself utilizing text messaging quite often, I'd even dare say on a daily basis. A lot of my messages are spent in coordinating car pools and work schedules for my America Reads mentor team. I also tend to keep in touch with my widely dispersed family through text messaging. Other than my phone and a computer, my television is the only other form of digital tech that I utilize on a regular basis. While my schedule is busy, I do enjoy winding down at the end of the day with a good movie. With little exception I perform this end of day ritual with great consistency.
As an educator I do feel the importance of keeping up with the times. I understand many of my future students will be utilizing digital technology far more than I usually do. As a big fan of Smart Boards I will endeavor to make this interactive piece of technology a centerpiece of lecture and presentation. Within my teaching I will also endeavor to utilize a variety of digital media such as video, audio and written texts in an effort to engage my students more fully in the material. As many of histories most important documents are digitized, students can access them easier than ever. To encourage student interaction, with the material as well as with one another, I feel the use of a class blog, website and podcast site would be helpful. Should some of my students struggle with the incorporation of certain programs or technologies, I feel there are several avenues to which I could turn. Not only could I go through the process with them, but I could also employ the skills of the schools media specialist. Through demonstration and instruction, I feel students could overcome the hurdles of digital illiteracy.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Post #3
My confidence as a writer has grown with the passing of time. As a youth I was frequently complimented on my writing, yet, there still remained in me a lack of confidence. I often found myself expressing thoughts and feelings through a variety of medium including journal writing, rough sketches and wood working. While I rarely felt my work was of a superior nature, I continued to write, draw and carve throughout middle and high school. Expression for me today largely consists of personal entries, not necessarily in a formal journal, but on scraps of paper likely to be discarded. It is on these scraps that I find an outlet for the inner workings of my mind and emotions. I believe the enjoyment I reap from such an activity can be recreated, to a small degree, within the classroom by giving students the independence to choose their topic of interest.
The most gratifying writing assignments I experienced in my secondary education were those where I chose the topic. I remember specifically a research paper in which I was allowed to argue whether the existence of Camelot was fiction or fact. The enjoyment I found in completing that paper was due largely to the subject which was something that interested me at the time. On the other end of the spectrum I have often felt the drudgery of completing a paper whose subject was not of interest. As I prepare to enter the field of education I understand that not all writing assignment topics can be left to student choice. That being the case, I feel students will feel the same type of empowerment by giving them as many options as possible. By letting them choose the perspective, voice and manner of presentation, I feel my students will reap a greater amount of enjoyment while still engaging the disciplines material.
My confidence as a writer has grown with the passing of time. As a youth I was frequently complimented on my writing, yet, there still remained in me a lack of confidence. I often found myself expressing thoughts and feelings through a variety of medium including journal writing, rough sketches and wood working. While I rarely felt my work was of a superior nature, I continued to write, draw and carve throughout middle and high school. Expression for me today largely consists of personal entries, not necessarily in a formal journal, but on scraps of paper likely to be discarded. It is on these scraps that I find an outlet for the inner workings of my mind and emotions. I believe the enjoyment I reap from such an activity can be recreated, to a small degree, within the classroom by giving students the independence to choose their topic of interest.
The most gratifying writing assignments I experienced in my secondary education were those where I chose the topic. I remember specifically a research paper in which I was allowed to argue whether the existence of Camelot was fiction or fact. The enjoyment I found in completing that paper was due largely to the subject which was something that interested me at the time. On the other end of the spectrum I have often felt the drudgery of completing a paper whose subject was not of interest. As I prepare to enter the field of education I understand that not all writing assignment topics can be left to student choice. That being the case, I feel students will feel the same type of empowerment by giving them as many options as possible. By letting them choose the perspective, voice and manner of presentation, I feel my students will reap a greater amount of enjoyment while still engaging the disciplines material.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Post #2
I have often considered myself to be an avid reader. The opportunity to transport yourself into different times, situations and even worlds has been a great draw to me at certain times of my life. As a youth, the appeal was especially strong as the dramas common to that age reached a fevered pitch. I remember devouring action, adventure, mystery and especially fantasy books as I sought a reprieve from the day to day grind. I'm sure many individuals thought I was 'nerdy,' but at the time I didn't know it so I didn't care. Overall, I felt myself to be a 'good' reader considering the accelerated reader tests (I'm not sure if they have those any more) proved not to be much of a problem.
As I've matured my taste for literature has changed. I find myself much more enthralled by the authors use of language and symbolism than even the story line. A good example comes from the writings of my favorite author, John Steinbeck. Steinbeck's ability to tell an ordinary story in an extraordinary way is what I most love about his books. I still consider myself to be a 'good' reader even though I don't have the opportunity to be tested as often.
As a future educator I honestly believe everyone has the potential to be a 'good' and avid reader. While not all my future students will have the same desire to read that I did, I feel it apart of my goals and philosophies to encourage the practice of reading. I feel that by giving students access to interesting, gritty and human primary source documents, I will be able to foster the kind of reading necessary for success in the discipline of history. By making the material relevant to the present, and to the student, I feel their desire to know and understand the readings will increase. I plan on spending much of my classroom time devoted to classroom discussion where students will have the opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings concerning their readings, thus making the material their own.
As I've matured my taste for literature has changed. I find myself much more enthralled by the authors use of language and symbolism than even the story line. A good example comes from the writings of my favorite author, John Steinbeck. Steinbeck's ability to tell an ordinary story in an extraordinary way is what I most love about his books. I still consider myself to be a 'good' reader even though I don't have the opportunity to be tested as often.
As a future educator I honestly believe everyone has the potential to be a 'good' and avid reader. While not all my future students will have the same desire to read that I did, I feel it apart of my goals and philosophies to encourage the practice of reading. I feel that by giving students access to interesting, gritty and human primary source documents, I will be able to foster the kind of reading necessary for success in the discipline of history. By making the material relevant to the present, and to the student, I feel their desire to know and understand the readings will increase. I plan on spending much of my classroom time devoted to classroom discussion where students will have the opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings concerning their readings, thus making the material their own.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
First Entry
As per introductions, my name is Rob Erickson. I am currently a Senior attending Utah State University and am majoring in History and Social Studies. Most of my free time is spent with my wife and two little kids these days but, when the time presents itself, I very much enjoy tinkering on old cars and motorcycles. I've been going to school in Logan for a considerable amount of time but I'm originally from Western Wyoming. Growing up I worked with my father, brothers, uncle and various cousins in the timber industry. I fell fairly lucky considering I got to spend more time with my dad than a lot of kids, he's still my greatest mentor.
To me, history is a joy. Many of the worlds most interesting people reside now only in the past. To be able to reach back and interact with those people is amazing. To me, all the other social sciences aided in crafting the fabric of history. By teaching Social Studies I will have the opportunity to engage in historical work with others. In the business of history, literacy is everything. Without the ability to engage various material in a critical and objective way, one does not engage in historical work. I believe literacy to be more than mere comprehension of a written language. I very much subscribe to the philosophy of Paulo Freire in that literacy should empower the individual.
To me, history is a joy. Many of the worlds most interesting people reside now only in the past. To be able to reach back and interact with those people is amazing. To me, all the other social sciences aided in crafting the fabric of history. By teaching Social Studies I will have the opportunity to engage in historical work with others. In the business of history, literacy is everything. Without the ability to engage various material in a critical and objective way, one does not engage in historical work. I believe literacy to be more than mere comprehension of a written language. I very much subscribe to the philosophy of Paulo Freire in that literacy should empower the individual.
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