Hinchman Ch 4: Discourse Study
As diversity increases in American society, teachers must take into account students' diverse literacy identities, and Discourse (defined here as thought, word, and action organization and constraint) can be a valuable tool in acknowledging and valuing these differences. Discourses that are acquired in childhood based on cultural upbringing at home are known as Primary Discourses, and they differ from Secondary Discourses that are learned outside the home. When they don't match up, literacies differ and must be explicitly taught and the learner has 4 options: 1) assume identity of Secondary Discourse (school & home identities remain separated), 2) reject identity of Secondary Discourse (Discourses still remain separated because learner does not learn or cannot understand Secondary Discourse), 3) learn enough of the Secondary Discourse to function (Secondary Discourse is learned and used enough to get by, but learner doesn't buy into it), or 4) force Secondary Discourse to acknowledge Primary Discourse causing Secondary Discourse to shift (borderland discourse occurs in which metacognition is used to influence literacy in both Discourses). Clearly, option 4 allows for the most growth opportunity as literacies are allowed and encouraged to feed off each other.
Benefits of Discourse Instruction:
A deeper knowledge and understanding of literacies (foreign and familiar) can be gained from Discourse through oral language, digital/pop culture texts, print-based texts, and other text forms. After explicit instruction in Secondary Discourses, students used cognitive dissonance and gained metacognitive abilities to analyze them on their own through the lenses of both Discourses and to appreciate and accept alternate Discourses. Mutual respect gained leads to greater sense of citizenship and has a positive effect on society.
Discourse in 21st Century Teaching & Learning:
CCSS, MLE, and PC are shaping literacy instructional practices and all three dictate what a 21st Century student must master in order to be literate and a positive, productive member of society who is able to critically think and effectively communicate and who values and embraces diversity.
Hinchman Ch 16: Multimodality and Literacy Learning
Multimodality is an intricate part adolescents' lives, so literacy in these diverse literacies is a must. Therefore, school cannot be strictly text and writing based. Students must be taught and required to not only interact with but also create various forms of texts and texts types.
The purpose of multimodal texts is to create more connections and provide more experiences and opportunities for interaction for students. Students are required to analyze and connect information across texts thereby increasing and deepening comprehension and understanding of the content.
Conceptual Understanding:
Conceptual understanding requires students to connect information across various types of texts ("new literacies") and must be inquiry-based whereby students are given a theme or question to guide them in their readings. Incorporating electronic and media texts requires a different type of thinking and promotes conceptual understanding because comprehension is interpretive and not literal.
Diverse Perspectives with Multiple Text Types:
There are 4 domains of practice in which multimodal meanings are made: 1) discourse, 2) design, 3) production, and 4) distribution, and these must be used to create layers of meanings by requiring students to analyze/create multiple forms of texts and media.
Design and Multimodality:
Design has a conceptual and expressive side, and the two sides can significantly change meanings when applied analytically. Using various medias to illustrate a concept allows students to comprehend the differences in viewpoints and emotions and appreciate significances of each side. It also forces students to more critically think and question the completeness and validity of information they are presented.
Multimodal Connections:
The layering of multimodal texts produces a deeper conceptual understanding allows deeper personal, popular culture, and current event connections. Students have more meaningful written products because they are able to actively connect the texts to events and experiences familiar to them.
Kim and Kamil Technology
There are 3 critical areas related technology and adolescent literacy: computerized literacy instruction, social technology's effect on literacy development, and influences on adolescents' attitudes toward technology.
Computerized Literacy Instruction:
Using the computer to aid instruction allows students to improve comprehension and learn at their own pace. It allows provides students the opportunity to expand their comprehension through the exploration of vocabulary and additional information. Computer-based guided reading, cloze activities, and context clue practice helps raise standardized test scores, but computer-based instruction should be used as a supplement not a replacement for whole-group, classroom-based instruction.
Computerized Instruction of Strategies:
Visuals are often ignored or passively observed by students in content-specific texts, but they are critical in overall comprehension. Students must be explicitly taught how to incorporate the visuals in their reading as well as how to process, analyze, and apply them. These visuals extend to multimedia documents which contain hypertexts, links, graphics, and other resources for obtaining additional information. Again, students must receive explicit instruction on how to navigate and successfully employe these resources.
Structured Computer Learning Environments:
Computers can quickly provide additional information in a controlled manner whereby restrictions are in place or students are guided through a lesson. The more guidance a student is given, the more successful they are, especially when they are explicitly taught how to navigate and utilize the resources they are given.
Computerized Writing Instruction:
The use of technology in writing leads to an increase in students' motivation to write not not necessarily an increase in quality of writing. Grade levels, technology proficiency levels, and instructional support are all variables in gauging the success of computer-based writing instruction.
Social Development of Literacy Skills:
Emails, chatrooms, and other forms of electronic communication help increase adolescent literacy and encourage participation from all students, especially ones who shy from face-to-face interactions. Technology also requires students to articulate their point more clearly as they must rely on words and not their tone and gestures.
Variables and Attitudes:
Not all students are comfortable utilizing technology, and gender and age play a role in attitudes toward technology as females and older students are typically less receptive to technology than males and younger students. Students of lower socioeconomic statuses typically show more interest in technology than those in higher statuses perhaps because of the novelty of technology.
Computerized Reading Instruction:
This should focus on vocabulary assistance and guided reading instruction where students are given help in developing strategies as well as on hyperlinks that promote metacognition through analysis of additional material.
Computers and Writing Instruction:
Computers are most effective at providing assistance, but technology can hinder the progress of students who are not as familiar with computers. Improvements can stem from the provision of detailed writing prompts as well as structured guidance of writing strategies.
Social Aspects:
Literacy and social skills improve when students are provided the opportunity to communicate with peers via technology. They also increase technological literacy by manipulating various aspects of programs.
Encouraging Positive Attitudes toward Computers:
Taking into consideration the ability to access computers, gender, and age, teachers can tailor software and activity choices to appeal to all students and make them feel more included. Ensuring that all students have access to a computer either at home or at school also improved attitudes toward technology.
Text-to-text: We have read several times about the benefits of incorporating many different texts in lessons as well as requiring students to produce works that incorporate multiple genres and modalities.
Text-to-world: Technology and multimodalities are a vital part of everyday life, and for students to be productive, critically-thinking citizens, they must learn to navigate, analyze, and manipulate various forms of media critically.
Text-to-self: In my lessons, I incorporate various genres and viewpoints related to the anchor piece so that students can not only experience different genres but also see how they are connected and interrelated to each other, and they can manipulate and coalesce their thoughts and connections into a written product.
Questions:
1) How do you incorporate computers and technology into your lessons?
2) What types of multimodality lessons do you find successful in your classroom?
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