My professional life consists of teaching middle schoolers math every week. Although I am not an ELA or reading teacher, their background with literacy plays a role in math class. It plays a role in all subjects. I also coach modified girls soccer. Both in and outside of the classroom the way I provide direction, ask questions, or just talk to my students/players matters. The vocabulary I use and the background each student has will determine whether or not they understand or how they will respond. In the classroom, math has vocabulary and some words are cross curricular and have the same meaning and other times are still cross curricular, but have different meanings. I think addressing literacy in math is important because students can see the connections to other subjects, but also since it can have a different meaning than they know. I always find it interesting when I explain something to a student and I see their interpretation. Word choice is huge. As stated in Expanded Territories of “Literacy”: New Literacies and Multiliteracies, “literacy education should address the corresponding issues in order to better prepare students to participate in social and cultural activities in the modern society” (Sang, 2017, p.17). Using the appropriate literacies to better prepare students not only to learn academically, but interact with peers is huge. Modern society is made up of all different cultures. Expanding students' horizons to not only be aware of this, but know how to connect with others who come from a different background from them is a great skill to have. New literacies make this much easier. According to the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), “being literate means making choices and using texts and tools in ways that match purpose”(2022). This touches on the point that being literate isn’t just about being able to read and write. I had a 7th grader this past summer who was at a low reading level and had an accommodation where everything was read to him. He used features on his chromebook to help or another person read it to him. His struggle with reading didn’t hold him back from passing math over the summer. This goes to show that there are tools that can be used to help students be successful within literacy, even if they “can’t” read (or write).
In my personal life, new literacies play a role in my social life. When I interact with others, their experiences and background are different from mine so they may interpret ideas differently than me. Also my dialect might be different from the person I am speaking to (e.g. cashier, doctors, sales people, etc.). An example of a dialect where I personally struggled in high school (and college) was reading Shakespeare. That is a different dialect of English, that I am not good at understanding personally. I read it all through high school in my English classes and then again in a college course. Both times my teacher/professor ended up translating the “old English” to us as a class. Just because I struggled with reading Shakespeare doesn’t mean I was illiterate. The NCTE mentions “learners utilize and enculturate in current and future digital contexts” and how it is important to have a positive mindset about different dialects or “forms of languages” (2022). Instead of saying one is illiterate because they don’t understand, embrace the difference between typical English and that dialect of it. There is a bigger picture to be looked at and how to go about understanding it. New literacies have an influence on being more equitable. I feel like no matter where you go technology is being used. How it is being used varies, but it is understood by a lot of the younger generation. Using new literacies has expanded ways for people to communicate with each other. Whether it be from language to language or just to express oneself.
In my personal life, new literacies play a role in my social life. When I interact with others, their experiences and background are different from mine so they may interpret ideas differently than me. Also my dialect might be different from the person I am speaking to (e.g. cashier, doctors, sales people, etc.). An example of a dialect where I personally struggled in high school (and college) was reading Shakespeare. That is a different dialect of English, that I am not good at understanding personally. I read it all through high school in my English classes and then again in a college course. Both times my teacher/professor ended up translating the “old English” to us as a class. Just because I struggled with reading Shakespeare doesn’t mean I was illiterate. The NCTE mentions “learners utilize and enculturate in current and future digital contexts” and how it is important to have a positive mindset about different dialects or “forms of languages” (2022). Instead of saying one is illiterate because they don’t understand, embrace the difference between typical English and that dialect of it. There is a bigger picture to be looked at and how to go about understanding it. New literacies have an influence on being more equitable. I feel like no matter where you go technology is being used. How it is being used varies, but it is understood by a lot of the younger generation. Using new literacies has expanded ways for people to communicate with each other. Whether it be from language to language or just to express oneself.
References:
Definition of literacy in a Digital age. National Council of Teachers of English. (2022, April 19). https://ncte.org/statement/nctes-definition-literacy-digital-age/
Sang , Y. (2017). Expanded Territories of “Literacy”: New Literacies and Multiliteracies . Journal of Education and Practice , 8(8).
Hi Morgan,
ReplyDeleteYou brought out some really great points in your blog post. I like how you related the reading to your job as a middle school math teacher. I fins it interesting how we view both view literacy in our classrooms. I teach kindergarten so there are definitely some big differences between these grades! I like how you brought out that not only can new literacy help students academically but socially too. This is a an interesting take because like you mentioned, we all have different ways of understanding things that we either read, or discuss. You also brought out how having a different mindset is key. In the example of you reading Shakespeare, though you struggled, you weren't illiterate; just needed some help understanding this type of writing. I can relate this to students in a classroom; just because one way of teaching in a lesson isn't working, doesn't mean the students can't understand this concept, they just need to be taught a different way. This is a great eye-opening post!
Hi Morgan!
ReplyDeleteI give you a lot of props for not only teaching middle schoolers, but teaching middle schoolers math. I feel like a lot of times students think they are escaping the constant written explanations when they go to math class but within the last ten years it has been incorporated into math instruction so much more!
Vocabulary is a huge part of literacy and I love that although you don't teach reading or writing, literacy is still used in your math classroom.
Morgan,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the beginning of your post as you went into depth about how literacy involves math as well. I teach 4th grade, and right now in our place value unit my students have to understand the vocabulary of the unit in order to be successful when questions ask them to round to the nearest hundred thousand, or write the number in expanded form. I also would like to add to your first paragraph. You talked about how you had a 7th grade student that had an application on his Chromebook that helped him access the material. I have students similarly that use technology to translate what they are talking about in their home language to help them succeed in school too.
As a math teacher, don't forget about data literacies, which are CRITICAL components of what it means to be literate in the 21st century.
ReplyDeleteHi Morgan!
ReplyDeleteI loved how you highlighted that literacy shows up in all subjects and even in how we interact with our students! Our word choices make such a big difference, as you said, in how they understand concepts and directions. I have seen the same thing in my science classes. Terms like volume, cell, mass, and model have one meaning in everyday life but hold a different meaning in the context of learning. Your point about vocabulary being cross-curricular really stood out to me because it shows us how important it is to make connections clear to our students so we can ensure they are not being confused. How do you usually help your students make those connections to the real world and cross-curricular vocabulary in math? Sometimes I feel like my students are not grasping the connection, so I would love to hear how you overcome it! I also loved the example you shared about your student using digital tools to access the math content despite the challenges he faces with reading. That really drives home the point that the NCTE made when they said, “Being literate means making choices and using texts and tools in ways that match purpose” (2019). Literacy is about making choices with how and when we use text and tools, not just traditional reading. It really shows that new literacy can open doors for our students to ensure that they are learning to the best of their ability and honing in on their strengths despite any weaknesses they may have. I love your example of Shakespeare because I feel it is an issue many people face, and I know I did! I think that's a great way to describe what you were trying to explain. It is also such a good reminder for us as teachers and as people that we all understand language and dialect differently, but it is not a deficit, but rather just differences that make all of our experiences and points of view unique! I enjoyed reading your post so much, I cannot wait to see what else you write up this semester!
References:
NCTE. (2019, November 7). Definition of Literacy in a Digital Age. Position Statements. https://ncte.org/statement/nctes-definition-literacy-digital-age/