Chapter 1
It seems to me that this small quote is the foundation of this book. It is a reminder that learning happens collaboratively through individual determination. Sam was able to learn through online collaboration, but only through his own motivation to do so.
Question: How do we merge this new culture with things such as sports (or other non-online community activities)? I think I just want to see more examples of individual's who collaborate online, but the "taking action" part of it is outside of the computer screen.
Connection: In reflecting on this first chapter, I am reminded of an experience I had last week in Clinical Practice II. Teaching ELD requires extreme intentionality. Recently, I was going through how to make words plural with my students. You know, the simple of rules of just add "s" unless it ends in "sh" or "ch" then you write "es" or if it ends in "y" then you add "ies" but only sometimes because you have to take into consideration noncount nouns as well. Phew! The English language is difficult.
Then, we came to the word "turkey." It ends in "y", but you do not put "ies" like the the rule says. At this point, I just said, "you know what class, English is hard and rules are hard, there are some words you are just going to have to memorize."
Then, our new student, who just came here from the Jordan, raised her hand and said "I think I know the rule on that one." She proceeded to teach me that if the letter before the "y" is a vowel then you just add "s". We were so blown away, that we let this particular student teach the class the rest of that lesson. It was because of that student that the lesson was more full, more complete. This reminds me of the different experiences I read about in Chapter 1 about learning through collaboration. Because of our willingness to lean on our students to promote learning, every student took another step toward learning English.
Epiphany: The "Aha!" moment that I had was that there is a big difference between being taught and learning. To go even further, there is a big difference between learning and learning how to learn. I am responsible for giving my students the opportunity to do both.
Chapter 2
It is important that we begin asking better questions. To often we spend our teaching time asking "what" and "who" rather than "how" and "why." In order to make anything count, we have to be asking the more important questions.
Question: What could a learning-based approach look like in a class such as ELD?
Connection: The reference to the exchange student having to adapt to the culture really resonated with me. In my class, all of my students are fresh from another country. They are going through an intense process of adapting to the culture and on top of that, they have to learn my content. This book made me think about ways that I could meet my students where they are at not only academically, but emotionally and relationally in their transition to American culture. I am beginning to brainstorm ways that I can break the barriers of the traditional classroom and make it a space where they create their own learning.
Epiphany: My "Aha!" moment is that learning includes so much more than just "getting it." Rather than proving that they have received the information that the teacher spewed out to them, students should be empowered to take responsibility of their own learning. It isn't about receiving information, but transcending it.
Chapter 3
This quote really stood out to me. Sometimes the idea of giving up the reigns of the classroom can give teachers anxiety. However, it is not about "throwing in the towel" and letting the students do what they want. It is about unleashing and empowering them to create and discover, but with clear and corrective structure. This quote is a balance that I am so curious to explore that it leads me to this question . . .
Question: How do we effectively balance creativity and structure?
Connection: The authors make a connection to the Harry Potter series and how it advocated for this new culture of learning. Through the reading of these texts, readers were given the opportunity to explore new possibilities through the creation of this fantasy world. When given a new, creative platform, learning thrived. This reminded me of a class that I took in college. It was a film course that revolved around the magical world of Disney. Although we were discussing complex texts, we were able to engage in higher level thinking because of the creative platform that Disney provided for us. My colleagues and I would have meetings after class, extending our discussion time. In connecting this further to this semester of clinical practice, I have been able to brainstorm with my CT new ways to get the creative juices flowing our classroom. In seeing both of these examples, we are motivated to make our classroom a space where students are experiencing both structure and creativity.
Epiphany: This epiphany is small, but mighty! Through this text, I am realizing that this new culture of learning does not require that we play "catch up" but rather that we learn how to adjust and adapt to change. With the countless waves of information accessible to us every minute of the day, it seems that it would be impossible to ever truly "catch up" with the culture. Rather, we need to adapt to the changing culture. It is not about memorization, recall, or "getting it" but rather embracing and transcending this new culture of learning.