Impact on Professional Practice
One of my favorite ideas from the book is the idea of telling stories in the different registers. I think it is important to remember these registers when teaching writing to students. Students will write stories as they would tell it. This could make their writing feel disjointed and messy. As a teacher hopefully by being aware of different registers will help me as I instruct students with writing.
I loved the chart on page 81 in the discipline section of Payne’s text. It asks the student to fill out their name, what they did, what did they want, list four other things they could have done and what they will do next time. Payne discusses how students of poverty have difficulty coming up with other choices they could have made. They don’t see other choices than the one they made. The chart of page 81 forces students to consider other options and choices. I think it is a great way to involve students in the discipline process. I could definitely see using this in my classroom with all my students, not just students of poverty.
Generational poverty is one of the key ideas highlighted in Payne’s book. The behaviors associated with generational poverty are very important for us to remember as educators. For example, students who come from generational poverty often are disorganized, don’t do homework, or partially complete assignments, can’t get started and dislike authority. Most teachers can picture a student or former student that fits some of those characteristics. Changing these behaviors can be an extremely difficult task. I think that it is important for us to remember as teachers that we have to build a positive relationship with these students if we want to see behavior change. These relationships will take time to build, but valuable in the long run.
Katie, I like your insights and thoughts about how to apply things we have learned from the book into practice. I also found the chapter about the language registers fascinating. By understanding how the registers are different, we can help the students with their struggles with writing. I like the idea of getting their ideas or stories out first on paper in casual register, where the ideas might flow the easiest. From that point, we could use the components of their story to create graphic organizers to catalog information, discuss how to put together an argument or story, and then work together on the process of sequencing, order, etc. I found her suggestion of telling stories (as a whole class) in both formal and casual register and then discussing similarities and differences to be very helpful as a guided lesson.
ReplyDeleteKatie, I like that you talked about the idea of generalization poverty. It wasn't until after reading this book that this term really connected and registered with me. With only teaching for the last 6 years, I can still pick out families & siblings that I have taught throughout my short career that fall into this category and tend to reside there. Helping to better understand where they come from and why they may act the way they do definitely allows me the opportunity to create more of a relationship with these individuals and families. Relationships really are built on trust and this is a must for ALL teachers.
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