What was the chapter about/What does it tell us about teaching students?
In this chapter, Black discusses feedback that one particular ELL author (Nanako) receives on her Fan Fiction sit and how readers/this author "co-design the writing/reading space through their interactions" (p. 116). She also sheds insight on how these fan sites are based on both pop culture and school-based literacies. Black collected field notes and interviews over a two year span on Fanfiction.net. Black found that the community did not judge the site as being valuable based on solely grammar, but also entertainment (pop culture content, anime, stories, etc.). Black mentions how this pressure on ELL students to learn English is tough because they are not provided with enough opportunities to engage in online literacies and develop digital fluency. ELL students also need to be well aware of pop culture in order to become fluent readers, and ultimately develop great reading fluency. Educators should be engaging students with material that is relevant to students' lives. This is what will help increase their motivation and desire to learn.
Can this chapter be applied to all content areas?
Absolutely. All students need to be engaged! This is the duty of the teacher to bring in content that is relevant to the students' lives. This does not necessarily mean that Kindergarteners should be on the internet learning about pop culture, but it does mean that we need to find ways to engage ALL students at all ages.
Erin, This chapter made me think about my struggling readers. I have found that allowing my students choice has increased motivation to write in my classroom. My struggling writers are not going to be handed back an assignment that has been marked up with a red pen :(
ReplyDeleteI like your last point very much! I bet students would benefit from being able to write about what they know. That is what they are experts about, right?
ReplyDelete