ELA-A FIRST GLANCE

Now that EDCI 302 has come to a close, I must consider the impact the class had on my ELA evolution, from my first blog to this final entry. The strategies I have been introduced to through class discussions, presentations, the NCTE journal articles, Nacy Atwell’s Into the Middle, Sharon Creech’s Love that Dog and the guidance I have received from the IRPs will all play a significant role as I begin my adventure in building an ELA repertoire for both oral and written language. My hope is that this adventure will never end, because it is important to me I continue to learn new strategies that will engage, delight and ignite a passion for language arts in my students, long into my teaching years.

The Final Three

In this final blog, I would like to discuss three elements from EDCI 302 I will use in my classroom to engage students in both oracy and writing.  First, presenting to students a context they can relate to is crucial in prompting students to represent, whether it be through vocalizing or writing. This means students need to feel connected to their work. Second, providing for students a variety of strategies and opportunities so they can discover what they are good at and what inspires them needs to be executed if I want students to feel comfortable to at least try. Finally, organization, having clear guidelines and expectations set out for my students will be a fundamental element in nurturing students’ growth and progression in Language Arts.

Relatedness and Technology

Tom Roman, the author of “The Importance of Choice and Writing From the Inside”, suggests teachers must connect writers to their passions. Similarly, Nancy Atwell writes that school should reflect the nature of the kids. Students need to feel connected to their work. One way that this can be executed, is integrating technology into the classroom. Technology vehicles such as using youtube clips for topic hooks, creating voicethreads, and podcasts, or letting students explore video recording, blogging and other social media avenues are all state-of-the-art ways for students to engage in Language Arts. Middle School kids are up-to-date with these types of technologies. They use them on a daily bases and are excited to show their mastery skills in such areas. I look forward to trying out the technology methods my students will know more about than myself.

The Importance of Giving Students Variety

Today’s ELA classroom will be a very diverse environment. Student will range immensely in ability and cultural differences. This being the case, equal opportunity of success for each student is unattainable if students are presented only one option for writing and representing. The opportunities for oracy and writing cannot be convergent. Rather, as the teacher, I need to present to my students divergent possibilities. The BC IRP for English Languages Arts acknowledges diversity in the classroom, and for this reason, the IRP can act as a valuable resource. I will quickly draw attention to the Learning Principles presented in the IRP, which clearly state, “learning occurs in a variety of ways and different rates”. Recognizing and understanding diversity in the classroom helps to develop an environment that allows safe-participation from students. Students will be attracted to an assortment of genres and writing strategies. Atwell recommends introducing students to various genres and authors.  In class we often discussed the break-through of graphic novels and their popularity with kids these days. Offer students an opportunity to write their own graphic novel. Giving students variety in the way they write and vocalize will further their interest and in doing so create opportunity for growth and progression in Language Arts.

Organization and Student Improvement

Finally, being an organized teacher is essential to supporting the improvement of my future students. When I say this, I refer to the organization and layout of each lesson plan, which I learnt through the strategy assignment. I am also referring to the layout of the classroom and organization of materials accessible to students. Atwell begins organizing her classroom in August. The classroom she compares to an art studio. She also creates folders for her students to organize their work. Constructing individual reading records, writing records, reading surveys, and writing surveys, journals, hanging files of information and other various organizers. I think by being organized like Atwell will not only help a class run smoothly, but most importantly, it will aid in students further improvement. This form of “keeping track” of students’ exploration in ELA allows for teachers like myself to clearly point out the areas that need improvement or extra attention. Attention can now be given to these areas. Another aspect of organization is clearly outlining the expectations and criteria for students to follow. Students can pair-up the guidelines with their own work and point out where they didn’t meet expectations, where they met expectations and where they exceeded expectations. In doing so, students can keep track of themselves and improve upon specific areas. Students are now able to establish self-determination and self-management, which in the end will lead to their improvement and progression.

A Last Comment

 EDCI 302 was my introduction to ELA strategies. It lasted a mere three months. In conclusion, there is much more for me to learn before I can truly create a vision for my ELA classroom. I am sure things will change and the more I am exposed to different strategies and philosophies, the better my chances are of being successful. The journey must continue and like my future students, I must be exposed to as much as possible in regards to strategies that will engage, delight and ignite a passion for oracy and writing. Thus far I have decided that as long as I can relate to students, provide divergent opportunities, and remain organized in every aspect, I will have a strong repertoire to lay the foundation in the vision for my classroom and furthermore, initiate the second leg of this journey.