Movement to teach

Math is rarely a student’s favorite subject in school. The prize of favorite usually goes to lunch. In his article “Algebra and Civil Rights,” Robert P. Moses states that the literacies of math and science need to be changed in order to improve the way the subjects are taught. This is especially important in a day and age where technology is boss and more and more jobs require knowledge of technology, which by default can translate to knowledge of math and science.
As a future educator I am well aware of the growing deficit of math and science educators, and of the extremely high demand for such teachers. Through technology, such as computers and calculators, our society has come to think that math is unimportant since there are several tools that can readily solve their problems with out them having to think about it, thus creating a culture that thinks it doesn’t need math at a time when it needs it the most.
In recent times, many Americans have seen their jobs ship off to other countries. This is a sign of how important it is for people to strengthen their knowledge of all subject areas especially math and science. This also serves as an opportunity for people in minority groups to rise and better themselves socially and economically. I agree with Moses that more needs to be done to motivate students. As a future Spanish teach I am often discouraged when I see students that have no interest in learning the language simply because they don’t plan to visit Spain. These students are totally missing the point of how many more opportunities they will have in life if they are fluent in more than one language. As a bilingual speaker since early childhood I too was one of those students that didn’t care much for my foreign language education. Luckily I was able to learn that by speaking two languages that double the job opportunities that would be available to me. The same also translate to math and sciences.
As Moses stated our children need a broader education of math and science in order to broaden their futures. It is important to find engaging ways to present the materials because simply telling a teenager that learning something will help them get a job in the future does little to motivate them, since most of them live in the here and now. Our students can not be limited; they need to be taught more than just the basics and highlights of a subject. By expanding the levels of education provided, students will become driven to achieve higher levels of literacy and understanding.
I found Moses’ connection of Algebra and Civil Rights to be interesting and it made sense. In most cases inner city schools often populated by minority students receive little funding leaving them at a disadvantage when it comes to providing these students with the tools they need, similarly to the disadvantages faced by black schools in the Civil Rights era. I agree with Moses that we are at a point where every student should have equal access to technology and have equal opportunities for success. If urban schools aren’t providing quality educations, then how can we expect these students to succeed in the future job force?

Utilizing Critical Literacy

Critical literacy is not limited to one specific mode of communication, nor does it require a written text. One needs to accept alternative forms of literacy, such as different types of media messages that our youth is exposed to on a daily basis. These messages once absorbs and interpreted become a form of critical literacy in a classroom setting. In “Critical Literacy and Urban Youth”, Ernest Morrell suggests that critical literacy education provides students with the tools and skills to better understand a text, by using a language that they are more accustomed to. I thought the way that Morrell combined hip hop music and poetry was a very creative idea to motivate students. This allows the reader of said literacy to make connections to what they already know.
Morrell provides several methods to providing critical literacy that students will be engaged in. The most common strategy is to relate the lesson to the student’s life. As with most things in life, they can be better understood once introduced to the concepts; be it the rules to a certain sport or how to prepare a meal. As a future teacher I believe that Morrell’s strategies and examples of how to incorporate critical literacy in the classroom were great, and would love to try to use them im my own classroom. I was also inspired by how he documented his strategies and would do the same for my own records so that I can better understand what works best.

Literacy as a second language

For many learners literacy can be a difficult achievement, especially those whose home language isn’t the same as the language used in school. Today learning a second language has become a more common theme in schools. As a Spanish teacher, I’ve come across many articles that show a growing population of Hispanic students throughout the country, which in turn has led to a growing demand for English as a Second Language teachers.

These differences in language affect the way students acquire literacy. Often students who are native to a language other than English get mislabeled as learning disabled, rather than receive the language help that they need in order to assimilate in to their new societies. Often times these students aren’t even literate in their native language, leading ESL students to find themselves completely disconnected from school literacy. It is important that students do not fall behind their English speaking counterparts. Therefore it is crucial that teachers change lessons to include different cultural backgrounds and make the transitions easier.

In Haneda’s article, she states that critical thinking can’t be introduced until the basics are mastered. Educators have to work to make sure that there is an even connection between school literacy and home literacy, and that they don’t come into conflict. ESL students are often seen drawing from other areas to express themselves in order to make up for their poor English. According to Haneda, schools need to engage students in ways to make them culturally literate, as opposed to them simply cracking the code and learning English. This can be done by assigning readings and writing activities that relate to their communities and culture.

Other examples of how ESL education can affect critical literacy were seen in the Lomawaima and McCarty article “Indigenous Bilingual/ Bicultural Education” about Native American students. According to Lomawaima and McCarty students that first learned to read and write in their native languages produced better test scores than their counterparts who receive an English only education. By mastering literacy in their primary language, students are able to understand material in their own contexts, therefore allowing them to transfer the skills and knowledge when they are ready.

Understanding how students acquire second language literacy is crucial in ensuring that both ESL students and English speaking students have equal and fair opportunities at acquiring a critical literacy. As stated in both Haneda and Lomawaima and McCarty article’s it is important to connect these literacies to the different environments of the student and these include; school, home, and their communities.

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