BOOK OF QUOTES

By Taylor Dixon

EDUCATION 3503: LANGUAGE IN EDUCATION

Assignment #3

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Our new reality involves letting go of preconceived notions of
literacy, relinquishing linear ways of thinking, and learning a
new discourse.

- Helen Balanoff & Cynthia Chambers, Do My Literacies Count as Literacy?

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 Throughout the article, Do My Literacies Count as Literacy, Helen Balanoff and Cynthia
Chambers explore the meaning of literacy. The context of their investigation occurs amongst the
Aboriginal peoples living in the NWT, and illuminates the complex nature of literacy itself. Balanoff
and Chambers state that our accepted European definition of literacy is narrow and impoverished,
and does not reflect the richness and multiplicity of literacies (page 18). In the NWT, because
the Aboriginal Elders are unable to read and/or write fluently in any language, they are deemed
illiterate by our definition of literacy. Yet these same Aboriginal Elders often speak multiple
languages and can read their world, make meaning of it, engage with in on a daily basis, in at least
one language: they can recognize and interpret symbols, decode, understand, imagine, create and
pass on knowledge (page 18).
The article, Do My Literacies Count as Literacy, really challenged my preconceived notions
of literacy and what it meant to be literate. Prior to taking the Language in Education class, and
reading this article, I had assumed that being literate only referred to ones ability to read and
write. However, I have now come to realize that literacy encompasses so much more than just
that. In class, we spoke about the six strands of language arts: reading, writing, listening, speaking,
viewing, and visually representing. Personally, this article drew many connections to these six
language arts strands and emphasized the importance of all six as opposed to only a select few.
As stated by Balanoff and Chambers, Our new reality involves letting go of preconceived notions
of literacy, relinquishing linear ways of thinking, and learning a new discourse (page 19).
At this point in my teacher education, in order to become a critical and creative teacher of
literacy and the Language Arts, I must promote and encourage student expression in all six strands
of language arts within the classroom. Although both reading and writing is important, the other
strands are just as important especially in the context of the twenty-first century. As a result, all
six of the language arts strands should be incorporated into classroom activities so that students
may be exposed to each. Furthermore, student expression should not be limited but encouraged
using any of the various modes of literacy. Although all six strands are important, students should
be allowed to demonstrate their knowledge of the different subjects in whichever modes they feel
most comfortable whenever possible.

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 The ways we organize classroom life should seek to make
children feel significant and cared about by the teacher and by
each other.

Linda Christensen, Where Im From: Inviting Students Lives Into the Classroom

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 Throughout the article, Where Im From: Inviting Students Lives Into the Classroom, the
author, Linda Christensen, constantly reiterates the need to make room for students personal
lives within the context of the classroom. For instance, Christensen vividly remembers the
moment of sweet joy for me when my two worlds of home and school bumped together in a
harmony of reading, writing, and laughter (page 18). Specifically, she remembers two teachers,
Mrs. Martin and Ms. Carr, from her childhood that constantly embraced the idea of inviting their
students personal lives into the classroom. She recalls that, Mrs. Martin and Ms. Carr made me
feel significant and cared about because they invited my home into the classroom. When I wrote
and included details about my family, they listened. They made space for me and my people in the
curriculum (page 19). Furthermore, the similarities and differences that arise amongst the
students should be celebrated. Christensen articulates that making students feel both physically
and emotionally safe is an absolutely essential component of the classroom.
In the article, Christensen states that, The ways we organize classroom life should seek
to make children feel significant and cared about by the teacher and by each other (page 18).
In other words, in order to create a safe learning space, an essential component of learning,
students must feel as though they are valuable members of the classroom. At this point in my
teacher education, in order to become a critical and creative teacher of literacy and the Language
Arts, I must provide space for my students personal lives in the classroom and the curriculum.
Furthermore, upon inviting my students to do so, I must ensure they know that I so appreciate
their willingness to share. Creating a space for my students home lives will not only establish a
better classroom environment, it will also help my engage students in curriculum. For instance, if
I am able to know my students personally, I can create lessons that will be more engaging as I will
know more about their interests.

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I write in blood because I remember what it felt like to bleed.

Sherman Alexie, Why the best Kids Books Are Written in Blood

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 In the article, Why the Best Kids Books Are Written in Blood, Sherman Alexie talks about
the young adult literature, including the reason many teenagers read it, the reason he writes it,
and the value that he sees in it. Alexie states that, There are millions of teens who read because
they are sad and lonely and enraged. They read because they live in an often-terrible world. They
read because they believe, despite the callow of protestations of certain adults, that books
especially the dark and dangerous ones will save them (page 4). As for the reason that he writes
young adult literature, Alexie recalls that as a child, books were the most loving and trustworthy
things in his life and that they taught him how to battle the monsters in his own life (page 4).
Furthermore, Alexie states that, I dont write to protect [teenagers]. Its far too late for that. I
write to give them weapons in the form of words and ideas that will help them fight their
monsters. I write in blood because I remember what it felt like to bleed (page 4). To Alexie, the
purpose of young adult literature is to help teenagers deal with whatever situation may be
currently presenting itself in their lives and show them that they are not alone in whatever they
may be facing.
At this point in my teacher education, in order to become a critical and creative teacher of
literacy and the Language Arts, I believe that it is important to incorporate this kind of literature
within the classroom. I believe that this kind of literature can be used in many significant and
valuable ways. For instance, this kind of literature can be used as Alexie suggests to provide
students with a companion during difficult times and to help them overcome whatever they may
currently dealing with in their lives. Another use within the classroom would be to provide young
adult literature that aligns with curriculum. For example, within a social studies class that is
learning about a specific culture or event, it could be potentially very valuable to provide literature
that would give students a more personable, engaging, and firsthand experience. Furthermore,
research has shown that narratives are actually a great way to help students understand and
remember particular concepts (PEN Principle #11). Thus, as a teacher, I would constantly
encourage students to dive head-first into literature.

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It is hard to argue that we are teaching the whole child when
school policy dictates that students leave their language and
culture at the schoolhouse door.

- Jim Cummins, ELL Students Speak for Themselves: Identity Texts and Literacy
Engagement in Multilingual Classrooms

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 Throughout the article, ELL Students Speak for Themselves: Identity Texts and Literacy
Engagement in Multilingual Classrooms, Jim Cummins talks about the benefits of including
students culture and language into their learning experience. In fact, Cummins argues that ELL
students culture knowledge and language abilities are an important resource in enabling
academic engagement (page 3). In order to learn, newly acquired knowledge must be built upon
pre-existing knowledge. In the case of ELL students, their pre-existing knowledge is encoded in
their L1. Thus, educators should instruct an explicit transfer of concept and skills from their L1 to
English. In order to do so, Cummins recommends the use of identity texts to utilize ELL students
home language as a resource for learning. Cummins states that, Students who are encouraged to
retell stories in their L1 or compose stories in both languages are transferring concepts and insights
from one language to another. They are accessing and expressing their prior knowledge through
both languages (page 8). Furthermore, Cummins explains the benefit that identity texts also bring
to the ELL student socially, opposed to only academically. Cummins explains that, The image of
newcomer students, in both their own eyes and the eyes of others, changes dramatically when
they are enabled to express themselves (page 6).
At this point in my teacher education, in order to become a critical and creative teacher of
literacy and the Language Arts, I would be very interested in incorporating identity texts within my
own classroom as I absolutely see their benefits. At the end of the article, Cummins made a
statement that has really stuck with me. In it, he states that, ELL students (and low-income
students generally) are increasingly in classrooms where instruction violates what we know about
how people learn, where literacy instruction substitutes for literacy engagement, and where
students home language proficiency is viewed as, at best, irrelevant to their academic progress in
English (page 12). As a future educator, this current practice that Cummins describes seemingly
goes against what I believe is true and meaningful education. We should celebrate our differences
including language and culture and use these resources in order to create significant learning
experiences for all students. Furthermore, truly believe that including students language and
culture within the classroom can only create interesting and engaging classroom environment.

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The three great values of writing as a means of learning are its
explicitness, its relative permanence, and the fact that writing
requires active participation.

Marion Crowhurst, Writing to Learn

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 In the article, Writing to Learn, the author, Marion Crowhurst demonstrates the ways in
which writing can serve as a valuable means of enhancing student learning. Crowhurst states that,
Writing can foster learning in various ways. It can serve both affective and cognitive purposes. It
can also aid the learning process by providing a window through which teachers can view the
thinking and understanding of their students thus making them better able to plan future
activities (page 235). Crowhurst explains that different kinds of writing foster different kinds of
learning. She goes on to list some of the various writing exercises that serve both affective (e.g.,
journals, exit slips) and cognitive purposes (e.g., free writing, listing, biopoems, acrostics,
dialogues, unsent letters, concept maps). Crowhurst states that, The three great values of writing
as a means of learning are its explicitness, its relative permanence, and the fact that writing
requires active participation (page 234). In other words, writing forces students to express and
consolidate their learning, the ability to edit and tinker with their thinking, and to be active
participants in their learning.
Personally, I found this article to be a potentially great resource for teaching. As I find that
I often learn best from writing exercises, I have always found writing to be a valuable tool in the
learning process. However, this article provided multiple different methods to incorporate writing
into the classroom methods that I had never even thought of! Many of the various writing
activities indicated were often both useful and enjoyable, and often made students think about
the material in a different way. As stated by Crowhurst, Workers are needed who can adapt,
create, hypothesize, and find new ways of working with materials and data. To prepare our
students, we must invite them not merely to master information, but to reformulate and extend
the knowledge they have acquired (page 246). At this point in my teacher education, in order to
become a critical and creative teacher of literacy and the Language Arts, I would absolutely
incorporate many writing activities into my lessons in order to gauge student learning, engage
students, and promote creative and divergent thinking. This latter idea is something that I find
especially important. As I often struggle with divergent thinking myself, I believe that engaging in
activities such as these would have helped me to develop such an important skill. Perhaps most
importantly, however, is that these activities described by Crowhurst are fun! As a teacher, I
wholeheartedly want my students to enjoy learning.

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References

Boom Ideanet, Pears [Digital Image]. Retrieved from

http://boomideanet.com/how-to-avoid-falling-victim-to-sameness-and-stale-marketing/

Kaspersky, Navigation [Digital Image]. Retrieved from

https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/navigation-at-sea/12255/

Odyssey, Writing [Digital Image]. Retrieved from

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/the-moment-when-started-writing

Schuss Weekly, Red Ink [Digital Image]. Retrieved from

http://www.janegoodwin.net/2012/09/27/how-am-i-doing-in-here-whats-my-grade/stylograph-
pen-with-red-ink-drops-mats-silvan/

Thinglink, Caring [Digital Image]. Retrieved from

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/841004012441436161

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