Wow... it is time to write a final blog post. I am not ready for this class to be over because it means that all my social studies and history friends are moving on and I won't get to see them everyday. I am a little sad...tear. Okay I didn't really cry, but I really am sad. We had some good times in this class. I think we officially welcomed Dr. Wilson to Utah State. Okay so welcomed is not the best word, but "broke-in" doesn't really sound that good.
Anyways...I really enjoyed this class. There are so many things that I want to incorporate into my own classroom. I think Before, During and After reading as key to help students see the value of reading. I remember being in school and reading from the textbook, but asking myself what is the point. With BD&A reading the students know the point of reading and everything that is read has meaning and value. I will use this in my classroom for sure.
Another skill or strategy I cam away with is the value of digital literacy. The world is full of technology and as teachers, we can't just ignore that it is there. I think we have to include technology in our classrooms. I will probably have a class blog when I am a teacher. It seems small, but I think it will help. I also want to incorporate digital texts in my classroom. The internet is a great source so why not use it. I will also have to show my students how to find the valuable information from the internet. There is a lot of crazy out there.
Writing strategies will also come in handy. I will require my students to write in my class, so I have to have the writing skills and strategies to help them. I will want to work closely with both English teachers as well as Special Ed teachers and ELL teachers so I can improve my teaching. It is important to find ways to help all students learn. This ties into differentiation. I want to use differentiation as well. It will be important to use all the resources given to me to improve myself and my teaching.
There is just too much from this class to write in one blog post. All I can say is that everyday in SCED 4200 I learned something that I will take to my own classroom. Everything we did in class will be "do-able" in my own class. It makes me excited to student teach and try this stuff out.
I'm so glad you wrote about critical literacy. Honestly, I think that social studies is one of the best disciplines for incorporating critical literacy because, as you said, "there is a lot of crazy out there," and social studies inherently requires you to look at where people were coming from when they wrote primary source documents. For instance, were they Muslim, Jewish, Christian? Were they Republican or Democrat, North or South? All of these factors and more can influence people's perspectives and ultimately you can help students question those perspectives instead of just accepting them.
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job of welcoming me/breaking me in. Thanks for all of your work throughout the semester and good luck on your student teaching!