Blog 7

The first and foremost point that the author makes in the article is that teachers should not be so focused on the wrong's and right's of teaching, on the black and white of grammar and learning in the classroom. With that being said, the author focuses on a single idea; the changing of perspective. The changing of perspective in the classroom is important because just as the world does, the classroom is always changing. We must think and act progressively, as it is prevalent to our education and our students. As the author began teaching grammar, she didn't necessarily see the problem in incorporating learning grammar and writing together. However, as she discovered the continued importance put on learning the rules and principles of grammar rather than as it pertains to writing, she began to question its true meaning in the classroom. It was being treated as a tool to grade students rather than a mechanism to improve writing. Here, the author finds herself reaching another perspective yet again. She realized that she couldn't just be using grammar as a mechanism for penalization, instead there needed to be real conversation about grammar in order for it to be effective in writing. Students ought not to think of grammar as right or wrong, but as a tool to better writing, however grammar might do that for them. Difference in sentence structure serves as individualism for students voices. The shift in perspective that I most appreciate in the article, is that of realizing that grammar creates meaning. To me, grammar had always been a set of rules of a system of do's and don't's. I did not realize until I furthered into my writing career how much grammar adds to the overall meaning of a piece. Grammar defines, draws attention, and changes sentence to make them resonate with the writer and the reader. This sense of importance should not be stripped away within the education system because of the feeling that teachers need to make grammar about correctiveness. Instead, we need to take light from this piece, and make efforts towards reforming english education, and realizing that grammar is not to be a tool used against effective learning but to be incorporated into effective learning.

Blog 6

The guiding question that I chose to address in my Language and Power assignment is how Standard english represents power today, and how classrooms and students can go about challenging that power instead of replicating it.

First and foremost, I am very intrigued by the notion of English as a representation of power. In America, there is an notion deeply imbedded into our society that everyone has equal opportunity, that each person must "pull themselves up by their bootstraps". People of privilege decide to take this in stride, believing fully that systems within our country grant each and every person the same opportunity, therefore all is fair. This is precisely the problem however, as people of privilege do not realize their privilege. Such privilege can be examined in students whose first language is English. Students who are fluent in English come into the schooling system with a wide enough vocabulary that they are able to build upon their language as they further their schooling career. However, this is not the case with English Language Learning students. This is not the case with ELL students because they have not had the ability to build on their understanding of English for the entirety of their lives. Whether it be students who have immigrated to the U.S., or were brought up in a multicultural household, it is clear that not everyone is given equal opportunity.

ELL students are not given equal opportunity within the schooling system because they do not come from the same background that is so normalized in American schooling. They do not possess the cultural background that is commonly identified and catered around, that being an English speaking background. English emerges as a symbol of power here. English is power because if a student speaks english as their first language, they automatically have a leg up over a student that doesn't. This causes setbacks and separation between students, in and out of the classroom. It is clear to students who are the achievers and who falls behind. The students who can keep up with curriculum are then placed into a position of power over those who can’t, that power being symbolized by English. Here, the essence of “pulling oneself up by their bootstraps” is challenged and ultimately proven wrong. ELL’s cannot simply make themselves equal to native english speakers, they must work even harder and even then they more often than not fall short of the curve.

To better enhance the learning and well being of each and every student, teachers must take a hard look at how they can challenge such power rather than continuing the vicious cycle of it.

Blog 5

I was born into a life of diversity. Being hispanic and coming from a family of immigrants gave me an edge: I was able to develop my english as I developed my Spanish. But it also gave me perspective: Being in America, you are expected to speak english. When I saw an article about being Chicana, I was immediately drawn to it. I consider myself somewhat Chicana, as my dad was born in Mexico but I was born in the U.S. Reading the article, I was very intrigued by the authors analogies and the way she described the adversity she faced being a woman and having Spanish as her first language. The title itself, "How to Tame a Wild Tongue", caught my attention. In the United States, being different sets you apart more than it should. To be a Chicana living in America, you are considered "wild"; unnatural, unsophisticated and non acceptable. The author of this piece highlights this message in her work. She speaks of being disciplined by her peers, by her teachers and even by her own family. This is something that is new to me, as I did not have to feel ridiculed by my environment. I did not feel such shame because my mother was white, therefore I appeared to be white as well. My mother was able to condition me to speak English first, so I did not have to face that kind of temperament in my life. The author speaks of facing adversity head on, and allowing her native tongue to still remain despite the setbacks and the oppression she faces. Thinking in respects of being a teacher, I would never want my students to feel like they would have to fight in order to maintain their dignity and identity. Assimilation is not natural, and I don't believe it has any place in the classroom. This article also brought to my attention that assimilation can happen in a classroom but it can also happen outside of it. I believe that teachers can help avoid dominant language in the classroom by paying close attention to students and straying away from strict curriculum. Students are not all the same, they will not all learn the same and each needs to be compensated, while at the same time every student is getting to the same level; no one is left behind. As a teacher, I would like to not only do everything in my power to steer away from assimilation but also to combat it in students minds. I want my students to know that knowledge is power, therefore language is power. I would want to create a safe environment for them within my classroom and encourage their first language, not strip them of it. This blog and this assignment helps me think about my upcoming research project by giving me a foundation. My foundation for my project will be that of making sure my project aims to send the message of giving pride to students. More than focus on the setbacks in language within classrooms, presently and in the past, I want to focus on the accomplishments of teachers and what works for multicultural students within classrooms. And how that work within classrooms, takes students outside of class and helps them in the real world. I have always had a soft spot for people who had to work harder to find a place in this country than others. Many families travel to the United States in order to make a better life for their families. The shame is that the families, the children, must suffer because we as a society enforce assimilation. We have created a culture that believes that to be American you must walk like a white person, learn like a white person and talk like a white person. As a teacher, I want to do my best to oppose that in my teaching. Children are the future, and teachers have the responsibility to instill confidence and drive into them; not shame and anger.

Blog 4

The major points of this section in the article are that English should not be viewed or treated as a language that only belongs to one community or nation, but one that is multilingual and is open discretion by other countries and ethnicities of people who consider it to be their first language or one of their languages. As said in the article, “They know that there are millions of people around the world who use varieties like their own and are open to negotiating differences with sensitivity and skill. Therefore, they are now using their own varieties with greater confidence” (589). This quote highlights the main point of the article, because the article is essentially saying that there is no need to classify English as one language that has no room for personalization or expression. The article is defending the fact that English is spoken all over the world, and is interpreted in different ways by different people. Once we all become comfortable with accepting the differences in how we each speak our own version of English, we become comfortable within ourselves to express our on “varieties” of our own English. Another main point of the article is that we cannot restrict one form of English to only the place that it is practiced. If one country has a version of English that they go by, we cannot reject that English when they try to use it in a different place that practices their own commonly held English. Lastly in relation with TESOL style of teaching, the author brings up an interesting point that students should not be taught to learn only by a set of grammatical rules in their new language but by trying to incorporate old and new languages with strategies. This encourages students to want to learn, as they don't feel that they are failing by trying. This also makes them feel as if they are not leaving their first language behind in the process of learning a new one.

What I have gained from this article is a new perspective on my own practice of English. I have never noticed myself becoming biased towards my own practice of English, but it has also never registered to me that there is more than just one practice of English. As a white girl who has a decent amount of privilege and grew up with English as her first language, I always just assumed that my English tongue was grammatically correct and the version of English that everyone else should speak by as well. It did not occur to me very much before this article that although I don’t realize it so often, the English I speak is not the only english that there is. So reading this article gave me a more level head and made me want to re evaluate my teaching abilities in relation to this. In regards to why this information would be important to consider when teaching a middle school or high school language arts class, it is clear to me that this information is far beyond merely consideration. This material is fundamental to the success within a classroom. For a teacher to be able to appreciate and understand that every student that walks into her classroom comes from a different ethnic and socioeconomic background, is for that teacher to understand that her mind must be broad and accepting for all forms of comprehension and learning as it pertains to language arts.

Blog #3

Making mistakes is the first step to becoming an expert at a certain craft. In teaching and understanding English, it has been discovered that making mistakes and being able to identify them can play a big role in mastering the craft of written English for students. As well, it is important for teachers to understand this concept as well. Teachers must be self aware of the need to not just simply criticize and correct spelling or sentence errors. Teachers must instead encourage the students art of trying, and guide them to correctness instead of simply stating it. To only correct and come down on students in their writing does not build them to be risk takers, so instead teachers must work to constructively correct. All of these concepts and ideas are what the article "Sudden Possibilities" by Darren Crovitz touches on, and I have to say that I thought the article was a very interesting and enlightening read. Writing to the importance and making and learning from mistakes is very important to me; experiment, go out of your comfort zone, make mistakes. This is what good writing is about. Good writing is not about playing it safe, but instead about going out of your comfort zone in order to become better. Good writing leads to proper learning, and that is the ultimate goal of teaching, however it is accomplished.

The question posed in the article that moved me the most is when the author said, "How can we acknowledge the thinking that might be happening in common kinds of errors while building on this awareness to help students be more self-reflective as they encounter and interpret unfamiliar words and phrases?" (32). To me, this question is the most important that teachers can ask themselves of. As mentioned earlier, teachers must work intensively on the art of not criticizing and demeaning students writing mistakes. Instead, as the question points out, we must encourage students to be self reflective in their writing ambitions rather than ashamed. In order to do so, I believe that a good teacher would focus on the thought process that made the student arrive to an incorrect grammatical/written english conclusion. By understanding a students thought process, a teacher can understand how they learn. To understand how a student learns is to understand how to teach them. Each student learns differently, and applying the same teaching to each student only sets up few for success and many for failure. In order to avoid that, teachers must critically think about the way they critique their students, while still encouraging them to try.

My groups alternative to a typical DOL exercise is exercise 5. My exercise consists of sentence combining, in order to create more sophisticated sentences. I believe that my groups exercise relates very well to the topic of learning through error, as this exercise provides stepping stones to learning. Starting with simple sentences in the hopes of forming complex ones allows students to be able to start small and build upon their knowledge as they practice and learn through error.

Examples of simple sentences that can be formed to make sophisticated sentences:

1. The cat woke up
2. The cat became alert
3. The cat looked behind him
4. The hair on the cats back stood straight up
5. The cat noticed that the dog was intently looking towards him
6. The cat immediately stood to its feet in a desperate gallop from the area

Blog 2

Coming into an Applied Grammar class, I didn’t know exactly what to expect or had formed a real idea of what it meant to teach grammar. After reading Chapter 1 & 2 of “Grammar Alive!” and Christiansen's article, I was able to gain a better understanding of the fundamentals and key factors in teaching grammar in school. It had come to my attention already that each student should have a basic understanding of standard english despite their heritage or background. It is a commonly known goal for teachers to not allow their children to be left behind, and make sure they have equal opportunity to learn and grow. However it hadn’t much come to my attention the fact that we have to make sure students are not becoming too comfortable in their only known grammar, as they need to challenge themselves. After reading Christensen's article, I began to accept this new truth about grammar, as it has come to my attention that accuracy does not mean complete understanding.

In the chapters in “Grammar Alive”, the author addresses three goals as a means for teaching grammar[;] These goals ensure that every student gains an equal understanding of english through school, be able to apply correct grammar, and be able to use standard english at their cultural discretion while still remaining within the lines of standard english. (I thought the use of a semicolon here was appropriate, as it replaced a period and made the sentence naturally listical) Personally, I come from a family of immigrants and a multicultural background that allowed me to grow up speaking two languages. Therefore, the goal of allowing every student from every background to have the same opportunity to learn and practice standard english is one I am very much aware of and hold close to my heart. As a teacher, I want each of my students to be given a full chance at learning and understanding standard english and grammar. This section of the book confirmed my notion on what it means to teach grammar and bettered my understanding of the importance of such cause.

The goal that challenged my view on teaching grammar, however, was the concept of Goal C. The essence of Goal C is to allow students to have their freedom and discretion with standard English according to their ethnic and cultural background. While I do not oppose this, I have a hard time understanding from a teaching point of view how to identify the line between acceptable and unacceptable as pertains to this goal. Goal C highlights that while students can express themselves linguistically, they must still “as well as an understanding of language-based prejudice” (Haussamen). Combining these two ideas, while a great concept, can leave a blurred line that makes me question if I would be able to identify right from wrong.

Referring to the article from Christensen, one part that particularly drew my attention was the scenario with Fred's writing and his resistence to step outside of his comfort zone. As a student, Fred would shy away from making grammatical trial and error. He would not want to challenge his grammatical skills, instead only repeating use of skills he had already mastered. Christensen pointed out that this is more scary to see as a teacher than seeing a student continuously trying and failing. I hadn’t very much realized this reality as a teacher, and it opened my eyes to a new side of teaching grammar I hadn’t yet explored. It revealed to me the importance of making mistakes, and how as a teacher you must guide your students to be afraid of not trying instead of being scared to fail.

In comparing the chapters from “Grammar Alive” and “Teaching Standard English”, my thoughts and views on teaching grammar have both been confirmed and challenged. Both readings stress the importance of student learning, as they should be continually challenged and given equal chance to make error and correction.

Self Assessment

What grammar and punctuation issues do you, as a writer, want to focus on this semester? 

During this semester, I would like to focus on a variety of grammar and punctuation issues that I have noticed I continually make. Some of these issues would be run on sentences and sentence/paragraph structure. Throughout my writing career, I have always had problems with long sentences. I have trouble breaking up my sentences into more clear and concise ones. I believe I have this problem because I tend to get too carried away with my thoughts and want to explain everything I can at once. In the past I have tried to proof read my work endlessly in order to avoid this, because it is habitual at this point. I want to work on slowing down my writing this semester and really focusing on one thought at a time. Combined with that, I have a very hard time breaking up paragraphs. This trails from my problem with breaking up sentences. I combine too much information into one thought, making multiple thoughts and straying away from the main idea. My impatience and run on mind is something I would very much like to focus on this semester.

An example of a run on sentence to me would be: 
"On any given day, I like to go for a run, walk my dogs, watch my favorite show and cook for my family because it is what makes me content."

I would like to avoid this sort of sentence structure this year in order to emphasize my ideas more and expand on each one, instead of bunching them together. 

Pieces of grammar I would like to focus on using more in my writing this semester are dashes and semi colons. I like the idea of using these forms of grammar because I feel as if they would make my writing and tone more precise. To use dashes or semi colons is to define your ideas more clearly, and I feel that is something I struggle with. 

An example of a sentence with a dash:
"I like to spend time in the park-- the children playing brings me joy"

An example of a sentence with a semi colon:
"Matt didn't make many friends growing up; Matt was a very shy child."

To use semi colons and dashes in my pieces of writing would allow me to make my messages more clear and detailed. It would allow me to do this, while also allowing me to stay on topic. 

Also to put it simply, I very much want to grow on my knowledge of grammar and its discipline. I feel that I am a very good writer who struggles with the basic rules. I like to free write but I also understand the importance of the fundamentals. While this course may be challenging for me, I am excited to grow as a writer.