Blog Prompt #2

Discuss an effective or ineffective English Language Arts (ELA) learning context or situation that I remember from my years as a student. Discuss how the teacher engaged/disengaged me as a language learner through her/his text selection, the associated activities, and how this challenged or build upon my previous skills, knowledge and attitudes. Explain how you would characterize my teacher’s instructional approach-transmissive, resource based, thematic or inquiry based-and connections to constructivist or socio-linguistic learning theory. (2-3 connections)

Initially, it was a bit challenging for me to come up with any situations in one of my English Language Arts classes as a child, however after doing some reading and reflection three teachers and situations came to mind.The first experience I thought of was on a negative note. I had a high school teacher that taught me English and I had little interest in the class. The lessons that I remember were on Shakespeare and creative writing, both I struggled with. I found the subject dry at the time, the teacher disengaged and the English Language experience rather dull, unexciting and frustrating because I didn't understand the whole creative and analysis part of poems and Shakespeare. My teacher did not engage me with her lesson due to the content of what was being taught. At the time I was still developing my experiences about language in creative writing and novels. Speaking about what I believed something to be was challenging for me as I always wanted to be right and I believe this was created by my belief that there were only “right answers” not “there are many answers”. I felt this teacher's instructional approach was transmissive and I didn't feel confident enough to voice my feelings about the novel or poem due to this. I may have even felt unsupported and I expected her to tell me what the correct analysis would be or tell me what to write about. Almost as though any creativity that I had developed was disappeared as the years and grades went by. As this approach of instruction is based on my past experiences, I may have been at a different level than what was being taught. "Children interact with language just as they experiment with bicycles they ride"(page 6 Language Arts 4th edition). As I believe I learn from a more kinesthetic experience, I would have found anything that involved movement far easier than sitting in my desk listening to someone speak about Shakespeare or creative writing. On a more positive note, I had an amazing Grade 2 teacher. She used to separate us into groups to do reading work. I remember being whisked off into a corner to work on our reading in a small group. As I was pretty shy in speaking in front of a group, this really worked for my learning and developed my skills while I got more confident. I felt supported while I worked on my confidence to read in front of a bigger group. I remember her being very engaging and energetic, strict yet reasonable, always trying to get us engaged in the learning that was being taken place. This teacher's approach to our reading groups was certainly resource based on books she would have chosen or what we would have chosen. By engaging all students and having us in small groups discussing and sharing the stories, we were able to share in a social environment. "Sharing is a social experience, and when students share their writing with real audiences, they feel the satisfaction of a job well done." (Page 162 Language Arts text, 4rd edition) This can be used for writing and reading and as such the socio-linguistic learning theory would have been used to share the work. The second positive English experience was in Grade 5. Grade 5 was the year I learned to write. My teacher was amazing and I remember her well. Her writing was perfect and I so wanted to write like her. She had the most beautiful writing I had ever seen. Bit by bit and by a lot of practice and repetition I learned how to write just as well as she did. I think she must of made the experience of writing fun too as I remember it so well. Or perhaps I was so engaged by doing something and seeing the results. What I remember was a lot of repetition and lines of letters or words practiced in our own handwriting. She probably told us how to follow the writing but it was up to us and the experiences we were having inside and outside the classroom that really solidified the writing for us. It also built on my previous printing and writing skills and it allowed me to do what was necessary to learn. As writing is developed and emerges as we talk and through our past experiences, it was certainly at the ‘right’ time for me as I remember doing quite well at the writing process, connecting this part of language arts to the constructivist learning theory for me. The teacher for this particular part of the curriculum would have been instructing by telling us what to do through the transmissive method.