Multicultural Literacy

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Hey everyone!

 For today's blog, I decided to focus on a 21st century literacy that I am very passionate about- multicultural literacy. Although we know all of the 21st century literacies are very important, there is something even more important within this literacy that children need to be learning about.

Multicultural literacy strives to focus on all the different cultures, joining them together in unity, in order to strengthen equality and diversity. This is a ver big thing within Canada, as Canada is known to be multicultural, therefore, there is a strong desire to have this be taught within classrooms to children.

I believe that multicultural literacy needs to be implemented within classrooms in order to teach children about different cultures, races and their traditions. This would be very crucial in order to minimize racism, stereotypes and bullying within classrooms, providing a safer and fun learning environment.

This would also create a more inclusive classroom, which very beneficial for student's individual and academic growth. This would help bring the students closer to each other and towards their teacher, which will help strengthen the relationships made within the classroom and help them in regards to how they act socially and towards their school experience/work.

 

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Teaching multicultural literacy also helps the teachers learn from their students, which is another important component. You get to learn from the students' and their views/opinions on things and it helps the teacher grow as an educator. It will help the teacher in regards to knowing how to teach this to his/her future classes and what worked well or what went wrong, in order to improve for the next years to come.

I would definitely incorporate this within my future classroom, as I would want to teach my children about the different races, cultures, ethnicities and traditions of the world, especially since some of my students will most probably be from different races. It is great for children to be educated on this and it will help solve issues in regards to how children are treated, lessening the stereotypes, bullying, stigma, etc.

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Here's a cute little video about teaching children about multicultural literacy and why it's important!

What do you think about this literacy? Would you incorporate this within your future classroom?

Inquiry Based Learning

      Hey friends!

    For today's blog I figured I would focus on inquiry based learning and all the elements that go alongside of that. To me, inquiry based learning is very crucial for young learners. It allows children to think critically and to question things. I believe that questioning things we are learning about is the best way for children to learn. It helps them to better understand what they are learning and to explore the topic more, seeing how much more they can learn on the topics/lessons being taught.

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With being a future teacher, I would really want to emphasize inquiry based learning throughout my classroom. It allows the students to learn different thinking skills and even problem solving skills, which are very beneficial to use throughout the rest of their education or in their every day lives.

What I think is so cool about inquiry based learning, is that the teacher allows the students to be responsible and take charge in what they are trying to look at. The students are the active participants and researchers who are trying to explore further understanding and knowledge on the topics being discussed and taught within the classroom. This type of learning (inquiry based) allows the students to never stop learning, as they are constantly questioning things they are learning and from that they learn new things.

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I believe that the teacher's putting their trust in the students is a great thing and I believe that students have the potential to go very far fro this type of learning.

What do you all think to this type of learning for students? Will it benefit the children more? What are some advantages towards this type of learning?

Overall, I believe that it is great that the student's can take charge in learning, as long as the teacher makes sure they stay on track and don't take things too far to the point where it gets complicated and confusing. Questioning things within learning is great, it helps strengthen the understanding in which they will remember and carry out through the rest of their years within school/their futures.

     Thanks for reading! Here's a little video on Inquiry Based learning for you all to enjoy!

                                          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdYev6MXTOA

Integrated Curriculum

 

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            We learned throughout Lane (2016)'s lecture about Integrated Curriculum and what this consists of for children within the classroom.  This curriculum focuses on including a variety of disciplines, subjects, etc into the whole curriculum. There are three main disciplines that can be integrated within a curriculum, which are: fusion, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary.

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When focusing on fusion, Lane (2016) states that themes are fused together and subjects are integrated within the curriculum. This could also include one 21st century literacy being integrated with another one. An example of fusion discipline within a curriculum is combining math with science, or combining social justice literacy with media literacy. This discipline helps us to look at two different subjects, literacies, disciplines, etc. and combining it together.

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     The next main discipline that can be integrated within a curriculum is multidisciplinary (picture above). Lane (2016) states how this discipline focuses on using a variety of subjects, literacies, etc. to find a common theme between these different subjects, literacies, etc. This strives to show a contrast between subjects/literacies and is a great way to get multiple perspectives on a common theme. This helps strengthen our knowledge and information on the common theme found.

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     The second last main discipline integrated within a curriculum is interdisciplinary. Just like multidisciplinary, this discipline uses more than one subject/literacy. Lane (2016) states how interdisciplinary focuses on using a variety of different subjects/literacies. Also, interdisciplinary consists of using these subjects/literacies to make several connections and themes, which helps develop a theory on the topic being looked at.

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    The last, but definitely not the least main discipline is the transdisciplinary discipline. This discipline goes beyond the other disciplines as Lane (2016) states and ties in more real-life contexts within it, therefore allowing social justice to be incorporated within this discipline. Also, this discipline is more problem and project based, allowing the different subjects or literacies to all come together.


    When looking at curriculums it is very important to choose these disciplines carefully, especially between multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary as these three are all very similar, but strive for different things. All of these disciplines are used to help strengthen curriculums and allow for different perspectives to be combined towards a curriculum, which I love.

   I really enjoyed learning about these disciplines as I thought it was very beneficial, especially with me studying to be a future teacher. I can definitely use these within my classroom towards my curriculum, so this lesson helped further my understand of these different disciplines.

     Hope this helped you all as well! Below is a cute little video on these disciplines, although it does not include fusion sadly, but take a peek!

                                Video found: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7cN8NW0ZEs

                                                    Thanks for reading :)


References

(L.Lane, personal communication, February 3rd, 2016)

21st Century Literacies

           We all know that literacy typically deals with the different learning skills, such as reading and writing, but over the years literacy has grown to be much more than that. Nowadays, literacy has several different components involved within it, helping us to be able to use other skills within literacy such as language, numbers, etc.

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            As Lane (2016) states within her lecture, there are other components tied in with literacy now, which helps children expand on their literacy in a number of ways. For example, Lane (2016) discusses about critical literacy, and how this is a newer way of intensely looking at literacy through critiquing things such as relationships between things, allowing us to view literacy through multiple perspectives.

           Within lecture, Lane (2016) also shows the progression from the traditional literacy to what literacy is now like in the 21st century. She discusses how literacy is expanding so much that the idea of "what is literacy" is reexamined as there are now multiple types of literacy surrounding us. One specific example of this is the influence technology has on children's learning. Children are exposed to technology in which through the technology they are still exposed to literacy, but in a different non-traditional type of way, as technology formats and displays texts differently. This is how technology, i.e. the internet, social media, is a new example of literacy, as it still allows the children to read from this and learn the literacy skills, but in a more creative, digital, up-to-date way.

           I believe that with technology advancing and schools resources and access to information advancing, literacy in the 21st century has become more than just reading and writing. It focuses on different ways to read and write/learn these literacy skills, through the internet, critically analyzing things, and by applying literacy to things within our society/world, such as within politics, the environment, cultures, media, etc.

 

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I think that this is very cool and important to be involved in. It does not get rid of the traditional literacy, more so that the traditional literacy is enhanced by being applied to other aspects, furthering our knowledge and abilities that literacy teaches us. I believe this can strengthen people's literacy skills and abilities, as they are able to apply it to several aspects and access these skills through multiple resources.

 I would definitely promote this within my future classroom. I believe that not every child learns the same way and since some children might struggle with reading or writing, the different types of literacy within the 21st century could really help these children through an alternative way of learning. This would help benefit the student(s) and their learning, while still learning literacy, but through a more suitable way meeting those children's needs. Also, another reason I would promote this within my classroom is that I believe the different types of literacies are crucial for children to learn, as our society is constantly changing and updating/advancing, and this would help them learn the skills they need through multiple resources, which is very important, and can be applied within their lives as they grow up.

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                                 Thanks for reading! Enjoy this video (below) to further your understanding 
                       of Literacy in the 21st Century

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References

(L. Lane, personal communication, January 6th, 2016)