Identity Blog

I think one of the best ways I can support the formation of students' identities is by always giving them opportunities to decide who they are, and where they stand, on a variety of issues. I'm fortunate to be going into English education, where we have the amazing vehicle of literature. Students will have the chance, virtually every day, to view a character as they tackle complex and messy situations. Which means that students will have the opportunity to ponder over how they would have handled the situation, and whether they agree or disagree with the character. I will provide guided discussions in the class so that students will be gently pushed toward confronting these issues, in case they are either forclosed or diffuse on the issues. As they discuss their points, supporting their positions with logic and textual evidence, they can have "practice runs" at life--a kind of safe trial-and-error period in which they can test hypotheses about the way things work in the world and society without the danger inherent to making these decisions in their real lives. Literature provides a safe distance at which students can analyze decisions without endangering their egos or risking damaging their lives, but allows them to gain wisdom as though they had experienced it personally.

Differentiation Blog

Disclaimer: I am not at all sure I really understand what I'm doing here just yet. 

So, thinking of the English/ Language Arts content area, and specifically in the area of creative writing (since that is kind of my passion), I was thinking about when I will teach formal poetry. If I want to get really specific, Sonnets.

To start off, I would "pretest" or have students fill out the K & W sections of a KWL on sonnets, turning it in for me to look over before beginning instruction. If, by some chance there is a student who, like me in high school, was already able to compose an iambic pentameter Shakespearean sonnet (yeah, I'm a dork, so sue me) then I might provide that student with an alternative assignment, giving instructional materials and format for more advanced formal poetry, such as a Villanelle or Sestina. For students who know a sonnet is a poem, and who know the basics of poetry such as rhyme and a basic idea of meter, but little else about it (which I anticipate will be the majority of them at that point in the year) I will be giving direct instruction, on the number of lines, the meter, the rhyme schemes and topical generalities, which may include handouts, modeling via whiteboard/projector/etc how to identify rhyme/meter/form, jigsaw groups in which one group finds the rhymes, one group looks at the meter, one group looks at format (Shakespearean/Italian), then explains to each other the elements they found in the sonnets provided, then finally having students compose a sonnet or two on their own as summative assessment for the unit. For students who have no idea what a sonnet is, what rhyme schemes are, etc, I will provide scaffolding by way of modules, handouts, side instruction, or peer mentoring. However, I plan to address these elements in an earlier unit, so I hope to avoid this problem. However, there could always be a circumstance where a student was absent for that week or two, or even transferred to the school, and would need scaffolding to get caught up. So the materials from earlier in the unit would be made available as well.

Schooling the World

Which part of the video did you find most powerful (either positively or negatively)? Why?

First, the video of students marching and swinging their arms military fashion was terrifying. Not only did it have all the undercurrent of conformity (loss of identity, loss of choice, loss of thought), but the militant element suggesting child-soldiers made me physically ill. It's bad enough to be raping these young people of their language, their culture, their beliefs, their family, to indoctrinate them in an Anglo-centric, commodified global economy, but the threatening undertones of militarization was something else completely.

I've always been strongly affected by the way the Native Americans were treated. The systematic physical extermination, followed by spiritual and cultural extermination. The images in this documentary just pulled those to the surface again for me.

This might be strange, but the "Little Boxes" song at the end was another moment of connection for me. It has been my theme song for American education for a while now, more so with the implementation of NCLB and then the Common Core movement. My own education at UVU, even. I know that I'm in a system that is like a factory for producing identically molded children. I just hope that I am made of resilient enough stuff that, after I've been stamped by academia, I can regain some semblance of my former moral identity, able to use the tools I believe to be beneficial, and strong enough to reject those that stand at odds with my sense of individuality..

Do you agree or disagree with the message of the film? Why?

I do agree, generally, with the message of the film. I think western cultures are incredibly egocentric, bordering on megalomaniacal. I do not think that western society is innately better than other cultures. I don't think a global consumer economy is the way this planet was meant to be inhabited. I feel like I am too deeply embedded within it to ever get out, but I certainly don't believe that other cultures should be dragged into it with us. I also agree that most of western interference and colonialization in general probably didn't/doesn't come from a place of meanness, but a general (albeit wildly misguided) sense of altruism, love, and a desire to help.

How does this documentary relate to Vygotsky's theory of sociocultural development? Use vocabulary and be specific.

In terms of Vygotsky's theory, in the situations outlined in the documentary, the role of the more knowledgable other is being outsourced. In most of these cultures, learning took place within family units, and the skills necessary for survival were learned. However, that role is being subsumed by westernized institutions. The skills and ideas being taught do not prepare students to like in their homelands, but to become a part of the global economy. Even private speech is affected, because in many of these schools, students are required to think aloud in English, being fined for using their native tongue. As I have learned (by virtue of studying English, and it was repeated in this documentary) languages are more that just words and grammar. They contain the cultural assumptions, traditions, beliefs, morals, etc, of the places they are spoken. By depriving children of their native language, they are deprived of their cultural identity. When self-talk changes, learning changes.

Arts in Education (extra credit)

I was unable to attend the conference, but I did read an article from the Dana Foundation.

"Training in the Arts, Reading, and Brain Imaging"

Brian Wandell, Ph.D., Robert F. Dougherty, Ph.D., Michal Ben-Shachar, Ph.D., Gayle K. Deutsch, Ph.D., and Jessica Tsang

Stanford University


This article discusses the research and experiments conducted by the authors, investigating possible correlations between exposure and development of skills in the arts and the development of reading--specifically phonology (the sounds of words) which is closely linked to reading ability. They implemented new DTI software to map the brain's development to track the physical changes and compared the data to feedback from the parents of the children being observed. The results found there was a correlation between developing skills in the arts--Music especially-- and reading. They also found preliminary evidence linking visual arts to math improvement.

Maybe this is because I am both a musical person, as well as an avid reader (who has battled dyslexia), but I kind of read this article thinking, "Of course it correlates!" It's awesome that they were able to actually observe and record data supporting what I've long held to be true. When I was young and struggling to decode letters and words as they jumped and squirmed on the page, I was also finding solace in singing. My mother likes to say I was singing as soon as talking. I say, for all that practice, you think I'd be better at it by now. But the truth is, I would spend hours standing next to the paino as my mother exhausted our book of childrens songs, and I would sing every word along with her. I'm certain that singing the memorized words helped me somehow pin them down on the page as my eyes followed along. This (as well as a dozen other multi-sensory compensatory strategies have allowed me to develop the passion I have for reading and writing (which I am translating into a desire to teach reading and writing). And there's a very high likelihood that music will be present in my classrooms for various projects. Just sayin'.

Piaget Blog

I've long since lost count of the number of people (teens and full-grown adults) who've told me that they don't "get" Shakespeare. That the language and themes are outdated. They think there is nothing they can gain from "suffering" through Shakespeare, and that it just doesn't affect them. But as a lover of The Bard, I can't wait to teach Shakespeare in my classes. And I think Piaget can help me.

I'm pretty sure that the language (early modern English) used by Shakespeare is more than enough to create disequilibrium. But I want to shoot for another kind of disequilibrium, too. Through use of essential questions, I want to get kids thinking, "How do Shakespeare's plays apply to me, and the society I live in?" and "What can I learn from reading Shakespearean plays?" These questions are very much at odds with many people's beliefs, which are probably that it does not apply, and there is nothing to learn from them. I'm hoping that the moment of, "Wait, there is a way this connects to me? There's something I can learn here?" (as the questions imply there is) will spark curiosity, and facilitate learning.

For teaching at the concrete operational level, I will use different visual representations of the play (or scenes from the play) we are reading. For instance, there are the BBC (word-for-word) versions. But there are also modern interpretations, such as 10 Things I Hate About You is an updated look at Taming of the Shrew, with modern language in a high school setting (It doesn't get more concrete than that!). Or one of the numerous movie versions of plays with more modern settings, but authentic language, which can help bridge the gap between what is being said, and what is going on, providing the students with a more familiar context.  I might ask them to write as though they are a character from the play, how they would be feeling or thinking if it were them. We will also go through unfamiliar words and syntax, creating lists of anything that might be confusing, and working some of them out together using context clues, and looking up synonyms or definitions for the rest. These methods seem geared at assimilation: showing them how to fit this weird Shakespeare stuff into their current world view. However, by broadening their vocabulary to include early modern English, they can learn that Shakespeare really isn't so scary, and it can, in fact, be enjoyable. Their schema for "understandable and enjoyable" plays might change from  "only those in contemporary English" to include those "from early modern English up to contemporary," which would be a kind of accommodation.

When we move up to the formal operational level, we will start dismantling and deconstructing the social issues at work within the plays. We can look at the way strong, independent women are treated in Taming of the Shrew, Tempest, Midsummer Night's Dream or even Macbeth. We can look at the parent child relationships. We can discuss the reasons for and effects of wars in the plays. We can discuss mental illness and suicide. The list of social issues is virtually endless. I might ask them, in a writing assignment, to transport the characters from the play into a new and unrelated situation. For instance: What political party would Macbeth be part of today and why (or where would he stand on certain "hot button" political issues today)? What TV show would Hamlet be addicted to and why? These questions would get at the essence of characters and require the students to think more abstractly about them. Primarily, I think these strategies are geared towards assimilation, helping the students connect the events and characters to their lives and interest. Ideally, by the end, students will be able to look back at those essential questions I mentioned earlier and answer them (perhaps without even realizing that they have had to change their schema to accommodate Shakespeare).

My Definition(s) of Intelligence

How do I know if someone is intelligent? My gut reaction goes to the good old I.Q. score--or aptitude. In practical reality, though, since I don't go around administering IQ tests to all of the people I interact with, I evaluate intelligence by other factors. The ability to draw reasonable, defensible conclusions from data, for example. Being rational. Being able to analyze, evaluate and synthesize information. Connecting ideas in unique and surprising ways.


Gardener's theory of multiple intelligences didn't actually sway my definition much, if at all. I think his "intelligences" are more of inclinations, or innate tendencies. I believe that "real" intelligence is about transferability. It's one thing to be gifted at one particular aspect of life, but that is not the same as being intelligent, in my opinion.

After reviewing Sternberg and  Cattell's theories, I do think that my definition needs to shift a little, as well as gain some clarity. I like Cattell's differentiation between static or crystalized intelligence, and fluid intelligence. I think that amassing relatively static knowledge gives the appearance of intelligence, but really, it amounts to experience and learning. The fluid intelligence is what I could classify as "real" intelligence.

Sternberg's Triarchic theory adds a little depth and nuance to my definition as well. If I am arguing that transferability is the key component of intelligence, Sternberg makes me slow my roll and think about the different steps of transferring ones ability as well as the different ways aptitude/intelligence can cross into new areas. I concede that even within my definition of intelligence, there is room for strengths and weaknesses in terms of how intelligence is applied. All three areas he lists-- the creative, analytical, and practical-- are all parts of how I assess intelligence, and it makes sense that these different aspects would contribute to the concerted effort of intelligence in varying quantities.

I think with my current definition of intelligence, I run the risk of judging kids based on how well they apply skills to the different areas of the content. I need to remember that it's not always universal, not all-or-nothing. The best fiction writers may be crap at poetry, the best poets might suck at punctuation. It doesn't mean they aren't intelligent. But I also think my definition will impress upon students that just because they think they "suck at English" but are good at math, doesn't mean I buy that crap. They will know that ALL of them can learn and become good at English, or anything else for that matter. That it solely depends on their willingness to put forth the effort to establish those neural pathways. "Can't" is not a reaction. It is "will" or "won't" and the decision is up to each student.

Another area for consideration is Emotional Intelligence, which is (aparently) a better predictor of future success than IQ scores. The wonderful thing about English as a discipline, is that through literature, exploration of complex emotional issues can take place at a "safe" psycological distance. At such a remove, students can analyze situations without the natural defenses raising that might come up if asked to analyze their own behavior. After having safely examined an issue at a distance, students can then turn those concepts inward as a kind of self-assessment. "How would I have handled that?" or "How would that make me  feel?" With a combination of reading, discussing and writing about the emotional issues in literature, I think students can not only identify emotions of others, and explore interpersonal relationships, but also identify their own emotions, finding strategies for managing those emotions (which can give students self-motivation, when they realize they can manage their reactions). Reading is awesome!

Metacognition and Self-Regulation

How does adolescent brain development impact metacognition and self-regulation?

Because the frontal lobe of the brain, which is responsible for higher order thinking, is no where near fully developed in adolescence, the types of critical thinking we want from students isn't going to just occur on its own. It needs to be taught and carefully cultivated.

How will you help your students develop the three types to metacognitive knowledge (declarative, procedural, and self-regulatory) and the three metacognitive skills (planning, monitoring and evaluating)?

One of the first things I will do in each of my classes is to give the students a learning styles survey as well as a "get to know you" survey which will ask the student what they know about their learning styles, what study habits or routines they use and where they struggle and excel content-wise. We will discuss in class the strategies that tend to work well for each learning type, so the students can get to know their "declarative" knowledge and procedural knowledge. Using their answers, I will develop self assessments catered for each student's learning styles and current metacognitive level. We will discuss as a class before each lesson (in an oral KWLN kind of way) what we will be covering, what they already know,  what their assumptions are about the topic, what they think the lesson is about, what they hope to get out of it. After each lesson, they can add what they learned, as well as how accurate their assumptions were about the topic, or what the lesson would be like.

For larger assignments/projects/essays, I will hand out planning guides (like a co-regulation plan) to help students insert their own due dates for each section of the assignment. This way, they feel like they are in control of their planning and due dates, but are still held accountable for meeting them. The final due date will be chosen by me, though, and they will have to make sure all of the pieces of the assignment (such as proposals, research, bibliography, etc) are all completed before the final due date. As each of their due dates come, I will have them check in with me and let me know how their work is coming along (likely just an email, but face-to-face if they prefer), and they will submit a copy of what they have done so far, and we can discuss if their due date plan seems to be working, and if not, how to adjust. The hope is by the end of the year, the check-ins with me will become unnecessary, and they will be used to setting their own "sub-level" due dates,  monitoring their own progress, and evaluating their efficiency.