Video Blog #5: A Review of Video Blogs

Themes from our Blogs, and a few ideas

The following were themes that I found from a cross-observation of the class's blog videos from "You Gotta BE the Book" and "The Right to Literacy in Secondary Schools". The table columns are the themes, and some practical ideas derived from the blogs that could be used in our classrooms.Double- clicking the graphic will magnify its size.

Video Blog #4: "The Right to Literacy in the Secondary Schools"

Video Progress Blog 3: "You Gotta Be the Book"

Progress Video 2

What to Include in your Instructional Toolkit

1. Access students' prior knowledge and understandings.

Students come to our classes with a large amount of cultural and contextual knowledge, as well as some basic knowledge about that which they are going to learn.

2. Use multiple forms of text.

Texts should not only come from textbooks, but also non-traditional sources such as web-based texts.

3. Literacy lessons should be authentic to your content area.

For example, literacy in a music classroom may be different by nature than a mathematics classroom. Literacy-based lessons, then, should reflect the ways of knowing that are unique to the discipline.

4. Use available technological resources.

Research suggests that the use of certain types of software and online discussion groups can positively affect the level of students' understanding, and the quality of their writing.

5. Teach your student to think like experts!

Model your thought processes explicitly for students so that they can see how experts think.

6. Foster your own learning!

Learn and know the traits that expert teachers possess, and try to incorporate those traits into your own teaching. In addition, teachers who learn new instructional strategies can positively affect students' achievement.