509+&+520+Organizing+Questions

= ORGANIZATIONAL QUESTIONS FOR THE MAT ELA METHODS COURSE =

=== 1. How will I define English Language Arts for myself and others (e.g., students, parents, colleagues, stakeholders, general public, etc.)? How will my theory and practice represent this definition? ===

=== 2. What is the particular nature of American culture today? Global culture? How do they affect each other? How does the nature of each affect the students I teach and the ways in which I teach them? ===

=== 3. In American culture, what does it mean to be literate? Who gets to decide that? What about global culture? What does it mean to be literate in the 21st century? How do new literacies and emerging technologies affect our definition(s) of literacy? ===

=== 4. And, then, as teachers of the English Language Arts, how are we to position ourselves in relation to these cultural prescriptions for literate behaviors? Where do we situate ourselves in terms of our beliefs and practices about teaching our students given these cultural prescriptions? ===

=== 5. Along with those overarching questions around which the course is organized, you will want to develop your own questions—keep that in mind as you interact with the course materials and observe in the field. ===

= ONE OF THE MAIN GOALS FOR THE COURSE, IS FOR YOU TO DEVELOP INFORMED ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:  =

===How will I define literacy and English language arts in a 21st century context?===

===How will the theory and research-based best practices in my field inform my teaching?===

===How will my teaching philosophy and knowledge of middle grades students inform my practice?===

===What will be some of the best practices in my field that I will use in my teaching in the future?===