I (Cathy) instruct part-time at Brock University. Many of my mid-term evaluations from my pre-service students read, “Please, tell more stories”. It made me laugh, but it made a point. We all love stories, no matter what our age: family stories; folktales from another culture; scary stories… it doesn’t matter. So today, in our first classes for 2014 I focused on storytelling, but turned the tables somewhat and encouraged my student teachers to be the tellers. They were asked to share personal stories about their teaching practicum, which they had completed just before the winter break. I started us off by sharing a story about a disastrous placement I experienced many years ago when I was a student teacher. The flood gates were opened. My, oh my, such stories! Hilarious stories about indignant kindergardeners; touching stories about tough grade eight boys weeping because they thought they had hurt the student teacher’s feelings; frightening stories about overly demanding associate teachers; and joyous stories about building up deflated ELL students. The passion in the room was palpable; it glowed in their eyes, exuded in their hand gestures and spilled about the room with the rise in the decibel levels. Clearly, they loved working with the kids, the learning (good and bad) and the chance to make a difference. They loved teaching, and even in this climate of little prospects of obtaining a teaching position for a few years, they were exactly where they belonged. And so was I. Cathy
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Our blog is now linked to FB and Twitter!
Clare
Writing = Thinking
As a doctoral student, learning to write academically has been a challenging process. My doctoral supervisor shared a piece of wisdom, but it was not until I began writing on a daily basis that I understood what she meant. “Writing is thinking,” she often said. As a novice writer, a blank page was a daunting and, often, an overwhelming sight. Through practice, I have learned that getting my ideas out on paper as soon as possible (without worrying about style, grammar, or clarity) is an invaluable strategy for me as it kick-starts the writing process. Once I see my ideas on the page, I begin to make more sense of them and begin the revision process. I have come across two helpful books related to academic writing: 1) Style: Lessons in clarity and grace (Williams, M. & Colomb, G., 2010) and 2) The clockwork muse: A practical guide to writing theses, dissertations, and books (Zerubavel, 2001). Both booka emphasize and articulate my supervisor’s advice that writing is thinking. Zerubavel notes: “One of the most common misconceptions inexperienced writers have of writing is that it is simply a mechanical process of reproducing already-formed ideas on paper. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In reality, writing is virtually inseparable from the process if developing our ideas.” (p. 48). Pooja
Relational Teaching
In our study of Literacy Teacher Educators (LTEs) from four countries, I was intrigued at how some of the LTEs adapted their role as 21st century educators by aligning themselves with key elements of from a pedgogy of multiliteracies (New London Group, 1996; Rowsell, Kosnik & Beck, 2008). The most dynamic of these key elements for me was the LTE’s commitment to relational teaching. Cope & Kalantzis (2009), original members of the New London Group stressed the “need for students to bring their own, culturally diverse life interests and knowledge to a learning situation”(p.185). The LTEs in our study clearly supported this sociocultural notion of multiliteracies education in their classrooms as they made time to understand their student teachers’ lifeworlds through discussion and autobiographical assignments. However, our LTEs took this concept one step further and consciously attempted to develop meaningful relationships with their students. Our LTEs suggested that developing “one-on-one relationships with the students” and “being closely attentive to what my student teachers are doing and saying is hugely important”. These priorities indicated, for me, the significance of relational teaching to be a successful LTE in the 21st century. Cathy
Teaching for Relevance
Many teachers in our longitudinal study have stressed the importance of relevance in learning. In re-reading Jane Austen’s novels recently I’ve noticed a similar concern. In Mansfield Park especially, she wrote at length about young people whose schooling gave them knowledge of ancient Roman emperors, the river systems of Europe, and the plots of classical plays but little understanding of society, human nature, or how to live. The relevance of schooling today is in danger of declining with the current emphasis on teaching a narrow band of knowledge that’s easily identified and tested. Clive Beck
Doc Talk
On Thursday, November 7, Clive will present to doctoral students at OISE on “from data to publication.”
Literacy Teaching and Teacher Education 