Teaching on a See-Saw

I think the general questions we have to consider in reading this section are, “What is good writing?” and “What is good reading?” The answers may seem clear, but sometimes that clarity may come from our own perceptions. We may hear someone read aloud in class with good pace and inflection and think, “That person is an excellent reader.” However, if they are asked to recount what they read a few moments later and cannot do so, then we may revise our initial impression based on the fact that they have poor comprehension. And what about those students who can read and comprehend well in their own minds, but have difficulty expressing their thoughts to others clearly? Evaluating “good writing” becomes even more challenging. What are the criteria? Proper sentence structure and clarity? What about students who write in a way that’s not considered “correct” by traditional standards but express a truly beautiful sentiment that the readers can connect to?

With all of our different personalities, learning strengths, and styles, the idea of choosing a form of instruction becomes overwhelming. Williams discussed the debates that occur in regard to whether children learn in a bottom-up or top-down format. The entire debate over phonics vs. whole language is difficult to sort out because both have their positives and negatives, and in the end, not all children follow the same track of learning.

I say this often in my journals for this class and others, but I always believe that balance is the key to effective teaching. With classrooms becoming more and more inclusive these days, you are going to find yourself teaching writing and reading techniques to students of different cultural backgrounds and different learning levels. It’s important to get a sense of your students’ background and incorporate different techniques in your instruction in an effort to reach all students at least on some level.

I grew up with the phonics method, and honestly, I don’t feel that it’s bad to have a standard. In regard to the position of whole language proponents who state that phonics is “atheoretical and, even worse, discriminatory,” (155) I feel that this comes down to a matter of having students realize that the recognized standards may not be applicable to everyone. I think standards can be different from rules. In fact, it may be good for a lesson to show how phonics can vary culturally. I also feel that the older people get and the more they engage in society, they become aware of this. They take what they have learned in regard to the standards, but adapt their style to fit in elements of their own culture or community. I think Williams makes a good point when he states that “language acquisition and literacy acquisition are not exactly the same and do not proceed on the basis of identical mechanisms” (165). Still, I feel that having some sort of solid base in recognition helps people differentiate the two and learn their own developmental skills and preferences.

It’s hard to come up with any one method and determine “this is the way people learn” or “this is the way people should be taught.” It is difficult to do so even in adults. I think new methods will always come about and I don’t see the debates ending anytime soon. But when a new method comes along, I don’t think we should be quick to abandon everything that’s been done before. I think each method should be considered in regard to the way that individuals learn. And perhaps more emphasis needs to be put on that notion when teaching. It is not always easy to do when you are trying to teach the same material to 30 different people, some of whom may use different comprehension techniques. But I don’t think we can get it perfect every time. Again, I go back to balance, trying different methods, and learning from your results. I consider all of the methods I read about in terms of a see-saw. Sometimes I'll tip a little too much to the right, sometimes too much to the left. The best I can do is try to recognize these tips and add a little weight to the opposite side when necessary.