All posts by Nicholas J

About Nicholas J

2017 candidate in the Dual MA in teaching Spanish as a foreign language and TESOL program.

It’s undesirable for citizens too

Blurring the In-School Ouf-of-School Line

“…recalibrate the relationship between home and school in a way that allows them to maintain a sense of control over the influence of the outside world on their children.” (Doucet, pg. 2706)

Reading this article was in many regards like reading an account of my own childhood and evoked an array of emotions. My own parents (and the parents of most of my childhood friends) actively worked to shield me from what they referred to as “worldly views” that did not coincide with their own beliefs regarding my education and upbringing. Although I am of the third generation on both sides of my family to be born in this great country, Continue reading It’s undesirable for citizens too →

Could it be? Am I being a stick in the mud? Say it ain’t so…

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

When I initially sat down to think about social media and youth and how the two intersect in the classroom, I have to admit that a part of me cringed at the term “social media.”  It’s a knee jerk reaction as the product of two adults who are adamantly opposed to all things related to social media. With that said though, I fully acknowledge that my response does not entirely make sense because I myself use social media (Facebook and now Twitter). This makes me think that my reaction sounds more like the way an old lion will sometimes roar just to make sure that those around him know that he still has what it takes. Continue reading Could it be? Am I being a stick in the mud? Say it ain’t so… →

Meeting Needs

Differentiation as an Approach to Teaching Diverse Learners

“The best thing to come out of the project was that my kids began to realize that they were part of Lawrence’s history.” (Marinell, pg. 538)

What most captured my attention in “Voices Inside Schools” was how Mary, the teacher being studied, was able to use a photojournalism project to engage students in a thought provoking way to demonstrate their literacy. Continue reading Meeting Needs →

A lot, a little and partially

Observing to Learn and Learning to Observe

“To describe teaches me that the subject of my attention always exceeds what I can see….I learn that when I see a lot, I am still seeing only a little and partially. I learn that when others join in, the description is always fuller than what I saw alone.”

(Learning to Describe, Describing to Understand pg. 150)

For as much as being an educator is about teaching content, the last three weeks of observing Spanish classes at the middle school level have shown me that an integral component to teaching content lies in the observations teachers make of their students. Although I will take over one class by the semester’s end, for the time being, my role is to learn through observing. Continue reading A lot, a little and partially →

Starting with Money in the Bank

eLiteracy and Social Media(tion)

 

“What they have found is that young people engage in a variety of activities from hip-hop and spoken word poetry to video game playing and digital film production that reveal the sophisticated nature of their non-school language and literacy practices. Certainly it is increasingly difficult to label these kids as illiterate or non learners; rather, we are better suited to think about strategies for making more powerful and pronounced links between organic literacy practices and the ever-changing academic literacy demands of the world of school (Morell, pg. 159)

What immediately grabbed my eye in this quote was the use of the words “organic literacy.” These two words so aptly capture what we as language teachers are striving to harness in our classrooms: promoting content that is recognizable and relatable for our students. Continue reading Starting with Money in the Bank →