Double Entry Journal #4

Quote:

“Normally, she relied upon a basal reader, supplemented with novels, newspapers, and magazines.” ("Funds of Knowledge," 1992)

Reaction:

I am not by far an expert on this topic because I am not an experienced teacher. However, I fear that many teachers are stuck in their ways or afraid to put down the basal reader. All children aren’t the same; each child is different and learns in a different approach. One teacher in Moll’s study made a successful attempt to change her teaching style to help her students succeed. She quit relying on the basal reader because it wasn’t benefiting her students. She looked into the unseen home and community resources of her students. She found out about the personal history of the family including the labor background and their knowledge. These Mexican-American students were active learners and that is just what Hilda Anguilo shadowed. Her students were learning something that interested them; they researched, wrote about their research, gave oral presentations, and peer edited. As a future teacher, I want to assist all my students (minorities, bilingual, learning differences, etc) in the best approach. I would even be willing to “teach through the community,” just as Hilda used in her classroom approach.

Related Source:

I chose this article that deals with the principles for culturally responsive teaching. It focuses on positive perspectives on parents and families, communication of high expectations, learning within the context of culture, student-centered instruction, culturally mediated instruction, reshaping the curriculum, and teacher as a facilitator.

References:

Brown University, Initials. (2006). Principles for culturally responsive teaching. Retrieved from http://www.alliance.brown.edu/tdl/tl-strategies/crt-principles.shtml

Moll, L, Amanti, C, Neff, D, & Gonzalez, N. (1992). Funds of knowledge for teaching: using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. Theory Into Practice, XXXI(2), 132-144.