I'm going to focus on the reading from Mechanically Inclined simply because those concepts are really sticking with me.
As a middle school student, even as a high school student, I certainly remember grammar workbooks. In fact, my sophomore year of high school I had a thick vocabulary/grammar workbook that I lugged around every day. Every night my assignment was to complete 1 section, or about 15 pages, of grammar/vocab practice. Exhausting, right? The book "taught" us prefixes, suffixes, blah blah blah. Surprisingly enough, I could not tell you one thing that I remember learning from that book. Sure, I learned a number of those concepts, but I learned them through application and usage...not from repeated workbook exercises. As future teachers it is extremely important for us to find innovative, creative, and successful ways to teach grammar and mechanics.
"Pseudo-concepts"...wow! I had never heard the term before reading it last night. The example that was used dealt with the usage of its/it's...the pseudo concept is a "budding theory based on initial impressions". Students know that if they were to write The dog's collar was bright blue they would use an apostrophe in dog's to show possession. Therefore, in the sentence Its collar was bright blue they also want to insert an apostrophe even though that is incorrect. This is amazing to me for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I make this mistake all of the time...occassionally I catch myself, but often times I don't. I could be wrong, but I'm almost positive that if I had been taught what a "pseudo-concept" was and why I was missuing it's/its...I would have understood my error and stopped! Really, it seems so easy to me now that I've had it explained in such a different context. I also like this concept because I think it opens the door to teachers understanding the minds of students. Students learn based off of what they already know. Even as a college student I often rely on prior knowledge to gain and understand new information. Prior learning almost acts as a type of scaffold to future learning.
It is no secret that grammar is a "shudderwhenyouhearit" kinda word. That applies to learning it...and it also applies to teaching it. It is obvious that over the past few years the attitude toward teaching grammar is fairly negative. Does that mean that as future teachers we should just ignore the problem and get that area of the curriculum done as soon as possible? No, as future teachers it is our responsibility to be the leaders of change. We need to start "creating" not "correcting". What we have always done in regards to teaching grammar is no longer efficient, so it is time to start figuring what would be effective. There are several aspects of teaching that I think are extremely important. Scaffolding, application, and context. Anderson explains the following strategy:
A teacher uses one sentence from a short text or passage the students have already read or will read. The teacher should read the sentence aloud, then ask the class what "sticks with them" or what they like about it. This is excellent for starting an open discussion and really getting to the heart of your students' minds. When you udnerstand how they see a sentence and its parts, you can better teach them to understand the grammar and mechanics of those parts. In other words, perhaps teachers can use the learning strategies that students already have to teach them new concepts. If I see that Susie really likes that a sentence is longer and has several parts, I can then begin to explain to her the idea of a complex sentence as well as how to form one. Now Susie knows how the concept that she already likes, works. This may not work for everything, but if it works for something, then it is useful.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Oh, Grammar...
I really enjoyed the reading for this week. I enjoyed it, I suppose, because I agreed with what the authors claimed. In Chapter one, Weaver discussed the issue of teachers taking extremes in the teaching of grammar. "English teachers have swung from teaching grammar out of a grammar book...to the opposite extreme of teaching almost nothing at all about grammar." It seems obvious, at least in my mind, the students simply cannot learn how to write using appropriate grammar if it taught only by reading from a textbook and doing a few exercises. However, a student does need to know a little about grammar, so cutting it completely out of the curriculum is no good either. No, grammar can only be taught through application. Students learn by doing. And not just once, students need to practice.
I love the idea of teaching grammar as a writing enhancer. Honestly, I think writing is the only medium where grammar really matters. The writing process is an excellent way to utilize the "practice, practice, practice" method. Students prewrite, proofread, draft, revise, and usually revise again. As a teacher, it is important to teach grammar as a way for students to improve their writing. Adding adjectives to give life to situations or objects, using a semi-colon to let their reader know that the sentence is still about the same thought...If they don't get it the first time, there is always the next draft or revision. I also appreciate that Weaver points out that correcting every mistake is not always helpful, but in some cases, it is detrimental to a student. Some mistakes are evidence that a student is learning a concept and trying it out; If you tell them they are wrong you will only discourage them from trying.
"There is no single variety of English that's appropriate for all purposes and situations." How true! This makes me think of our discussion from last class about language. Your use of language will always alter based on who it is you are talking or writing to, and there is nothing wrong with that. Using tech speak when online, speaking slang with friends, and addressing professionally a teacher or boss is expected and acceptable. The problem arises when those lines become blurred.
I love the idea of teaching grammar as a writing enhancer. Honestly, I think writing is the only medium where grammar really matters. The writing process is an excellent way to utilize the "practice, practice, practice" method. Students prewrite, proofread, draft, revise, and usually revise again. As a teacher, it is important to teach grammar as a way for students to improve their writing. Adding adjectives to give life to situations or objects, using a semi-colon to let their reader know that the sentence is still about the same thought...If they don't get it the first time, there is always the next draft or revision. I also appreciate that Weaver points out that correcting every mistake is not always helpful, but in some cases, it is detrimental to a student. Some mistakes are evidence that a student is learning a concept and trying it out; If you tell them they are wrong you will only discourage them from trying.
"There is no single variety of English that's appropriate for all purposes and situations." How true! This makes me think of our discussion from last class about language. Your use of language will always alter based on who it is you are talking or writing to, and there is nothing wrong with that. Using tech speak when online, speaking slang with friends, and addressing professionally a teacher or boss is expected and acceptable. The problem arises when those lines become blurred.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
5 Big Ideas about English
1. I have always found the English language to be unnecessarily complex. If I didn't already love literature, reading in general, and writing in any manner, I probably wouldn't be an English major. However, I do, and I am. In High School and again in college I studied the French language, and two summers ago I began to teach myself a small amount of Haitian Creole as a result of the mission trips I take there. Both of those foreign language were easier for me to learn and comprehend than my own native tongue. That is insane to me. Still, I have always assumed that the English language was actually quite simple and logical and that I just needed to apply myself more to learning it. After 20 years, there is still so much I do not know, and I have just about applied myself to death. It is comforting to me to know that Bill Bryson agrees with my outlook on English grammar and rules. I agree with Bryson, though, that "there must be some conventions of usage". If not, we would have a hard time communicating.
2. I find it fascinating that Americans are so obsessed with the use of English. We expect, with our entitlement attitude, that all other people should speak English...even in their own countries! I wonder how many American citizens know that English is not an original language. I suspect that the majority of Americans are not aware that English has its roots in Latin, Norse, French, Greek, and other languages. To me, the sense of superiority that Americans feel is unwarranted. Our own language is diversified, borrowed; yet, we claim it as our own. America is very self-absorbed when it comes to language. In fact, we are quite uneducated compared to other countries. In Haiti, for example, students begin learning foreign languages in elementary school. Before they graduate they are required to reach a certain fluency in English, French, Spanish, and of course their own language, Haitian Creole. Other countries expect their students to be schooled in Latin. America is content with English and perhaps 2 or 3 classes of French or Spanish. We feel no need to learn another people's language when our own is so great.
3. I have always found the timeline of language in Modern times to be interesting. My step-father is 64, and he uses phrases such as: "Get your cotton-picking hands off of that!", "You turkey!", etc. I used to think that was so funny; now I use it as a learning experience. I've found that the older generations in my family, especially my grandmother, utilize phrases that I have never heard or that sound silly to me. In fact, when they were my age, those words and phrases were the "common tongue". Just as today teenagers use the word "like" in multiple contexts and use phrases such as: "That's sick.", "That move was epic!", etc. Those phrases don't sound silly to me, because I've grown up in the era that they have developed. Even so, regardless of the year, it is spectacular that language is always changing. Humans should realize the agency they have in those changes. We create language all of the time. Language does not create us.
4. "It's Like, EXTREME, But Not GROSS" touches on the issue of the decline in student's reading/writing skills. I wouldn't disagree. The proof is out there. Facebook, though not the only source of that declination, is home to many horribly spelled statuses, captions, and posts. Spelling is becoming a large issue for grade school students, and perhaps even more apparent, students seem to be struggling with reading as well as interpreting and understanding texts. Again, I would agree that there are some major issues out there surrounding the English language. However, I would be willing to guess that much of that lack of skill and decline in reading has to do with a lack of interest. Think about it....Sure reading is fun, but much of the reading that public schools require is not so interesting to the readers. Students would rather read something that they enjoy or can relate to. "To Kill a Mockingbird" seems extremely important to those of us that are passionate and educated about English, but to the average student it is quite boring. Beyond reading, students hate grammar! I mean, we don't really like it either so why would they. Grammar is complex, difficult, confusing, and seemingly endless. No matter how much you learn...there is always more. With that said, English is not the most attractive subject out there. I find this to be sad and unfortunate, because, as an English major, I know how interesting, enthralling, and relatable English can be. I guess this is where the importance of teaching comes in.
5. When I think about history I consider the fact that currently, right now..I cannot imagine what the world will be like 500 years from now. The future is such a mysterious phenomena to us. I am so impressed by the actions taken by people who lived in Medieval times to preserve their culture and language. Granted, there is much we do not know of the time before 600AD, but we know a great deal about the growth of English and the politics of the world from about 700AD forward. Writers such as Bede were intelligent enough to know that writing down facts about what was happening in that time was important. Could he have known that one day historians and anthropologists would be yearning for knowledge about the history of the world? Could he have known that the language of English would eventually owe much of its ancestry to his time? I find it fascinating that all we know of our past comes from written documents, diaries, literature, etc.
2. I find it fascinating that Americans are so obsessed with the use of English. We expect, with our entitlement attitude, that all other people should speak English...even in their own countries! I wonder how many American citizens know that English is not an original language. I suspect that the majority of Americans are not aware that English has its roots in Latin, Norse, French, Greek, and other languages. To me, the sense of superiority that Americans feel is unwarranted. Our own language is diversified, borrowed; yet, we claim it as our own. America is very self-absorbed when it comes to language. In fact, we are quite uneducated compared to other countries. In Haiti, for example, students begin learning foreign languages in elementary school. Before they graduate they are required to reach a certain fluency in English, French, Spanish, and of course their own language, Haitian Creole. Other countries expect their students to be schooled in Latin. America is content with English and perhaps 2 or 3 classes of French or Spanish. We feel no need to learn another people's language when our own is so great.
3. I have always found the timeline of language in Modern times to be interesting. My step-father is 64, and he uses phrases such as: "Get your cotton-picking hands off of that!", "You turkey!", etc. I used to think that was so funny; now I use it as a learning experience. I've found that the older generations in my family, especially my grandmother, utilize phrases that I have never heard or that sound silly to me. In fact, when they were my age, those words and phrases were the "common tongue". Just as today teenagers use the word "like" in multiple contexts and use phrases such as: "That's sick.", "That move was epic!", etc. Those phrases don't sound silly to me, because I've grown up in the era that they have developed. Even so, regardless of the year, it is spectacular that language is always changing. Humans should realize the agency they have in those changes. We create language all of the time. Language does not create us.
4. "It's Like, EXTREME, But Not GROSS" touches on the issue of the decline in student's reading/writing skills. I wouldn't disagree. The proof is out there. Facebook, though not the only source of that declination, is home to many horribly spelled statuses, captions, and posts. Spelling is becoming a large issue for grade school students, and perhaps even more apparent, students seem to be struggling with reading as well as interpreting and understanding texts. Again, I would agree that there are some major issues out there surrounding the English language. However, I would be willing to guess that much of that lack of skill and decline in reading has to do with a lack of interest. Think about it....Sure reading is fun, but much of the reading that public schools require is not so interesting to the readers. Students would rather read something that they enjoy or can relate to. "To Kill a Mockingbird" seems extremely important to those of us that are passionate and educated about English, but to the average student it is quite boring. Beyond reading, students hate grammar! I mean, we don't really like it either so why would they. Grammar is complex, difficult, confusing, and seemingly endless. No matter how much you learn...there is always more. With that said, English is not the most attractive subject out there. I find this to be sad and unfortunate, because, as an English major, I know how interesting, enthralling, and relatable English can be. I guess this is where the importance of teaching comes in.
5. When I think about history I consider the fact that currently, right now..I cannot imagine what the world will be like 500 years from now. The future is such a mysterious phenomena to us. I am so impressed by the actions taken by people who lived in Medieval times to preserve their culture and language. Granted, there is much we do not know of the time before 600AD, but we know a great deal about the growth of English and the politics of the world from about 700AD forward. Writers such as Bede were intelligent enough to know that writing down facts about what was happening in that time was important. Could he have known that one day historians and anthropologists would be yearning for knowledge about the history of the world? Could he have known that the language of English would eventually owe much of its ancestry to his time? I find it fascinating that all we know of our past comes from written documents, diaries, literature, etc.
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