Talking
Points AGAIN on Terry Meier's; Why can't she remember that? The
importance of storybook learning in multilingual, multicultural
classrooms. I found the methods employed by these teachers in engaging
children in multilingual, multicultural homes brilliant. It seems so
simple and yet effective that by directly relating to this young
audience, that four and five year old children will pick up interest
that might not otherwise keep them engaged. In the example of Lem, who
had gotten into trouble for taking off of his shoes when he was not
supposed to, his Mother lightly scolded him by saying, "You want me ta
tie you up and put you on de railroad track? Lem replies by creating a
poem on the spot, saying
"Railroad track
Train all big 'n' black
On dat track, on dat track, on dat track
Ain't no way I can't get back
Back from dat track
Back from dat track
Big 'n' black I be back
I found it fascinating how he diffused his Mother's anger by creating a poem on the spot and entertaining her at the same time, while acknowledging his misdeed. Lem was able to draw on his verbal abilities he had acquired in a language community that greatly values verbal improvisation and quick thinking and which he greatly showed at a preschool age.
How about little Gabriella, a young Puerto Rican four year old. Her teacher asked a question that he had repeated in two earlier classes, "How many mittens are there? Instead of answering the question, Gabriella chose to turn to an adult next to her and say, "Why can't she remember that?" Rather than Gabriella answering the question, she was piqued when she assumed that the teacher was asking the class because the teacher could not remember the answer? Of course because Gabriella did not answer the teacher, the teacher would have wrongly assumed that the child did not know the answer. This is definitely cause for reflection. This particular child had a history of not answering the questions of the teacher. Gabriella, who came to school with little experience of books, book reading was not shaping up to be a very pleasurable or intellectually stimulating activity, these students tend to become unruly and call out. This is not behavior that the teacher approves, but one that the teachers should try and rectify.
I liked the case of Colette, a five year old Haitian girl who was homeless and lived in a homeless shelter with her Mother. This child became engaged with the rest of the children in class, when the teacher brought in a new book called, "Leola and the Honeybears." This is an African American of Goldilocks and the three bears. Colette would happily and excitedly point to one of the illustrations in the book and say, "That's me." She identified with the main character in the book and as a result became fully engaged in the discussions of the book. Not only did she like the book, but also enjoyed the retelling of it over and over again. Laughing delightedly little Colette, would say, while paraphrasing the main character in the book, "But I don't think she would mind this time?" Children connect with books when there is either a central character that may bear a strong resemblance to them, or to someone or something in the book. Once this connection is made. The rest is easier to do.
Further,
ReplyDelete"Railroad track
Train all big 'n' black
On dat track, on dat track, on dat track
Ain't no way I can't get back
Back from dat track
Back from dat track
Big 'n' black I be back
I found it fascinating how he diffused his Mother's anger by creating a poem on the spot and entertaining her at the same time, while acknowledging his misdeed. Lem was able to draw on his verbal abilities he had acquired in a language community that greatly values verbal improvisation and quick thinking and which he greatly showed at a preschool age.
How about little Gabriella, a young Puerto Rican four year old. Her teacher asked a question that he had repeated in two earlier classes, "How many mittens are there? Instead of answering the question, Gabriella chose to turn to an adult next to her and say, "Why can't she remember that?" Rather than Gabriella answering the question, she was piqued when she assumed that the teacher was asking the class because the teacher could not remember the answer? Of course because Gabriella did not answer the teacher, the teacher would have wrongly assumed that the child did not know the answer. This is definitely cause for reflection. This particular child had a history of not answering the questions of the teacher. Gabriella, who came to school with little experience of books, book reading was not shaping up to be a very pleasurable or intellectually stimulating activity, these students tend to become unruly and call out. This is not behavior that the teacher approves, but one that the teachers should try and rectify.
I liked the case of Colette, a five year old Haitian girl who was homeless and lived in a homeless shelter with her Mother. This child became engaged with the rest of the children in class, when the teacher brought in a new book called, "Leola and the Honeybears." This is an African American of Goldilocks and the three bears. Colette would happily and excitedly point to one of the illustrations in the book and say, "That's me." She identified with the main character in the book and as a result became fully engaged in the discussions of the book. Not only did she like the book, but also enjoyed the retelling of it over and over again. Laughing delightedly little Colette, would say, while paraphrasing the main character in the book, "But I don't think she would mind this time?" Children connect with books when there is either a central character that may bear a strong resemblance to them, or to someone or something in the book. Once this connection is made. The rest is easier to do.
Further,
This piece along with the quotes you chose reminds me of what I am learning in my English class. We are learning about how important oral dialogue is in the Islamic culture and why it is valued so greatly. Speaking and reading to children allows them to learn in a different way and this also leads to them writing and learning how to spell. All of these skills were mentioned indirectly in this piece and I think by using the quotes you did you were able to recognize these skills that are so essential for children. Especially those who come to an English speaking country with no prior experience with the language.
ReplyDeleteYour point about Gabriella and how the teacher assumed she did not know the answer simply because she did not raise her hand was exactly something I picked up on as I read this article. It really goes to show that as teachers we aren't always going to know what a student, especially a preschool or kindergarten aged student, is thinking. As teachers, it is easy to assume that if a student does not raise their hand then they must not know the answer. However, from personal experience of being a student, often times many of those same students who don't raise their hands in fact do know the correct answer! I myself, for whatever reason, don't always raise my hand to give the answer when I actually do know it. It is important that students have a positive reading and literacy experience especially at a young age. It is the teacher or instructors job to do their best to ensure that this happens. Often times, due to several factors both in and outside of the classroom or individual teacher, that is not the case... I thought you brought up some really good points within your post!
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