Double Journal Entry #9

Chapter 1: A strange fact about not learning to read.

What is the strange fact about not learning to read?

Students from lower socio-economic incomes and/or students from minority groups seem to have an increased difficulty in learning to read than students from higher socio-economic incomes and/or students not considered from minority groups.

Why is this fact so strange?

It is not that students from lower socio-economic incomes are less capable of learning; it is the fact that poverty is almost always linked to low achievement in school as well as poor literacy skills.

What is it about school that manages to transform children who are good at learning things like Pokeman into children who are not good at learning?

The students' loss of interest often reflects educators failing to make the subject matter entertaining or motivating for their students. Additionally, teachers do not make use of "funds of knowledge" when creating their lesson plans, which often results in students feeling discouraged.

What are the differences between a traditionalists approach to learning to read and more progressive educators?

Traditionalists believe that we should teach reading using phonics skills and "skills and drill" approaches. Progressive educators, on the other hand, use "meaning making" to create a relationship between the reader and the text.

Is learning to read a natural process like learning to speak a language?
Learning to read will not occur naturally because it is not biological, meaning that it is not a natural process such as walking or talking.

What are the differences between natural, instructed, and cultural processes, and which process should reading be classified under?
Natural learning is biological and occurs naturally for almost all people where as instructed learning is how you acquire knowledge. Culture learning is a process of its own used when learning to read; it is a skill passed down through culture.

How do humans learn best: through instructional processes or through cultural processes? How is reading taught in school?

Reading is typically taught using overt instruction in the classroom, but humans learn more effectively through personal experience and cultural process.

According to the author, what is the reason for the "fourth grade slump"?

Students engage in reading in the early grades, but as the content becomes more complex, they begin to fall behind; this is due to "phonological awareness" which initially helps students but holds no long-term benefits.

What is a better predictor of reading success than phonemic awareness?

Vocabulary, story recall, and comprehension are all early language abilities obtained by engaging in interactions with adults and are better predictors of reading success than phonemic awareness.

 

What is the difference between "vernacular" and "specialist" varieties of language? Give an example of two sentences, one written in the vernacular and one written in a "a specialized variety", about a topic in your content area.
Vernacular language is the non-formal variety most people use when talking to friends and family. Specialist languages are connected to special purposes or activities, such as school-based content. Vernacular example: We will never go back to the beach in July; it was way too hot and sticky. Specialist example: The beach tends to be extremely warm and humid during the month of July.

What is "early language ability", and how is it developed?

Early language ability is considered the verbal skills students obtain in their preschool years as they interact with family and older peers, using challenging and varied genres of language.

According to the author why and how does the traditionalist approach to teaching children to read fail?

A traditionalist approach does not acknowledge a student's early language ability or lack thereof. With a traditionalist approach, students are being taught how to decode vernacular language on a page yet end up having trouble reading academic varieties as time move forwards. When teaching, isolating the area of phonics is not an effective strategy.

Are parents of poor children to blame for their children's inexperience with specialized varieties of language before coming to school?

Students learn early language abilities from interacting with adults and older siblings, and if parents are too busy or show a lack of interest, their child is not going to develop these skills, holding the parents somewhat accountable for their child's inexperience with specialized varieties of language before coming to school.

Did you struggle with reading this text? Why? Are you a poor reader or are you unfamiliar with this variety of specialized language?
I found this text manageable to read. I consider myself a good reader, but I was still unfamiliar with this variety of specialized language.

Gee, J. (2004). Situated language of learning: a critique of traditional schooling. New York: Routledge.