MWWP
The Mayawest Writing Project (MWWP) is a division of the National Writing Project. As stated in the official website, the National Writing Project (NWP) “is a professional development network that serves teachers of writing at all grade levels, primary through university, and in all subjects. The mission of the NWP is to improve student achievement by improving the teaching of writing and improving learning in the nation’s schools.”
¿Cómo integrar un “Blog”?
Luego de varios años de practicar la integración de la tecnología en mi trabajo con niños del k-3 grado se me han presentado varias inquietudes y quería buscar la forma de canalizarlas. Como maestra tradicional guardas muchos papeles, papeles y más papeles, como maestra de tecnología documentos, documentos y más documentos. Sustituí los lápices labiales en mi cartera por un estuche de memorias de diferentes tamaños de 64g, de 128g, de 1g y sigo aumentando. Se hacen actividades con métodos tradicionales donde se exponen sus trabajos, se les reconoce pero…. ahí es donde surge la inquietud. Atempero los trabajos tradicionales de mis estudiantes con los trabajos usando tecnología y sigo almacenando y archivando. Mis estudiantes cada día vienen con más conocimientos en juegos electrónicos a través del Internet y demandan con sus actitudes que se les ofrezcas clases novedosas, dinámicas y entretenidas que te obligan a renovarte y esforzarte en ser innovador. Tengo un “Web page” con el proceso de lectura y otras actividades pero no provee lo que quiero para ellos. Te muestran talento, quieren seguir trabajando usando la tecnología y tengo una pila de excelentes trabajos. Los enseño y usan “site” de Internet donde otros niños de su misma edad escriben y publican sus trabajos.
Entonces, surge…nuevamente la inquietud ¿qué voy a hacer con los trabajos de estos niños con habilidad de escritores que veo que están experimentando lo que es la redacción? ¿cómo hacer que la semilla que se sembró continué recibiendo agua para que germine en el futuro? ¿cómo continuar dándole la oportunidad de que reciban esos elogios por otros que también han reconocido su talento? Cuando se, que los seres humanos nos nutrimos de las experiencias únicas que refuerzan muchas de las habilidades que fortalecemos.
Solicito y acepto una oportunidad única como profesional para participar de los talleres de MayaWest Writing Project Summer … y vino como la luz, a alumbrar mi camino nos sugieren hacer un “blog”, me digo a mi misma ¿qué es un “blog”? y me contesto pero si… yo he accesado mil veces este tipo de página ¡como no se me ocurrió antes! Reflexiono… en español es bitácora… ¿cómo lo hago? ¿qué protocolo sigue? ¿cuales son sus formatos?¿puedo publicar los trabajos de mis estudiantes? Me digo a mi misma ya tienes la oportunidad única vamos a trabajar y comienzo con mi Yo investigo ¿Cómo hacer un “blog”?.
Busco a través de google y encuentro estas definiciones
“Blog, weblog, bitá… sin duda una palabra de moda, uno de esos términos que de la noche a la mañana hemos comenzado a ver repetido en todas partes. Aunque aparecieron a finales de los años 90 y podemos considerar el 2004 como su año de explosión en la internet anglosajona, no ha sido hasta los últimos meses del 2005 cuando el fenómeno ha eclosionado definitivamente en el mundo hispanohablante”.
“Los blogs permiten la divulgación del trabajo desarrollado en la escuela. La posibilidad de administración en grupo contribuye a favorecer el trabajo colaborativo, pero a la vez insta a crear y fortalecer el liderazgo de profesores y alumnos. Asimismo, esta herramienta en manos de los docentes sirve para acercarse a los estudiantes, al contener la potencialidad de convertirse en una sala de clases funcionando las 24 horas”.
¡Wao! de verdad que la tecnología es dinámica es algo relativamente nuevo. Sigo buscando, el formato o temática de cada blog es particular, los hay de tipo personal, periodístico, corporativo, tecnológico, educativo, etc. Me contesto se puede usar este formato para publicar los escritos de mis estudiante. Ahora busco investigaciones que los fundamente. Leo el articulo diary of a blog: listening to kids in an elementary school library”, By: Cowan, Janie, Teacher Librarian, Jun 2008, Vol. 5 con unas inquietudes similares a las mías. La escritora, una bibliotecaria de escuela elemental vio este medio como una oportunidad de comenzar una conversación en la comunidad y mejor expresión no pude encontrar cuando dice:
…“Dada la familiaridad de muchos estudiantes y profesores con la interacción en línea, y la disponibilidad general de las computadoras a todos los estudiantes, ya sea en casa o la escuela, he optado por considerar el blogging como una manera viable de iniciar la conversación entre mi persona y la comunidad escolar. ”
Resultados observados que pueden ser estudiados mas adelante una vez se inicio el “blog”:
• Aumento la circulación de la sección de libros de ficción, los estudiantes iban a buscar libros de los que se hablaba en el “blog”.
• Aumento la interacción de los estudiantes con la lectura e iban a la biblioteca a hablar con la maestra personalmente sobre web site, música, programa de televisión y libros.
• Los estudiantes participantes de programas de horario extendido mostraron interés en postear en el “blog”’.
Busco e investigo sobre que se establece en el Manual de Política Sobre el Uso Aceptable de Internet en las Escuelas Públicas de Puerto Rico ya que trabajo para el Departamento de Educación. En la página 7 dice:
…”El uso educativo de la Internet por los estudiantes puede incluir, entre otros, la correspondencia electrónica, la búsqueda de información, la creación de datos en línea, la transferencia de expedientes electrónicos. Los de una computadora a otra y los hipertextos (World Wide Web). Los estudiantes que tienen acceso a los recursos de información educativa a través de Internet podrán intercambiar ideas y pensamientos, así como publicar sus trabajos de investigación a través de la misma”
En la página 8 establece los principios y dice:
…”Siguiendo las instrucciones y las directrices de los maestros, los estudiantes podrán recoger, procesar, crear, comunicar y evaluar información electrónica”…
Basados en varios propósitos como el que dice:
…”Obtener oportunidades educativas independientes con el apoyo y la dirección de los maestros”…
Ahora bien, ya se los protocolos que fundamenta el Departamento ahora buscare otra experiencia educativas y sus resultados. Acceso google encuentro un link que me lleva a un articulo escrito en EduBlog Insights » Blog Archive » Rationale for educational blogging, de Anne Davis de la Universidad de Georgia, el cual publica una lista de razones para “ blogging (postear en mi mejor entendimiento) en su “blog”. Entre estas algunas me están bien interesante y me sirven de referencia.
• Los “blogging” le dan la oportunidad a los estudiantes de conectarse con expertos sobre tópicos que escríban.
• Los “bloggins” le proveen a los estudiantes desarrollar a largo plazo la escritura.
• Los “bloggins”dan la oportunidad de enseñar responsabilidad cuando se escribe a un público, los estudiantes aprenden el poder de una publicación.
Sigo accesando página y varias compañias te ofrecen y te dan los pasos a seguir para abrir un “blog” como lo son WordPress , Blogger, Clarín, Live Journal y My Space.
Con esta información que he recopilado, no me queda la menor duda de que este nuevo proyecto que iniciare rendirá frutos y será toda una nueva experiencia para mí y para mi comunidad. Esto trae a mi mente algo que lei sobre el humanista Paulo Freire porque centra en el hombre toda la problemática educativa siendo el objetivo básico de ésta la humanización, espiritualista porque coloca en el espíritu el sentimiento que impulsa al hombre a auto configurarse, hace perceptible lo espiritual; lo que el hombre habla, escribe, realiza es expresión objetiva de su espíritu. Por eso hay varias frases celebres de el que me impactan cada vez que las leo como lo es: “Todos nosotros sabemos algo. Todos nosotros ignoramos algo. Por eso, aprendemos siempre”
Referencias
Crear blog: Recuperado el 20 de jun.2009 en el Word Wide Web: http://www.miportal.edu.sv/Home/Como_Usar_MiPortal/Los+Blogs.htm
Cowan, Janie: diary of a blog: listening to kids in an elementary school library”, Vol. 5 Jun 2008
Davis, Anne Rationale for educational blogging, EduBlog Insights » Blog Archive »anne.teachesme.com
Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico: Manual de políticas sobre el uso aceptable de Internet en las Escuelas publicas de Puerto Rico
¿Qué es un blog?: Recuperado el 20 de jun.2009 en el Word Wide Web:www.weblogssl.com/que-es-un-blog
Mattei Diego, Todo lo que necesitas para abrir un blog. http://www.diegomattei.com.ar
I Search by Leroy Alicea-Cabassa
Topic: Need for Adult ESL learning Methods
1. Dialogue Journals: interactive Writing to Develop Language and Literacy
By Joy Kreeft Peyton
National Center for ESL Literacy Education
Revised December (2000)
-The use of dialogue journals as interactive writing with a teacher or other individuals.
-Provide natural context, literacy development.
-Supportive, non-threatening interaction.
-Use reading and writing in a purposeful way.
-Extends time with individuals.
2. ESL methods and Approaches
By CAELA staff of Arlington, Virginia (2000)
ESL Instructors: CAELA staff member Sarah Young describes a speaking activity
that she uses with high-beginning English language learners at the Arlington
(Virginia) Education and Employment Program (REEP) where she teaches below.
-Life skills ESL language skills based on daily life routines [ ex. Going to the doctor or the grocery store)
-Family ESL
-English Literacy civics-civil rights, responsibility and citizenship
-Vocational ESL: for jobs (pre-employment)
-Workplace [in service]
-Technology ESL distance education, instructional content
3. Adult English Instruction in the 21st Century: Trends and Issues in Adult ESOL in
the United States
By The National Center for ESL Literacy Education and Center for Applied Linguistics (2003)
-Tendency states that the need for ESL Adult effective services is a primary challenge. Is growing and it needs:
-Adequate resources
-Creative and alternative strategies
-Partnerships
-Collaboration efforts
-Address the areas of assessment, teacher training and professional development, integration of research and practice and technology
Subject: I-Search Report
Research Question: I need a strategy to help my students in writing a sentence that goes beyond the usual subject-verb-object approach.
I remember reading somewhere that Chomsky argued that language should be taught in meaningful chunks not in isolated piecemeal fashion. Well I found an article, which provides a way to teach some grammar in “chunks” in this case, clauses and phrases. On the article Phrase and Clause Grammar Tactics for the ESL/ELL Classroom by Dennis Sjolie, he starts with a review of research regarding whether grammar should be taught in writing or not. He starts by citing Gray, Hillocks and Krashen who essentially posit, “Grammar correction leads students nowhere. “ On the other hand Sjolie cites Widdowson who posits that “ language learning is essentially grammar learning and it is a mistake to suppose otherwise.” I was surprised by Widdowson’s statement since he is one of the main figures behind the Communicative Language Learning Approach. Then Sjolie cites a study by Ilona leki and another by Thomas, Robb and Ross that basically posit that giving feedback to students about their grammar errors is useless because they don’t incorporate this knowledge in their writing. Sjolie also cites research by Krashen, Loewen and Gray where Gray gives four reasons why grammar correction doesn’t help improve student writing:
1. Grammar correction deals with the surface appearance and not with the way language develops.
2. ESL and grammar acquisition occur developmentally and hierarchically and any correction done at the improper stage will not work.
3. Differences between teacher and student understanding of feedback.
4. Students only take mental notes of corrections and rarely include them in follow-up work.
Nonetheless, Robin C. Scarcella as cited by Sjolie stresses that lack of grammar teaching has proven detrimental to students in need of advanced writing skills and that reminds me of remarks by Yazmin and others during one of our forums about Engineers and other students who needed to write papers and couldn’t because of structural deficiencies in their writing. Next Sjolie cites Marianne Celce-Murcia who posits, “As language use becomes increasingly professional in register, the need for attention to form, increases correlatively. ” Celce-Murcia recommends a focus on phrase and clause variation as introduced through sentence combining exercises. Sentence combining can be used from beginning to advanced learners according to Sjolie “by manipulating sentences to create a variety of possible adjective clauses, elliptical adjective clauses, appositive phrases, participial phrases and absolute phrases, students realize how freeing grammar exploration is.” Sjolie advises to start with handouts of exercises, where they practice changing different types of clauses. Next, students should review prior work done by inserting different types of clauses. Another option offered by Sjolie is to give students a 7 minute free writing time and then, ask them for homework to include in that piece of writing at least an adjective clause, one participial phrase and one absolute phrase as further sentence control practice. Sjolie adds, “The important thing is for students to work for achievement of greater sentence variety, to reach for grammatical structures previously unused and to take control of grammar for sentence building.” The next phase would be then, according to Sjolie, to work with noun clauses adverbial clauses and punctuation; since both adverbial and participial phrases, are followed by commas. Sjolie also claims that peer review is beneficial when doing this type of work. In his final argument Sjolie posits, “Grammar effectively remains the understructure upon which we hang the competently written word.” After reading this article I can only add that I liked the approach and intend to explore it with my students later this year.
Yolanda Padilla
Mayawest Writing Project
“I Search”
Developing Community Writing Programs
I studied for five years at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. I studied English and I did a minor in education. Interestingly, during those years, I had the opportunity to apply the theory I was learning in my classes to real life situations and to the real world only once. So a lot of questions came into my mind when I did my teacher- student practice. Before that experience I had only worked as a tutor to a group of students in a community called “El Retiro” in the town San German. Thanks to my own experience, I understood that there is a gap between the university and the community, especially with the public school students of Puerto Rico.
Then I began to ask myself what kind of a teacher I was going to be if I was not engaged in community programs. “Am I committed to my community, my students and society?, What is the role of the university and its surrounding communities? Can writing programs foster community development? What writing activities might be useful? ”.
I think that many college students also go through the same issue I went. Even though many professions are meant to deal with personal relations, college students don’t get the opportunity to have a “real experience” with “real people”. Incidentally, the gap between universities and communities is a problem that goes both ways: universities are not getting to the students and many students seem not to be motivated to go to the university. That gap between universities and communities can be compared to a black tunnel, or maybe with a dead end road. So, what can teachers and other professionals do to re- build the track that connects communities and universities?
I believe that Universities are social institutions that should play an important role in community development. Universities should make a commitment with the communities they belong to. As stated by Brulin in his article “The Third Task of Universities or How to Get Universities to Serve their Communities!” Universities should have a third task besides educating and doing research. According to Brulin, the third task of universities is that they should serve their communities. Additionally, Brulin provides the alternative of action research to accomplish this third objective. Cohen and Manion (1994) said that action research is a “systematic study that combines action and reflection with the intention of improving practice.” In other words, action research provides an alternative to obtain knowledge from both, theory and practice in order to provoke a positive change. However, how can universities serve their communities through action research and why should universities feel committed with the communities they belong to?
One way in which Universities can serve their communities is by making all of their resources available for the members of its surrounding communities. This is a task that universities should complete because they are the ones equipped with the physical, economic, political, technical and intellectual resources that are pertinent for communities. For example, besides tangible resources like access to buildings like libraries and technological laboratories, the people who belong to the institution should share their knowledge with their neighboring communities. I think that the purpose of a university is to form holistic human beings that can serve their society and that mission can only be accomplished, if students can have a direct experience with their community. Furthermore, according to the description of the UPRM’s mission statement posted in the universities’ web site, the UPRM aims to form students that are committed with Puerto Rico to improve the cultural, social and economic development of the island.
In order for students to actually turn theory into practice in the situations they confront outside of the university, academic institutions like the UPRM can implement programs where students can visit communities and try to provide them with resources that community members need. To be sure this is a dual process that will benefit both, students and community members. For example, Bebee R de Costa (1993) reported that there is an organization called “The Santa Clara University Eastside Project Community Service” who aims to link the university and the community. The article described how a group of students who belonged to the organization had to address the language needs of Hispanic students in a real setting, or community. The idea is to provide college students with a real arena where they can practice in the community what they learn at the university. In other words experiential learning provides students with the opportunity of comparing theory to practice, and also serves as a motivational tool where students can find relevant and practical information for them as well. Definitely, this article shows the importance of the immersion of universities in communities. However, as the same article suggests, we need to understand that the programs that universities develop should address the needs of their communities. The article also explains that the Santa Clara project was able to satisfy the needs of the community members because people within the community helped in the development of the project. Unfortunately, Senge and Scharmer (1991) explained that university research is disconnected from “practical needs”. In other words, Surge and Farmer want to show how action research is not addressing the needs of the community it intends to serve.
One practical way of connecting the university and the community is through the implementation of Community Service Writing Programs. According to Traci Blanchard( ) “Writing is integral to both keeping and creating our communities”. Certainly, our communities are rich in history and culture. Writing can serve as a tool to record that history for generations. Besides, writing can not even preserve history but also create history. Traci explained that after the project “Keeping and Creating American Communities” was designed, the authors decided to create a web site. The postings were a product of a process of team work. Incidentally, the articles that have been posted illustrated a communities’ need for a sense of belonging.
Another reason why college students should be engaged with communities is because their self esteem and “sense of belonging” becomes reinforced. Elementary, middle and high school students should somehow feel committed to their communities as well. Patricia Mooney Melvin (1999) argued that “if students fail to see their own histories as important, they do not believe that they can have an impact on their environments” (as cited by LeeAnn Lands p. 17). Therefore, LeeAnn promotes civic engagement in her classes. She developed an exhibit in her community of Georgia in order to explore it’s history of race relations and the subcultures surrounding lynching with the main goal of building community through the exploration of that region’s violent past. LeeAnn was able to successfully make her students get actively involved in their community. Her students educated the public about violence, lynching and racism. I think that this exhibit provides a favorable setting to construct a writing activity where students can depict scenes of slave ships, lynching etc. and writing reflections or dialogues as if the students were the African American being maltreated.
Other valuable activities that that help build communities are Performance based activities. Mimi Dyer commented that performance based activities reflect the values of the classroom, community or society that are involved in its production. If the students read aloud what they write, they share information and they listen to new ideas they start building communities. Besides performance activities, Mimi also suggests that “show and tell” activities are also very important. She says that if students share a piece of themselves with the rest of the group they will feel more identified with each other. Mimi asks students to bring an artifact from home that represents a piece of their personality. Then the students have to write a description of it and an explanation of why the object is significant to their lives.
It is important to mention that scholars have not only promoted the development of communities among universities and students but also the development of professional communities. In the article “Keeping and Creating Teachers’ Learning Communities”, Elyse Eidman- Aadahl emphasized on the creation and maintenance of the professional community. She used two example programs: the Kennesaw Mountain Writing Project (KMWP) and the National Writing Project (NWP). These programs will benefit the schools and the students of the teachers that belong to them. However, I think that the process is dual. The process goes both ways because the teachers will also grow professionally after receiving the workshops. I have to say that my experience can serve as a testimony. I belong to the “Mayawest Writing Project”, one of the sites of the “National Writing Project”. Thanks to that project, I learned many activities for my classroom but I also initiated the process of doing this “I search”.
I think that it should be of great importance to develop Community Writing Programs because they deal with the comfort of community members that need help. Therefore, universities should create more writing programs like the “National Writing Project”. These type of programs help develop solid and ongoing relationships between the university and its surrounding communities. Finally I learned that teachers should also empower students to get to know their communities through writing techniques hoping that these activities will improve the student’s public engagement and commitments with society.
June 17, 2009
I Search
Theme: Online Communication
What I know?
Technology is expanding and today’s students are embracing electronic gadgets for social and other types of communication. They embrace the use of electronic communication with their peers on the internet such as e mails, text messages, and profile web pages such as ‘Facebook’, My Space and so on. Although their manner of receiving and sending dialogue is far from appropriate or grammatically correct, it seems they are on a verge of creating new language forms that conform to their specific social environment. Many of these gadgets are prohibited in public school yet the student population use any and all means to carry and use them in the school grounds.
I Pods, MP3 players, Game Boy PS, DS, cell phones and many more that I cannot name or have even seen, are objects that parents use to keep their children occupied while they handle their daily situations. Although school regulations prohibit the use of these objects and the parents are aware many times they do not have the respect of their children therefore, they disobey any type of authorative figure. Unfortunately, parents do not grasp that while they substitute their children’s family time with these electronic gadgets, they are actually accustoming them to being estranged. Today, the result of this stampede of artificial enjoyment is that the new generation of children and teenagers depend and prefer, more on electronic entertainment over human interaction.
What I want to know?
As an educator I can observe that most of the time teachers are faced with the tedious task of asking the students over and over again to put away their gadgets, take the objects away from them or simply just send the students repeatedly to the office to take care of this situation. My curiosity on this matter leads me to reflect and ask, if there are other teachers looking into the implications and use of the electronic items in the classroom. To what extent can this new technology, aid in the learning process of writing correctly. What is being done to aid teachers on the uses of new equipment? How can technology equity be achieved with all the schools, in an age where technological evolution is also being paired with economical regression. How then can this negative situation be turned around so that at one time or this new type of online communication be used to aid in correcting or acquiring skills? Children as young as 3 years of age are learning faster and faster how to manage interact and even overpass internet systems. Is this occurring because today’s young parents lack the natural instinct on teaching their children how to communicate traditionally?
Yet, throughout all of these instruments and educational reforms, many students, still do not know how to write a complete sentence correctly. How can we get them to write using conventional tools as pencil and pen, with the same passion as they work in computers without a complete dependency on their electronic vices? To what extent can we integrate customary non technological teaching with new teaching trends?
What I learned?
The new form of learning through computers with the use of internet is not online communication, as I originally started searching for, but in fact the correct term is e-learning. This new era of instruction is defined as educational process that is characterized by a separation of time and space between an educator and a student; where a double sided communication is met through the Internet. This type of learning is student centered because the student uses the tools that are provided by the educator and they have to go through the rest of the learning process on their own. Although it seems to be a great idea; what proof is there that the student is actually going through the process in the correct manner and even if indeed he/she is doing the process at all and not having someone else do it instead?
This type of learning has many level of interactivity such as, peer vs peer, peer vs instructor, online learning, and professional development. There are many controversial items in respect to e-learning. On the positive side there are the ecological advantages that there is less paperwork involved in this process. Because of the communication through the use of internet, time and space barriers are not narrowed, and communication is almost immediately instant. Within minutes any message, document or text can be sent across the globe. There is also no excuse that you cannot or do not have internet or laptops. Because there are many local libraries with evening hour service available to many communities. There are many new formats available for learning and communicating such as e-mails, text messaging, blogs, profile web pages such as Facebook, My Space, and many other that day to day appear on the Internet. This might be the end of the classic excuses, “I left my homework at home”, My dog ate it” or even “My mom is on her way here with it”.
Many sites even dared to say that e learning is positive for family because there is more time for family interaction. However, given that our students tell us that the majority have a TV and/or telephone in every room in the house, then this leads to more alienation and not family unity.
One of the few disadvantages that e-learning in schools might involve are that students may become accustomed to learning through the use of computers and not accept the traditional mode of learning. Another fact is that not all schools, especially the public schools are evenly equipped with the latest technological advances because of the high cost of software and hardware. Or for that matter, there are many more homes that barely have any electrical accessories for entertainment much less a computer. Furthermore, Internet connections are very hard to control for teachers when they have a full classroom of students, so making sure they do not gain access into unsafe surfing on the net cannot be guaranteed. Another point is that they may even need more individual time than if they were in a traditional learning mode with just the blackboard or books.
Another element to reflect on would be the human factor. To what extent is the personal human contact necessary to complete the learning process? Does not having interaction with other peer affects the mental health of the learner?
My Reflection
There are definitely many more searches that I have to go thru in order to find what is working and what is not. Today’s students are much more flexible with their time and are more avant-garde on what comes up every day on the Internet. We teachers need to be at their level or at least be aware of the new communicative technology if I want to be able to reach my students. There are many problems in education worldwide and the political intervention or change every four years does not help either. Therefore we need to keep searching on our own or keep in contact with teacher networks that spread the word on what’s up with our students. There are few teachers that are either willing to help other teachers in addressing the educational needs of our students as well as teaching strategies and new models for teachers. However, Writing Projects such as NWP (National Writing Project) make it possible for teachers, who want to excel have the opportunity to see what other teachers are doing as well as learn new strategies. It was interesting to acknowledge the expertise with which my colleague reviewed and made recommend with the utmost professionalism and sincerity. It will be interesting to put these new aspects of teaching writing to other educators and pout them to practice. Though this is not a complete example of what an I-search is. It is a beginning that will be considered as further research need s to be done on my part.
Bibliography
I-Search Paper Format Guide
depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/writing/formatsheet.html
ERIC #: EJ816675
Online Computer Games as Collaborative Learning Environments: Prospects and Challenges for Tertiary Education
Ley 267 – Technology Law
Es.wikipedia.org/elearning
http://www.aln.org/publications/magazine/v3n2/funaro.asp
Pedagogical Roles and Implementation Guidelines for Online Communication Tools
http://www.aln.org/node/1547
Frances López
Maya West Writing Project
Yo Investigo – I Search
¿Existen estrategias de enseñanza de escritura para estudiantes con Déficit de Atención e Hiperactividad?
A través de los años he trabajado muy de cerca con niños que padecen del trastorno del Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad (DAH). He leído mucho y me he tenido que informar sobre este trastorno no solo porque tengo dos hijos que lo padecen, sino que también cada día es más la cantidad de estudiantes que se diagnostica con este trastorno. Entiendo que el DAH es un trastorno neurológico del comportamiento caracterizado por distracción moderada a severa, períodos de atención breve, inquietud motora, inestabilidad emocional y conductas impulsivas. Existen muchas alternativas para su tratamiento incluyendo farmacología, terapias y ayudas especializadas. Además se les provee a los estudiantes acomodos razonables como silla preferencial en la sala de clases, tiempo adicional para terminar las tareas y exámenes y ayuda en el salón recurso de educación especial. Dentro de todas esas ayudas que se le proveen, despierta en mí la curiosidad de saber si existen estrategias para desarrollar la escritura en esos estudiantes que padecen del DAH. En mi búsqueda por el Internet encontré varios artículos relacionados al proceso de enseñanza de escritura a niños con DAH.
En uno de los artículos, Using Self – Regulated Strategy Development to improve writing with students with ADHD, By: Reid, Robert, Vol.74 nos menciona una estrategia de enseñanza de escritura donde se le presentan las instrucciones por pasos al estudiante, para desarrollar en él la habilidad de mantener la atención y enfocar. Este estudio resultó exitoso porque al finalizar los estudiantes lograron componer escritos más largos y de mejor contenido.
“After instruction students with ADHD composed stories that were longer, more complete and qualitatively better”
Más adelante en mi búsqueda por Internet me encontré un articulo muy interesante donde mencionaba otro tipo de estrategia para desarrollar escritura en estudiantes con DAH, Promoting Writing And Preventing Failure in Young Children with ADHD, By: Algozzine, Bob, University of North Carolina at Charlotte. En este artículo se señalaba la importancia de proveer experiencias significativas al estudiante para que así el estudiante pudiese componer escritos y compartir sus ideas con los demás. El primer modelo a seguir era la maestra, por medio de sus escritos ella modelaba para que los estudiantes compusieran los suyos. Luego se les daba la oportunidad para que los estudiantes escribieran y compartieran sus escritos con sus compañeros.
“Through this experience, young children begin to realize that writing serves a real purpose and the message of their written work holds value”.
Un articulo muy interesante que encontré en mi búsqueda por el Internet lo fue, 10 Strategies to Improve Instruction in the Primary Grades, By; Campbell, Peggy, March 2008, 8-10. Este artículo sugería que se identificaran todos los objetos del salón para crear vocabulario en los estudiantes, crear “Pen Pals” por e-mail para desarrollar destrezas de escritura, tener en el salón de clases un área designada para compartir los escritos y proveerle actividades variadas para que así lo estudiantes tengan temas y experiencias para escribir.
Continué mi búsqueda por Internet y en varios artículos se mencionaban estrategias muy similares a las mencionadas anteriormente. Estrategias que considero muy útiles a la hora de enseñar a escribir a los estudiantes. Estas estrategias de enseñanza se emplean teniendo en cuenta las necesidades particulares de cada estudiante. Se emplean poco a poco y se les provee tiempo adicional en todas las tareas. Es muy interesante porque de cada artículo pude obtener una estrategia o idea para implementar con mis estudiantes. Lamentablemente estos artículos presentan estrategias de enseñanza de escritura a niños con DAH pero que son medicados. En la realidad de mi escuela la minoría de los estudiantes que están diagnosticados con DAH son medicados. Esta situación presentaría tal vez alguna limitación al implementar las estrategias en mi escuela. Seria formidable encontrar algún articulo donde se presentaran estrategias para niños con DAH no medicados y si estas funcionan de igual manera para los que están medicados. Considero que no hay mucha información al respecto y que seria una idea formidable explorar sobre ese tema mas adelante.
Referencias
Reid, R. (2008).Using Self – Regulated Strategy Development to improve writing with students with ADHD, Vol.74, No.4, pp. 471-486, Council for Exceptional Children.
Kissel, B. (2008). Promoting Writing and Preventing Failure in Young Children with ADHD, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Campbell, P. (2008). 10 Strategies to Improve Instruction in the Primary Grades, pp. 8-10, Journal of the New Jersey Education Association
Lienemann, T. (2006). Improving the Writing Performance of Writers in Second Grade. Journal of Special Education, 40, 66-78
De La Paz, S. (2001). Teaching Writing to Students with ADD and Specific Language Impairments. The Journal of Education Research, 95, 37-47
Francheska Cruz Rodriguez
MayaWest Writing Project
I- Search
“Writing and Speaking Working Together”
Teaching has always been part of my life. For me education is a process by which a person begins to learn how to learn. As a teaching assistant I have ask myself: why is it still hard for students to cope with English upon entering college level courses which require them to have certain knowledge of and skills in English? This problem made me try to look for a solution.
I am interested in English education in Puerto Rico. The purpose of my I-Search, is to examine communication and writing skills so I can promote student motivation in my classroom.
I want to measure my students’ ability to use the language effectively in their writing and speaking. Also I want to promote different learning strategies and student thinking skills.
Several studies have been done about these two skills. According to Donovan Ochs it is seen as a delightful couple. Writing and speaking are output skills vs. reading and listening which are input skills. Speaking is learned naturally; but writing is to be taught. John B. Newman and Milton W. Horowitz believed that “writing can be spoken and speaking can be written”. They said is their article Writing and Speaking, “a written text is but an imperfect representation of a possible spoken utterance”. Meaning that people first began to speak and then print. Some languages died because print did not exist. Edward Sapir calls it “a way of recording speech by means of visible marks”.
Writing compared to speaking, is seen as a “more deliberate mode of expression”. Writing sets a higher standard of expression than speech, and its influence throughout history has been exerted in that direction. Writing seems to be regarded as more exact, more precise, and clearer than speaking. But speaking is seen richer, fuller, and more to the point than writing. Newman and Horowitz concluded in their research that writing and speaking clearly represent different strata of the person. Speaking evidences more feeling, more emotive expression and more “first thoughts that come to mind”, while writing is more indicative of the intellectualized, rational, and deliberate aspects of the person. Writing and speaking can represent each other but they are fundamentally and essentially different.
Jeanne W. Halpern wrote an article named “Differences Between Speaking and Writing and Their Implications for Teaching”. In an investigation that she did, she concluded that transcribed tapes presented more audience-related problems than a written text would. Her analysis corroborates Lev Vygotsky’s statement that “written speech differs from oral speech in both structure and mode of functioning”. Joseph Essberger in “How Speaking and Writing Influence Each Other”, said that in the past a few wrote, many spoke. Today almost everybody does both. Writing that was recorded and permanent; influence the way people speak. He said that regional dialects and words have disappeared. Also that writing influences speaking and speaking influences writing. Most words enter a language through speaking. Some die. If you see them in writing it means that they have become “real words” within he language.
Learning speaking and writing skills together, helps students overcome weaknesses inherent in single skill instruction. I believe that these two skills if well taught, will really make a difference in our students and are own professional and personal life. In conclusion, this I-Search will benefit scholars, researchers, teachers and students. Teachers should combine innovative and traditional methods in their teaching. It will help facilitate ESL students while learning a new language.
I-Search
Observing what children draw has always caught my attention. I enjoy watching their scribbles, stick people, clouds, flowers, superheroes, etc. What they express throughout their drawings is something that I like. I can watch their faces glow or shadow when they are creating their drawings. Since I am an English teacher (ESL) sometimes my students cannot write with words well what they mean to express. I let them draw to tell me what they couldn’t with words. I have also observed that when I give them the opportunity to draw they enjoy more the process of writing about something. I think art makes it easier for them to inspire on what they will write about.
I have always thought that the writing process is closely related to art. Because a drawing must go through thought to send the message it is intended to give, just like writing. Although this has been my belief and my practice I know little of, if in fact I can consider the drawings of my student’s part of the writing process. I began to explore and search for the answer of my questions. Is art part of the writing process? How can I apply effectively the writing process with the use of art, to my students?
These questions triggered me to search for answers so I could learn more about art in the writing process and try to form a clearer connection between them. I began my search, as most of us do these days, on the internet. Using search engines, I searched for “Art in the Writing Process” and “Is art part of the writing process?” These searches led me to diverse sites about this topic. As I read the title of each site there were some that caught my eye, because I thought they were related to the questions I had made. Two of my sources were interviews to teachers that integrated the student’s drawing into the writing process and the other was one research made about what art implies in the writing process with young children and an article that explains the empowering of writing.
First I read the two interviews, because I thought I could relate to them better than to scientific findings. None the less, I do appreciate the studies that will give scientific foundation to my questions. When I began to read Connecting, Art, Writing, Learning, and Life I was impressed with the beginning quote “When art and writing are linked across the curriculum and in life, our World expands” (Karen Ernst). I was struck with these words. The world expands when we express our thoughts through art and writing, how empowering. I thought of a growing, evolutionary, and changing world. Isn’t this what I look for as a teacher, with my students? I want to generate this challenge in my students. Karen Ernst sustains that students make connection to their world through art and writing. She also insists that picture-making is a form of expression and helps develop ideas for writing. The ideas of this educator and editor of an educational magazine go hand in hand with mine; when I can question and search the information that my students give me I can make learning pertinent and real. And when I find my voice through art and writing I help students find theirs.
Lauren Lawson a mentor teacher at the University of Vermont Campus Children’s Center Pre-School coincides with Ernst when she states, that what children want, is to be seen and heard and understood. They want to belong. Writing and communication through art enables children to achieve these critical thoughts. I can relate to this idea because through my students drawings and writing I can begin to understand their essential values and develop a challenge for deeper values. Both educators agree that direct instruction has a place in the education of children but that there literacy learning occurs naturally in the context of play, symbol making, and message taking.
This began to answer my question. I continued my search with a study made to provide insight into metalinguistic knowledge that children have about literacy, and art as a source of insight on the nature and development of literacy. Children Draw Their Images of Reading and Writing (R. McKay and M. Kendrick) is the title of the article that narrates this research. This investigation explores the images of literacy that children construct in their life, both inside and outside of school. The drawings that were chosen were vivid examples of the complex conceptualization of reading and writing that children may produce when given opportunities to express their construction of reading and writing through drawings. McKay and Kendrick adopted their research with what was pointed out by Howard Gardner (1980) in his book Artful Scribbles: The significance of Children’s drawings where he indicates that children’s drawings are interesting mixes of graphic and linguistic research, in the service of complex conceptualization. Both researchers conclude in their finding that through children’s drawings about reading and writing provide valuable insights into metalinguistic knowledge children have about literacy, including their beliefs about self and others as language users and knowledge about demands of different literacy events.
I reacted to this research thinking, isn’t this the same message I read in the two interviews? Sure it is, the only difference is that the results were based on a scientific process. Again my beliefs were sustained, this time with a research. I continued my search with an article Writing: Empowering Literacy that was written and published for an educational journal. Through this article I understood that writing involves more than merely learning and using meaningful symbols and codes; it supports communication and promotes social, emotional, and cognitive development.
My first question was answered, is art part of the writing process? By the use of art (drawings) it allows the student to actively express themselves and communicate with others. Isn’t this writing? There is my answer; drawing and writing go hand in hand. My other question was also resolved for I learned with what I read that as a teacher I can act as the student’s scribe labeling the drawings, communicating a message, or document oral stories especially for my students with learning disabilities.
By realizing this I-Search I remembered my masters when I was collecting the information of my thesis, it took time and dedication. I made a lot of reflections through this investigation seeking how I am as a teacher and also how can I integrate what I had acquired through all the information I had read. I now have a clearer and scientific based insight of my beliefs in the relation there is between art and writing. I can now sustain the drawings of my students in a writing assignment. Finally with this I-Search I have accomplished my quest.
References
Children draw their image of reading and writing Roberta A. McKay; Maureen E Kendrick Language Arts; Jul 2001; 78,6; Academic Research Library pg. 58
Connecting art, writing, learning and life Karen Ernst Teaching Pre K-8; Sep 1997; 28,1; Academic Research Library pg. 46
Early Childhood Teacher: Lauren Lawson on… Art Writing and Young Children Anonymous Scholastic Early Childhood Today; Mar 2005; 19,5; Academic Research Library pg.44
Writing: Empowering Literacy Angela Love; M Susan Burns; Martha Jane Buell YC Young Children: Jan 2007; 62,1; ProQuest Educational Journals pg.12
Maria E. Montalvo Rodriguez
Mayawest Writing Project Summer Institute 2009
June 30,2009
Enriching the Classroom Through Journal Writing
What I Know:
Journal writing is recognized as a learning tool that should encourage students to learn. This is based on the idea that students write to learn. Using journals to foster learning in many ways. Journal writing offers students the opportunity to expose their inner most thoughts, feelings and also ideas without the fear of getting a grade for this. The opportunities offered by the teacher that allows this open activity can vary. Also what use the journal will have in the classroom can also vary.
Journal writing offers students the opportunity to reflect on the world. This allows the student to expand and grow without at times the writer realizing the growth. Journal writing goes through stages with the writer, since students can improve the original text and take it a step further. We can witness the growth of the writer in his writing and also by his eagerness to share and maybe publish the written word. Journal writing also encourages the writer to improve vocabulary, look for other writing genres and expand their horizons from the academic to maybe even radical issues.
What I Want to Know:
How can I turn journal writing into a more dynamic activity, which can include other aspects of academics? Writing should be a stimulating and relevant activity for the student. It must provide the student with not only the experience of writing, but also the satisfaction of having put these words on paper. Although journal writing is an individual process, how can I, as a teacher convert this process into something with a numerical value, and still help maintain the essences of the feelings, thoughts, or ideas that have been posted on paper.
Writing as an academic resource should be a gratifying experience for students and also for teachers when correcting.
I want to know, how I can use journal writing as a tool across the curriculum, and avoid inhibiting my students from not only completing the work assigned, but portraying themselves on paper. Writing is not a subject that can be graded subjectively, but at times it is necessary in order to help students to invoke better and improved works. Writing should not be subjected to criticism that hinders the delicate structure of the writer.
What form of revising, without crushing that first try at writing in a language not their own, can I encourage students to create? Also when introducing other genres, how can I keep their minds focused on the creativity, the splendor, a new way of expressing thoughts and feeling might bring? Where can I as a teacher, find and create a new usage for journals. Journals as a writing tool, must be connected to reading, so I must change the format of journals, included several other academic subject to incorporate new ways of thinking and stimulate new kinds of responses.
What I Have Learned:
I have discovered that journal writing is a useful tool across the curriculum. It is a flexible tool that gives many opportunities to students to speculate on paper, confident that their writing will not be criticized. The potential of this type of writing offers different stimulates that help students in the classroom. It offers the students the possibilities to watch himself or herself grow, by reading past entries.
Opportunities are endless, as to giving students the freedom to explore new dimensions of writing. Whereas other types of writing can be introduced and explored, for pleasure or class usage. Also when combined with any selected reading assignments, this activity may extend the focus or theme the teacher may have in mind to cover.
But there are also negative aspects of journal writing, which the teacher must also keep a watch for. First a teacher may accidentally hurt a students feeling with criticism. Next the loss of instructional time needed to teach course material.
Simple solutions for these are found, first don’t criticize, if not for a specific usage. Then simplify the time frame by assigning topic relate to the day’s work. Also limiting the writing time five or ten minutes a period. These are simple activities that can make journal writing more acceptable.
Connect journals with other topic across the curriculum, by making the journal oriented to specific subjects. For example use the journal as a reading log, where students inform and reply to reading analyzes to certain genre. Make an art journal, a science journal both can hold either examples, notes, require works.
A Math journal can keep by students to better help them, and also the personal and dialogue journals which is commonly known and used by teachers.
Teachers now have the tool and potential to foster a classroom where creativity and the freedom of writing in combination with the grade expectations, will help students to expand their inner creations.
A journal is a good friend who is never too busy to listen
References
Fulwiler, Toby. “Journals across the Disciplines.” December 1980.
ttp://www.journalforyou.com/full_article.php?article_id=7
tp://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr144.shtml
ttp://biblioteca.universia.net/ficha.do?id=6169218
Yo investigo: El uso de canciones en una clase de escritura creativa
Muchas son las estrategias que he utilizado para promover la escritura creativa. He participado de foros, conferencias, talleres y seminarios que me han dado una u otra idea para hacer de la escritura un proceso divertido e interesante en el salón de clases. En mi experiencia educativa, he inventado las mil y una estrategias para “enamorar” a mis alumnos a la fascinante tarea de la escritura creativa. A veces he tenido que “inventármelas” para motivarlos a escribir y disfrutar de esta experiencia discursiva.
Soy de los que creen que hay que leer para escribir, y así lo hago y lo he sugerido a mis alumnos. Es imprescindible la lectura cuando se quiere llegar a ser un buen escritor. Consciente de que la escritura es un proceso, y que el mismo debe llevarse de manera fiel y metodológica, no puedo atarme a ese principio de manera absoluta sin auscultar otras alternativas que se puedan integrar a este proceso. Ahora bien, una vez cumplida esta alternativa, me enfrento a la realidad de cómo hacer de la escritura una experiencia divertida, entusiasta y sobre todo productiva.
Opté por incluir la música, como atractivo en mis clases de escritura. Más que la música, incluyo canciones, unas clásicas, otras contemporáneas, lo importante es que los alumnos disfrutan lo que hacen y lo que escuchan.
Últimamente he realizado varias lecturas sobre este particular y entiendo que mi estrategia no es nueva en el aula. Howard Garner (1995) es cónsono con lo expuesto cuando afirma que:
“la música estructura la forma de pensar y trabajar, ayudando a la persona en el aprendizaje de matemáticas, lenguaje y habilidades espaciales”.
Por otro lado Silvia Betti en su artículo La canción moderna en una clase de E/LE cita a Cassany (1994):
“escuchar, aprender y cantar canciones en clase es una práctica de valor didáctico incalculable. Son textos orales ideales para practicar aspectos como el ritmo, la velocidad y la pronunciación correcta… además, como actividad lúdica, las canciones suponen una alternativa a otros ejercicios de repetición poco motivadores (…)”.
Larry M. Lynch habla de las 9 razones por las que usted debe utilizar canciones para enseñar inglés como idioma extranjero y entre otras cosas expone que Los maestros de lenguaje pueden y deben utilizar canciones como parte de sus estrategias de enseñanza en el salón de clases. De acuerdo con Lynch él dice que las canciones contienen lenguaje auténtico, están accesibles, proveen vocabulario, gramática y aspectos culturales y que además son divertidas para los estudiantes. Las canciones proveen prácticas valiosas del discurso, fomentan el arte de escuchar, en fin promueven las artes del lenguaje en general, dentro y fuera de la sala de clases.
Frank McCourt en su libro MEMORIAS DEL AULA: Una clase de escritura creativa habla de sus experiencias como maestro con el uso de canciones populares norteamericanas e irlandesas en la ciudad de Nueva York. Por más de 15 años, utilizó esta estrategia en una clase de escritura creativa y jamás recibió una respuesta negativa a esta práctica por parte de sus alumnos.
“Los jueves cantábamos. Cantábamos canciones populares norteamericanas e irlandesas y no importaba que mis alumnos fueran chinos, hispanos, africanos, rusos, judíos, coreanos —la población habitual de Nueva York-. Ni una sola vez en 15 años me preguntaron: “¿Por qué cantamos todas estas canciones en una clase de escritura creativa?”
La música a igual que las canciones ayudan a incrementar el arte de escuchar de una manera relajada y divertida. Wolf (1992) expuso que el arte de escuchar es la clave fundamental para cantar, adquisición de lenguaje y posteriormente leer y escribir.
Actualmente, según mi experiencia a través de la práctica docente y de acuerdo con la revisión de literatura, he aprendido que puedo utilizar la lectura de las canciones como fuente de información para la escritura de párrafos argumentativos, descriptivos, expositivos o narrativos, fundamental para promover la escritura creativa a través de canciones populares, clásicas o contemporáneas. Se puede exponer un tema en épocas y culturas distintas así como argumentar diversos aspectos culturales de una época, de un lugar, de un país (festividades, costumbres, ideales, forma de pensar…)
De igual manera, una canción estimula el arte de narrar un cuento tomando como partida la lírica de una canción así como comparar y contrastar el mensaje de una canción con un cuento, novela o poema.
Desde el punto de vista lingüístico, las letras de las canciones sirven para identificar los diferentes registros en diferentes épocas. Con el uso de canciones, puedo Introducir a mis estudiantes nuevas estructuras en contextos con significado y a la vez aumentar el vocabulario y repasar el que ya han adquirido.
Finalmente, creo en el uso de las canciones como herramienta de trabajo para acercar al niño al mundo de la escritura. De igual manera es un recurso que tengo al alcance y que puedo manejar fácilmente. Todas las artes del lenguaje pueden enseñarse de una manera innovadora y atractiva, pero lo mejor de todo es que puedo practicar todas las destrezas de una forma divertida.
I Search: Why use literature to teach writing?
As an English teacher always searching for techniques and strategies to improve the teaching of the language, many questions arise for the teaching of writing especially when teaching writing to second language learners. Many times I have heard that reading and writing should be connected and that using literature to teach writing is an effective strategy. Nonetheless, I have not heard what are the clear benefits of using literature to teach writing and why is that using literature to teach writing is good when working with ELL and ESL students.
As a result to the inquietude of: Why using literature is a good way to teach writing? I began to look for research on the topic, research that could answer the question with clear details and benefits of this way of teaching writing to my students. In my search I found many interesting reasons of why using literature is a good alternative to teach writing to language learners. One of those reasons is given by J Scott Shields in his article “The Art of Imitation.” Shields, indicates that he cultivates student’s original writing by promoting imitation. He says, that using another author’s work to teach writing can yield effective and long-lasting benefits to give students confidence to write on their own. For example when teaching poetic structure many poetry teachers utilize scaffolding which is an imitative approach involving the use of specific lines from a well-known poem to serve as an initial framework for a student’s original verse. This benefit of using literature to teach writing is one that I can see with my ESL students because as second language learners using models to write is a good way to get them started and to imitate the great writers to improve their own writing. Also, using models in the teaching of writing can free students to concentrate on the content of what they are writing without being underly restrictive by concerns of form.
Another reason to use literature to teach writing is that reading informs writing, as well as writing imaginatively in response to literary texts enriches students appreciation and valuable insights in interpreting works (Knoeller). In his article “Imaginative Response: Teaching Literature Through Creative Writing” Kristian Knoeller, says that creative writing can provide a vehicle for responding to literature in personally meaningful ways because sometimes students don’t have the opportunity to write imaginatively writing. For this matter it is good that teachers use multi-genre response approach in order for students to explore writing several imaginative pieces in a number of genres in response to a literary work.
In addition Jean M. Mc Clean, gives another reason to use literature to teach writing this time using classic literature. One of the reasons to use classic literature is that it can lead to different writing activities. Also, this kind of literature can inspire students to write pieces with mythical themes. On the other hand, I found in my research that as teachers we can use literature to make students write to learn or write to demonstrate understanding and learning. In “Journal Writing from Retreat to Reward” Sharon Kingen, talks about the use of a Literature Journal to yield writing. When using a literature journal or reading journal students can demonstrate what they understand of the reading and at the same time having to write about what they read, they complete the required reading and the students and the teacher can see how the students interpret the reading and what they could and could not understand of it. It helps to see where students need clarification and also what interest them more. In addition something very important is that in order for students to do a personal response about what they read they need literature to which they can relate to. As a result, if we want our students to write real responses we need to read literature in our classrooms that students can relate to and can authentically write about it.
At the end of my research I found out that my question had diverse responses. Definitely the use of literature is a good alternative to teach writing or yield writing in my students because it serves as a model for my students to follow, it can make students to write imaginatively in a creative way using and exploring different genres and it can be use to make students respond to literature using writing to learn and writing to demonstrate knowledge and understanding. Moreover, I by using literature to make students write, I can discover what are my student’s interests. Furthermore I understood that in order for my students to respond authentically to what they read they need to feel connected and relate to the literature they read. As a result, I need to select literature that relates to my students reality. Finally, as an English teacher using the literacy approach I discovered that I can use literature to yield writing and to teach writing for different important reasons in my ESL classroom.
By: Yazmin Mendez