Ms. Tong – Multiliteracies in ELA Classrooms

Response to “Good Video Games and Good Learning”

As someone who enjoys playing video games, I found this article to be extremely refreshing. Too often do people complain about video games being mind-numbing, distracting, addictive, etc. , without ever sitting down to play a video game. Knowing that Gee had really tried and experienced video games made the article much more valid to me.

I consider myself an advocate for educational video games, but I admit that I have never really looked at video games as a parallel to classroom instruction. However, as Gee explained the various aspects of a “good video game” and “good learning”, I found myself agreeing. It is true that video games have captured the attention of many people, including the youth we seek to enlighten in schools. Instead of demonizing video games and seeing them as time-wasting activities, why not look at them as models of how to approach teaching and learning?

I have included the list of “learning principles” in video games that Gee proposes, and will expand on them accordingly:

Identity

Interestingly, our students take on different identities in the school environment, but we never truly acknowledge this. They are asked to use different thinking strategies and methods in different subjects, while balancing being a “scholar” with being a “citizen”. We can emphasize the importance of these roles to increase self-identity and self-esteem in our students.

Interaction

In a good classroom, there is interaction between the teacher and students, and amongst students. However, interaction between students and the text or learning materials is a challenge. We must encourage students to think critically about their texts instead of just reading and memorizing information.

Production

Very often, students feel like they are sheep being herded from one course to another, without any part of the system. Letting students choose what they find important in the curriculum and teaching what is relevant to them can help increase interest.

Risk Taking

As explained by Gee, students are too afraid of failure to take risks. However, without taking risks and making mistakes, no progress can be made. We, as teachers, should encourage students to do things differently, and not penalize them for their mistakes.

Customization

Related to Production

Agency

Related to Production and Identity

Well-Ordered Problems

Challenge and Consolidation

“Just-in-Time” and “On Demand”

Situated Meanings

Pleasantly Frustrating

Keeping classroom content challenging but pleasantly so sounds challenging, but it makes perfect sense. Content that is too easy is boring, and content that is too difficult can make students frustrated and unwilling to try.

System Thinking
Too often, we fail to encourage students to look at the “big picture” of what they have learned. Having students make connection outside of each individual lesson, and perhaps each subject class, could help them become well-rounded and well-informed individuals.

Explore, Think Laterally, Rethink Goals

Smart Tools and Distributed Knowledge

Cross-Functional Teams

Performance before Competence

There are many educational games out there that can connect video games to the learning environment, but I agree that we should take it a step further, and look to the success of video games to make our teaching more successful. Our students’ worlds are not the same as the world centuries ago when the first school system began; therefore, we should adapt our classroom accordingly.

Response to “Using Graphic Novels, Anime, and the Internet in an Urban High School”

I find the topic of incorporating graphic novels into the English classroom fascinating. Growing up, I had wide access to this type of literature – from the Sailor Moon manga to Archie comics. However, I was always informed that it was not considered “real” reading, because you were only looking at pictures with minimal text.

As I became more exposed to graphic novels, I soon realized that this genre was largely underappreciated, even though it was so widely read. During my practicum, I noticed how even struggling readers would enjoy reading comics, but they would never admit that to their English teachers.

To combat the stigma associated with graphic literature, I designed a lesson all about comics for my ELL class. I provided an example of a comic strip I had written, a blank template, and a procedure for designing their comic strip. I was thrilled with the results. The students were engaged during the lesson, and they were noticeably intrigued by the concept of writing a story with images and limited text. Many of the students enjoyed using a different type of creativity in their assignments, which was evident in the detailed drawings they had. Even students who were initially hesitant to draw ended up enjoying the use of a different genre. There were also drawbacks to the assignment. The topic of the comic strips was “superheroes”, and students had the chance to develop their own superheroes. However, because of time constraints, the students’ stories were very brief and lacked depth and character development. Therefore, if I was to do the same assignment again, I would ensure that there was enough time for students to write a well-developed story.

With that experience, I strongly agreed with Frey and Fisher’s intentions. As teachers, we are constantly seeking new ways to engage learners, and using students’ interests in the classroom is a great idea. As we are increasingly using technology and social media in an educational setting, it seems reasonable to use alternative forms of literature and entertainment as well. Choosing a topic that is interesting to students minimizes the challenge of getting learners to be engaged, allowing teachers to focus on the designing the lesson. It is also important to have students recognize the importance of multimodality, and encourage them to think critically of the media around them. The truth is that our world is changing constantly with the development of new modalities, literacies, and technologies; as teachers, we should have students explore these new opportunities rather than just stick with traditional content.

If someone had told me when I was a kid that reading comics was a valid form of reading, I would have read even more than I did. I believe that hesitant and struggling readers would benefit greatly from a more positive relationship with graphic novels.