In order to carry out my GAME plan, there are several items
that I must bring together. This can be
time consuming, but fortunately, I have worked with Lord of the Flies before
and have a fair understanding of what it will take to accomplish that
task.
As we are working with the themes and symbolism within the
novel, it seems prudent to incorporate informational texts that provide depth
to understanding of how people function within society and thus potentially
creating meaningful connections with characters in the novel. While I love the novel, I recognize that many
people, including teachers, have difficulty relating to the work and finding a
way to enjoy the reading. Luckily,
others feel the way I do and have compiled resources that can help students
make solid connections and reflect on the world in which they live. One such source is from the New York Times
Learning Network. Even though this novel
falls on many lists of “least enjoyable to teach”, the use of such real world
material can make all the difference in creating a positive experience (Ojalvo
& Doyne, 2010). Aside from this
resource, I have engaged in conversation with my school’s sociology and
psychology teacher, and he has offered to aid me in creating a social
experiment to further student understanding.
We have not determined what this will look like, but it is a very
promising idea.
I have already gathered both paperback and digital copies of
the book, as well as made the audio book available to my students. It is important that students read the book,
but I recognized that the analytical and evaluative skills that can be
developed through complex thought process outweighs turning the pages. For this reason, I have also provided access
to the SparkNotes for Lord of the Flies so that students who are struggling
with the reading will still be able to follow the story progression and
contemplate the real world context.
Providing students with multiple avenues for accomplishing tasks
supports their affective networks, bringing forth feelings and emotions that
help them look at, as Cennamo, Ross, and Ertmer call it, the “why” of learning
(2009). The availability of technology,
specifically student Netbooks, creates a flexible situation where Universal
Design for Learning is more probable to find success (CAST, 2012).
Students have been able to create their blogs and develop,
at the very least, sufficient understanding to complete blogging tasks. As I explained to my students, writing
techniques have been taught to them since they were in grade school, and these
were important lessons. However, the
writing can become formulaic and appears more to be an assumption of what the
student believes the teacher wants to hear rather than a true expression of the
student understanding. Voice is lost,
and blogging has the potential to bring that back. If I add another level for higher level
students by requiring them to comment on other student blogs, I can create the potential
for expanded thinking and discussion. I
have not been able to speak with our professional development coordinator, but
I need to gather information on how to develop a meaningful way to use the
feature.
In order to grasp some of the concepts, we have also been
taking notes and discussing the dystopian concept. All notes are available online through our
ANGEL website though students were encouraged to rework the notes to make them
more meaningful for their own understanding.
I used real world examples of utopian concepts that did not work, as
well as dystopian themed books, movies, and video games. At this point, the general concept seems to
be understood by my students. The next
step is establishing that connection to theme and symbolism so that we can get
to the meat of the work.
I have yet to determine how the wiki and video project will
look. This is the one piece that I
cannot wrap my mind around for senior level students. My commercial project went well for some
students and was a bust for others, so I feel I need to tighten my hold on
student responsibility without removing choice.
I will be talking to other ELA teachers within my building, but I am
concerned that it may not result in any clarification. If anyone has any suggestions on how to
create a wiki project that incorporates video that somehow relates themes and
symbolism within a novel to the real world, I would love to hear your ideas.
References
CAST (2012). The
framework for UDL: Three principles. What is universal design for learning?
Retrieved September 19, 2012 from
http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/chapter4_3.cfm
Cennamo, K.,
Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful
classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom
ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Ojalvo, H., &
Doyne, S. (2012, September). Teaching
The Lord of the Flies with The New York Times. [Web Log Post]. Retrieved from http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/teaching-the-lord-of-the-flies-with-the-new-york-times
Adam,
ReplyDeleteI really like how you provide multiple varieties of the book for your students. As a language arts teacher myself I know how difficult it can be for struggling readers to take an interest in the novel, especially when it is in regular book form. Using digital and audio copies can make all the difference in the world. I think back to when I was in high school and how I would have enjoyed having options for reading. I have always enjoyed reading, but I remember one particular book that I never did make it through, David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. For some reason I just did not like that book. I never did make it through the entire novel and I think if I had an e-reader then it might have made a difference. I really enjoy having the e-readers for students to use. Being able to highlight and have the text-to-speech options are beneficial. Not only are we supporting students’ recognition networks by providing multiple formats, but their affective networks as well (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). Through discussions students will be able to access prior knowledge and show a connection, which is where ultimate learning takes place, by providing them the means to relate to and retain information. Providing SparkNotes is another way of reaching out to these struggling students. As teachers I think we sometimes forget that it is the underlying message and critical thinking we want students to develop instead of focusing on the fact that they are not reading the novel the way we think they should. If we can communicate to our students the significance of what we are trying to impart then we have done our job.
You hit on another important area- voice. Voice is lost. I never really thought about it before, but I agree with you that blogging has the potential to develop that trait. “The nature of blogs is to share personal reflections, opinions, and feelings (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009, p.75).” What better way for voice to make an appearance. I work with sixth and seventh graders and voice has to be one of the hardest areas to teach and get students to really understand. I have shown tons of examples and they seem to recognize why the writing is better, but students are unable to apply it. I tell students that voice comes from them and they need to show their personality in their writing, but I think they are scared that doing that is wrong. It all boils down to confidence in their ability. I have always thought it also had to do with maturity. The more they write, the more they will feel confident and once they are they will start to put more of themselves in their writing. Blogging will provide the venue, giving students a chance to practice using voice. I think you are definitely on the right track with your G.A.M.E. plan. Keep up the good work and good luck to you!
Cheryl
References:
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Creativity and voice are tied together in a way that I had not considered before I began teaching students who felt unheard. If you consider that, in many cases, bad behavior is an attempt to get someone's attention, you can recognize that a student may be looking for a way to be heard. Such behavior may not get the wanted results, but it is an expression of feeling through the only voice that some students believe they have. I have spent a lot of time in professional development to work with students with behavioral issues, and it has finally dawned on me that the information I learned does not have to be applied only to at-risk students. It can be applied to all students. This is where the idea for blogging in my classroom came from initially, and through all that we have been learning in our master's program, it is clear that blogging can be a powerful learning too. Creative potential requires the development of problem finding, formulation and redefinition skills, divergent thinking, synthesis and combination of information, and idea combinations through random or chance-based processes (James, Gerard & Vagt-Traore, 2004). Each of these pieces can be addressed through blogging via a variety of prompts that are connected to subject matter related to the class. Collaborative projects can also create opportunities for students to develop their voice (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2009). Wikis provide students a chance to collaborate with their classmates, and they can also create a chance for self-expression.
DeleteThank you for your insight. I really appreciated it.
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
James, V., Lederman Gerard, R., & Vagt-Traore, B. (2004). Enhancing creativity in the classroom. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved September 22, 2012,from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt.