Reading Responses to Literacy in Three Metaphors, Writing Healing Introduction and Strategies - Essay Example

Reading Response on “Strategies” As an educator, my primary concern must be to be able to provide an adequate and conducive learning environment for all my students regardless of their sexual orientation, gender, age, and other social and educational inclinations. However, working with a large audience in a classroom full of varying personalities makes this a highly difficult task to accomplish. But that is not to say that it is an impossible objective to achieve. Rather, it is one that can be accomplished with the cooperation of the students who have the desire to learn and fulfill their academic requirements. It is a well known fact that all universities and colleges have began to enact signed agreements between students and teachers / professors at the start of each academic season with the aim of clarifying the expectations and accomplishments of each party in the classroom setting. Such an agreement certainly helps to clarify the learning and discussion points during the lesson and forces students to take responsibility for their own actions within the classroom, be it in real time or cyberspace. The electronic classroom as students have come to become familiar with in the 21st century allows them too much freedom to be themselves and take their classes lightly because the professor is not within their eyesight. The students in an actual classroom treat their professors with a disrespect that is brought about by their misplaced sense of entitlement. By forcing students to acknowledge that they have an academic responsibility towards themselves, the students, both on the internet and in real time are forced to follow a certain sense of decorum that in the long run, proves to benefit both the students and professors as each party becomes an important tool in providing a conducive learning environment for their fellow classmates. The strategies mentioned in this text such as the academic integrity handbook and textuality in terms of educating students to avoid plagiarism will come in very handy once I am in charge of my own classroom already. I have every intention of using as many of the strategies discussed by the authors within my classroom. However, I shall enforce their suggestions within my learning environment on a case to case basis rather than making it an all encompassing ruling. I believe that most students already have a sense of how they wish to learn. Therefore, forcing them to follow a specific strategy and making them sign an academic contract will foster distrust between the student and myself. Which is why the academic contract should, in my opinion, only be enacted between myself and students who have proven to require the agreement in order to help them further their educational thought and learning process. The work that the authors have done in terms of research is only partially complete in my opinion. That is because our classroom and learning environment in the 21st century is constantly changing due to the increasing number of on-line classes which also changes the teaching method and teacher-student expectations. As such, I firmly believe that there is further room within the existing research to update the methodologies and expectations between the students and teachers / professors. This can be accomplished by observing the changes that are occurring within the electronic and real time learning environment with regards to the classroom environment and camaraderie between the students and the educators. The observations can become the starting point from which further research can be based upon. In terms of how I might be able to apply this material to my actual work experience, I will have to say that although the reading material makes logical suggestions pertaining to how to handle a new era classroom, I will only be able to apply the suggestions based upon the situations that pop up between myself and the students. The most difficult part of being an educator is trying to find the right balance between a “friendly” teacher-student relationship and one that students might tend to abuse as the educator tries to entice them to learn based upon their common interests and the like. As such, I can selectively enforce the rules as indicated in the student handbook. After all, not all rules and regulations should have a blanket application upon the student body. Each student is a unique individual who deserves to be treated as such. My appraisal of this text is that the academicians who developed it tried to make teachers seem more approachable and accountable for their actions within the classroom by specifically listing down what students should expect from them. Although that is a good start, the text fall short when it comes to explaining why so little is expected from the professors yet so much is expected from the students. Learning is a two way street that should be acknowledged on both ends. Therefore, more should be expected of the teachers whose job it is to encourage their students to listen, learn, and absorb their lessons. After all, an effective learning environment is based solely upon the ability of the professor to make the lesson and class not feel like it is filled with rigid academic expectations. An example of a flawed concept in this text can be seen within the academic integrity contract of the professor. What is to be expected of him is clearly spelled out for the students. However, there is nothing in the contract that forces the professor to acknowledge any shortcomings that he may have in his teaching style or information shared with the students. I believe that the agreement can be further enhanced by making the professor responsible for any mistakes that he might make in his teachings. He must be aware of any mistakes he makes and be mature and professional enough to admit to any shortcomings he may make, with an appropriate penalty coming from the educational institution as well. Since students are held to such rigid expectations and punishments for any mistakes and shortcoming with their academic work, the professors should be held responsible for their actions on an even higher level in order to encourage learning on the part of the students. One of the most important learning strategies that can be taught to students is that there is never a wrong answer in class. There is always a a lesson to be learned even from the most simple and seemingly inaccurate answer provided by a student as long as the student can provide supporting statements along with his answer. That is why it is important for professors to provide answer examples for every question that he asks. Although the authors of the text frown upon providing answers to discussion questions at the start of a class, I believe otherwise. Without an example answer to base their answers upon or start up a class discussion, students who are unfamiliar with the topic will be dealt a disservice. Therefore, offering the students, regardless of their familiarity with the topic, a backgrounder on the class discussion at the start will further enhance his learning experience. It is of the utmost importance that the professor know how to maintain control of his classroom in such a scenario however. That is because he is expected to be the person in control of the situation and as such, he is obligated to maintain a sense of decorum between the students familiar with the class topic and those who have encountered it for the first time. That can be accomplished by ensuring that no act of class room bullying occurs between the students. Bullying is a real problem that leads to learning problems for most students. That is why the academic contracts clearly dictates that students must have a sense of respect for one another by forcing them to listen attentively to whoever has the floor. But, in addition to listening attentively, they must also be tasked with ensuring that they air sentiments about any perceived mistakes as discussed by their classmates within the classroom setting in order to avoid any instances of bullying. It is the job of the professor to place a positive spin on the less than correct answers of the students in order to cloak that student with a sense of understanding that shall make the others in the class respect his opinion or answer just the same. In the end, I believe that this article will be of great benefit to me once I become an educator as it provides me with a deeper understanding of how to set up and take control of my students and classroom. By doing so, I will find that I am well equipped in terms of properly educating and motivating my students to learn in my classroom set up. Reading Response to “Writing Healing Introduction” It is of the utmost importance that we all understand how our daily lives have subjected us to daily abuses and exposure to traumatic events that have a profound effect upon our daily lives. Some of us, such as those who live in upper class, gated communities, and attend highly secure campus grounds, view the violent events that they see with a sanitized point of view. These are the people who believe that they are immune to the effects of the abuse around them. Then there are those who are not so lucky to be gifted with such a belief in life. Those who are trying to rise above their stations in life by any means necessary end up being the most traumatized of us all. People who have served as first responders, live in the ghetto, or join the military in order to try to afford a better life are those who are most affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). These great traumas that they experience in life, anywhere from sexual abuse as a child, witnessing a violent act within school premises, the horrors of war and terrorism across the globe, all account for the closed and pent up emotions that some people harbor. These “damaged goods” need the most help in recovering from the dark days in their lives. While psychiatric help has its benefits and support groups allow them to verbalize their emotions, trauma experts agree that there is a certain type of freedom that can be gained by the victims of PTSD through writing about their experiences. Perhaps it is because the mind has a voice of its own. Maybe it is because writing allows the victims to cloak themselves with a different person as they write about their traumatic experiences. Regardless of the reason, the value of writing as a healing tool cannot be taken lightly as it has produced an excellent therapy that allows the abused to deal with his own personal torment, thoughts, and emotions on a platform that gives him the freedom to confront his demons without causing him to experience the pain that comes from an almost physical recall of events when done verbally. Teachers of creative writing will find that some if not most of their students are dealing with some sort of inner conflict through their writing. Although there will be instances when these types of writing shall come across the teachers desk, it should not be encouraged by the professor because that is not the reason that the student is in this particular class. However, it should not be discouraged either because creative writing is a matter of personal choice and as teachers, it is not our job to stifle creativity and freedom of expression. Encouraging the student to try another, less darker topic for his next piece can actually be deemed as a proper way of helping the student deal with his trauma while encouraging him to get over it. As teachers, we know what the boundaries of creative writing are and we are expected to adhere to these regulations. It is of the utmost importance that teachers acknowledge the creativity of their students while discerning those who have actual traumas to deal with through their writing. I believe that as an educator, it is my job to encourage them to use these thoughts in a positive manner. Helping them to place a positive spin on what they are or have experienced without veering into psychoanalysis of my students. If writing is an outlet by which they allow themselves a window of freedom from the trauma that they are experiencing then who am I to take that instrument of peace away from them? Writing allows students an avenue of critical thinking that I should be encouraging in my classroom. This article has helped me understand the importance of creative writing to my students and how it can help me develop a deeper insight into their personalities and how I can best deal with them in our classroom setting. By connecting with them through their written work, I will be able to encourage them to learn more about our class topics. It is important for them to understand that through writing, they are able to fully understand their abilities and short comings as students. Therefore, following the suggestions within this text shall help encourage more learning on the part of the students. The research presented is quite current and applicable to the 21st century learning environment. After all, students are exposed first hand to these violent instances these days and as such, it becomes the duty of the teacher to help them process and understand what the violence in their lives mean. By allowing them to freely write about it, the students are afforded a chance to talk about something that has had a deep effect on their mental and emotional psyche without fearing any consequences. Little did I know that creative writing was also being used as a therapeutic tool for those trying to overcome various traumatic experiences in their lives. This reading material has helped open my eyes to the fact that creative writing is not an activity which is done simply for the fun of it. It is also done because it is something that helps to soothe the human soul. It is from those deep seated traumas that we get the best and most creative literary minds in this modern times. Although the text informs me that as an educator, I have the authority to refuse the dark writing of my students, I do not see the need to do so. Rather, I should use the student writing in order to encourage better performances from them academically. I realize that there may be a distinct possibility that I may become involved with my student in a certain way if I choose to encourage his PTSD based writing but I will be doing him a disservice if I make any move to curb or stifle his creative juices. Just as with any student, a traumatized student will try to find his safe place in the academic setting. If the student finds himself safe when writing such themes, then I should not prevent him from doing so. It is important to understand that writing need not always be something light and warm. Not all writing needs to be a fluff piece. Rather, writing should be viewed with the therapeutic results that have even the professionals singing its praises. Even my non traumatized students will be struggling to find themselves within the creative writing class. They may be dealing with a different set of problems themselves. However, writing still helps them sort these problems out for themselves. Therefore as a professor, my main job will be to encourage the students to use their writing abilities most effectively. After all, they all have a story to tell. The text as I have read it makes specific mention of various schools of thought when it comes to understanding how writing becomes an effective tool for dealing with trauma. The extensive research done however, still leaves more room for further research as I believe that the benefits of writing as a tool meant to help people heal themselves is only now starting to become understood. It is only through further research of this topic that we may be able to find flaws within the previous text and perhaps correct them as time and evidence to the contrary allows. Such information as contained within the text as presented definitely provides me with an opportunity to do further research on my own about the other healing powers of writing at a future date. What I learned from the article about the topic is only the tip of the iceberg as far as I am concerned and will provide me with ample opportunity for further studies in the future. The scholars methodology in this case is definitely going to prove to be highly useful in the future. Writing as a tool of healing is something that professors should encourage among their problem students. Professors who allow their students to openly write about themselves in creative writing class will find that their students will be much more receptive to what is being taught to them. While professors may note an increased understanding on their part for what their students are going through. a sense of empathy is never a bad thing provided the professors and students do not cross the line in supporting one another. Professors must acknowledge the fact creative writing from their students might stray from the academic norms once in a while. This is not something that they should discourage because the students learn a great deal by writing about their life experiences. While professors cannot become friends with their students, the article clearly points out that professors can still be a supportive arm for the students to lean on by allowing them to find their voice through writing. Reading Response to “Literacy in Three Metaphors” Literacy is and will always be a bone of contention among most academic scholars due to the vast definitions that the word carries. There seems to be a total confusion pertaining to what the word actually means and how it must be used to describe certain things. Therefore the article as written by Sylvia Scribner carries a tremendous amount of questions and almost answers for most readers interested in the topic of literacy. Prior to reading the article by Ms. Scribner, I understood the definition of literacy to be as simple as a person merely having the ability to read and understand the written word and symbols as used within the context of the English language. Little did I know that what I understood to be literacy was merely one of the numerous definitions that are tacked onto the word by academics and other word professionals. Her take on the definition, debate, and word etymology on literacy is something that can only be called amazing and highly informative as she seems to leave no stone unturned in her quest to explain why literacy should be viewed in three methods using highly accurate metaphors to help illustrate her points. Hard to believe as it may be, literacy seems to be something that we take for granted in the academic world of the 21st century due to the prevalence of reading materials and reading aids. One cannot fathom the idea that illiteracy may still exist and that literacy is something that most people in lesser developed countries struggle to achieve. It is because of such simple knowledge of what the word literacy truly describes that I found myself fully engrossed in this article. Its description of the history of the word and the long standing debate as to its true meaning left me highly interested in discovering what the most accurate definition of the word might actually be. More importantly, how can one identify if the person he is speaking to is truly literate or not? Is literacy based solely based upon the ability of a person to be able to understand the basic rudiments of reading and comprehension or is there a lot more at stake before one can claim to be literate and in the same breath, educated? What this article helped me understand is that literacy is literally a state of mind. There is no one single definition, nor one correct definition of the word. That is because the explanation as to what the word is trying to describe varies due to the way the term is used in sentences. That is perhaps the reason as to why the author chose to discuss the topic of literacy based upon 3 metaphors. The metaphors being : adaptation, power, and state of grace. This article helped me understand that the most common form of literacy practiced is the adaptation model. That is because this method of literacy allows us to understand the basic everyday words needed in order to accomplish our daily tasks. This is the literacy model that is used by students across the board and other office workers as well. However, functional or adaptational literacy has its detractors who feel that literacy is something that should be socially rather than academically based. Case in point being the tribes that communicate merely through signs and symbols, sans the use of the Roman alphabet. Should they be considered to be part of the illiterate portion of society? Should literacy be based solely upon the use of letters and the formation of words? As an educator, I believe that that there are many forms of literacy to be considered. Therefore, adaptation literacy is merely one of the many literacy forms out there. But, as far as students should be concerned, they should concentrate on this form of literacy for the duration of their academic career for it is with this type of literacy that they gain the ability to move on to the next level of “literacy as power” and eventually, literacy as a state of grace. As an educator, my job, will be to ensure that literacy in terms of adaptation becomes more widespread among my students. That is because the adaptation model is the basis of all their learning abilities. Without the basic understanding of literacy at this level, I will be unable to educate them about anything else. Therefore, it is for their own educational purposes that they should understand the importance of adaptation literacy and use it to their advantage. Although the other two metaphors for literacy will also exist in the same platform as adaptation literacy, the concentration of a students academic studies must revolve around the latter more intently. That is because students learn by reading and understanding. Only after mastering these lessons as taught to them in academics, can they allow themselves either wittingly or unwittingly to advance to the next higher levels of literacy. The research of the author is quite interesting in such that I have never heard of literacy being discussed using three models / applications before. By discussing literacy in this manner, the author has allowed me to come to a deeper understanding of literacy along with its more important definition types. With such information now available to me, I feel that I will be a more effective educator in the future because I will know how to use the various types of literacy to help my students learn their lessons. The scholarly information contained within the pages of this research can easily be used by any educator to help make his teaching life easier. it also leaves academicians with room to research more modern definitions and usages of the term literacy. Should I feel the need to do further research on the topic in the future, I am sure that I will be able to use this article by Scribner as an excellent starting point for my paper. Literacy is, for all intents and purposes, just like any other living, breathing, and evolving language, always varying in definition but never losing its importance as a part of our daily vocabulary. When I begin to teach I will most likely come across students who have a sense of being literate simply because they know how to read and write. They will be lacking in the basic comprehension skills that are necessary in order to call oneself literate on the most fundamental level. Thanks to my understanding of the lessons from this article, I will be able to assist him in order to become a truly literate person. Even if it means that I will have to take him back to the rudiments of reading and the alphabet, he will be able to develop his adaptation literacy skills with my help. The author, who is a highly accomplished academic has once again provided her readers with some excellent material with which to consider upgrading their academic instructional skills prior to presenting a topic to their class. By allowing us to understand the metaphors of literacy, an educator will now be entering class armed with more understanding of the intricacies of literacy and how to deal with the students who will obviously have come to class falling under one of the three metaphors for literacy. It is because of the metaphorical take of the author upon the definition of literacy that I find it hard to determine if there are any actual mistakes or flaws in her text. After all, she took the time to go into the detailed history of the definition of the word literacy, bothered to develop the three metaphors to help define the word and finally, wrote an academically accepted and factually accurate paper based upon her research and understanding of the word definition on a grander scale. The word literacy is something that can come up in discussions of teaching strategies. That is because the basis of teaching is an understanding that the student has the ability to read and understand his lessons. As such, he will be academically motivated to attend his classes, learn his lessons, and participate in class. Without any form of literacy on the part of the student, no amount of strategy will help the professor accomplish his course objectives. In the end, the required reading for this paper was actually about more than just the most accurate definition of the word literacy. Word etymology was only just a small portion of the article as well. The article is all about the importance of literacy in our lives and how it exists in various ways in order to allow us to define ourselves as literate individuals. Read More