Before these
readings I wasn’t really sure what a multigenre project was, now that I know I
am completely in love! I love writing so these ideas are amazing to me. I also
think this type of writing would be much more exciting for me to read as a
teacher and also very exciting for the students to do.
It seems that
there was an emphasis on the instruction being student centered, and allowing
the students to write about their interests. I think this is great idea because
it moves students away from extremely unoriginal and formulaic writing and
allows them to find a unique voice. This is also a great way to get to know
your students and their communities. Instead of forcing them to write about
what you or the school finds important, they can explore important issues that
affect them in their intimate worlds.
I definitely plan
on using these types of projects in my own teaching, simply because they force
students to think on their own, creatively and analytically. In the conclusion
of her article Gillepsie writes: “no one was threatened or intimidated; rather,
they felt empowered because they chose how to respond to what they read and
motivated because they had classmates for an audience”. I think this type of
feeling is ideal. Writers need confidence above anything and the freedom to
express themselves through their writing. This is important to me because when
students do struggle with writing I truly feel that it’s fear of failing that
holds them back.
I was really
impressed with the young women in the Guzetti and Gamboa article for taking
time outside of school on such a political project. It was also interesting to
read about students from a different socioeconomic background just to get a
different perspective. But I am having a hard time figuring out what this
alternate perspective means to me in relation to what we have been studying in
class. I think the point that the authors want to make is that students from
upper socioeconomic backgrounds are also expressing their literacy out of
school and in creative ways. This sort of reminded me of the article about
tagging and I’m trying to figure out what it all means. If these students are
similar in that they engage in alternative literacies outside of school despite
their economical and cultural backgrounds, what does this imply? I’m really
finding it hard to answer that question and if you guys have an idea, I’d love
for you to share.
I loved the Guzetti and Gamboa article and really identified with the girls and their zine (although they were way younger than I was when I got to work on something like that). I'm not sure that I can answer your question on how it connects to what we're studying, but I'll give it a shot. When I think of being literate in school and why that doesn't work for some kids (due to race or class or anything that makes them feel isolated in the classroom) literacy practices like zining and tagging allow them to be literate and engage in meaning making in a way that is outside of classroom authority. I think that the article was trying to give value to this alternative meaning making, because when students realize that their form of subversive literacy IS valued in the classroom after all, they're more likely to continue connecting with it and engaging in other types of literacy, maybe even classroom literacy with a kind and supportive teacher.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if that was your question, or if I was clear in my answer. This article in particular was really relatable for me and I feel like I could write about it all day.