After reading the first 3 chapters of the book "Illuminating Texts" I came away with some really good "nuggets" (my Sociology professor terminology) of knowledge about how to teach students how to "read the world".
The first is "nugget" I got from the reading is that as a teacher it is my job to teach my students how to read history and how to make sense of what we see and hear. This requires teaching students how to build upon their prior knowledge and skills so they can move along the continuum of complexity in literacy. My job is to teach students how to read a range of texts in various ways for different purposes.
The second "nugget" I received from the book is that students need to learn how to read the internet with a critical eye. Students need to be taught how to evaluate what they are reading by knowing what to ask themselves in regards to the veracity of a website. Who wrote it? What is the purpose? What are the biases? How old is the piece? These are just some of the questions students (all of us) should be asking when reading information online.
The last "nugget" I learned was that textbooks are not a guarantee of good information. Like the internet, textbooks frequently are promoting the agenda of a special interest group and may not be factual or unbiased. Just like the internet students need to do some questioning about the texts that they are given at school.
The beauty of this book is that it gives teachers step-by-step instructions and ideas on how to teach students to "read the world". I wish he didn't shut down the website that accompanied this book. Bummer.
The first is "nugget" I got from the reading is that as a teacher it is my job to teach my students how to read history and how to make sense of what we see and hear. This requires teaching students how to build upon their prior knowledge and skills so they can move along the continuum of complexity in literacy. My job is to teach students how to read a range of texts in various ways for different purposes.
The second "nugget" I received from the book is that students need to learn how to read the internet with a critical eye. Students need to be taught how to evaluate what they are reading by knowing what to ask themselves in regards to the veracity of a website. Who wrote it? What is the purpose? What are the biases? How old is the piece? These are just some of the questions students (all of us) should be asking when reading information online.
The last "nugget" I learned was that textbooks are not a guarantee of good information. Like the internet, textbooks frequently are promoting the agenda of a special interest group and may not be factual or unbiased. Just like the internet students need to do some questioning about the texts that they are given at school.
The beauty of this book is that it gives teachers step-by-step instructions and ideas on how to teach students to "read the world". I wish he didn't shut down the website that accompanied this book. Bummer.
Jim Burke's text is a treasure and I am glad you chose it for your book. Reading textbooks, like anything else requires, reading "with a healthy skepticism" in reading critically the word and world (as Freire, would say). Your nugget takeaways are valuable guidelines for you. The teaching of history to me is telling stories and making sure we include multiple perspectives in those stories.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Johna!