Goldie+Genell+Gibson

01-17-12 Goldie response to Let's Stop Teaching Writing 1-24-12 Goldie response to **WHO ARE ADOLESCENTS TODAY?** **Question 3** When was a time you felt illiterate? Explain how and why. 1-31-12 Goldie The Adult Literacy Process as Cultural Action 02-07-12 Goldie response to Chapter 11 Digital Literacies in the Classroom 02-14-12 Goldie response to Chp 18 **Literacy in Virtual Worlds**

2-21-12 Goldie’s response to **The Neglected R: The Need for a Writing Revolution**

The National Commission on Writing Report has what I call the “WOW!!! factor.” Anytime an article addresses my questions or concerns, it makes me say WOW. It addresses the topics of time, assessments, teaching of technology, and teacher dilemma. Whenever I am in a classroom and have to administer a writing assignment, not enough time is usually the culprit for not completing the assignment. I wholly agree that the schools should extend classroom time so that students can have time to go through the writing process to include proofing and revising. Students need the input of their teachers and the peer editing process. However, I wonder about the part for increasing more out-of-school writing time in which parents should review their children’s writing. I am not saying that the parents should not review their children’s writing, but rather speaking of the parents whose basic writing skills are not adequate enough to help their children improve their writing skills. For instance, if by twelfth grade, “22% are below basic, 78% at or above basic, 22% at or above proficient, and 16% advance” (16), then how do parents who may score in the first two categories help their children advance to the last two categories? I just wish that when the Commission wrote that part of their plan under the “Time” heading, that they would have included some type of help or plan for students who do not have help at home. The Commission states that it is difficult to measure the students´ performances and growth in writing because standards vary from place to place and state to state (16). Now that the Common Core Standards are established and the majority of the states have adopted them, will everyone have the same standard tests and take them at the same time? In order words, will the MEAP be the same as Ohio’s standardized tests? Will there be a national professional development course in which all teachers will have the same knowledge and materials to help their students prepare for the tests? Computers allow us to communicate across the globe through email, instant messaging and electronic conferencing (22). With these methods of writing and communicating NAEP says that we must tap into students’ interest of creating and sharing writing. Now-a-days, I see more students texting than talking on the phone. My niece says that she likes to share that back and forth electronic communication with others, especially the funny stuff. Personally, I prefer to talk on the phone and only text when talking is not possible at that moment. In addition to phones and texting, I like idea of the first graders and the Sun Lakes seniors emailing one another. It is for the simple fact that this communication unknowingly forces the students to want to read because they want to know what their pin pals are saying to them. Perhaps this idea is something that could extend through twelfth grade and across the curriculum. Meaning, that a student could write to an English Language Arts person and to a science teacher who could possibly help them construct their papers. Just a thought. The report states that teachers receive little instruction in the teaching of writing (23). If this is the case, then I am glad that the National Writing Project was put into place to “help teachers improve how they teach writing and foster student learning” (25). Personally, I can’t wait to have the opportunity to attend one of these workshops. To sum it up, the National Commission on Writing Report addresses the concerns—time, assessments, teaching of technology, and teacher dilemma—of teachers across the nation. For me to have all four topics covered in one report gives me a better perspective on how all four tie in together.
 * Measuring results through assessments**
 * Technology and the teaching of writing**
 * The teaching dilemma**

Goldie - It is interesting to me that you refer to the parent's lack of literacy skills and how it ultimately affects the student outcome. As educators, we often promote parental involvement in their child's literacy, however, we don't consider their own skills or lack thereof. I can specifically relate to this dilemma when it comes to my children's mathematic homework. I have felt slightly embarrassed about being confused at not being able to guide them through what is supposed to be basic math processes. I hadn't given much thought to the idea that here might be other parents out there who feel that same sense of embarrassment when it comes to helping their child with their English homework. Perhaps we take for granted that because English is expected to be our national language, so we assume that our student's parents would be able to teach it effectively through our own assignments.This is why it is so imperative for educators to make themselves available to the parents through various modes of communication, and always try to be as simple and direct as possible with what an assignment requires. It is a very large task to expect our educators to educate the entire family, but it is not out of the realm of possibility that our student's success depends on their parent's ability to successfully offer homework guidance.

03-06-12Goldie response to Literacy Demands of Entering the University

3-13-12 Goldie response to Research on the Literacies of AAVE--Speaking Adolescents 3-13-12 Goldie response to 3-13-12 **Chapter 9** **Adolescent Second-Language Writing** 3-20-12 Goldie respone to Chp 23 **Boys and Literacy-Complexity and Multiplicity** 3-27-12 Goldie response to Chap**ter 6** **Proficient Reading in School Traditional Paradigms and New Textual Landscapes** 04-03-12 Goldie response to Chp 16 Preparing Adolescents for the Literacy Demands of the 21st Century Comment added from Kristen K.