The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts Instruction in Grades 6-12

I think in any case you are teaching English, it should always be the goal of the teacher to keep things interesting, fun, and informative. If a teacher can relate an assignment, or discussion to things the students may be familiar with (what's going on in the world, their personal lives, on tv, etc), then they will probably grasp the material even better.

What I liked about this article was just that. It talked a lot of different literacy approaches to try in the classroom. For instance, in the case of the high school teacher, Kyle Krol, he talks about teaching diversity and how it is something that he is passionate about, and has a lot of knowledge about, but according to the state standards, it is hard to find where that would fit. I think that teachers need some liberties in what and how they teach, especially when there is a topic that maybe isn't widely acknowledged by the state.

With that, he was trying to maybe connect or relate to the students. Sometimes those standards don't always meet the needs to of the students. As a future teacher, I know I will have students who don't fit the perfect student mold, and will have to think outside the box in how to get their standards met. I think being familiar with the standards, and maybe approaching them in a very generic setting may be the best thing.

Discussions as a Way of Teaching

I think this article is important because it talks about the rules needed to have a hearty, and effective discussion.

All too often, I have been involved in a discussion where everyone is just shouting whatever they want, and everyone is talking over each other. There are no good ideas or thoughts being shared and talked about - instead, it is a free-for-all on who can talk the loudest. 

While reading over some of the rules in the article, it actually reminded me of a kindgergarden classroom - the golden rule and such. Speak the way you would want someone to speak to you, basically being respectful. Sitting in a circle to control the conversations, and writing them down on an index card are more examples they give on how to have a good discussion. I especially like the idea of "newsprint dialogues" because it creates small group work for the students to bounce ideas and thoughts off each other. It makes it easier for those who are a bit more shy to be able to speak up in a smaller group.

I feel that this should be common sense, but some people don't have any. I think this article has good information, and being in a classroom setting, it might be beneficial to try out a few of these different techniques and see which one might work from class to class.