Week12 Reading Blog
Analyst – What does this do to me?
1.2 Explains how young children’s literacy & numeracy learning can be socially conveyed through their behavior, feelings or approach
4.2 Describes how parents, peers & communities may see, feel & shape young children’s early literacy & numeracy experiences
Keywords: critical
questions, mathematics, students, critical readers,
What?
The two readings I have selected for this
week are the following two articles:
·
Critical questions: Whose questions?
o
Simpson, Anne
·
The Classroom that Math Built:
Encouraging young Mathematicians to pose problems.
o
Wallace, Ann., Abbott, Deborah, and Blary, Reneé McAlhaney
So What?
Critical
questions: Whose questions?
o Simpson, Anne
The objective of the author is help children to be critical readers
and ask questions based on their understanding of the texts. By teaching
readers, including educators, to unmask unwritten words, to enable them to
choose whether or not to accept the standards and morals of the text, by being
more aware of how to relate to the story and less vulnerable to
manipulation. Although majority of this article talks about
her experience with upper primary and lower secondary students/classes, I still
believe the strategies used by Simpson (Simpson, 1996) is relevant to the younger age
groups. “Ideals of critical literacy are
at best provisional. They are the most favorable constructions possible at
given times out of what we have available in the way of theory and practice” (Lankshear, 1994, p. 4) Teaching is a
political practice, it is impossible to be neutral with the literacy works that
we select and the manner in which we work with them. (Luke, 1988)
As teachers we have our own schemas and opinions that will unavoidably impact
how and what we teach and affect how students react to texts. The article goes
on to say the questions are necessarily the best way to establish critical
understanding. Different strategies work with different kinds of texts. When
working with questions we must not forget to appreciate and respect children’s
own agendas and not influence their talk and thinking with our grown up
questions. Our views and predictions can inhibit us from acknowledging what the
children are talking about, causing us to anxiously wait to hear what we prefer
they talk about. It is not necessary for all questions to be critical, maybe
only some. The best starting points to engaging
children’s learning is by listening and responding to their interests and
concerns. Textural features and cultural issues can be considered later when
they have gained confidence and skill. “if the children don’t care about the
answers, we may as well not bother with the questions.” (Simpson, 1996, p. 126)
The Classroom That Math Built: Encouraging Young
Mathematicians to Pose Problems
o Wallace, Ann., Abbott, Deborah. & Blary, Reneé
McAlhaney
The author talks about sharing and supporting the construction of
mathematical thinking to her year two students.
She incorporated multiple and varied math resources into her activities
to augment mathematical learning. Resources such as two and three dimensional
geometric shapes, linking cubes, counters, number tiles, pattern blocks,
measuring tapes, rulers, calculators, graph paper and writing supplies. The
National Council of teachers of Mathematics (NCTM, 2000)
encourages teachers to create problem-solving scenarios that will inspire children
to develop and resolve their own problems. By building on their curiosity and
promoting children’s engagement in genuine mathematical activity that allows
them to encounter many problems, techniques and answers rather that just one.
In the real world there are no set procedures or answers. To be an effective teacher we should
acknowledge and offer options and instances to construct math skills and ideas
with in the environment, by guiding classroom discussions regarding children’s
problem solving experiences. We should give children the responsibility of
putting value to their learning, highlighting the vital part the teacher plays
in the process. “Effective early
childhood educators teach children how to think. The goal of problem posing is
for children to figure out how to ask a question from or about a given
situation.” (Wallace, 2007, p. 48)
Now What?
Both
article highlight how our personal bias may affect what and how we teach our students
so it is important to appreciate and respect children’s agendas even when they
are different from our own.
Bibliography
Lankshear,
C. (1994). Critical literacy. Occasiona paper , No. 3.
Luke, A. (1988). The non-neutrality of literacy: A critical
introduction. Australian Journal of Reading , 11, 79-83.
NCTM. (2000). Standards for grades
Pre-K-2. In Principles and standards for school mathematics. 29-140.
Simpson, A. (1996). Critical questions:
Whose questionS? The Reading Teacher , 50 (2), 118-128.
Wallace, A. A. (2007). The Classroom that
math built: Encouraging Young Mathematicians to Pose Problems. YC Young
Children , 62 (5), 42-48.
