Chapter 8: Experience--The Means and Goals of Education
In this final chapter, Dewey reemphasizes that importance of the life experience of the learner and again asserts that he isn't a progressive simply for the sake of change, but because he believes in "the possibilities of growing, expanding experience."
"Conservatives as well as radical in education are profoundly discontented with the present education system taken as a whole."
Although I am tempted to be frustrated by this quote-- that almost 80 years after Dewey wrote this, it still rings true. But I also think it's maybe encouraging. I think the push and pull between ideologies that Dewey presents is important and healthy. And I also think the fact that smart people continue to think deeply on education is essential for our kids. If we thought we had it all figured out, we'd probably be kidding ourselves and the students would lose out. I'm not saying that it's good that we have major issues in education (ridiculous high stakes testing, inequity in resources among schools, etc), but I think it's good that the conversation about what's best for students continues.
"The road to new education is not an easier one to follow than the old road but a more strenuous and difficult one... the greatest danger that attend its future is, I believe, the ideas that is is an easy way to follow, so easy that its course may be improvised, if not in an impromptu fashion, at least almost from day to day or from week to week."
I hear teachers complain all the time about school reform, and how it's always some new initiative, some new mandate. So often, they feel like nothing is implemented with care or thought and then nothing is carried out to completion, and so they become jaded about new ideas in education. They would see the truth in what Dewey is saying here in cautioning against implementing new ideas in "an impromptu fashion." This is why I am coming to believe that new ideas have to be initiated by teachers and not administrators, because it's the teachers that have to do to work and, as Dewey points out, the work is difficult and requires a true understanding of the experience and a willingness to try and see through something new. For me, with PBL, I think our class will be a success because Mike, Amy, and I are all intellectually investing in this journey. If it was mandated from above, I know it wouldn't be the same.
"What we want and need is education pure and simple, and we shall make surer and faster progress when we devote ourselves to finding out what education is and what conditions have to be satisfied in order that education may be a reality and not a name or a slogan."
In light of our Congress and President's recent budget debates, I have to agree that adhering to a name or slogan without examining the bigger picture is wrong. As an education, I feel like I have to continually come back to "What is best for kids?" rather than what I want in theory or what will make my life easier or what will make me look good.
I think it would do me good to revisit this powerful, little book-- short but very potent-- every once in a while!
Friday, July 22, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Link Love: The Power of Words
I've recently run across several videos that I think would be awesome bell ringers or conversation starters for my kids.
This British advertisement about the power of words.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Reflections from Dewey-- Chapter 7
Here Dewey tackles the issue of how to organize content in a classroom. The traditional model is to box up concepts into subject areas or concrete units, and the progressive education seeks to combine subject areas in order to allow for connections and for learning to follow the students' natural curiosity. Dewey finds fault and possibility in both ways at looking at subject matter, which makes sense because this is, again, a situation in which a rejectionist philosophy doesn't work. It is important to consider your learning objectives when planning on how to chunk information.
"It is also essential that the new objects and event be related intellectually to those of earlier experiences, an this means that there be some advance made in conscious articulation of facts and ideas. It thus becomes the office of the educator to select those things within the range of existing experience that have the promise and potentiality of present new problem which by stimulating new ways of observation and judgment will expand the area of further experience."
"It is a ground for legitimate criticism, however, when the ongoing movement of progressive education fails to recognize that the problem of selection and organization of subject matter for study and learning is fundamental."
I'm going to reflect on the two quotes above together because I think they really sum up Dewey's perspective on organizing subject matter. On one hand, concepts have to have a relevant context and connect to previous experiences. Anything that's taught in a vacuum won't be learned. On the other hand, disciplines/movements/units exist for a reason-- they help us to intellectually organize ideas and concepts. So both ways of looking at concepts are important and it's up to the teacher to make critical decisions about how to organize lessons, instruction, and experiences.
"It is a sound educational principle that students should be introduced to scientific subject matter and be initiated into its facts and laws through acquaintance with everyday social applications."
I don't think this quote is as important as the previous, but I think it does a good job of illustrating Dewey's point. A science teacher would deny her students important learning opportunities if she didn't allow for her students to make connections to the social applications. But at the same time, students also need to understand how concepts are organized within their discipline. For example, when studying the classification of organisms, it seems like a natural connection to explore humans relationship with infectious viruses. If students didn't have the traditional science instruction, then the social connections might not make sense (I'm thinking of the impact of viruses and how antibiotics don't effect them... and then the social/political implications of that on the HIV/AIDS epidemic). The organization of traditional subject matter is important but equally so are the connections outside of the scientific discipline. (I actually think the word "connections" isn't strong enough... it makes it seem like an afterthought.)
"It is also essential that the new objects and event be related intellectually to those of earlier experiences, an this means that there be some advance made in conscious articulation of facts and ideas. It thus becomes the office of the educator to select those things within the range of existing experience that have the promise and potentiality of present new problem which by stimulating new ways of observation and judgment will expand the area of further experience."
"It is a ground for legitimate criticism, however, when the ongoing movement of progressive education fails to recognize that the problem of selection and organization of subject matter for study and learning is fundamental."
I'm going to reflect on the two quotes above together because I think they really sum up Dewey's perspective on organizing subject matter. On one hand, concepts have to have a relevant context and connect to previous experiences. Anything that's taught in a vacuum won't be learned. On the other hand, disciplines/movements/units exist for a reason-- they help us to intellectually organize ideas and concepts. So both ways of looking at concepts are important and it's up to the teacher to make critical decisions about how to organize lessons, instruction, and experiences.
"It is a sound educational principle that students should be introduced to scientific subject matter and be initiated into its facts and laws through acquaintance with everyday social applications."
I don't think this quote is as important as the previous, but I think it does a good job of illustrating Dewey's point. A science teacher would deny her students important learning opportunities if she didn't allow for her students to make connections to the social applications. But at the same time, students also need to understand how concepts are organized within their discipline. For example, when studying the classification of organisms, it seems like a natural connection to explore humans relationship with infectious viruses. If students didn't have the traditional science instruction, then the social connections might not make sense (I'm thinking of the impact of viruses and how antibiotics don't effect them... and then the social/political implications of that on the HIV/AIDS epidemic). The organization of traditional subject matter is important but equally so are the connections outside of the scientific discipline. (I actually think the word "connections" isn't strong enough... it makes it seem like an afterthought.)
Reflections from Dewey-- Chapter 6
In chapter 6, Dewey argues that in order for an experience to be educative, it must have a purpose. Forming a purpose involves an observation, knowledge of what has happened in similar situations in the past, and then a judgment which puts together what is observed and what is recalled. Dewey cautioned that progressive education has a tendency to overemphasize activity as an end, "instead of upon intelligent activity" because there is a "confusion of impulse with purpose." Dewey points out that traditional education, though, tends to overlook the importance of personal motivation or impulse in the learning process. Again, Dewey is using the best of traditional and progressive education in order to tease out a philosophy for true learning.
"There is, I think, no point in the philosophy of progressive education which is sounder than its emphasis upon the importance of the participation of the learner in the formation of the purposes which direct his activities in the learning process, just as there is no defect in traditional education greater than its failure to secure the active cooperation of the pupil in construction of the purposes involved in his studying."
As I start to flesh out the projects for my PBL class this year, I'm finding this chapter helpful. I so want my PBL units to spark interest and the desire to learn in my students. But, I also want the units to be rich with learning and, of course, I want them to learn the content areas. I think one of my fears with student-directed learning is that they will skimp on the "real" learning. I mean, I see that all the time in my classroom-- students wanting to do the minimum, asking "will this be on the test?", not really learning, just faking it so that I'll leave them alone. I think that what I've got so far does give students the purpose for learning and "secures the active cooperation of the pupil in the construction of the purposes involved in his studying," but I worry about the amount of "intelligent activity" in my PBL classroom.
"A genuine purpose always starts off with an impulse... but observation is not enough. We have to understand the significance of what we see, hear, and touch."
This quote reminds me of Boss and Krauss's discussions about driving questions in their PBL books. It is so essential to drum up an impulse in students (and turning things in for a grade isn't the kind of impulse Dewey is talking about). I have to find ways of framing our units that will get my kids excited about their research and projects. I know in the ninth grade CDAT class that access to so many new and very cool technologies served as an impulse, but I also want there to be an impulse to read and write as well.
"The plan [for teacher-student interaction] is a co-operative enterprise, not a dictation... the essential point is that the purpose grow and take shape through social intelligence."
Teacher dictation doesn't serve as a good enough impulse; the students have to be invested in their learning and it's the teachers job to find ways to bring them into the learning. Throughout this PBL journey, I've read that students and teachers are learning together and I believe more and more that the days to teacher dictation are over.
"There is, I think, no point in the philosophy of progressive education which is sounder than its emphasis upon the importance of the participation of the learner in the formation of the purposes which direct his activities in the learning process, just as there is no defect in traditional education greater than its failure to secure the active cooperation of the pupil in construction of the purposes involved in his studying."
As I start to flesh out the projects for my PBL class this year, I'm finding this chapter helpful. I so want my PBL units to spark interest and the desire to learn in my students. But, I also want the units to be rich with learning and, of course, I want them to learn the content areas. I think one of my fears with student-directed learning is that they will skimp on the "real" learning. I mean, I see that all the time in my classroom-- students wanting to do the minimum, asking "will this be on the test?", not really learning, just faking it so that I'll leave them alone. I think that what I've got so far does give students the purpose for learning and "secures the active cooperation of the pupil in the construction of the purposes involved in his studying," but I worry about the amount of "intelligent activity" in my PBL classroom.
"A genuine purpose always starts off with an impulse... but observation is not enough. We have to understand the significance of what we see, hear, and touch."
This quote reminds me of Boss and Krauss's discussions about driving questions in their PBL books. It is so essential to drum up an impulse in students (and turning things in for a grade isn't the kind of impulse Dewey is talking about). I have to find ways of framing our units that will get my kids excited about their research and projects. I know in the ninth grade CDAT class that access to so many new and very cool technologies served as an impulse, but I also want there to be an impulse to read and write as well.
Teacher dictation doesn't serve as a good enough impulse; the students have to be invested in their learning and it's the teachers job to find ways to bring them into the learning. Throughout this PBL journey, I've read that students and teachers are learning together and I believe more and more that the days to teacher dictation are over.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Reflections from Dewey-- Chapter 5
Chapter 5: The Nature of Freedom
Here Dewey contrasts the "problem of social control" with the nature of freedom. Already, in the first paragraph, I was intrigued because, as teachers, we spend so much time trying to control kids-- sit down, follow the rules, behave, turn this in, don't you want to go to college...-- but we never really think of the kids' freedom. Not that I think school should be anarchy, but students' freedom is an important thought and should be part of the conversation, if only because it changes the way I think about controlling students.
"The only freedom that is of enduring importance is freedom of intelligence, that is to say, freesom of observation adn of juedment exercised in behalf of purposes taht are intrinsically worth while."
"The commonest mistake made about freedom is, I think, to identify it with freedom of movement, or with the external or physical side of activity."
I can't help but think of King's "Letters from a Birmingham Jail" or Nelson Mandela or even St. Paul-- anyone who was imprisoned physically, but intellectual or spiritually free. Dewey, though, talks about it in the classroom-sense, that the we think the typical schoolroom's fixed physical nature puts restrictions on students' behavior. (If they are sitting neatly in orderly rows, then they must be thinking neat thoughts or behaving in orderly ways.)
"But the fact still remains that an increased measure of freedom of outer movement is a means, not an end. The educational problem is not solved when the aspect of freedom is obtained."
I have so much to say about this. YES! Just because you put organize your room in an unstructured, non traditional way, doesn't mean you are escaping from the bounds of traditional schooling. You can put kids in groups and they can still be doing a worksheet. And even if you give your kids free reign to explore whatever they want (moving in a progressive direction), they won't necessarily learn anything or obtain intellectual freedom. I think Dewey is very artfully again pitting the downsides of traditional education against the downsides of progressive education. Anything that teachers do without a critical lens behind it, anything that is rejectionist, is just a means. And what is important is the end, what is done with the added liberty (or the rearranged chairs).
Dewey goes on to talk about the so-called advantages of limiting freedom in a classroom: kids appear to be listening and attentive; there is uniformity and control. And many people who are new to PBL will ask, "What if my kids don't learn everything that I would have taught them in my lecture?" There's two points to that-- one, just because you lecture on something, doesn't mean that your kids are learning. At any given time, how many kids do you think are not listening? And then of those listening, how many will actually retain it? Two, you don't have to completely give up lecture. There is a time and a place for lecture in a PBL classroom-- it's just not the focus. There will be some things you that aren't covered in students' projects and you can use explicit instruction, even lectures to fill in those gaps or to support what they are discovering on their own. Lecture just isn't the primary source of learning. There is room for intellectual freedom!
"The other important advantage of increased outward freedom is found in the very nature of the learning process. That the older methods set a premium upon passivity and receptivity has been pointed out... The only escape from them in the standardized school is an activity which is irregular and perhaps disobedience."
It's not kids' natures to be quiet and still all day. Dewey points out that times of quiet and reflection are important but that they should be "brief intervals... of genuine reflection" followed after periods of more overt action. It shouldn't be any surprise that kids act up or goof off in class when they are expected to go against their nature for eight hours a day.
I think about the things that I know a lot about. I didn't learn that much of them in school. I think quilting is a good example-- I was interested so I started reading up on the internet. I talked to my mom and grandmother and had them demonstrate some things for me. Then I found this great blogging community online and used them as inspiration and resources. Finally, I took a class at a local quilting shop. And amidst all of this, I was quilting: making mistakes and learning step-by-step, gaining confidence and then getting frustrated, learning things from others and figuring a lot out by myself. It all happened so naturally and organically. That is how learning should be. And I think PBL has the potential for kids to learn like that in school.
"There can be no greater mistake, however, than to treat such freedom as an end itself. It then tends to be destructive of the shared cooperative activities which are the normal source of order."
Now that I've read over halfway into this book, I could have predicted that Dewey would say something like this and I so appreciate how he never lets the proverbial pendulum ever swing too far in one direction. Of course giving kids total freedom is not educative. That's one of my reservations about unschooling. It is important for teachers to facilitate learning, and it's equally important for students to have structure in working with others.
Here Dewey contrasts the "problem of social control" with the nature of freedom. Already, in the first paragraph, I was intrigued because, as teachers, we spend so much time trying to control kids-- sit down, follow the rules, behave, turn this in, don't you want to go to college...-- but we never really think of the kids' freedom. Not that I think school should be anarchy, but students' freedom is an important thought and should be part of the conversation, if only because it changes the way I think about controlling students.
"The only freedom that is of enduring importance is freedom of intelligence, that is to say, freesom of observation adn of juedment exercised in behalf of purposes taht are intrinsically worth while."
"The commonest mistake made about freedom is, I think, to identify it with freedom of movement, or with the external or physical side of activity."
I can't help but think of King's "Letters from a Birmingham Jail" or Nelson Mandela or even St. Paul-- anyone who was imprisoned physically, but intellectual or spiritually free. Dewey, though, talks about it in the classroom-sense, that the we think the typical schoolroom's fixed physical nature puts restrictions on students' behavior. (If they are sitting neatly in orderly rows, then they must be thinking neat thoughts or behaving in orderly ways.)
"But the fact still remains that an increased measure of freedom of outer movement is a means, not an end. The educational problem is not solved when the aspect of freedom is obtained."
I have so much to say about this. YES! Just because you put organize your room in an unstructured, non traditional way, doesn't mean you are escaping from the bounds of traditional schooling. You can put kids in groups and they can still be doing a worksheet. And even if you give your kids free reign to explore whatever they want (moving in a progressive direction), they won't necessarily learn anything or obtain intellectual freedom. I think Dewey is very artfully again pitting the downsides of traditional education against the downsides of progressive education. Anything that teachers do without a critical lens behind it, anything that is rejectionist, is just a means. And what is important is the end, what is done with the added liberty (or the rearranged chairs).
Dewey goes on to talk about the so-called advantages of limiting freedom in a classroom: kids appear to be listening and attentive; there is uniformity and control. And many people who are new to PBL will ask, "What if my kids don't learn everything that I would have taught them in my lecture?" There's two points to that-- one, just because you lecture on something, doesn't mean that your kids are learning. At any given time, how many kids do you think are not listening? And then of those listening, how many will actually retain it? Two, you don't have to completely give up lecture. There is a time and a place for lecture in a PBL classroom-- it's just not the focus. There will be some things you that aren't covered in students' projects and you can use explicit instruction, even lectures to fill in those gaps or to support what they are discovering on their own. Lecture just isn't the primary source of learning. There is room for intellectual freedom!
"The other important advantage of increased outward freedom is found in the very nature of the learning process. That the older methods set a premium upon passivity and receptivity has been pointed out... The only escape from them in the standardized school is an activity which is irregular and perhaps disobedience."
It's not kids' natures to be quiet and still all day. Dewey points out that times of quiet and reflection are important but that they should be "brief intervals... of genuine reflection" followed after periods of more overt action. It shouldn't be any surprise that kids act up or goof off in class when they are expected to go against their nature for eight hours a day.
I think about the things that I know a lot about. I didn't learn that much of them in school. I think quilting is a good example-- I was interested so I started reading up on the internet. I talked to my mom and grandmother and had them demonstrate some things for me. Then I found this great blogging community online and used them as inspiration and resources. Finally, I took a class at a local quilting shop. And amidst all of this, I was quilting: making mistakes and learning step-by-step, gaining confidence and then getting frustrated, learning things from others and figuring a lot out by myself. It all happened so naturally and organically. That is how learning should be. And I think PBL has the potential for kids to learn like that in school.
"There can be no greater mistake, however, than to treat such freedom as an end itself. It then tends to be destructive of the shared cooperative activities which are the normal source of order."
Now that I've read over halfway into this book, I could have predicted that Dewey would say something like this and I so appreciate how he never lets the proverbial pendulum ever swing too far in one direction. Of course giving kids total freedom is not educative. That's one of my reservations about unschooling. It is important for teachers to facilitate learning, and it's equally important for students to have structure in working with others.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Reflections from Dewey-- Chapters 4
Chapter 4: Social Control
This chapter seems to apply to classroom management as well as group dynamics in projects. Dewey argues that, like rules in a basketball game, classrooms need boundaries that are fair and agreed upon. When there is a clear understanding of mutually agreed upon rules, many disputes and power struggles are prevented. Dewey also points out that children are naturally social and they can often "police" each other, without adult intervention. My friend Mike, who has taught in a PBL classroom, told me that one of the great things about PBL is that kids do keep each other accountable and the teacher is relieved of some of his/her "whip-cracking." Dewey also talks about the teacher's role in the classroom as a facilitator; he uses the analogy of the teacher like a referee who simply enforces the rules rather than arbitrarily making rules up.
"There is incumbent upon the educator the duty of instituting a much more intelligent, and consequently, more difficult kind of planning. He must survey the capacities and needs of of the particular set of individuals with whom he is dealing with and must as the same time arrange the condition which provide the subject-matter or content for experiences that satisfy these needs and develop these capacities."
Over and over I heard the key to good classroom management is good instruction. When the students are engaged and working bell to bell, there just isn't room for shenanigans. I think Dewey is speaking to this, but I think he means more than just keeping kids under control. The creation of a student-centered classroom, in which students are engaged and curious and creating their own meaning is harder to plan for because it can't be a one-size-fits-all curriculum. The teacher has to know his/her students well and take the time to create creative and unique plans for the students. Teaching students how to think (or giving them room to learn how to the think critically) is a lot harder than teaching kids specific pieces of content.
This chapter seems to apply to classroom management as well as group dynamics in projects. Dewey argues that, like rules in a basketball game, classrooms need boundaries that are fair and agreed upon. When there is a clear understanding of mutually agreed upon rules, many disputes and power struggles are prevented. Dewey also points out that children are naturally social and they can often "police" each other, without adult intervention. My friend Mike, who has taught in a PBL classroom, told me that one of the great things about PBL is that kids do keep each other accountable and the teacher is relieved of some of his/her "whip-cracking." Dewey also talks about the teacher's role in the classroom as a facilitator; he uses the analogy of the teacher like a referee who simply enforces the rules rather than arbitrarily making rules up.
"The teacher reduces to a minimum the occasions in which he or she has to exercise authority in a personal way. When it is necessary, in the second place, to speak and act firmly, it is done in the best interest of the group, not as an exhibition of personal power. This makes the difference between action which is arbitrary and that which is just and fair."
I think the key word in this quote is person" "exercise authority in a personal way... not as an exhibition of personal power." Classroom management shouldn't really be about the teacher personally (although it often is... bad days can definitely have an impact on how you behave as a teacher!)-- it should be about the expectations of the class, not the teacher's mood or feeling. Well defined and fair expectations are definitely important in created an effective classroom.
Over and over I heard the key to good classroom management is good instruction. When the students are engaged and working bell to bell, there just isn't room for shenanigans. I think Dewey is speaking to this, but I think he means more than just keeping kids under control. The creation of a student-centered classroom, in which students are engaged and curious and creating their own meaning is harder to plan for because it can't be a one-size-fits-all curriculum. The teacher has to know his/her students well and take the time to create creative and unique plans for the students. Teaching students how to think (or giving them room to learn how to the think critically) is a lot harder than teaching kids specific pieces of content.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Reflections from Dewey-- Chapters 2-3
In chapters 2 and 3, Dewey spends time hashing out the importance of the educational experience. He points out that many progressive educators believe that traditional education deprives students of experience, but that view isn't completely correct. Rather, everything is an experience, but not all experiences are educative-- and not all experiences are educative in a good way. For example, a student could have an experience in school that makes him hate learning. Dewey also points out that in order for experiences to have the best impact on students, the experiences must be connected to each other and centered with a relevant context.
“Everything depends on the quality of the experience which is had. There is an immediate aspect of agreeableness or disagreeableness, and there is its obvious influence on upon later experiences.”
How many times have you heard students say, "I used to like reading, but I hate it now"? I imagine this sentiment is due to the bad experiences with reading in school. Teachers think they are exposing kids to canonical texts or preparing them for college, but instead they are giving their students "disagreeable" experiences. I think Dewey is also talking about relevance and connectedness in this quote. Experiences will be more meaningful if they connect to prior knowledge or previous experiences-- all learners are seeking connections.
Chapter 3
“If an experience arouses curiosity, strengthens initiative, and set up desires and purposes that are sufficiently intense to carry a person over-dead places in the future, continuity works in a very different way. Every experience is a moving force. Its value can be judge only the grounds of what it moves toward and into.”
I think this quote emphasizes the importance of thinking of learning as a journey rather than something static or fixed. I would argue that learning is a moving force-- what is that saying? The more you learn, the more you realize that you don't know? Essentially school should do more than just teach kids things, it should excite them about learning and the possibilities in the world. And we want school experiences to be "sufficiently intense" to keep the thrill of learning alive even when it gets challenging or boring. I think Dewey is saying that experiences that are worthy give students (and probably teachers) positive momentum.
“A primary responsibility of educators is that they not only be aware of the general principal of the shaping of an actual experience by envisioning conditions, but that they also recognize in the concrete what surroundings are conducive to having experiences that lead to growth. Above all, they should know how to utilize the surroundings, physical and social, that exist so as to extract from them all that they have to contribute to building up experiences that are worthwhile.”
Although I realize Dewey wrote these words almost a hundred years ago, I can't help but relate this quote to technology. Our technological tools provide so many resources for a variety of conditions that we can create in the classroom. Technology gives us access to an unimaginable amount of information and it allows us to connect to and communicate with people all over the world. We can simulate conditions of a variety of professions with the technology that is now basic in many schools. However, technology alone does nothing-- it is the experience with the technology that makes it meaningful.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Reflections from Dewey-- Chp 1
I'm going to approach my reflections on this book a little differently than I have for the previous books. Instead of just taking notes, I'm going to pull quotes from each chapter and respond/reflect on them.
In chapter one, Dewey sets up the conflict between traditional education and progressive education and points out that people tend to frame things in opposites or "either/or." He criticizes elements of both traditional and progressive education.
As a side note, I didn't include page numbers for the quotes because I read Experience and Education in the Kindle format, which doesn't preserve the page numbers.
In chapter one, Dewey sets up the conflict between traditional education and progressive education and points out that people tend to frame things in opposites or "either/or." He criticizes elements of both traditional and progressive education.
As a side note, I didn't include page numbers for the quotes because I read Experience and Education in the Kindle format, which doesn't preserve the page numbers.
Chapter 1
“The traditional scheme is, in essence, one of imposition from above and from outside. It imposed adult standards, subject-matter, and methods upon those who are only growing slowly towards maturity… Moreover, that which is taught is thought of as essentially static.”
This seems to be an apt summary of the downsides of traditional education-- the teacher imposes information, structure, and disciple onto the students. Information is concrete and not open to interpretation. I don't think this type of learning really prepares students to be lifelong learners or encourages a love of learning at all. The worst aspects of traditional education reward students for compliance and "playing the game." It is fear-based and doesn't encourage creativity, collaboration, or multiple interpretations. `
“The fundamental unity of the newer philosophy is found on the idea that there is an intimate and necessary relation between the process of actual experience and education… a positive and constructive development of its own basic idea depends upon having a correct idea of experience.”
Dewey talks about the benefits of progressive education that contrast with traditional education-- how it cultivates individuality, how students learn through experience, how students are acquainted with an ever-changing world, and that skills are attained in ways that are not isolated and are relevant. However, he's quick to point out that progressive education can't just be reactionary, that there must be solid connections between the experiences that student have and the education that they receive. Experiences don't inherently create an education; the experiences must have a positive and constructive development.
I take this to heart-- that in the creation of my PBL units, I have to be very careful and thoughtful about what these experiences will do.
"There is always the danger in a new movement that in rejecting the aims and methods of that which it would supplant, it may develop its principles negatively rather than positively and constructively."
I think this quote is kind of the heart of Dewey's argument-- that just because something is new that it can entirely reject the old. And I very much agree that if the focus is all on how PBL is not traditional that you create your philosophy based on the negative and it can be very limited, just thinking about what is it not, rather than thinking of the possibilities.
“… it is assumed that it suffices to reject the ideas and practices of the old education and then go in the opposite extreme”
I also think this is the fear of many traditional teachers-- that by embracing something new, they have to completely reject all that has worked for them in the past. Dewey is clear that some elements of traditional education are important and that educational philosophy doesn't have to be an either/or pursuit. Education, like so many things, seems to follow this pendulum swing from opposite extremes, but Dewey was arguing for a middle ground-- and this was almost 100 years ago!
Roots of PBL-- John Dewey
In my excitement about this "new" approach to the traditional classroom, I have completely overlooked the history of PBL and its precursors. My advising professor, Mark Faust, cautioned me: "I think it is very important not to present PBL as if this were a new idea and not rooted in a long tradition that can be traced back to the 19th century but has been on the wane for 30 years though there are signs of a potential revival."
Based on Dr. Faust's recommendation, I sought out some information on John Dewey, an educational theorist in the late 19th and early 20th century. I am shocked at how "new" all his ideas feel and I'm pretty embarrassed that I didn't read up on him first. Dewey believed that learning is a social and interactive process and he argued that schools should create environments in which students are allowed to experience and interact with the curriculum, as well as have a say in their own learning. From what I've read, PBL definitely fits within Dewey's view on education.
I have started reading Dewey's 1936 book Experience in Education, in which he explores two conflicting educational philosophies and seeks to find some middle ground. Although his ideas are certainly progressive, he doesn't believe that progression education should inherently reject all tenets on traditional education just for the sake of rejection. I will be posting my reflections and notes from Experience and Education this week.
Based on Dr. Faust's recommendation, I sought out some information on John Dewey, an educational theorist in the late 19th and early 20th century. I am shocked at how "new" all his ideas feel and I'm pretty embarrassed that I didn't read up on him first. Dewey believed that learning is a social and interactive process and he argued that schools should create environments in which students are allowed to experience and interact with the curriculum, as well as have a say in their own learning. From what I've read, PBL definitely fits within Dewey's view on education.
I have started reading Dewey's 1936 book Experience in Education, in which he explores two conflicting educational philosophies and seeks to find some middle ground. Although his ideas are certainly progressive, he doesn't believe that progression education should inherently reject all tenets on traditional education just for the sake of rejection. I will be posting my reflections and notes from Experience and Education this week.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Kajder Conclusion
Conclusion: On the Horizon
In wrapping up Adolescents and Digital Literacy, Kajder really emphasizes a couple of things. One, there are no easy answers in teaching English the in the 21st century. She explains "this is a process of examining our teaching; seeing our students; thinking critically about new tools; and finding small ways to maximize the intersections" (p. 101). Thinking about digital literacy and new media isn't just about the technology, nor is it a bag of tricks simply to motivate kids. We certainly need to think critically about the potentially negative effects of using technology and we don't want to just throw out the practices in traditional literacy that are working.
Kajder also makes it clear that this is a learning journey and that teachers have to keep learning--both with other teachers and with their students.
Sometimes the technology won't work.
Strategies for When the Technology Fails:
Through reading this book, many of my beliefs about multiple discourses and literacies has been reaffirmed and I feel like I'm leaving with some good ideas about ways to pull from the technological inspirations in this book.
I didn't take notes on this, but Kajder uses a three question framework for the teachers that she profiles in the book that I think is simple and good.
1. I am doing _______________well but can do better.
2. What watching my students' literary practices teaches me that I want to build upon: ______________.
3. ________________ isn't working.
"We are all learners in a literary landscape that is unfamiliar but packed with new possibilities" (p. 14).
In wrapping up Adolescents and Digital Literacy, Kajder really emphasizes a couple of things. One, there are no easy answers in teaching English the in the 21st century. She explains "this is a process of examining our teaching; seeing our students; thinking critically about new tools; and finding small ways to maximize the intersections" (p. 101). Thinking about digital literacy and new media isn't just about the technology, nor is it a bag of tricks simply to motivate kids. We certainly need to think critically about the potentially negative effects of using technology and we don't want to just throw out the practices in traditional literacy that are working.
Kajder also makes it clear that this is a learning journey and that teachers have to keep learning--both with other teachers and with their students.
Sometimes the technology won't work.
Strategies for When the Technology Fails:
- Do as much upfront planning as possible (including trying the assignment yourself on student computers).
- Exhibit patience under fire.
- Model your questioning for your students while troubleshooting or retooling the assignment.
- Look to the students as experts.
- Leverage the expertise in the building.
- Frontload your teaching with content and learning goals rather than technology-driven practices to ensure a plan B.
Through reading this book, many of my beliefs about multiple discourses and literacies has been reaffirmed and I feel like I'm leaving with some good ideas about ways to pull from the technological inspirations in this book.
I didn't take notes on this, but Kajder uses a three question framework for the teachers that she profiles in the book that I think is simple and good.
1. I am doing _______________well but can do better.
2. What watching my students' literary practices teaches me that I want to build upon: ______________.
3. ________________ isn't working.
"We are all learners in a literary landscape that is unfamiliar but packed with new possibilities" (p. 14).
Notes from Kajder Chp 6
Chapter 6: Writing Together: Participatory Media, Collaboration, and the English Classroom
Often teachers attempt to move traditional English assignments into a technological realm, but Kajder argues that isn't really helpful. Instead, "we need to make these changes with an eye to how authentic writing in new media spaces actually differs from traditional work" (p. 86).
NCTE says writing and collaborating with new media
*I wonder too, if the Internet is changing the writing process. Since publishing can be immediate and constantly changed/updated, I wonder if the nature of revision and editing are changing.
Reinventing the Character Journal: Megan, an eleventh grade teacher, always has her students keep character journals as they read The Great Gatsby and she appreciates the way they encourage students to construct meaning throughout their reading. However, she says she hates grading them and they feel so inauthentic-- so "schoolish." Megan noticed how much her students were into pictures-- taking photographs, changing their profile pictures, decorating their binders, etc.
Megan revised the project to be steeped in visual content. She created a "15-Day Visual Character Journal" where students would capture one image for each day of reading, from the point of view of their character, but now summarizing how the photo demonstrated a key moment in the novel. The class posted their photos and summaries to flickr.
Students then had to comment on the photos, which created a sense of audience and community.
Writing Collaboratively: Later in the year, Megan created a project to go along with the class's study of the play Othello. Megan used a class wiki to launch three levels of the project. Level 1 was a repository in which students posted their assignments and participated in discussion. Megan also posted a FAQ page and video clips of a modernized scene.
For the next stage, Megan posted several video clips of Desdemona's final death scene and students engaged in a robust online discussion and analysis of the differences in the portrayals.
In the final stage, Megan found a collaborating class in Missouri (through GlobalSchoolNet) for her students to work with. The other class was going to use Megan's class's wiki to help them as they read the play.
Often teachers attempt to move traditional English assignments into a technological realm, but Kajder argues that isn't really helpful. Instead, "we need to make these changes with an eye to how authentic writing in new media spaces actually differs from traditional work" (p. 86).
NCTE says writing and collaborating with new media
- requires continual learning and identity development
- helps create points of connection between what it means to create and collaborate outside of school and inside the more traditional English classroom
- provides opportunities for relevant, purposeful work
Reinventing the Character Journal: Megan, an eleventh grade teacher, always has her students keep character journals as they read The Great Gatsby and she appreciates the way they encourage students to construct meaning throughout their reading. However, she says she hates grading them and they feel so inauthentic-- so "schoolish." Megan noticed how much her students were into pictures-- taking photographs, changing their profile pictures, decorating their binders, etc.
Megan revised the project to be steeped in visual content. She created a "15-Day Visual Character Journal" where students would capture one image for each day of reading, from the point of view of their character, but now summarizing how the photo demonstrated a key moment in the novel. The class posted their photos and summaries to flickr.
Students then had to comment on the photos, which created a sense of audience and community.
Writing Collaboratively: Later in the year, Megan created a project to go along with the class's study of the play Othello. Megan used a class wiki to launch three levels of the project. Level 1 was a repository in which students posted their assignments and participated in discussion. Megan also posted a FAQ page and video clips of a modernized scene.
For the next stage, Megan posted several video clips of Desdemona's final death scene and students engaged in a robust online discussion and analysis of the differences in the portrayals.
In the final stage, Megan found a collaborating class in Missouri (through GlobalSchoolNet) for her students to work with. The other class was going to use Megan's class's wiki to help them as they read the play.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Notes from Kajder Chp 5
Chapter 5: Reading and Writing Multimodal Texts
Kajder begins this chapter with some grim statistics on adolescent reading-- which boils down to the idea that adolescents don't read very well. For example, NEAP 2007 revealed that "only 31 percent of eighth graders are able to read and write with proficiency" (p. 68).
I think many teachers want to embrace multimodal texts if it helps their students in traditional literacy; Kajder argues that when "students read to participate in social networks... they develop identity and engage in self improvement and gain information that they can put to use" (p. 69). Students are already richly literate in many ways-- the classroom needs to open up to those ways without rejecting traditional literacy.
NCTE's AL brief encourages teachers to expand the definition of literacy, value the literacies that students bring to the classroom, and help create points of connection between out-of-school literacy and the more traditional English curriculum.
Reinventing the Book Report: Kajder profiles Kristen, an eighth grade teacher who wanted to re-vamp the way her students approached their independent reading book reports. First, she opened up the format of their independent reading book to include audiobooks, but more than anything, she wanted to increase student discussion and make the product something more than just to turn into the teacher.
She asked them to develop a multimodal response/review that presented their thinking in original images and embedded audio using Voicethread.com as a tool for created and presenting their work.
She didn't show the students what to do with the technology; rather she showed them (briefly) how to use it as a writer and let them figure the rest out (and they did).
To spur discussion, she required that students randomly select three peers' projects to view and comment on-- either orally or written-- which would be embedded in the project.
When we open up what counts as valued communication in the classroom, we:
Kajder begins this chapter with some grim statistics on adolescent reading-- which boils down to the idea that adolescents don't read very well. For example, NEAP 2007 revealed that "only 31 percent of eighth graders are able to read and write with proficiency" (p. 68).
I think many teachers want to embrace multimodal texts if it helps their students in traditional literacy; Kajder argues that when "students read to participate in social networks... they develop identity and engage in self improvement and gain information that they can put to use" (p. 69). Students are already richly literate in many ways-- the classroom needs to open up to those ways without rejecting traditional literacy.
NCTE's AL brief encourages teachers to expand the definition of literacy, value the literacies that students bring to the classroom, and help create points of connection between out-of-school literacy and the more traditional English curriculum.
Reinventing the Book Report: Kajder profiles Kristen, an eighth grade teacher who wanted to re-vamp the way her students approached their independent reading book reports. First, she opened up the format of their independent reading book to include audiobooks, but more than anything, she wanted to increase student discussion and make the product something more than just to turn into the teacher.
She asked them to develop a multimodal response/review that presented their thinking in original images and embedded audio using Voicethread.com as a tool for created and presenting their work.
She didn't show the students what to do with the technology; rather she showed them (briefly) how to use it as a writer and let them figure the rest out (and they did).
To spur discussion, she required that students randomly select three peers' projects to view and comment on-- either orally or written-- which would be embedded in the project.
When we open up what counts as valued communication in the classroom, we:
- provide students with the opportunity to produce something unexpected, new, and creative
- foster students' confidence
- encourage innovation
- model for students that learning and knowledge isn't a tangible "thing" but an activity
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Notes from Kajder Chp 4
Chapter 4: Information Navigation and Critical Evaluation
Some fun facts from Michael Wesch in 2009:
1. There are over 1.5 billion online users.
2. The information newly created and posted online today with be the equivalent of 60 new books per second.
*That is an overwhelming amount of information floating around out there. It kind of blows my mind.
Two extremes of students-- those that are digitally savvy, using terms to help them sift through information like pipes, feeds, and tags ...
and the majority of students "who still move from screen to screen, unable to filter between the sites and information they wand and can use and those that won't push or lead their thinking any further. These are often the kids whom I see follow tangent, lose significant 'chunks' of time (sometimes without realizing it), and end up satisfied with following only the first two or three links found when conducting a Google search" (p. 50).
*Ha, this rings sooo true to me. I am continually frustrated with how poorly my students search for information. Sometimes they can't even distinguish advertisements from opinion sites (blogs) from news/informational sites.
Kadjer points out that the skills needed to work online (identifying important problems, locating information, analyzing usefulness, synthesizing information, and communicating the solution to others) is essentially the same steps that a smart reader takes when working with a print text.
*This is important! I've found that many of the students who struggle working online also struggle with print, which makes sense since it really is the same skill set. In some ways, this is exciting-- that explicitly teaching digital literacy could improve traditional literacies. And many of the same reading strategies that I use probably can also be applied to the digital world. I think this realization-- that digital literacy and print literacy use similar skill sets-- demystifies teaching digital literacy and reassures me a little bit,
Essentially, she gave groups of students 3x5 cards with one of six Web search tools: Google, Kartoo, FlickrStorm, Keotag, Similicio.us, and PodScope. Students were asked to investigate the site, identify how is worked, and try searching using different keywords listed on the board (Shakespeare, Cooper High Schoo, commas) and then report back to the class their findings.
For the second part of the lesson, students considered when each site would be useful (they used the common search terms to help them compare/vet sites). Then Erin opened the class up to a discussion of how they determined the accuracy of information and what purpose they might have for each site. Using their entries in their journals, students picked a topic and had to decide which search engines might provide the best results.
Using Resources, Supporting Thinking: Kajder outlines another of Erin's lessons that I think is really great. At the beginning of the lesson, Erin has her student freewrite about their strategies for organizing/holding onto information found online, and then followed with a larger class discussion.
Erin then showed the class her Diigo account that she'd used in a graduate school class. Diigo stands for Digest of Internet Information, Groups, an Other stuff and it allows you to:
1. Bookmark sites
2. Highlight information on the page (allows you to see the markup from your Diigo site)
3. Add "sticky notes"
4. Save bookmarks by tagging
*I am not familiar with this tool but it sounds dynamite! I wish I'd used it throughout my MEd, and I will definitely start to explore it for my classroom and my personal life.
Erin's students were really excited, but before they started creating their own Diigo sites, she had them create a list of user rules since their Diigo sites would be shared among the class.
Next, the class worked in small groups to find and share compelling sites and resources on adolescent lit for the class Diigo site, which created a lot of discussion of the sites within the groups.
*I can totally see the positive effect using Diigo would have in our PBL classroom. I'm psyched about it!
Notes from Kajder Chp 3
Chapter 3: The Twenty-First Century English Teacher
Much has been made of the terms "digital native" and "digital immigrant," and Kajder, while acknowledging the intent behind these terms, generally finds them limiting.
Recently, I've seen the term "Web 2.0" thrown around a lot and Kajder does define this term early in chapter 3. Web 2.0 learning environments are "collaborative, multimodal, self-directed" instead of "individual, print-based, and teacher/curriculum-based" (p. 35). Another term for Web 2.0 is digital or new literacies.
Kajder points out that none of the these ideas are new-- "what is new is the opportunity to do this work with an expanding tool set" (p. 36).
Some people are clearly against embracing digital literacies in the classroom-- why "pander to the tech-obsession of of digital youth?" "why emphasize 21st century skills over the 'foundational' ones of the 19th century that students have yet to master?" (p. 37). And yet, we "pander to students through direct instruction and high-stakes assessement" (p. 37).
A constant thread throughout Kadjer-- "we as teachers have to be constantly learning" (p. 36)... not necessarily learning how to use tools or where to point and click but "leaning new ways of engaging with media and developing literacies that move our own work as readers and writers" (p. 36).
*I remember Bob Fecho, in my writing pedagogy class, emphasizing that teachers of writing have to be writers themselves.
Kajder then profiles three teachers who consider themselves digital teachers. I noticed several commonalities-- they all mentioned seeing learning as collaborative and social in nature; they each were engaged in their own digital learning (through blogs, online forums, their own writing, etc); they all expressed hesitation and doubt-- no one was 100% sure all the time, but they were each willing to try something new in their classrooms; and they all sought out ways to make their students' work connect outside of the school walls.
There is "power in engaging within a broader English curriculum, one that brings together traditional practices of reading and writing and new literacy practices fostering information literacy, working in online communities, and composing through new media" (p. 48).
Much has been made of the terms "digital native" and "digital immigrant," and Kajder, while acknowledging the intent behind these terms, generally finds them limiting.
*I basically see myself as a digital native, although I'm not as proficient or as connected as many people my age. I don't have a smart phone and don't spend a ton of time on the internet. However, I do maintain a blog (other than this one) and I am active in a few online communities (regularly reading mostly quilting and DIY home decor blogs). I few comfortable "playing around" with technology and I feel like most technologies are fairly intuitive to me.
Kajder points out that none of the these ideas are new-- "what is new is the opportunity to do this work with an expanding tool set" (p. 36).
*This very much echoes the Dewey that I was reading last night. I probably need a specific post for this, but Dewey (1925) contrasted traditional education with progressive education.
Some people are clearly against embracing digital literacies in the classroom-- why "pander to the tech-obsession of of digital youth?" "why emphasize 21st century skills over the 'foundational' ones of the 19th century that students have yet to master?" (p. 37). And yet, we "pander to students through direct instruction and high-stakes assessement" (p. 37).
**I'm soooo hearing Dewey again and I think Dewey would tell Kajder that this tension is important and fodder for a critical lens of our pedagogy. I certainly don't want PBL or digital literacy to simply be a reaction against traditional literacy-- it should take what's working with traditional pedagogy, but also move in a direction that is more authentic.
A constant thread throughout Kadjer-- "we as teachers have to be constantly learning" (p. 36)... not necessarily learning how to use tools or where to point and click but "leaning new ways of engaging with media and developing literacies that move our own work as readers and writers" (p. 36).
*I remember Bob Fecho, in my writing pedagogy class, emphasizing that teachers of writing have to be writers themselves.
Kajder then profiles three teachers who consider themselves digital teachers. I noticed several commonalities-- they all mentioned seeing learning as collaborative and social in nature; they each were engaged in their own digital learning (through blogs, online forums, their own writing, etc); they all expressed hesitation and doubt-- no one was 100% sure all the time, but they were each willing to try something new in their classrooms; and they all sought out ways to make their students' work connect outside of the school walls.
There is "power in engaging within a broader English curriculum, one that brings together traditional practices of reading and writing and new literacy practices fostering information literacy, working in online communities, and composing through new media" (p. 48).
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Back at It
Not only did I enjoy a beautiful escape from the Georgia heat and a superfun time with my family, but I also had some time for some much needed pleasure reading. I read several books that I really loved-- The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dumont, The Time Traveler's Wife and Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger, and I'm Here to Win by the triathlete Chris McCormack.
I also started Education and Experience by John Dewey, which I'll talk more about later.
Yes, vacation is wonderful!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Notes from Kajder Chp 2
Chapter 2: Digital Youth
In this chapter, Kajder gives an overview of current research regarding the digital lives of adolescents. She then profiles three students and explains their digital lives both inside and out of school.
The takeaway: kids have incredible technological skills and confidence. Technology is natural and intuitive to them and an integral part of their daily lives.
For many students:
This is really cool to me! Students are active participants in creating things on the web-- blogs, Facebook profiles, MySpace pages, photo editing and sharing, video creation on YouTube, composing fan fiction, etc. As a PBL teacher, this really excite me-- that students will be doing what they are already doing, just in an academic context.
They are active participants rather than passive consumers.
Information Use--"Digital youth are a generation marked by unprecedented access to information" (p. 16)
Three main ways of information use (Palfrey and Gasser)
Networked Participation--"Digital youth engage in social networks for a multiple purposes, but what is striking about this work is the characteristic of the sites used for these interaction and the nature of students' engagement as readers, writer, and communicators" (p. 17).
They are connected to others across time and space.
Through this, they see the power of the written word and are using language as a way to be connected to others.
Students need to be consumers and producers of information-- teachers need to create a "space where new media converges with traditional literacy practices... a new space for more students to find success and to be intentional in choosing the media through which to express their thinking" (p. 19).
What I got from the student summaries--
In this chapter, Kajder gives an overview of current research regarding the digital lives of adolescents. She then profiles three students and explains their digital lives both inside and out of school.
The takeaway: kids have incredible technological skills and confidence. Technology is natural and intuitive to them and an integral part of their daily lives.
For many students:
- online access is a given (phone or computer)
- when online, they typically engage with more than medium at a time
- personal note, as I write this, I am listening to music on Pandora, intermittently checking my email and Facebook
- they use the Internet for more than simply accessing information; they are using it to create content and products and interact within a community
This is really cool to me! Students are active participants in creating things on the web-- blogs, Facebook profiles, MySpace pages, photo editing and sharing, video creation on YouTube, composing fan fiction, etc. As a PBL teacher, this really excite me-- that students will be doing what they are already doing, just in an academic context.
They are active participants rather than passive consumers.
Information Use--"Digital youth are a generation marked by unprecedented access to information" (p. 16)
Three main ways of information use (Palfrey and Gasser)
- Grazing for information (just google it)
- Making sense of information, put in a frame of context
- Participating in a "feedback loop," share information through the internet
Networked Participation--"Digital youth engage in social networks for a multiple purposes, but what is striking about this work is the characteristic of the sites used for these interaction and the nature of students' engagement as readers, writer, and communicators" (p. 17).
They are connected to others across time and space.
Through this, they see the power of the written word and are using language as a way to be connected to others.
Students need to be consumers and producers of information-- teachers need to create a "space where new media converges with traditional literacy practices... a new space for more students to find success and to be intentional in choosing the media through which to express their thinking" (p. 19).
What I got from the student summaries--
- Technology was a natural extension of their ideas. They didn't say "I want to use Photoshop," Instead, they figured out what they wanted to do and then found a tool to create their ideas.
- Most of the techonology they used was never explicitly taught to them; they just intuitively figured it out (and then took great pride in that).
- Students are way smarter than me when it comes to technology. I just need to trust in their abilities and get out of the way!
- Community-building seemed inherent and the use of technology brought kids together in ways that I think paper and pencil does not.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Notes from Kajder, Chapter 1
The purpose of this book is “to invite critical discussion around what it means to teach and learn in a digital age steeped in social media while raising ideas about how we leverage that media to foster reading and writing” (p. 2). I think that's really exciting and overwhelming at the same time; I think this book may raise more questions than provide specific answers. In some ways, I kind of wish I was reading this book with a class or a group because I imagine the conversation around these ideas would be rich and productive.
Literacies is...
Shifting from thinking about technology—from How to I use this? to What do I want to do this? Embracing possibilities.
Is not a dismissal of traditional literacies, but embracing new literacies and leveraging the new ones to provide access and interest in the old.
Some “big ideas”:
- Kids come to us to multiply literature. We need to continually work with multiple texts, modes, and media and work to make meaning with them.
- Literacy is social, active, and connective. Ignoring the social nature of adolescent is crazy—using literacy in a social way helps students to see that their words matter and how reading and writing connects people.
- Kids need to be able to answer “We are doing this in order to….” I mean, this seems like a no-brainer, but of course, it isn’t always clear to us or our students.
Some things to consider:
- The difference in using the term “literacies” rather than “literacy”
- Adding digital literacies under the umbrella of literacy
- Distinction between new literacies (focus on modes) and multimodality (focus on tools)
- Literacies “is not dependent on digital knowledge or prowess” (p. 9)
Thinking about literacy is thinking about “the role of creativity and community in our classrooms; about collaborative inquiry, participation, and what it means to learn with our students; and how we lead students to be serious students of literature and language while also fostering multiple literacies made possible and even required by our increasingly participatory culture” (p. 10-11).
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