Dong, Y



Dong, Y. R. (2005). Bridging the cultural gap by teaching multicultural literature. The

Educational Forum, 69, 367-382.

Problem – The problem addressed in this article is the trepidation many teachers feel when teaching multicultural literature. The result is that multicultural literature is often avoided in the classroom and is limited to “appropriate” times (e.g., Black literature in January). Dong believes that teachers can be taught to feel more at ease when teaching multicultural literature, and, indeed, need guidance before proceeding in this area.

Variables – Dong analyzes the comments of high school students regarding the use of multicultural literature in their classrooms. The students quoted are immigrant children or first or second generation immigrant children. She also analyzes the response of teachers in her “Teaching Multicultural Literature” course. She documents their initial reactions to such literature as well as the changes in their attitudes as the course progresses.

Design – The high school students quoted in the study attend high school in a New York City public school. The students are between the ages of 14 and 16.

The teachers involved in the study teach middle and high school in New York City public schools. 85 percent of these teachers are white, 15 percent have Caribbean or Asian backgrounds. None of these teachers include more than the occasional example of multicultural literature in their classrooms. The study was conducted in the fall of 2002. As Dong’s students, these teachers selected from eight multicultural novels which they read and discussed in small groups.

Findings – The quotations collected from the high school students indicated that they are dissatisfied with the amount of multicultural literature currently in their curriculum. In her “Teaching Multicultural Literature” class, Dong found that the initial response of the teachers in her class did not reflect a high level of cultural awareness. Instead of discussing the significance of cultural differences between their own experience and that of the characters in the book, many of the teachers addressed the universal themes and their reaction to commonalties.

As the class progressed, however, the teachers became more comfortable discussing the books on a cultural level, rather than in a superficial way or in the same way they would discuss a canonical work. Instead, they embraced their ignorance of foreign cultures and acknowledged the importance of attending to the cultural needs of their students.

Near the end of the class, Dong asked the teachers to read a multicultural novel with their own students and to participate in a one-on-one conference with Dong to share their experiences. The teachers reported a much more positive and productive response from their students than anticipated.

Conclusions – Dong concludes that teachers will find the inclusion of multicultural literature to be effective practice. Multicultural literature will spark the interest of students who have shown no previous interest in literature because they are able to relate to the characters and the story. Teachers do, however, need training in order to feel comfortable teaching such literature and to do so successfully.

Strickland, D.S., Bodino, A., Buchan, K., Jones, K. M., Nelson, and A., Rosen, M.

(2001). Teaching Writing in a Time of Reform. Elementary School Journal, 101

(4), 385-397.

Problem: This article addresses the issues of recent education reform (within about the last 20 years) and its effect on the teaching of writing. The progressivist movement of the 1960s and 70s shifted the focus of writing in the classroom from product to process. In this time of strictly mandated state standards and standardized testing, however, teachers are finding it difficult to find the time to both prepare students for high-stakes exams and adequately teach the whole writing process.

Variables: The writers describe their own experiences as writing teachers in terms of how they have adjusted to recent education reforms. They use that experience to draw conclusions regarding the possibility of teaching the writing process while still adhering to state standards.

Design: While four of the six women include their testimony, one of them, Karen, is the focus of the article and describes her experiences a most length. All of these women purport to be from schools that are supportive of their needs as writing teachers.

Findings: Karen is a teacher who began the profession by teaching writing through predominantly textbook methods. Overtime, she relied on textbooks less unless until they became merely a reference guide. Now she explores the qualities of good writing and the writing process without their assistance. At the same time, however, her curriculum continues to be aligned with the state standards. As standards and high-stakes tests become more oppressive, she continues to find ways of satisfying their requirements while, at the same time, continuing to teach her students skills such as freewriting, journaling, and responding to artwork.

Conclusions: The writers conclude their article by noting both the positive and negative effects of stricter standards on the ability of teachers to effectively teach the process of writing. According to the article, the positive outcomes of recent education reform are an increase in the quality of education. Teachers are compelled to plan their writing curriculum more carefully than they ever have before. Furthermore, colleagues have unifying goals as a result of mandated state standards, the result of which is consistency throughout the campus. Another positive outcome is the wider use of rubrics for assessment purposes, which serve as an effective self-evaluation tool for students. Finally, stricter standards, in some cases, have forced teachers to include more varied forms of writing in their curriculum.

The negative effects of education reform, for many teachers, include frustration with the fact that standards do not account for students who learn at different rates. Also, the amount of content teachers are responsible for often is not realistic given time constrains. As a result, less time can be devoted to writing assignments.

Recommendations: The writers end the article by recommending that teachers participate in professional development that helps them find the balance between adhering to state standards and teaching the writing process.

Montgomery, K. (2000). Classroom Rubrics: Systematizing What Teachers Do

Naturally. The Clearing House, 73 (6), 324-328.

Problem: The problem addressed in this article is that students have traditionally been assessed based on the proper application of basic skills that they were taught using rote memorization methods. The assumption of these methods is that students would be able to apply these basic skills to more complex tasks. More recently, educators have recognized that students need to learn in a less linear manner if they are to complete complex learning tasks. As a result, forms of assessment have become much more multifaceted making grading a more tedious task for the teacher.

Variables: This study considers recommendations for assessment from national organizations. These organizations include the National Council of Social Studies, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Science Education Society, and the National Council of Teachers of English.

Design: Several types of rubrics from these sources are provided by the author of this piece. The usefulness of these forms of assessment is evaluated and described within the article.

Findings: The findings for this study are several examples of rubrics which serve varied purposes. The format for these rubrics is varied. A rubric for evaluating problem-solving skills, for example, lists skills down the left-hand side with levels across the top. The teacher determines at what level the student achieved each skill in order to assess the students work. Thus, students who made a plan at a level four: “Develops sophisticated strategies and applies them within an effective plan.” Conversely, a student who makes a level one plan: “Needs assistance to choose an appropriate strategy; applies a strategy such as “guess and check” in a random way.”

The other rubrics included in the article are for assessing group oral presentations and holistic writing rubrics. These particular rubrics apply to skills are necessary to every content area and can be used by teachers of every subject.

Conclusions: The conclusion of this article is that rubrics are helpful assessment tools for non-linear skills. Rubrics help the teacher “measure products, progress, and the process of learning.” Also, they make students aware of the standards by which their work will be judged. Students cannot claim that they were unaware of their teacher’s expectations when the teacher has provided them with a rubric.

Recommendations: The article acknowledges that designing rubrics may seem like an overwhelming task to some teachers, and so it provides a list of things to consider when beginning the process of rubric writing. These recommendations include: being specific when choosing evaluation criteria, including specific feed back on students’ work, and encouraging self-assessment. Being specific when choosing criteria means that the teacher should avoid vague vocabulary choices, like creative or interesting, and instead use words that describe how the student’s work was creating or interesting. Students need both specific feedback and encouragement to self-assess in order to take responsibility for their own learning.

Wanket, M. O. (2005). Building the habit of writing. Educational Leadership, 63(1), 74-

76.

Problem: The problem this article addresses is finding the most effective way for teachers to have their students practice writing. Many students not only find it difficult to write, they believe they are incapable of doing so.

Variables: Included in the article is the writer’s own experience as an English teacher as well as the description of one particular student’s struggle with writing assignments.

Design: The writer uses her own experiences as proof of the validity of her findings. That experience is extensive and has enabled the writer to develop theories regarding and procedures for the practice of writing regularly with her students.

Findings: The bulk of the writer’s findings come from her experience in general, and specifically, with one particular student. This student is a 7th grader named Tyler who had low self-esteem, earned poor grades, and hated to write. While reading Tyler’s journal entries which responded to her “show, not tell” writing prompts, the writer found that Tyler had been using expressive language on a level that exceeded his classmates. When the writer assigned the students to write a poem using words and phrases from their journals, Tyler produced an excellent poem that he was willing to read aloud. Later on in the semester, the students made poetry books that each contained 10 poems. The books were submitted to the District Writers’ Fair where Tyler’s won 3rd place in his division.

Conclusions: The conclusion of this article is that the best way for students to practice their writing skills is to write in their journals on a regular basis. According to the author, students should write in their journals every day for approximately 10-15 minutes in response to a teacher-provided prompt. Journal writing provides the following benefits: an opportunity for reflection, a method for creating bonds between teacher and students, and a place for students to reveal trouble in their personal lives.

Recommendations: The author recommends that student follow seven ground rules for journal writing. The first of these is to date every entry so that the students will be able to look back on their works, years into the future, and reflect on their lives. Next, the students should not waste paper. Instead, they should write on the backs of pages, fill the entirety of each page, and only skip one line between entries. This practice saves the teacher time when reading students’ journals. The third rule is that students write in ink, the color of which is up to the student. This includes an element of fun in journaling. Next, students should write without stopping and not worry about spelling errors or stop to cross out words. When students write this way, their work is more creative because they never break their flow. The fifth and sixth rules go hand in hand. Firstly, journals should be kept private, meaning that students are never forced to share entries with the class. At the same time, however, journals are not private, because, if a student reveals that someone is hurting them or that they are hurting themselves, the teacher is obligated to notify the school councilor. The last rule is that, in order to elevate the importance of the assignment, journals are graded.

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