Shelley's Final Retrospective Blog Workshop 10

Upon reviewing notes made, passages underlined and reflecting on seminar conversations, some of the issues I’ve encountered in the course come to mind. How readers are positioned, seeing reading as a social practice, the most effective pedagogy, how to ensure students see the power of their own literacy, and what kinds of bias and experiences do I bring into the classroom every day?
I believe a key issue for me this course has been to understand how a reader is positioned by the texts we use in our classrooms. I often think about the hidden messages in media and advertising, but in out classroom materials? Shocking! When I was a newly graduated teacher, the anthologies and programs were a lifeline for me. I felt I needed those programs to ensure my students were receiving adequate instruction. The programs were purchased by the board, they met the curriculum expectations. What could be wrong? I recently looked through some of those books again, and continued to be surprised how subtly positioning happens in many cases. Indeed “student-readers’ sense-making procedures can be brought into alignment with those of the text without their awareness of participation in the procedure” (Freebody, Luke & Gilbert, 1991). Reading the passage describing the Spanish invasion of Central America (Freebody, Luke & Gilbert, 1991) illustrated further such positioning. I was obviously reading the passage from a Eurocentric position, as I didn’t even realize the bias until it was pointed out in the text. It is clear to see positioning happens to readers of all ages and abilities. How powerful language is!
In Osborne’s chapter “Some Recent Pedagogies” (Osborne, 1991), he raises the issue of curriculum. “...curriculum is a selection from the culture” and goes on to question “Who does the selecting? For what purpose? What has been emphasised? What has been omitted? What alternatives exist?” Educators need to always be thinking of these questions, and how the reading materials chosen can position readers.
Also imperative to consider is our own personal bias. While things such as curriculum and text books may not seem to be something that can be controlled by teachers, we can certainly be reflective, questioning educators. During this course, the research project has been a valuable experience. I feel it has enhanced my understanding of my own literacy development and also that of others. The discussions in our groups about our early literacy provided an opportunity to learn from each other- what it was like to learn English as a second language, books that made an impact, meaningful experiences we had around literacy. In a small group of people, no one had the same experiences. Clearly, if in a in a room of educators, we all had unique experiences, our classrooms must reflect the same diversity. The research and reflection upon my own literacy has allowed for insight to the choices I make as a teacher. Through my reflections, I am also aware that I was adept at school discourse early on. I was read to frequently as a child and I suppose was like the “mainstream children” Heath wrote about (Heath, 1998). Not all students entering school have had the same experiences with books as I did, and that is clearly evident in my Kindergarten classroom. Reading Heath’s articles have been helpful to see how other communities experience literacy. My own experiences with reading and writing are with me each day as I plan teach and assess. The research and readings in this course have made me mindful of that. The choices I make each day are now more deliberate.
The ideas of literacy as social practice and school literacy have also been an enlightening topic for me during the course. I think I have always been cognisant of the different experiences children bring to school each day, but more on the surface- mom works the back shift, dad and mom are fighting, I didn’t sleep well last night, there was no breakfast today... Many of the articles read this course look deeper into cultural experiences and the effects of different experiences on school success. “Prior knowledge figures prominently in various versions of ‘reading’ ... the use of text about which learners have limited background knowledge can be a hindrance to comprehension” (Freebody & Luke, 1990). If a child cannot demonstrate those things which indicate comprehension and reading ability, he or she is seen as a failure. That failure can follow that child through his lifetime. It raises the question for me- what else can that child do? What are the strengths that child possesses? “ Acknowledging literacy as social practice...enables us to see students not as illiterate, but as differently literate, not as deprived of literacy experience, but possessing different literacy experiences”( Dudley- Marling & Murphy 1997). Do those differences make a child’s contribution any less valuable?
I have come to understand that it is crucial for children to see the power of language, no matter what the age of stage of development. “What is critical is student’s growth into confident familiarity with many processes, and that begins with believing that they can and will succeed. The wider objective, critical literacy, encourages them to think they can, because it involves them in using language to serve their own purposes, and to interpret the events and institutions and power structures that determine their existence” (McLeod, 1986).

Articles Cited
Dudley- Marling, Curt & Murphy, Sharon (1997) A political critique of remedial reading programs: The example of Reading Recovery The Reading Teacher Vol 50 No 6

Freebody, Peter; Luke, Alan & Gilbert, Pam (1991) Reading Positions and Practices in the Classroom, Curriculum Inquiry Vol 21, No 4, Winter, John Wiley & Sons

Heath, Shirley Brice (1998) What no bedtime story means: Narrative skills at home and school, Language and Society Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

McLeod, Alex (1986) Critical Literacy: Taking control of our own lives, Language Arts Vol 63, NCTE

Osborne, K (1991) Some recent pedagogies Teaching for Democratic Citizenship