This year has been a life changing year for me. After getting a job at an urban school, I have been able to witness urban education first hand. Urban education is very different than suburban education. As educators, it is important that we are able to adapt our teaching methods in order to provide adequate preparation for our students. I believe it is very important to be able to understand how to teach writing in an urban setting because these students must be reached in a different way. When teaching in an urban setting, traditional classroom practices may not always work so it is very important to discover different ways to reach these students.
For my research project, I have decided to explore various methods and techniques for teaching writing in an urban setting. Teaching in an urban setting requires a different approach to the traditional teaching methods that are typically practiced in other schools. “In our urban setting and in many others around the United states, where high school dropout rates regularly exceed 50% and the majority of adolescents are living in poverty, youths’ criticisms of school and their disengagement from traditional pedagogies suggest a void in the traditional high school curriculum (which man studies perceive as irrelevant to their lives) and a reasonable but often determinsitic perspective on school” (Zenkov & Harmon). Basically, students feel as though they are bogged down and bored by the traditional practices of teaching. Because of this void in the traditional approaches to teaching and curriculum, it is necessary to establish various teaching techniques to find ways to fill the void.
In the book Savage Inequalities written by Jonathon Kozol, an exploration of the worst public schools in America takes place. Most of the schools examined in this book are in an urban setting. Through this novel, the many differences are demonstrated between urban education and suburban education. Although the curriculum may be the same in most cases, the environment in urban schools varies differently than most traditional schools. Issues such as filthy conditions, lack of supplies, lack of safety, lack of staff, students’ issues at home and lack of student motivation are examined. However, the intention of Kozol’s book was to observe the worst possible schools in America, therefore the locations and examples in the book are the most extreme cases. Taking this into consideration, not every urban school functions the same. It is still evident that the environment of urban education may create a disadvantage to the students (who are typically already disadvantaged in other ways) in regards to their education. It is my job, as a future English teacher, to overcome these obstacles that may affect students’ learning and achievement and practices strategies in order to successfully prepare them.
There are many questions when establishing a sound writing system to teach urban students. How can teachers keep students motivated? What types of lessons will keep students engaged? How can we intertwine reading and allow students to understand the importance of reading in relationship to writing? What are various ways teachers can reach each and every student, even the students who are the weakest writers? How will students be assessed? What are some ways teachers can make writing personal to each student? How can teachers overcome the outside factors that are affecting students’ learning and focus? How can teachers develop relationships and trust between their students?
All of these questions and issues can and will be addressed by developing and using lessons and teaching methods that are adapted to suit the learning abilities of these students. As with teaching at any type of school, it is important to be open minded and innovative with teaching methods and techniques. Research suggests that students learn more when they are interested in the topic they are learning. In order to strengthen writing instruction for urban students, “teachers must provide multiple voices and text which mirror the multiple literacies of urban youth” and find ways to keep students engaged by “teaching students explicit writing strategies, guiding them to set writing goals, and through connecting adolescent literature to writing instruction” (Lacina). When teaching in an urban environment, it is important to be able to reach students with topics and assignments that they can relate to. One large issue in the classrooms of an urban school is engaging students and keeping their focus. This paper will examine various effective and ineffective teaching techniques to keep the students focused.
There are many excuses (some valid and some invalid) that can be used in regards to students’ learning in an urban school. An important aspect of working in this environment is being able to develop trust and relationships with students. An important theme that “became evident was the foundational role of teachers’ relationships—and youths’ relationship with other individuals—in supporting student writing success” (Zenkov & Harmon).Young adults value “teachers who interacted with them as people and who cared about them as more than one of the dozens of students teachers meet in a day” (Zenkov & Harmon). It’s important to respect these students as human beings in order to engage with them in richer ways. “Teachers’ relationships with students were almost synonymous with youths’ relationships to writing tasks” (Zenkov & Harmon).
This research will be completed by examining various teaching techniques that have worked to successfully enhance students’ ability when writing. Some aspects that will be studied are: helping students develop personal connections to their writing, keep them engage, give them purpose to their writing, help them make and achieve goals when writing, and providing adequate support through the writing process.
Overall, the intention of this research paper is to find various ways of effective and innovative teaching in order to ensure the most adequate teaching of writing to students in an urban setting.
References
Kozol, Jonathan. Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools. New York: Crown Pub.,1991.
Print.
Lacina, Jan. "Guiding Principles for Supporting Middle School Writers." New England Reading
Association 48.1 (2012): 78-83. Print.
Zenkov, Kristien, and James Harmon. "Picturing a Writing Process: Photovoice and Teaching
Writing to Urban Youth." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 52.7 (2009): 575-84. Print.
For my research project, I have decided to explore various methods and techniques for teaching writing in an urban setting. Teaching in an urban setting requires a different approach to the traditional teaching methods that are typically practiced in other schools. “In our urban setting and in many others around the United states, where high school dropout rates regularly exceed 50% and the majority of adolescents are living in poverty, youths’ criticisms of school and their disengagement from traditional pedagogies suggest a void in the traditional high school curriculum (which man studies perceive as irrelevant to their lives) and a reasonable but often determinsitic perspective on school” (Zenkov & Harmon). Basically, students feel as though they are bogged down and bored by the traditional practices of teaching. Because of this void in the traditional approaches to teaching and curriculum, it is necessary to establish various teaching techniques to find ways to fill the void.
In the book Savage Inequalities written by Jonathon Kozol, an exploration of the worst public schools in America takes place. Most of the schools examined in this book are in an urban setting. Through this novel, the many differences are demonstrated between urban education and suburban education. Although the curriculum may be the same in most cases, the environment in urban schools varies differently than most traditional schools. Issues such as filthy conditions, lack of supplies, lack of safety, lack of staff, students’ issues at home and lack of student motivation are examined. However, the intention of Kozol’s book was to observe the worst possible schools in America, therefore the locations and examples in the book are the most extreme cases. Taking this into consideration, not every urban school functions the same. It is still evident that the environment of urban education may create a disadvantage to the students (who are typically already disadvantaged in other ways) in regards to their education. It is my job, as a future English teacher, to overcome these obstacles that may affect students’ learning and achievement and practices strategies in order to successfully prepare them.
There are many questions when establishing a sound writing system to teach urban students. How can teachers keep students motivated? What types of lessons will keep students engaged? How can we intertwine reading and allow students to understand the importance of reading in relationship to writing? What are various ways teachers can reach each and every student, even the students who are the weakest writers? How will students be assessed? What are some ways teachers can make writing personal to each student? How can teachers overcome the outside factors that are affecting students’ learning and focus? How can teachers develop relationships and trust between their students?
All of these questions and issues can and will be addressed by developing and using lessons and teaching methods that are adapted to suit the learning abilities of these students. As with teaching at any type of school, it is important to be open minded and innovative with teaching methods and techniques. Research suggests that students learn more when they are interested in the topic they are learning. In order to strengthen writing instruction for urban students, “teachers must provide multiple voices and text which mirror the multiple literacies of urban youth” and find ways to keep students engaged by “teaching students explicit writing strategies, guiding them to set writing goals, and through connecting adolescent literature to writing instruction” (Lacina). When teaching in an urban environment, it is important to be able to reach students with topics and assignments that they can relate to. One large issue in the classrooms of an urban school is engaging students and keeping their focus. This paper will examine various effective and ineffective teaching techniques to keep the students focused.
There are many excuses (some valid and some invalid) that can be used in regards to students’ learning in an urban school. An important aspect of working in this environment is being able to develop trust and relationships with students. An important theme that “became evident was the foundational role of teachers’ relationships—and youths’ relationship with other individuals—in supporting student writing success” (Zenkov & Harmon).Young adults value “teachers who interacted with them as people and who cared about them as more than one of the dozens of students teachers meet in a day” (Zenkov & Harmon). It’s important to respect these students as human beings in order to engage with them in richer ways. “Teachers’ relationships with students were almost synonymous with youths’ relationships to writing tasks” (Zenkov & Harmon).
This research will be completed by examining various teaching techniques that have worked to successfully enhance students’ ability when writing. Some aspects that will be studied are: helping students develop personal connections to their writing, keep them engage, give them purpose to their writing, help them make and achieve goals when writing, and providing adequate support through the writing process.
Overall, the intention of this research paper is to find various ways of effective and innovative teaching in order to ensure the most adequate teaching of writing to students in an urban setting.
References
Kozol, Jonathan. Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools. New York: Crown Pub.,1991.
Print.
Lacina, Jan. "Guiding Principles for Supporting Middle School Writers." New England Reading
Association 48.1 (2012): 78-83. Print.
Zenkov, Kristien, and James Harmon. "Picturing a Writing Process: Photovoice and Teaching
Writing to Urban Youth." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 52.7 (2009): 575-84. Print.
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