Challenges 

For this first Challenge, I made a google slides presentation to showcase my collages and reflections (linked above).

For me, after I took both reading quizzes, I wasn't surprised with my results. As I have mentioned before in previous posts, I am not a reader, I do not like to read, etc. So, after viewing my scores it made sense. On the Rhody quiz, I got a 37 out of 125, and on the Marsi quiz, I got a low mean score of 1.83. I interviewed my friend David, and David is a huge reader but his favorite subject is math. When comparing David and myself's test scores it was a major difference. Since David had a love for reading, he found answering the questions within the quizzes much easier and faster than I did. He did laugh at some of them for he thought they were out of pocket and or unnecessary. I also interviewed my student Preston. Preston, at first was thrown off by the materials, and it took him longer to complete. I feel as though this activity was a struggle for Preston, for he is primarily interested in math. However, he had a low to middle score, for which I wasn't necessarily surprised, for I mentioned he prefers numbers, formulas, and equations. 

Identity: I have never liked reading. I think that my dislike for reading started during elementary school because I had to get pulled out for extra support; however, this did make me a great reader and make me advance in ELA, I have hated it ever since. During middle school, I was forced to find some kind of books I would read or liked to read, so I turned to graphic novels which I did really enjoy. Once I got to high school and college, I stopped reading completely. I will skim texts when needed, but I couldn't tell you the last time I read a whole book front to back.

I would say my attitude towards reading is negative and when it comes to strategies I don't necessarily have any specific ones, and it depends on the text at hand. I wouldn't necessarily say that reading plays any role in my understanding of the world. As mentioned above, depending on what the reading is about, I will read it and/or look over it, but I mainly listen and/or watch what is happening in the world. As for what disciplines I plan to teach, I am planning to teach math and science, and typically we do not do a lot of reading; however, I will make it known what we do need to know and or focus on so that we do have an understanding of what is being asked and or learned. 

​

Skills: I learned that how you view reading affects your overall perception of it. As I mentioned above, David loves to read, so he primarily has a lot of strategies that he does use when reading. Since he does have this love for reading, he has no problem talking about the books he has read, recommending them, etc. As for Preston, I personally have never seen him with a book or seen him in his ELA classroom; therefore, I do not know his exact view on reading. Preston is in my math class, so typically I see him amazingly succeeding with numbers, expressions, equations, etc. and that is why I think his brain and view are more math-based. Based on his scores of low to medium, I feel as though I could have a further conversation with him about why he feels this way and how he feels about his scores. 

​

Intellect: I feel as though strategy use and motivation do impact comprehension. A lot of the time people use strategies in order to understand the text at hand, so typically if you don't have one or multiple, reading might be difficult for you. As for motivation, I think this is a major impacting factor within comprehension. If you are not motivated to read, it will most likely not get done. For instructional decisions, I want to allow my students to pick a book that interests them; therefore, they have the motivation and want to read the book. This would also allow them to have a better comprehension for they would be reading something that they can relate and or connect to. As for my teaching discipline, I cannot let the students pick their books as far as curriculum because, for math and science, we have specific standards that need to be met. 

​

Criticality: When it comes to traditional views of reading, I feel as though it does not benefit students' success. I think this because typically students are asked to read books that go along with the curriculum and have no relevance to their lives. Personally, I can say I did not read a lot of the books that were assigned to me, for I found no interest in them. Examining literacy practices helps us to figure out new ways to reach out to students and their needs. If we are to figure out new and different ways for our students to connect with reading, we might be able to continue their reading journeys. Wobble would play a significant role in helping us sustain our teaching practices because we would be able to connect our lessons and curriculum to our student's interests, culture, etc. 

Link

​

Identity:

I interviewed the nurse, Taylor Damarin. I don't think I necessarily experienced a moment of wobble, for once my group suggested we find a nurse I knew just the person to call. I have been friends with Taylor since Freshman year and knew that she would be the perfect person to call, for I call her for all my medical questions. After speaking with Taylor I started to see some similarities. Nursing uses skills such as asking questions, being compassionate, and overall being there for patients and their families. I think that teaching is very similar in certain ways.

​

Skills: After researching all 5 careers, I learned that literacy practices are very specific to the job they are doing. For example, when we interviewed Grace's dad, he had a specific vocabulary that he used within the farm and or on the field, that teacher wouldn't use unless specifically teaching about agriculture. However, I think the way each job goes about communicating with others is very similar to teaching; conversations are kept civil, questions and be asked/answered, etc. I think we can support students' language development in discipline by allowing them to express themselves with whatever language they feel comfortable in doing so. 

​

Intellect: The way I look at failing and risk-taking in teaching and learning is that it happens and it is okay. One thing I was always nervous about being a teacher was messing up my lesson or not knowing the answer to a question, but in reality, it is okay, things happen. Even though we are the "teachers" we learn something new every day. This will help guide my instructional decisions because I won't be as nervous about messing up or telling my students I don't know, for we can learn about certain subjects/topics together. 

​

Critically: Examining other jobs/professions can help me consider new ways to reach all my students because I can try new tactics and or strategies in order to reach my students. I can ask my students what they are interested in and or what they need from me, and that way I can adjust my way of teaching to reach them. Wobble can be beneficial to developing a culturally sustaining teaching practice because it allows for all members of the classroom to speak up and think for themselves; almost like a trial and error. And once we have overcome our unbalanced environment we can grow and reach towards a new community that welcomes and invites all.

Challenge #4: Link

​

Skills:  When making our analysis, the first aspect we considered was our students, and how they would react to this image. At first, a lot of the things we pointed out and or questions were the physical features of the image; color, and numbers. etc. However, when it came to our annotations, that is where we primarily focused on our student's needs. For example, one of my favorite annotations was, when we posed the question "What about color-blind students?". Now, personally, this was something I had never considered, it wasn't until my group mate brought it up and wrote it down. Overall, I felt as though our conversation, analysis, and annotations revolved around what we saw and what we thought our middle school students would see and or need when using a fraction chart. 

​

Identity: When it comes to fraction charts, personally I find them very helpful both visually and physically. Physically, it allows teachers to use such aid however they want to and whenever they want to. I would say visually because we are able to see how many of each fraction goes into one whole number. Personally, I cannot remember the last time I actually used a fraction chart, but I would say that my experiences and interests were positive. I would say that others may interpret this differently depending on their experience with fractions and such a concept as this. Fractions are usually a negative connotation in most people's lives, so I do not know how they would interpret this type of aid.

Intellect: In my current placement, I am in an advanced pre-algebra class and an Algebra One class. So my students are working with fractions; however, since it is an advanced class they are expected to know fractions to a certain extent. So, in my current placement, we do not use a fraction chart or have one within our room. When it comes to fraction charts, I plan to implement them within my future classroom. I feel as though they are a good tool to have around, for I mentioned above they are a visual aid. I think it is a good resource to have whether students choose to use it or not.

Critically: I would say this image neither perpetuates nor dismantles culture centered around whiteness. Considering this image does not deflict any sense of color, race, and or perspective I would say that it is neutral. If we were to research who invented the fraction chart, we would find that the Arabs introduced the horizontal fraction bar. Overall, I feel as though this image doesn't preserve nor take apart culture centered in Whiteness; therefore, I feel as though it creates an environment settled around everyone. 

This is your Project description. A brief summary can help visitors understand the context of your work. Click on "Edit Text" or double click on the text box to start.