Letters

Source: Letter claiming to be from Jack the Ripper (MEPO 3/142 pt2/273
The National Archives http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/workshops/ripper.htm

Reflection on teaching

Well some positives and some minuses. The students were able to comment on their reflections of the different digital narratives that I had asked them to view.  Students noted that they liked the effect of music and sound especially in evoking suspense and the interactive component of Inanimate Alice, as well as the video footage, 'which made you feel as though you were driving in the car' and others commented how they liked the voice and images of True America. Other elements that were mentioned was the use of text, the use of quotes in Darren Lockyer. I responded, I think, appropriately to their commentary and extending their reflections.

After this 10 minute discussion (approximately), we watched a remake of Jack the ripper on You Tube, entitled 'Jack'. This is when we encountered time lapse problems which detracted from the suspense of the short film clip. Reminder to self: always download and save on computer, rather than watching directly from You Tube. This is something I know off by heart, and chastise myself that I didn't do it! As a result, we then had less time to watch the beginning of Alfred Hitchcock's first film, The Lodger'. Tomorrow, we will discuss, student's thoughts on these two silent movies.

Resources: So many you tube clips available on Jack the Ripper. I really like The National Archives to give an insight into the Victorian Era. Here is a documentary on Jack the Ripper.

Digital narrative

This particular lesson had the last stragglers finishing their 'windows'. I had booked the laptops and as they finished the students then explored four examples of digital stories that I had found. 

Storycentre.org http://www.storycenter.org/stories/index.php?cat=3
True America http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRR0-7EFhlc 

Inanimate Alice http://inanimatealice.com/ 

Darren Lockyear http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jvSmSYT4dk

Two of these are student created. I hope the students will consider which were the most effective and why. They will  look at the ones they did not view today over the weekend.  Have asked for comments on two. In hindsight I may not have made that clear to all students. I did also  ask at beginning of lesson if they found any new examples to email links to both the teachers. I do need to remember that instructions need to be explicitly clarified at the end of the lesson, as at the beginning. 

So our next lesson we will have a brief discussion on their reflections.
Brief intro to silent movies especially Hitchcock and his first film, the lodger, and the remake - focus on Mood of Suspense in the clips. Watch 10 minutes of the lodger (disc) and Jack (remake) on you tube.
Discuss how elements of silent movies can be helpful in creating digital narratives.

Mood of Suspense

Students finished their graphic organisers this week.  The teacher clarified any student questions, and checked individual work. A couple of the students had to go back and revise what they had written. To complete this particular activity, the students transfer their information on to the hall windows using dry chalk textas (coloured, which are easily wiped off windows when dry). It is a great way for the students to consolidate their understanding as they use different coloured textas for the various elements in the novel that contribute to the mood of suspense.

Digital narratives

I have been working towards creating my lesson plans, an assessment rubric and resources to support the students in their creation of a digital narrative. I am not sure if they have already created on before, so I am planning on opening the first lesson, with an introduction to digital narratives by showing them several examples from You Tube and Digital narrtive websites. I have booked the laptops, so the students can then explore the internet for other examples. The focus will be on them reflecting what works, and what doesn't in those that they find. The school uses Moodle, so I will have them comment on their Moodle page. I also have a fact booklet of major elements of digital storytelling to support their learning. There is so much information available on the web about it, that they can refer to. Hopefully the booklet will be a good first resource for them. It is too easy to get lost in the Web, even for secondary students.

The IT teacher will be showing them different software over the next five weeks that they can use. It is great to have the support of other departments. A grade 10 student has also been asked to come in to answer any questions about creating movies, videos and using tools such as photostory, movie maker etc.

Students will work in pairs, to create a digital narrative of the class text, The Lodger, choosing from any of the motifs they have studied over the course of this unit.

Extending students

I sat in and observed again with the Grade 9's.  The students have really grasped the concepts of the novel, and the teacher feels they are a group that really need extending, so she is planning on having the students focus on linking different literacy elements.  She is introducing diction to the class, which normally would not cover later. Diction looks at the specific use of language and how even one word can convey meaning and be significant in the development of the the characters, and/or the cultural setting of the novel.  It ties in with different forms of imagery, and looking at the mood of suspense, which also links to the irony and foreshadowing evident in the text. The Lodger is a novel that is full of auditory and kinesthetic imagery - not only visual imagery, and the students are encouraged to find evidence of the different forms of imagery.  When introducing something new, the teacher models the visual framework that the students will create, as well as clarifies new understandings with evidence form the novel.  The students have their previous graphic organizers displayed around the room, and they can refer to these as well as from the book to come up with specific examples of motifs, a quote, that they can draw examples of diction.  The quote also may exemplify the creation of characterization either directly (from characters themselves) or indirectly(inferred, or implied by another character's reaction etc).  Over the course of reading the novel and exploring the motifs and story, students continually refine their understandings through the use of graphic organizers and the development of questioning, before they need to write any essay or create any summative assessment.

Goals

Sat down with my associate teacher and went over my personal goals for the next month. It is quite hard when you are already a practicing teacher, albeit not for this subject, to put yourself into the framework of a beginner teacher.  Reflection is a constant and a given for a teacher. It is so important to be able to reflect on what you have done, the extent to what was achieved, and future directions.

However, these are my goals:
1. to utilise technology in the classroom especially with a focus on students demonstrating their knowledge through creating multimodal products
2.  focusing on planning and assessment
3. continued improvement of my professional knowledge and practice:
          teaching secondary students, extending my IT skills, knowledge and practice, and in secondary       literature
Other aims include extending my resource collection. I have sent off the goals, but with some misgivings. I feel I need to be more specific. So will be going back to the drawing board.

Grade 6- Step up to Writing framework

I sat in and observed a grade 6 class. These are students I know from the past two years, and it is interesting to see them now in a middle school setting. The session first started with a 20 minute study hall due to the school's long lunch timetable. During this time the students engage with DEAR (silent reading), homework, or teacher directed mini lessons on anything from time management and study skills. It is definitely a worthwhile session, and one that the English teachers of the senior classes are planning to also introduce to ensure that the students are using their time productively rather than socially during their extended flexi break.

The grade 6 class then went to the computer lab, where they continued working on their compare and contrast essay. The middle school uses the Step up to Writing framework which provides a common language for the students - everyone is 'on the same page'. The teachers would like to see this introduced at the elementary level to ensure a continuum across the elementary and middle school. The framework has students colour code/highlight the language features and conventions of writing such as introduction, conclusion, topic sentence, examples of the topic sentence that students use in their own writing. The framework provides the scaffold, from which the students can use to write independently.  The majority of the students are multilingual, with English as an additional language, not their first, so this scaffolding is even more important.

The scaffold sees the student doing a 'prewrite' using a graphic organiser, then a plan of their writing even before starting the draft writing, and finished writing/assessment task. Students hand in all steps of the writing process.

The teacher begins by reinforcing the focus of the lesson, and then uses a variety of differentiation strategies during the lesson from working independently, whole class instruction to 1:1 student/teacher instruction and  peer assessment with students using their 'elbow partners' to check each others writing, and to make comments on each others work. Work is returned to the owner, who then continues with editing and correcting based on those suggestions. The teacher randomly checks students to see how they have peer assessed.  Students use the same word processing format using 1.5 or double spacing to allow students to clearly read, highlight and comment.  Students also include a bibliography even at this early draft stage of their writing. They have access to bibliographic examples in their student handbook, and also use online citation tools such as BibMe to save their bibliographies.

These are the writing and responding skills that the students need to support their English as they move from middle to high school.

Lesson date: 1 November

The Lodger -

In the lessons following, the grade 9 students have answered set questions as part of class and home work. The teacher has clarified any misconceptions that they may have in relationship to the characters especially the Buntings and Mr Sleuth in a whole class discussion. The students have considered the place that the Buntings have within the social hierarchy of London of the time. They are servants, and as the reader, we have to delve into that psyche, of what would be proper/not proper for the Buntings, and Mrs Bunting in particular toward Mr Sleuth.

This has led on to the students doing a gallery walk, coming up with quotes from the novel that reflect a deeper understanding of the relationships and motifs within the novel. Class, saviour, luck etc.

The teacher and I have discussed the calendar for the rest of the Unit, including my suggestions for lessons I will teach,which will see the students creating a digital narrative of The Lodger.  A senior student has been asked to give a tutorial for the grade 9's on using Photo story and movie maker.

The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes

Grade 9 are studying The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes. A great read first published in 1914, which Hitchcock used as the basis for his first film in 1926. I have been sitting in again to observe, as the class work in pairs to learn about the processes of representation in the novel, in particular the symbols, images and motifs in the story. The students have been supported in their learning by the teacher who has given them questions to reflect upon, after they have identified the essential elements of the novel. By working in pairs, the students also support each other in their own understandings of the novel. The students, I am sure, take great pleasure in discovering examples of the different motifs that the teacher had not included in the framework that she gave them. The teacher also ensures throughout the lessons that indeed the groups are discussing the novel together, and not reading independently of one another. The questions mentioned earlier, all allow the students to make connections and show their understanding between what they have read, and the motifs in the novel.

In discussion with the teacher, as the provocation to introducing the novel, and building on the student's prior knowledge, she had the students delve into the culture of London as it was at the time of the setting of the novel - in the late 1800's. Students researched such topics as transport, sport, fashion, technology, lifestyle, music, politics, gender relationships, work in order to have a feel for the novel, and an understanding before they started reading the novel itself. Students had to submit a graphic organiser and shared their work with the teacher through using Google docs.

Lessons that followed have the students (working in different pair groups) spread out in the hall, with poster paper, rules, textas, in order to transfer their knowledge on to graphic organisers (format determined among themselves e.g. format/what happened), including incorporating quotes from the text to support their choice of language features and structures of the novel. The teacher observed that this particular activity has taken longer than she expected.

Dates: October 24, 25, 27

The Lodger: a story of the london fog

I have sat through half of the silent movie by Hitchcock, of The Lodger (his first film) which I came across on the Internet Archive. I should have read the comment, that told me the movie was incomplete. However, what I did see allowed me to reflect on the similarities and differences between the novel and the film. What struck me was how powerful music and symbolism is to achieve the drama and menace of the film. My preference is still for the novel. Film never seems to live up to the original book, as it is only one person's perspective versus the reader's perspective. For me, Hitchcock emphasized the romantic element too much and Mrs Bunting was nowhere near the character of the book...too much smiling!  It will be interesting to see if grade 9 students can sit through the entire movie with no text, or whether they will be squirming in their seats.

Wikpedia assignment

After my reflections on wikipedia as a teaching tool, I was very pleased to see it as one of the prescribed texts for the senior English syllabus. So my next assignment is looking at Wikipedia as part of the module Texts and Society, and the elective, The Global Village.

It has sent me searching the web for information, especially about the concept of the global village which seems to have been around forever. I cam across an interesting interview of Marshall McLuhan, the man who originally coined the phrase, back in the 1960s. It was amazing how relevant his comments still are today - the movement from the individual 'Renaissance Man' of the book to the tribe. Current research looks at collective intelligence, and collaboration! 

Musings

One assignment down, and another looming...and September is here. So off to the workshop in Shanghai next week!

Thinking about Wikipedia and why so many teachers are against student's using it; how we should be using it to teach our students to think critically; about the theoretical pedagogical frameworks such as Media Literacies that support this type of literacy. 

Hiatus

A hiatus this past week from uni study in order to refine and complete a workshop I will be facilitating in September. Back to the books now!

Gender issues

I found the 3 articles by Martino, Jetnikoff & King; and Gilbert to be fascinating reading. The dynamics of speaking and listening in classroom discourse is something that as teachers we do not reflect upon as often as we should, and an important element of classroom dynamic and student achievement.  As Gilbert concluded in her article " As teachers we need to learn to listen critically both to the talk - and to the silence - in our classrooms" to ensure that students are not being marginalised based on gender, race or sexuality. We need to examine 'what speaking positions we make available in the classrooms: at who is given authority to speak and how; at who is silenced and how' as well as look at the informal talk situations of language classrooms - who does the work - and who gets the credit - for successful group discussions? who have the skills - and who have yet to learn them - in informal speech contexts?.

Martino reflects on challenging masculinities and homphobia in the English classroom, and how boys bring with them to class particular social and cultural values and attitudes that inform how they relate to one another (p.155). He believes that we need to develop strategies to allow students to respond to particular texts and to encourage them to think about what we take for granted as 'normal' and 'natural'. What does it mean to be a 'proper' boy or to behave in 'appropriately' masculine ways? Boys need to reflect on issues of strength and power in their own lives as a way to interrogate dominant masculinity and its effects  and one way is by appealing to their sense of justice (McLean 1995). What are the 'negative consequences of masculine power at the hands of adult men and older boys' (McLean 1995, 23). Martino argues that "addressing issues of homophobia in schools must be situated within a social justice framework in which any form of violence is treated as unacceptable" (160).  There is a need to address  the issue of assumptions about gay students which are informed by fear and ignorance. Martino also notes that issues of class also need to be addressed e.g. the stereotype of 'rich'  as well as the role that sexuality plays such as the denigration of the feminine in defining 'acceptable' masculinities. Martino gives an example of how one text can be used to look at the above issues.  His references provide for further reading on this subject.

Jetnikoff & King look at 'intersecting images of gender, race and culture in pop media' in a commentary on a developed unit designed around the concept of visual and critical literacy. Students analyse the power relationships and images in video clips/film/magazines, producing their own recreation of these forms of 'text' and also reflect in journal writing about gendered, cultural and racial power relationships in the media.

I found the final article by Gilbert on 'gender, talk and silence' to be the most fascinating as it deals with how the ways students take up particular forms of masculinity or femininity will affect the way they will participate in classroom interaction and the way in which they will perform speech genres in the classroom context.  (185) Gilbert reflects on gendered perceptions of differences between women and men as speakers, and how this is impacted in the classroom by teachers and students. As teachers we need to observe the patterns of 'talk' that occurs, and be attuned to differences with and between the groups who talk. What is the situational context in which the discussion occurred? What was going on? What was the purpose of the interaction? Who was involved? In what relationship are the participants e.g. consider predominantly social relationships of power, of social distance, of gender, of race. How do these societal influences affect how the participants might speak to each other? Does the gender of the speakers sometimes override situational and generic expectations as a demonstration of broader societal male power? (p.188) . Are we perpetuating inequalities of access to talk and to speaking positions, and differential treatment of female and male students in the classroom? which sees girls speaking less than boys, given less attention than boys? Who has the 'speaking rights' in the classroom - are teachers allowing boys to break the convention rules of the genre and the speech situation. Gilbert comments on their research which has focused on the "patterns of gendered performances boys established within these classrooms, and the way in which these patterns appeared to affect the classroom context, enabling and disabling the performance of others" (p189) and how the "way in which boys are positioned as masculine subjects within their classroom - and the opportunities they have to play out dominant and more macho forms of masculine behaviour - influences their participation in classroom talk situations" compared to other boys - less obviously positioned as 'masculine' subjects - who were quieter within the classroom, and nervous and embarrassed about standing up in front of the whole class to present work orally.  She continues to state that "Gendered perceptions of speech and speaking have established expectations within classrooms - for girls, for boys, and for teachers - and impact upon the way we speak, what we might speak about, and even whether we will speak at all". (190).  Gilbert also notes how the control of speaking space within the classroom is not the only issue. Girls also face difficulties when boys 'engaged in crude and humiliating language practices designed to position the girls as sexual subjects objectified and controlled by men". To confront these unequal relationships of power, students need to be given 'access to knowledge about how language practices can be sexist or unfair to girls and women; how language practices are used to construct and regulated particular ways of being and behaving as 'men' and as 'women'. It may also mean giving students access to knowledge about how language may be used to 'do' things to people - to harass them, humiliate them, and silence them. And it may also mean giving students access to knowledge about how speakers are often positioned within discursive networks of power that may make it hard for them to speak at all, or may make it hard for them to tell their stories in ways they would choose" (191)

Documentary text ('Frontier' as text: P. Hughes)

1. Features and conventions that govern production of a documentary text and ways that these position the viewer to make meaning from the text:
seek to produce understandings of the world - are about ideas
seek to inform, persuade, bring about social changes, to educate
referential relationship between sounds and images of documentary world and the socio-historical world
produce an interpretation of the external world  - may involve a personal exploration of the issues
make assertions about the world beyond the text e.g. 'these things did happen'
construct an argument from these assertions about the world - interplay of argument and evidence

"A documentary is a representation, a social and culturally based construction which uses strategies such as selection and juxtaposition of images, sounds and words" (p.36)

2. The ways that documentaries function as discursive practices:

Richard Kilborn and John Izod:

the documentary has to speak to its audience in a way that can be understood

more than chronicling or a record of actuality - also an act of transformation - 'documentary discourse' - 'As a text, a documentary transforms events, people and places in the historical world' - 'story' into 'discourse' - "...the process of transformation involves a series of choices, each of which has implications: semiotic, cultural, political, ideologcial etc. That is, the process of transformation is central to the process of interpretation, which in turn is central to the process of making a documentary."

3. The importance of the context of production and the context of reception and the ways this can produce various readings of the material; how references to other texts (intertextuality) affect our reading of this text:
Documentaries are:

• representations that are socially and culturally based constructions which uses strategies such as selction and juxtaposition of images, sounds and words
• read in particular ways by audiences who come to them with particular sets of expectations
• need to be seen in a number of contexts - the historiographic background - when it was produced? Who produced it?
•  The ways in which audience understand documentary texts will be "at least partly determined by what they know of, and think about, the historiographical, political [and public broadcasting] contexts in which the texts are produced and consumed." (p.37)
• we read the text in the context of  related  texts or documentaries on similar issues or other non-documentary texts, public debates; can we compare with these, consider what references/sources are used, left out

4. Ways that form (structure) and content function to position the viewer:
"Narrative structure reflects choices made. These choices reflect historiographical and ideological assumption, such as the centrality of individuals as subjects of history. There is also an assumption...that history is dicontinuous, not a seamless chain of cause and effect" ( p37-38)

analyse starting point of particular narratives - "The point at which a narrative thread begins is significant, as is any resolution" (p38)

What period does it cover? What geographic region? Who are the major figures? What themes are developed? What is being claimed here?

Structure:

may include historical records such as letters, official documents, paintings, drawings, lithographs, photos, ethnographic film, fiction film; and frequently - footage shot specially for the documentary, narrator's voice over - often from a 'Voice of God' perspective - appears to be all knowing; statements from eye witnesses or participants in the events - may be used instead of a voice over - offering number of perspectives on events rather than single perspective, sound effects, music; may use actors performing exerpts from written historical documents (douc-drama) - to some extent "disrupt the realism of the text, as they are composed and performed in a formal tableau style, with the actors speaking direct to camera".

Structuring Discourses or Themes - provide coherence - consider how themes are raised and developed; what incidents, events, indivuals used to exemplify themes 

Elements of Unity and Coherence - visual elements, visual motifs, imagery & meatphors, Voice of God narration (links sequences and historical epochs), music

As Argument - what are the arguments of the text; How are these made evident? How does use of music, voice and performance determine how we read the credibility of the witnesses?

Point of View - all films and tv programmes incorporate some point of view, put from a particular perspective, a position of knowledge. Consider What is the point of view? How is it established? (eg subjective point of view shots, direct forms of speech 'I', relationship of visuals to voice over, Who gets to speak? Who controls the discourses of the text? What is the position of knowledge/truth?

Realism - a mode of film and tv production, seeks to foreground story rather than discourse - there is an assumption that content is more important than form; the images seek to verify the claims being made, if only metonymically or metaphorically; a linear structure & a rejection of overtly personal point of view (POV)

Representation - how events, people, geography represented - implicitly or explicitly

Reading intertextually

     Sequence analysis - consider the opening sequence and how it establishes the next phase of the narrative & argument, how it introduces the key themes, the key players, the location, the visual & aural elements, tone and POV

     Metaphor - visual metaphors which serve function of making abstract ideas concrete, creating moments for reflection in the flow of the narrative and the argument, adding to a sense of visual coherence. Need to consider recurrence of any metaphors, pattern to the use of visual metaphors, images used, when they are used, what do they seem to represent? Do they assist the argument and how? Do they assist in creating emotional responses in the audience? Do metaphors seem to run counter to the explicit argument? 

     Narrative/structure - what are the main narrative sequences? Consider how the narrative progresses from one sequence to the next? what is the main point being made in each sequence? Where does the narrative begin? How is it established? Does it end with some form of conclusion or turning point? What is implied about historical development by the narrative structure? What is the narrative based upon eg. a particular incident, an individual etc

     Representations of... How are the people represented in the text, in the images? what is the purpose of each representation? How do the images position us as readers...do they exhibit a particular POV, a particular social or cultural perspective from which the world is assumed to make sense? What assumptions are taken for granted in the representations?

     Audience positioning- background research - What devices (e.g. articles in newspapers, magazines, trailers, summaries on the web site, video covers, CD cover, academic articles etc) are used to seek to position the audience in relation to the material in the programme?  How do they construct particular ways of understanding the text? How do they draw attention to particular themes or responses?

     Reception of the documentary by audience - significant factors include spectator's prior views and interests, their emotional and intellectual engagement with the documentary and with other texts that may influence their responses. There is often very little evidence upon which to base nay claims about how individual documentaries are received by audiences unless websites developed to provdie online chat/response by people to the programme/documentary. ....Note the titles of each chat session. How do these set the agenda for discussion? Do they cover the main issues in your view?

     Performance issues - where sequences are performed by actors in the witness sequences - are they credible? How do you make this judgement? 

     Debate - is there any debate in the press on the issue of the documentary?

Quotes I like...

"One of the greatest things you have in life is that no one has the authority to tell you what you want to be. You are the one who'll decide what you want to be. Respect yourself and respect the integrity of others as well.  The greatest thing you have is your self-image, a positive opinion of yourself. You must never let anyone take it from you."

- Jaime Escalante

Educator

Marginalisation in the classroom

Beverley Pennell's comments (in our workbook) resounded with me. In this module she talks about the risk of marginalisation of students within the cultural structures of the school...within our classrooms.  How control and exclusion has been exerted within the classroom because students may be considered to speak 'incorrectly' - and how this hales back to class differences.

Pennel comments that:
"To see from another person's viewpoint is, I consider, a feat of imagination. To see, to tolerate and respect, the ideas, values, beliefs and practices of another culture is probably the greatest feat of imagination, requiring generosity of spirit, a genuine open heartedness".  To not merely be tolerant - meaning 'we' are the representative norm, and others do not conform to the 'norm' but to respect - to acknowledge the validity and value of those different to ourselves.

Teaching has always been about modeling to our students.  Teachers need to think critically about their own cultural patterns - what and how are we judging and excluding in the classroom with our students? Are we aware of our own pedagogical discourses that we employ in our classrooms every day. Are we valuing the differences (the linguistic, cultural and knowledge) of those in our classroom? Are we giving all our students 'access to the knowledge and skills which will give them access to the dominant culture, if they should choose it....without making students feel uncomfortable about their own backgrounds, without making students feel marginalised and inadequate'? (19) Are our own histories and locations and institutional contexts (Comber, 125)  influencing how we teach and what we expect of our students?

Teachers need to critically reflect upon their teaching practices as much as our students need to reflect on their learning.

The articles by Barbara Comber (Literacy, poverty and schooling: working against deficit equations) and  G. Shopen (Challenging the achievement gap: teaching English in Indigenous schools) reinforce how marginalistion can occur when we do not take into account the cultural traditions in which our students have developed their social and cultural identities.  Shopen comments how much of the literature of English texts are part of English cultural traditions that students only access while at school. "The school discourse rarely includes reference to the children's own languages, knowledges and experiences. Indigenous cultural accounts of the world as seen as irrelevant to the process of schooling which has been conceived within a British-Australian cultural, social and economic tradition." Although Shopen speaks in relation to Indigenous students,  this is  most certainly the case also for students whose cultural background and mother language is other than English. The reality is that students are differentiated in multiple ways...as does 'Australian society have complex realities, so does schooling' (Shopen, 135).

As teachers, we need to know the 'complex realities of our children's family and community lives'.  As Comber remarks:
"Teachers need to know their school communities - the material circumstances of their lives, their funds of knowledge,  service and support networks and their cultural, language and literate practices. With this knowledge, teachers can make sensible requests of parents and use their valuable resources to build a responsive pedagogy..." (128)


At the same time, teachers also need to be aware of engaging in deficit ideologies ('expect very little' syndrome Badger et al 1993; 'pedagogy of poverty' Haberman 1991) where they simplify what is offered and demanded of students.

How and what we assess depends often on what different societies make important (Comber, 123). Student success and failure is linked to what we assess.

Both authors comment on the understanding of literacy as a social practice, situated in context, and not a set of isolated autonomous skills. Unfortunately often assessment such as testing (and national testing such as NAPLAN) are based on the latter understanding, and does not take into account the multiple differences of our students.

Meeting the social and cultural needs of learners

My initial opinion of this general description for the Literature - English Curriculum in the senior years, sees a narrowing focus with students 'analysing' and responding to the 'historical genres and literary traditions of Australian literature and world literature and contemporary texts'. There is not the central focus on 'creating' nor on multiple/ multimodal 'texts'  (although these are evident in other sections of the English curriculum). I would imagine that this 'narrowing' of the curriculum is to prepare students for university, as it notes in the last sentence: "With this in mind, specialised literature courses in the senior secondary years will connect more directly with literary studies at the university level for those students aiming to pursue such studies". The general description is exactly that - general! It could have been a description that I would have been part of the curriculum in  the 1970's.

However, I assume that as the curriculum is a 'spiral curriculum' that within the above description, senior students will show their critical understandings about:
the social, historical and cultural contexts of texts
a text's formal, creative and aesthetic qualities
ways in which argument and viewpoint are presented and supported through a text
how a text's features reflect the perspectives from which it can be interpreted
how different perspectives are associated with different uses of language
(Descriptor 5.3.1)

The document does note that in the senior years students will be given a 'range of choice of more specialised courses to meet students' needs and interests".  The curriculum does allow students to 'produce a growing range of creative expository, persuasive and other texts under various circumstances with a variety of stimuli' in order to 'demonstrate an ability to create written, spoken and multimodal texts'. But does it meet the social and cultural needs of all of our students....I don't know.

Based on the readings from this course depicting how the curriculum is being taught, including the video scenarios, I believe that teachers are certainly endeavouring to address the social and cultural needs of learners in the Senior Years.

Stage 5 Course Performance Descriptors - Literacy test paper 2006

My immediate reactions to this document is that you can see those conceptualisations of English pedagogy that are valued such as sociocultural and critical literacy.  Students understanding of audience, purpose and content is central to the paper. It also shows the movement toward covering multiple literacies such as media, film and multimedia along with the traditional elements of story and poetry.

As both a teacher and student, there are implications to what needs to be taught/studied in the curriculum. Currency is significant. You need to be aware of current media studies e.g. Terry Denton, and how to read transcripts as opposed to listening and viewing; of filmic structure, multimedia such as games/gaming - how to read procedural text, the language conventions of reading visual multimedia text; personal response in relation to short stories, and analyzing poetry.  Students must be prepared to understand and use the conventions of multiple forms of 'texts'.

Modality

Note in our workbook: Joan Tough identified children's use of marked modality as significant in academic success. She argued the use of such modals as 'might', 'may be' 'perhaps' give children access to thinking in alternative possibilities.

Although I haven't read Tough's work, my initial reaction to this finding is to highly agree to it.  One, it allows children/students to feel comfortable to express their thoughts and opinions without having to worry about 'getting it right'. Secondly, it allows for greater critical reflection and thinking by the students. The use of these modals encourages students to think 'outside the square'. Both of these would contribute to academic success in developing our students critical thinking, listening and speaking.

Australian Curriculum English: Foundations to Year 10. Version 1.2 (8 March 2011)

My first immediate response to the online version of the Australian Curriculum: English website is that I like the layout. It is clear and easy to navigate. The search capability is another direction tool to assist teachers in accessing the site. I am sure that as I continue to reread the ACE document, I will have more to ponder and reflect upon.
 I noted in an earlier assignment that 'the NSW English 7-10 Syllabus (2003) is a culmination of a range of competing theoretical positions and practical models that although products themselves of particular historical moments¹, combine to serve the range of purposes and functions necessary for our students to in the 21^st century. No doubt, the National English Curriculum currently in development will continue to display this same generosity, while incorporating new elements particular to our society today.' English teachers handbook p. 223
 The ACE at first reading does appear to continue to reflect the same conceptualisations of English curriculum pedagogy, such as in the NSW English 7-10 document. The Rationale and Aims is more succinct, and while it appears to have added new elements to reflect our society today, it has not retained all from within the NSW document e.g."development and expression of a system of personal values based on students’ understanding of moral, ethical and spiritual matters and gives expression to their hopes and ideals". Not being familiar with other Australian state English syllabus documents I wonder if this is because of needing to blend and therefore all reflect each Australian state, or if it is a commentary on the position or role of English in the' development of students' understanding of moral, ethical and spiritual matters'?

The importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their contribution to Australian society, literature and culture is also specifically acknowledged. As is the importance of internationalism and Australia's place both as a nation state and our position in the global society, as well as special consideration for Australia's links to Asia. Finally, the acknowledgement of Australia as a linguistically and culturally diverse country. The inclusion of all these within the Rationale I feel is very significant.

As for the Aims, elements have been extended to include creating and reflecting; multimodal texts and English language in all its variations.

Now back to more reading of the ACE :)

Misson, R. Questioning popular culture

Commentary by B.Pennell - 2 crucial points re 'Why study popular culture?"
1. English should engage with the textual realities of the studetns and prepare them to critically analayze these texts.
2. ....it is important for studnts to understand how the power of texts positions them in quite specific ways.

Peel, R. (2010). The 'Cultural studies' model of English

Notes major shift in emphasis from ‘literature’ and ‘ language’ to 'literatures' and 'languages'; from idea of 'literary heritage' to idea of 'text'
3 major paradoxes:
Personal paradox
Students like the way English provides the space to talk about human issues and problems, and which values their own experiences, perceptions and imaginations (Peel & Curtis 1996). This element would appear to be in direct contrast to the critical thinking and reading that the 'Cultural Studies' model requires.

Professional paradox
It would appear to be one of balance. Professionally teachers understand that students need to be critical readers and thinkers. Cultural studies is important but literacy also regarded as a central tenant of English & a fundamental skill.  Students need to be able to create, produce as well as consume.

Theoretical paradox
Cultural Studies seeks to break down barriers between subjects. It is interdisciplinary. There are certain concepts absent from the model such as personal response, pleasure and enjoyment? How do they fit in?

These issues can be resolved. Peel remarks that because CS is all embracing, then students can study any products of culture whether they be traditional literature, cultural icons such as Ned Kelly to shopping malls, film, art, media, television, press, songs, games. The importance is that students are taught to question, to discuss, to analyze:

      Why and with whom is (or was) this phenomenon popular?

      What implicit messages is it sending out? And

      How is it read?

Including a CS model within the classroom does not have to exclude the importance of personal response, enjoyment of literature. I think too, it comes down to students being aware of these different elements of English - both create the whole.

Learning Log Response to the ACARA document, The shape of the Australian curriculum: English (May 2009) p.9

Immediate response is that the document is closely tied to earlier English curriculum documents though seen to be stepping through the 21^st century doorway with such additions as acknowledgment of a futures orientation, the global environment, and reference to multimodal texts and inclusion of creating as a mode of communication.

The strand of language states that it is 'knowing about the English language ...and how it works'. It would appear to me that 'how it works' comes under the strand of literacy, which is the practical application – transferring and using our knowledge and understanding of the English language in order to create a range of modes and texts for a range of purposes and audiences.

In an article by Wayne Sawyer (in Charged with Meaning, Chapter 24), he commented that

'knowing about the English language' – 'how language enables people to interact effectively to build and maintain their relationships, and to express and exchange their knowledge, skills, attitudes, feelings, and opinions ...yet Sawyer states this approach “appears not to be delivered as the details are 'Knowing about the English language' are elaborated...

I tend to feel that English has be given a 'remodeled dress' but certainly not a 'new body'.

1. Purpose

2. Introduction:

• nation as culturally and linguistically diverse, democratic, evolving, equity, openness
• futures orientation – need to interact in a global environment – know how to learn, adapt, create & communicate effectively, interpret & use information more fluently & critically
• participation in society – development of identities, cultures they live in, their understanding of how identity & culture are connected
• how language enables people to create meaning in broad range of forms & contexts; appreciation of Australia’s literary heritage & that of other cultures.

3. Aims:

development of language, literature & literacy skills:

• Standard Australian English (SAE) – spoken & written forms
• learn English for social cohesion
• respect varieties of English & influence on SAE
• enjoy language …....
• understand, interpret, reflect on, create variety of spoken, written, multimodal texts
• read broad range literary texts
• master written & spoken language forms of schooling & knowledge
• English skills for lifelong enjoyment & learning

Key terms

4. Structure of the English Curriculum:

Three Strands

Language – knowing about /how English language is constructed and how it works

literature – understanding, appreciating, responding to, analysing & creating literature – systematic program of study in literature, both written in & translated into english

literacy – practical application of English language – developing skills of oral language, print & digital contexts, exploring & creation of multimodal texts, skills using more than one grammatical or textual pattern or one mode of communication, skills of decoding, spelling, punctuation, grammatical, textual fluency

Relationship between the strands – interwoven – addressed together in any activity or sequence of work

6. Considerations
6.1 Equity & opportunity
6.2 Connections to other learning areas
6.3 Clarity of the curriculum – sufficiently descriptive as guide for beginning teachers, but avoid level of prescription which would prevent experienced teachers from using their professional skills
6.4 role of digital technologies
6.5 the nature of the learner (K-12)

6. General capabilities – thinking skills & creativity, self management, team work, intercultural understandings, ethical awareness, social competence
7. Cross-curriculum perspectives – Indigenous education, sustainability, Australia's links with Asia

7. Pedagogy and Assessment

teachers use both explicit teaching and more discovery-based or exploratory approaches (ie. Inquiry)

assessment – balance of attention to the 3 strands

8. Conclusion:

students need more systematic clarification of importance of the 3 strands

07/09/11

AATE Statements of Belief

Learning log p. 6 Quick Write and reflections from attached articles

Reading 1.3 AATE Statements of Belief

1. We respect the enduring values and traditions of Australia's cultural heritage.

In English, students learn to appreciate the values and traditions which are part of this nation's cultural heritage. Students identify and evaluate these values and traditions as central elements of the context in which texts are created, read and viewed.

Hearkens to the theoretical underpinnings of cultural heritage and the Western European tradition, and the literary heritage of the said tradition. It does acknowledge critical thinking and importance of cultural diversity.

The values of a 'fair go' which is now also entrenched within the values and traditions of Australia, and I wonder if it still has the same connotations and the same influence today compared to when I grew up as a child in the 1950's. Strange that this has been included as the first central belief. Has it been given any particular significance because of its place as #1? Why?

See David Homer's comment Reading 1.4 how cultural concern is now “something to again be firmly asserted” as evident by the inclusion of #1 and a somewhat 'politically strategic move'. Homer feels that such self evident beliefs have always been embedded in English, and to see it included, he feels has been as 'a response to a particular political situation'.

2. We believe students come to understand themselves and their world through engagement with a range of cultures and the ways these cultures represent human experience.
   The human condition has been a central historical concern of English. The development of self-understanding and a better understanding of others are key aims of the English curriculum.

Keyword 'range of cultures' is important. Indicates a move away from cultural heritage (while not excluding it). Linking to a sociocultural approach with a focus on the multicultural nature of Australia. Better understanding of ourselves and others by looking at different representations of ethnicity, culture, class, gender, language, sexuality and socio-economic status. Includes multimodal texts in addition to class and popular texts, fiction and non-fiction. Personal growth model inferred with reference to recognition that texts provide pleasure along with other purposes.

Anne McGuire in the attached reading clearly deconstructs the statement, by leading us step by step to explore how we really need to look closely at how words within the profession of English teaching (and really throughout society and cultures) as their definitions and associations have undergone substantial transformations over time. As she notes – we need to share with our students “our awareness that language is not static but constantly transformed and transformative in relation to broader contexts.” (McQuire, 26). She delves deeply into the keywords of the Statement 2: culture/s - range of cultures – engagement - representation

“This broadened focus questions the concept of a single cultural heritage, and can provide students with key understandings that allow them to read across and within cultures – to analyse how and why some bodies of texts might be valued as canonical within a culture, or why popular media texts which are not valued in the same way still have powerful effects within cultures. In actively engaging with cultures thus broadly defined, students indeed come ‘to understand themselves and their world’. Students’ engagement with a wide range of meaning-making processes help them to understand their own shared maps of meaning as part of a broader context, and to be self-reflexive in relation to their own cultural values and judgments. Thus the key words of this statement have complex meanings that are both a product of, and a key to understanding, today’s world.”

2. We value the power of the imagination and literary expression to provide pleasure and enrich life.

The study of literature provides opportunities for various experience of other lives, places and times; greater understanding of the human condition; and increased appreciation of artistry in the use of language.

Personal growth model – importance of literature, and reading for pleasure

Sociocultural approach – language and text shapes cultural and personal identity

Critical thinking – language used for critical purposes

Wendy Morgan – article: The Literary Work or the work we do with literary texts?

Morgan sees the dominance of traditional humanism in this statement. She also remarks how she “see[s] signs of a struggle between older and newer views of the nature and purposes of literature and the work of readers.”

She reminds us to remember that there are always implications within what we read, that any text or discourse will necessarily include certain assumptions that it takes for granted or expects us to. That we need to bring 'ethical and political critique into consideration' even when reading this document.

Morgan notes how the statement has 2 parts:”It identifies what the study of literature offers; and it states the benefits to students of this study” and continues to say “At the outset, I’m struck by a romanticising and valorising of the imagination”. I do agree that it is a value laden statement. For Morgan, for imagination and literary expression to provide only pleasure is perhaps simplistic...that there are texts where 'pleasure' is not brought into play in the reading. 'Pleasure' therefore does not allow for the power of engagement where the reader is provoked, and other emotions, stronger emotions, are brought into play. I remember reading several books where I really was loathe to continue reading, although I could not put down the book. The fable of 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' is one such book.

Morgan also comments on the introduction in the elaboration of the word 'texts' which “allows for a wider array of modes and genres, that accommodates the popular as comfortably as it does the high-cultural, literary text, that moves between fiction and non-fiction, between texts created by those who are on the margins and not just those who lay claim to the centres of society and culture.” which brings in to play the more recent views of what constitutes the nature of literature and the reader.

4. We are committed to developing powerfully literate citizens who are able to effectively participate and realise their goals and aspirations in the 21st century.

Effective language use lies at the heart of active participation in individual and community life. English teachers draw from a rich repertoire of teaching strategies, which acknowledge and extend the experiences of the young people they teach.

Importance of structure and context of language and how it is used in multiple communicative situations in order to be literate in today's society. Language conventions – of home, the school, work place. Also acknowledges “rich diversity of language backgrounds”. What does it mean to be 'powerfully literate' as opposed to 'literate'? What are those literacy skills that will allow us to effectively participate in society today, ie. In the 21^st century?

Wayne Sawyer addresses these questions and Statement 4 in his article The Powerfully Literate Citizen.

Sawyer commences defining literacy and how we have seen a broadening of the term 'literacy' to become more multi-faceted, and with that the inclusion of different sets of demands. We now need to “be able to write and speak and create texts in a variety of media confidently and competently – and to respond to the texts of others in the same way – before their uses of those texts can become ‘powerful’. “

It appears to me that Sawyer's reflections while pertinent to this particular statement also spiral to address other Statements, namely #1 and #2. As he states:

“ Teachers of English respect the cultural heritage offered by the Western canon, but at the same time recognise that the question of cultural heritage is not a simple one in multicultural Australia – respect for the plurality of heritages being a necessary concomitant to respect for the Western cultural heritage. ... Powerfully literate citizens have knowledge of the works of their heritage and the heritages of others, and realise that plural approaches to, and shifting interpretations of, these texts are in themselves marks of respect for, and necessary to having ‘power’ over those texts.

This article is one that I think I will return to again to reflect upon more.

5. We use research and evidence to inform practice and improve the learning of students.

Quality educational research is rigorous and evidence based. Effective teaching combines strong research and theory and helps improve student learning....

Importance of understanding current educational theory in order to improve teaching and therefore student learning.

6. We are committed to ongoing professional learning especially through active participation in a range of professional communities.

As included within statement “Ongoing professional growth and development are critically important...” including importance of standards, of innovative practice. Teachers have “primary responsibility for their own professional learning”.

I read the attached article by Terry Hayes and what struck me as significant is that although we usually consider individual teachers as 'making a difference', teaching is essential a 'collegial' and 'collaborative' profession. To be successful teachers is to recognise that we need our teaching colleagues to learn with and from one another. It is important that teachers see themselves as a community – not only within their school, but physically and virtually across national/international and regional boundaries. I personally feel this has contributed to my own professional development as a Teacher Librarian over my teaching career, from local networking with other librarians in my school area to virtual communication with other TL's from across international schools in different countries. Colleagues, who I have 'physically' never met, yet have communicated and exchanged ideas, and developed professional and personal connections with.

EML442 Curriculum Method 2: English

Well my next session has started. This is going to be tricky, travelling the west coast USA for the summer and keeping up with my studies!
The introduction to this course includes this quote:
"English teaching is a rewarding career but there is a tough side to it. Trying to understand what we are doing, and why we are doing it, is tough. Trying to think up learning activities and sequences which will fulfil syllabus requirements and engage and transform our students is touch because it requires intellectual and creative energy. But the pleasures of reading, or watching a film, browsing a website, remain a consolation for the hard times. As do our students' engagement and intellectual growth and often their delight."
I feel this epitomises teaching generally.  At the beginning and end of the day we want our students to be engaged, to enjoy what they learn, and to build upon what they know, so that they want to be in the classroom with you, and both you and the student themselves can see themselves growing intellectually. It is tough and indeed a balancing act for teachers, as we need to ensure that what we plan and teach (those learning activities and sequences)   meet and fulful syllabus requirements - it involves teaching and assessment, and ensuring the students have the skills and strategies that will enable them to build upon their current knowledge and understandings to reach deeper understandings in their subject area, in this case English. Assessment not only of our students' learning but of our own teaching and own course content, so that we too can continue to improve our own teaching practices. Teaching is really a lifelong journey of learning for both teacher and student!

Visual grammar

I have made copious notes in my drafting process for my assignment, so here I am only going to tell myself to remember:

Interactive meanings

- Visual demands & offers

- Social distance: close-up, medium & long shots

- Attitude: perspective & involvement or detachment

- Power: high angle, low angle and eye-level views

- Realism: colour, context; detail, depth & light

- Objective images: cut-aways, cross-section & explosions

- Coding orientations: what counts as real

Compositional meanings

- Given and New

- Ideal and Real

- Centre-margin layouts

- Framing

- Salience

Kress, G. R., & Leeuwen, T. (1996). Reading images:  the grammar of visual design. London: Routledge.