Double Journal Entry #13

Chapter 6: Affinity Spaces

1. Give an example of a "community of practice" in which you are currently participating in.

Being that I am currently enrolled in Fairmont State University’s Teacher Education Program, I have found myself in a “community of practice”, especially during my clinical experience. Throughout my seventy-five hour clinical, I have been working alongside an experienced teacher from whom I have gained experienced and learned a great deal.

2. Why is the term "community" better defined in relation to spaces rather than groups of people?

People are not as simplified as a place. Locations are not a part of a complex system like people are. Because people change and have a variety of interests, values, and beliefs, people become much more difficult to define.

3. What is a "generator"? What is its counterpart in school?

A generator is what the content of space. In school, it refers to the content the students are learning.

4. What is a "content organizer"? What is its counterpart in school?

A content organizer is simply a design. In school, it is the lesson plans created by the teacher.

5. What is a "portal"? What is its counterpart in school?

A portal is referred to as the delivery. In school, it refers to the type of media used to deliver the content.

6. What do people have an "affinity" for in an "affinity space"? How does this inform your understanding of good teaching?

People are brought together in their affinity space based on their common interest, which act as the affinity itself. As a teacher, it is my job to include all students, based on their interest inside and outside of the classroom.

7. How do "affinity spaces" support inclusive classrooms? Choose two characteristics below to make connections between "affinity spaces" and inclusive classrooms.

Affinity spaces bring people together based on their common interests. Bringing affinity spaces into the classroom allows each person in the classroom to participate and for their input to be valued. Modeling co-teaching helps students understand that all teachers are essential to the affinity space.

8. How are traditional classroom different from Affinity Spaces?

Traditional classrooms do not encourage a sense of community because the teacher is viewed as superior to the students. In traditional classrooms the students are not appreciated for their differences, as they would be in an affinity space.

 

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