tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2981393597219074813.post6119191475831236887..comments2016-07-09T16:57:51.435-07:00Comments on Real-World Literacies: Writing is the New Black:thoughts on chapter 3EMWPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03918691619405247408noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2981393597219074813.post-13018584268899489162016-06-29T06:23:54.034-07:002016-06-29T06:23:54.034-07:00Thank you for responding, Joslyn! There is certain...Thank you for responding, Joslyn! There is certainly some validity in comparing to other countries, so long as all are compared apples to apples, meaning all students are tested, the same material, etc. But another aspect of writing on standardized tests is that there's only one format: an essay. At least I think I'm correct with this assumption. I'm only aware of high school standardized tests, but as this book talks about the different types of writing necessary in "real-world" scenarios, the testing only assesses essay writing.<br /><br />In terms of teacher training in Michigan, I came out of the MAC program at UofM but graduated in 2005, so it's been 11 years. I do know that what you say is true in terms of literacy training in the content areas, but I wonder about teaching writing in the content areas. I could be wrong but I think they cover reading and comprehension, but I'm not sure if they cover teaching writing in the discipline. I'm really interested in knowing for sure whether or not this is the case. I think it would make a big difference in the perception of where writing should be taught and the frequency it is taught in the high school classroom.<br /><br />I often come across as critical of this text in my posts, but all in all I do agree with everything in theory. I guess I'm trying to get at the problems as to why this theory is not seen as often in practice. Now, onto the next chapter! :)Gayle Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08596536241930729964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2981393597219074813.post-39675139765923890402016-06-28T12:04:02.638-07:002016-06-28T12:04:02.638-07:00Gayle, great points! Your point about the hypocris...Gayle, great points! Your point about the hypocrisy of advocating for not using test scores by using them to justify a point is really interesting. I had trouble with that as well, but couldn't articulate as clearly as you did. I just read through the "this is the problem" parts and sort of said, "Yeah, I know, we do poorly on testing compared to other countries." It's a really interesting point, but I think that comparing our scores to other countries may still have some value. Maybe? If we're all essentially being scored on our first drafts, as you point out, then isn't it still a pretty dramatic problem if we're so far behind other countries with which we "should" be on par?<br /><br />I also had the same reaction to the part about providing structure when writing. I think it's definitely important to provide and analyze model texts to help kids identify and discover some of the structure, writing techniques, etc. But, I think that giving a framework and then encouraging students to break out of it once they know how to effectively communicate ideas can work.<br /><br />And as far as teacher preparation goes, I did my teacher certification program in Pennsylvania for Social Studies (technically social sciences), and we did not have a specific course focused on reading/writing/literacies and how to teach them. We might have had one class seminar to focus on it, but it definitely wasn't emphasized. However, in moving back to Michigan, I've gotten semi-involved with the teacher education program at the University of Michigan, and their program definitely emphasizes teaching literacies for all their teachers (elementary and secondary teachers). This is exciting to me, and definitely something I wish I had in my training.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11691919951674823081noreply@blogger.com