EDSS 521 - What will your literacy-rich classroom look like?

This semester, I have been surprised by the literacy levels of my students. They are able to collaborate with peers and generally stay on-task, explain concepts to other students clearly and patiently, and make effective use of technology by interacting with multiple apps on their iPads. Unfortunately, they are not able to use academic language to articulate themselves in the math concepts we’ve covered or use effective study skills to practice and retain the information they’ve learned.


Journal Sept 30, 2013

My literacy rich classroom looks like a warm, welcoming environment where students are free to express themselves and ask questions without fear of embarrassment. My students are engaged in introductory activities that refresh their learning from the prior year’s subject matter. They are reading the textbook and supplementary materials that cover the concepts we are learning in class.


Diary Dec 15, 2013

My literacy rich classroom still looks like one which is inviting for students. They are comfortable with the classroom atmosphere, they have worked together with their peers on assignments and they gladly help explain concepts to each other. My students are engaged in activities that harbor their creativity and encourage their self-driven learning in my content area. They are reading articles that pertain to mathematics that they can use to practice and reinforce the current content we are covering. They are writing reports on historical mathematical figures they’ve chosen and are teaching a key concept linked to that figure in oral presentations to the class. They are discussing different applications for the math content we are learning and coming up with their own approaches to problem-solving using algebraic thinking.


Diary May 30, 2013

My literacy rich classroom looks like one in which the majority of the students are able to express themselves mathematically using academic language. My students are engaged in group activities that allow them to solve larger, more complex problems than they would be able to do on their own in the same amount of time. My students are capable of independent learning in the following areas: doing research and checking reliability of resources, and finding key concepts, formulas and vocabulary in their books or online when they need to reference them.

Geometry Unit Plan

Unit Plan (EDSS 511 Elsbree)

Speak Up Survey Report

I chose to read and respond to the SpeakUp report “Mapping a Personalized Learning Journey – K-12 Students and Parents Connect the Dots with Digital Learning” because I was interested in the ways I could help the parents of my students become better informed about their children’s education. 

The report focused on students’ personalization of their own learning, the ways parents are supporting them, and the resources available to them at school.  On a positive note, the report stated that 64% of parents would support their child’s learning by purchasing a mobile device for academic use and that parents’ general goal was that their children learn the right skills to be successful in life.  However, the majority of schools polled did not offer the courses that students were interested in learning.   

I was surprised that such a large percentage of parents would be willing to purchase a mobile device to help their children academically and I’m quite skeptical that 64% of parents would actually make the purchase and pay the required monthly service fees.  It’s one thing to idealistic in a survey, it’s another thing to spend $500 + monthly fee for an electronic device for each of your children.  It seems the risk with such surveys is that they lead to parents wanting schools to use iPads or tablets in the classroom and then demanding that the school districts be the ones who pay the cost.  With the cuts and budget deficits in education as they currently are, I don’t see how public schools could possibly afford to provide students with devices that may or may not end up being used appropriately in the classroom.  In my own classroom I would love to implement the use of electronic devices, but not at the expense of other school resources.  If students have access to the internet at home or at a public library, I would love to start a class website that they can access for all their assignments and additional resources that would be helpful; for this they wouldn’t need an expensive mobile device.

"Mapping a Personalized Learning Journey K-12 Students and Parents Connect the Dots with Digital Learning." Speak Up Reports. Project Tomorrow, 1 Apr. 2012. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. <http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/2012_PersonalizedLearning.html>.

21st Century Literacies

                       Tapping creativity may be a little more difficult in a mathematics class than it is, say, in a Spanish language or English class.  However, it is far from an impossible task and there are many ways to foster creativity with just a little bit of effort on the teacher’s part.  For example, geometry students can be given assignments that use core concepts to create geometric artwork or algebra students can be given real-life problems to solve (compound interest, maximization of profit, etc.) using their algebraic skills.  

                      Critical thinking and problem solving occur every day for everyone.  Life is full of problems, some big and some small, that need to be addressed on a daily basis.  The goal of education should be to teach students how to think, not what to think, so that they are prepared to tackle the issues that come up in life and in their careers.

               Communication, discussion and collaboration are techniques that foster learning among children and adults.  Students should be given a safe environment in school that allows them to discuss issues freely and collaborate on group projects.  By having the freedom to express their ideas without fear of condemnation, rejection or retaliation, and by collaborating with peers from a variety of backgrounds, students can share creative thoughts and exercise their ability to think critically.