All posts by Alex

What is faith?

Blurring the In-School Ouf-of-School Line, Urban Adolescents

“…we define faith as ‘the dynamic and symbolic frame of orientation or the ultimate concern to which a person is committed and from which she or he derives purpose in life.’…” (Sadowski, 2012, p.190)

I thought that Toshalis and Nakkula’s definition of faith was very interesting and particularly pertinent when talking about adolescents and the challenges they face. It seems that as a society we tend to think about faith as something that is religious, controversial and therefore has no place in the classroom. Continue reading What is faith? →

Using Netflix to enhance learning and create awareness

eLiteracy and Social Media(tion), Media and Technology Critiques, Urban Adolescents

The way that we teach and the way that students learn is constantly changing as the generations change. As teachers, we have to continually adapt our methods that we use and the materials that we use in classrooms in order to fit the needs of our students. One of the tools that we use as teachers that is constantly changing and widely debated is the use of technology and media in classrooms. Continue reading Using Netflix to enhance learning and create awareness →

The graphic novel: Not just a pretty picture, but so much more

eLiteracy and Social Media(tion), Urban Adolescents

“Because ‘visual images are socially and culturally constructed products which have a culturally specific grammar of their own’ (Stenglin & Iedma, 2001, p. 194), the students who had never been exposed to the specific visual grammar of a graphic novel had to adjust to it.” (Chun, 2009, p. 151) Critical Literacies and Graphic Novels for English-Language Learners: Teaching Maus

Chun’s article “Critical literacies and graphic novels for English-language learners: teaching Maus” was particularly interesting to me as a foreign language and English language teacher especially because it mentions topics such as scaffolding lessons that we have covered in our second language class at NYU. As language teachers, we need to think about different mediums that can be used to convey language and sometimes we can get stuck in the more traditional mediums such as books and movies. But what about graphic novels? Continue reading The graphic novel: Not just a pretty picture, but so much more →

“Throw me a line and I’ll be fine”

Socioemotional and Psychological Development in Adolescence, Urban Adolescents

“…Drowning in fright
Hey, somebody
Anybody
throw me a line
and I’ll be fine
I’ll pull myself in
Show you what’s within…”

I found the poem “Finding a place in the group” mentioned in Brown & Knowles article a very powerful poem about adolescence that can remind us of how difficult it can be to be a teenager. As mentioned in the article, adolescents are struggling to find their individual identity as well as dealing with the struggles of adolescence. Personally I feel that it is not just adolescents who are trying to find their identity. Continue reading “Throw me a line and I’ll be fine” →

Don’t sugarcoat it, be honest

Biological & Cognitive Development in Adolescence, Urban Adolescents

“At some level and at some times (and it’s the parent’s job to spot when), the teen recognizes that the parent can offer certain kernels of wisdom – knowledge valued not because it comes from parental authority but because it comes from the parent’s own struggles to learn how the world turns.” (Dobbs, 2015, p.5)

Although this quote talks about the role that a parent can play in a teenager’s development, it can be translated to teachers as well. I particularly like this quote because I feel that it reinforces what we have mentioned in class, that as teachers we need to be honest with our students and tell them the truth. Continue reading Don’t sugarcoat it, be honest →