Here goes with my first blog...
PROMPTS:
What are your perceptions of content literacy and the adolescent reader? What are your experiences involving content literacy? What are your initial observations of effective reading in your discipline?
Before entering into my first day of this course (The Teaching of Reading), I thought we were going to learn how to teach students to read, which of course scared me a little. Before this class I had not really heard the term "content literacy". I now understand the meaning and the strategies that help students apply reading and writing throughout content areas. English class is not the only place that students need to read and write!
Throughout my years as a student I do not recall my teachers using content literacy strategies. For the most part we were told to read a chapter in the provided textbook for homework then the next day the teacher would lecture to us while we took notes. I also have had many teachers ask me to read a chapter or an article and then never discuss the readings or use the information from the readings (this is called "busy work"). These strategies of course were not motivation for me to read.
My content area is Business Education and I am excited about using different content literacy strategies in my classroom. I plan to not only use textbooks but also newspapers, trade books, and the Internet for students to explore their interests in the business world! I am going to get to know my students and try to understand what motivates them about business to help promote content literacy. I will implement several strategies mentioned in the article "Effective Literacy Istruction for Adolescents".
Today students are bombarded with information that they get from TV, cell phones, and computers. I want to be able to use this technology especially the internet to open the students to learn about real life business. I want to teach the students how to read, interpret, and write about the information being taught in my Business Education classroom. My ultimate goal would be to find out what MOTIVATES students to want to learn and discover more about business education.
Since my content is also business education, I agree wholeheartedly with what you said about finding out what motivates our students to learn about business. I noticed when we were student teaching last year the students were more interested in what we were teaching when we were able to put a real-life spin on it. That really seemed to get their attention. I think there are many ways to connect our learning with authentic activities, but we have got to get over the hurdle proposed by their reading level. Some of the strategies you have proposed like using trade magazines and the internet and then being sure to cover the assigned material in class are great. We don't want the students to feel like all we do is assign busy work and that we really do not care if they "get it". Additionally, it will be paramount for us to find ways to teach the necessary vocabulary without losing their interest, or making the students feel as if this class is too difficult for them because their reading skills may not be up to par.
ReplyDelete