CHAPTER 8

1. CHAPTER 8 • Developing Learning Communities Discussion: Think of occasions when you were speaking to someone and that person seemed not to understand what you meant. What do you think the reason was?

2. Characteristics of a Learning Community Based upon your reading…what do YOU think a classroom learning community looks like?

3. Learning Community… • Student work everywhere! • Absence of standard posted rules…what does this mean? • Rarely a quiet classroom • Learning is NOT a spectator sport

4. The KEY to a Learning Community… • EVERYONE must belong! • What does this mean to you?

5. Rationale for Learning Community Classrooms… • What does this mean? • The need to negotiate differences through sharing a common curriculum • The need for students to learn citizenship by practicing democracy Read bottom of page 264

6. New ideas or are they really? • Interactive learning • Engaged learning • Feminist pedagogy • Inquiry learning • Critical pedagogy • Discovery learning • Whole language • Collaborative learning

7. Learning Community Classrooms • The project or activity often comes first, and the acquisition of knowledge and skills needed to accomplish the activity become necessary tools in the service of that activity. • Students come to appreciate the relevance of subject matter knowledge

8. Language Variation • Accents: The way words are pronounced • Dialects: Differences in pronunciation, word usage, and syntax • Bidialectalism: ability to speak two or more dialects and to switch back and forth easily

9. Non Verbal Communication • Accounts for 50-90% of the messages we send and receive • Proxemics • Kinesics • Paralanguage

10. Second-Language Acquisition • Takes 2-5 years for a student to achieve the advanced language proficiency stage. • Which is why most ELL (English Language Learners) are protected in ESOL programs for 5 years.

11. Chapter 9 • Charter Schools, Home Schooling and Voucher Programs • What are they? • Public funding for religious schools • What are your thoughts? • Religion was the reason for the first private school.

12. Chapter 10: A Collaborative Classroom • What do you think about girls who often use vulgar language? • How about when boys do? • In school, would you rather work closely with others or work by yourself?

13. Cooperative Learning • According to Kagan, students in urban settings tended to be more competitive than students in rural settings. • What are your thoughts? • If you are a teacher in an urban setting, how can you create a cooperative learning environment?

14. Positive Goal Interdependence • Individuals share the same group goals, and members of the group are accountable to one another. • The group sinks or swims together What are your thoughts on this?

15. Two factors for effective groupings… • Cooperative groups must work to achieve a group goal that can NOT be mastered unless each member performs his or her assigned task. • Each member of the group must be held accountable for learning the required content ( this must be shown in the end result)

16. Parent Involvement… • So important • Why is it lacking? • Four reasons cited: • Transient population • Alienation between the home and school • School-generated problems • Disintegration of the family

17. How can we tackle the four? • You are going to work with a group…to discuss one of the four issues. • In each group I want you to come up with a list of suggestions/ideas to combat the issue your group is assigned. • Be prepared to share with the group

18. Homework: • Read Chapters 10, 11, 12 and 13 • See journal assignments • Be prepared to discuss next Monday • Final is Monday, April 30th • Portfolios are due Monday, April 23rd: this includes: reflection, interviews, observation hours, list with summary of books, and Internet sites that focus on diversity