Moderation

What struck me during this week seminar is that there is quite a bit of misinformation out there regarding the efficacy of literacy and the greater importance that should be placed on developing this concept of inquiry based learning or the notion of critical literacy. The importance of having students being able to identify the place they occupy, how they are positioned there and the discourses they chart in order to function within their world(s).

Our idea of literacy has always been tied to the concept of traditional reading and writing skills, with the belief that mastery of these practises would lead to an upwardly mobile existence. But our readings shed some light on this fallacy or more importantly doused it with water. It broke down the idea that merely having the ability to produce students with these skills does not automatically jump one up into a more worthwhile existence

What is of greater importance is the combination of perfunctory skills supporting inquiry based or critical literacy learning environment. Students, who use their basic skill sets of traditional literacy whilst practising a form of a critical literacy, are better prepared to tackle what lies ahead.

Students need to be positioned to understand the world we live in and what biases, themes or discourses they need to participate in order to be successful. If students are to navigate these muddy waters, they can use their traditional skills to better understand how to alter their environments or identify/subvert the practises that have positioned them.

Allen Luke’s video shed some light on the greater concepts out there and positioned teaching into a much more fluid and forward thinking medium. What struck me the most is that he re-enforced the idea of first and foremost identifying the most important element of teaching….Knowing your students. You can’t just jump into a specific curriculum if the students are not prepared to function within that curriculum. He made it quite clear that one needs to help students develop the skills necessary to be critical readers/interpreters of the world around them.

Your teaching style can run the gamut of inquiry-based, constructivist or teacher directed. It all depends on what you would like to communicate and how the children are working with the material presented. It positioned teachers as we should be, professionals who can assess and understand a student’s needs in order they reach their potential. It followed the old adage of moderation.

Luke made it quite clear that one area is not gospel but you need to be able to juggle all the balls in the air at once. Which teaching has always been and will be.