Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography 

Sandra Miedema

Semester 2 2020

EDU: 575: Inquiry to Practice

 

Ladson‐Billings, G. (1995). But that's just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy. Theory into practice, 34(3), 159-165

 

This article expresses that teachers shall be mindful when attempting to implement culturally relevant pedagogy into their practices because if they are not done well, they may cause more harm than good.  If teachers with good intentions try to translate a style of clothing or way of speaking to students, that they are not proficient with, they can lose the students. Instead, it is better to allow the students to use their own language and dress their way to be comfortable with themselves.  The teachers with the most success with gaining trust and creating environments where the students felt safe where those who got to know the funds of knowledge of the students and brought those elements into their teaching.

The teachers in the article who were not in it for a paycheck, or were dreaming of retirement, or wished that they worked somewhere else, with a different group of students, were the ones who connected with students on their terms,  accepted and respected students for who they were, experienced successful results.

Glass L (2019). Reading Chess Rumble: Engaging Disengaged Readers Through Culturally Relevant Literature Discussions. Journal of Children's Literature, 45(2).pp 56-68

 

This enlightening article expressing the positive results of engaging students with culturally relevant literature.  The author, Laporsha Glass, is an African American educator who works with students in Chicago in an area where most students are non-white.  "The amount of of multicultural children's literature featuring characters of color and written or illustrated by a person of a parallel culture group is strikingly wow as compared to children's literature created for the dominant cultural groups, which are predominantly Whites of European descent" (Botelho & Rudman, 2009:Cooperative Children's Book Center, 2018).  Glass tells that students feel empowered when reading books they can relate to. Her research lead to her choose 6 students who were struggling readers. The school they attended had a large chess presence for the students. The students were mostly African American who had challenges with family life and who spoke AAVE, which defined as African American Vernacular English.  She decided to create a literature discussion group ( similar to a book club) with the students to meet for 90 minutes to read and discuss the book Chess Rumble.  The book was specifically chosen because it mirrored the students in many ways.  It was written by an African American author; G. Neri, in AAVE and addressed the game of chess and how it affected the characters, who had troubles in their lives.  The message in the story is positive, taking a troubled child from fighting with his hands, with anger and disappointment, and then battling through chess. The group began to engage in respectful exchanges about the book.  They initially were challenged by the writing in AAVE, even though it was the way they spoke. Eventually, they were able to decipher it and more than that, appreciate it. The literature group sessions were successful in developing a safe environment where students felt comfortable with the text, as it was relatable, as well as the format of the small group.  There was a disagreement between two members, that was handed respectfully, allowing each to be vulnerable and open. Glass wonders whether the conversation would have been the same if it occurred in a full class setting. The students enjoyed the book and engaged in rich discussions and discourse. Many of them considered it their favorite book and reread it over again.  

Lemons, C. J., Allor, J., Otaiba, S. A., LeJeune, L. M. (2016) 10 Research-Based Tips for Enhancing Literacy Instruction for Students with Intellectual Disability, TEACHING Exceptional Children, Vol 49, No. 1, pp 18-30. DOI: 10.1177/0040059916662202

This research study was a direct support for teachers who are working with struggling readers.  The article is targeted for addressing the needs of students with intellectual disability, yet it seems that the strategies may be applied to any student struggling with literacy skills.  "Browder et al.'s(2009) model includes two primary components. The first component offers guidance on considering instruction priorities, supports, and access opportunities; the second provides direction for considering the instructional emphasis."  It is broken down into 10 tips that are structured in 2 sections. The first 2 sections focus on instructional planning. The last 8 focus on instructional delivery. Each section contains tips and discussion points. The format is set up as a structured "Go to support" for literacy struggles, for the specific group.  

What is consistent is the structure.  There are 10 concrete steps to follow.  The tips and discussion points support the teacher with problem solving.  What seems most apparent is that when a teacher is fully prepared and a format is structured with goals set, there is data to document success.  This data may drive may be used as useful information towards the students success.   

The tips are researched based which validates that they have been practiced and proven successful for a particular group.  This is more useful than mere suggestions, leading to my interest to try some out. As a teacher, we have access to so many tools.  Knowing that they have been utilized with successful outcome makes these tools useful.  

Aston, M. Educational Facilitator and Special Education Coordinator (2019, December) Personal Interview.

This interview expressed that when instruction is directly guided, especially with younger students with a growth mindset(of a 1st - 3rd grade class) it is most successful.  It is least successful with the older students as they may already have developed a mindset of limited abilities. The biggest obstacle Aston faces when working with struggling readers is limited time with each student.  There aren’t enough hours in a day. She is able to work with struggling students during the morning work cycle, when the balance of the class is working independently on work plans. The students are most successful when they are able to focus and are engaged in lessons.

 

Wolter, D. (2017). From Labels to Opportunities. Educational Leadership, 74(7), 74–78. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=122878217&site=ehost-live

This article,  written by a literacy consultant,  was about the disadvantages students face when then are pulled from their mainstream class for special services.  It goes on to tell that when the students are with more than one supporting specialists, then may each work in a vacuum, leading the student in varied strategies that may not support each other.  This lead to the student being worse off. It especially addresses the labeling of students based upon their challenges, rather than simply calling all students readers and writers. The article promoted UDL (Universal Design for learning) as a positive approach to teaching, providing equal opportunities to all students. It also promotes inclusion where a student receives support in his own class, not missing out on class activities.  In the case of ELL students, they may suffer from linguistic overprotection and covert segregation (p. 76) that may cause them to fall further behind, because they are identified by their disabilities.

In conclusion, the article requested that we shift our thinking and to stop pushing labels and to think of the individual needs of each student.

 

Miedema, L. Linguistics Tutor, Mesa College(2019, December 16). Personal interview. 

This interview attempts to discover the typical students who seek tutoring and what types of struggles they encounter.  Miedema says that most of the students are English Language Learners. She says that their academic challenges are compounded by the differences in English compared to their native language, especially with grammar.  Students with learning disabilities struggle more and do not like to be labeled. 

VanTassel-Baska, J., & Stambaugh, T. (2006). Project Athena: A Pathway to Advanced Literacy Development for Children of Poverty. Gifted Child Today, 29(2), 58–63. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ746301&site=ehost-live

This article questions whether students in poverty can advance their skills by implementing methods used for gifted students in their learning. Students of disadvantaged means tend to lack the environmental exposure to advanced vocabulary, books, and modeling of verbal skills needed for literacy and test taking. (VanTassel-Baska & Stambaugh, 2006, pg 59).  The study was in language arts with students in the 3rd -5th grades. There were 24 lessons over a 3 month span. The curriculum included materials that were used with students who were gifted learner, in order to determine whether students who were not considered gifted could benefit. They worked in small groups initially, then come together as whole groups in the end.  The goals for the study were to advance the student performance and understanding of language arts concepts, implementing strategies practiced with gifted students. The goals were also for the teachers to develop professional training models. Before working with the students, with a strategy such as creating a web, after reading a poem, the teacher would present her web to peer teachers for feedback. 

The data collected from the 2nd year (of a 4 year) showed assessments with increased rates for the students and all areas.  The teachers were assessed, too! They observed each other twice each session. The result for students and teachers was a higher level thinking and problem solving.  The study continues in order for all students gifted and potentially, to have the opportunity to learn at higher levels.