For me, the bridge between these four readings was the following topic: the intersection of identity and the classroom. It is clear from all of these readings that students have specific identities that they carry around with them and that these identities play a key role in determining the interaction that the student will have/is willing to have with the classroom and the curriculum. From these readings it is clear that teachers MUST consider the audience before considering the curriculum. However, I suppose that your perspective on this varies depending on if teachers see themselves as teachers of students or teachers of the curriculum.
- Gee has a distinct way of dealing with technology and how students are engaging authentically with this technology to learn outside the classroom context. Despite Gee’s apparent fondness for technologies, it always seems, to me, that he drifts back to a point about how student engagement with technology in the real world cannot be authentically brought into the classroom. I really enjoy the Gee readings and am usually very enthused by the ideas that he presents; however, there always seems to be this giant obstacle to actualizing his ideas in the classroom.
- I thought that Gutierrez, Rymes, & Larson’s ideas (expressed in quote 4) about a counterscript were very interesting. I can think of a plethora of situations where students don’t identify with the classroom culture or the schools goals (or they refuse to identity) and as a result create his counterscript to the classroom. How is it that we prevent this from happening in the classroom? Can all students ever really be part of the community of learners? Perhaps this goes back to what Gee was saying in chapter 6 about considering the space instead of the community of learners. Then once the space is defined the roles of students and others within the space can be defined. I think that this is definitely something begs for attention, especially in this educational environment where we are trying to mainstream every student and create this one-size-fits-all education.
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