Teaching English L.A. in Secondary Education

Introduction:

For generations, the English Language Arts classroom has revolved around the goal of teaching students to read and write effectively. In essence, the English teacher’s goal was to teach her students to be literate individuals through imparting a set of standardized practices thought to work for every individual no matter the demographic or socioeconomic background. The “prompted formulaic five-paragraph essay” and whole-class reading of “classic” texts for meaning predetermined and fed to the students by the teacher, were established in the early days of standardized testing as a means to help prepare students for the exams and ensure passing scores (Pasternak, et all 2018). Although it may appear that for many students the standardized practices work well, for the remainder they only served to increase the divide between students perceived as “literate” and those perceived as “behind the curve” or “illiterate.” The problem with these standardized practices arose when teachers failed to evolve with the times. Students who were engaging in the reading and writing conducted in the secondary English classroom did better than those who failed to connect meaningfully with the work (Applebee & Langer 2011). Worse, the standardized practice of the prompted formulaic five-paragraph essay only served to limit the student's ability to think critically by teaching them to regurgitate memorized scripted information and left them ill-prepared for writing in the university setting.

Over the last several decades the concept of literacy, however, has evolved to encompass more than simply possessing the skills to read and write effectively or by a formula. Literacy, as it is understood in the English language arts classroom has grown to also include critical thought, effective written and verbal communication, the ability to conduct rhetorical analysis in texts ranging from novels and short stories to memes on social media, and in some cases even how to engage in civil activism (Brunow 2016). The secondary level English teacher has become a vehicle for providing her students with all of the most vital tools for success academically and within the wider community. In order to embrace this, all-important role English teachers have needed to create new ways to connect with their students and to engage the interests and critical thinking everyone is capable of.

Almost more than teachers of any other subject, the Secondary English Teacher is responsible for exposing her students to a diverse range of experiences, technologies, and cultural backgrounds. At the same time, the modern secondary English teacher frees her students to make choices and discoveries independently (Bomer 2011). She avoids the trap of "telling" her students what meaning they "should" pull from a text, by teaching mini-lessons modeling the skills she uses and showing her students the growth she has experienced through her own practice (Brunow 2016). She encourages her students to practice the skills she uses through independent application and group work/discussion. Finally, she relies on conferencing to help her identify her students' individual strengths, learning styles, and learning needs.

Adaptation for the Virtual Classroom: The A Family Interviewee Insight

For most of America's Middle and High School students, the 2019-2020 school year changed how they experience the English Classroom. As COVID-19 canceled school for months, many students and their parents were left in limbo as to how classes would continue once the new school year began. For Angela A., her daughter Adriana (12th grade), and her son Noah (8th Grade), the 2020 summer break was a time of high tension as discussions on school boards continued until the last moment about whether/how students would be brought back into the classrooms. Half a year in, The A. family has learned many things about the hybrid virtual/in-person class arrangements decided upon by officials.

In past "normal" years, the Secondary English classroom utilized the "Workshop" method in a face-to-face setting, allowing students to interact freely with the lesson materials, classmates, and the teachers without undue concern for technological difficulties. Technology in that sense was primarily utilized by the teacher during mini-lessons or by students completing independent/group work in a media center/computer lab or at home. According to Adriana and her mother, most of the assignments requiring computer use were completed in word processing applications or slideshow creators, such as revising and final drafts of essays or class presentations.

Interview Takeaway #1: English Teachers have adapted fluently to the new hybrid/virtual classroom format and the increased use of technology required.

Since the influence of COVID-19, technology use in the English Classroom has skyrocketed. Writer's/Reader's notebooks used by secondary English teachers as tools to build students' reading/writing lives outside of the classroom have been transformed from the tried and true "lined Composition Notebook" into journals full of writing prompts created by teachers in google slides. Noah informs me that although he hates writing, he has found his google slides writer's journal more fun and easier to use than the traditional physical notebooks he used in the past. He claims that using this digital tool, allows him to choose a prompt, insert images, and neatly write a response without having to find a pencil or eraser. Angela, her favorite feature of the digital format of the writer's journal is that it allows Noah's teacher to make detailed comments on the slides that Angela can then review when helping her son with independent writing assignments.

Interview Takeaway # 2: The amount of student engagement in virtual class discussions is determined by the size of the group.

Secondary English teachers have found that engaging the students in discussion during a mini-lesson in the Hybrid/virtual format has many advantages and disadvantages. The most prominent disadvantage is the reluctance on the part of the students to "speak" during zoom class discussions. Adriana's experience tells me that for many the zoom meeting class discussion is intimidating when gathered as a whole-class, but group "breakout rooms" provide a smaller audience and therefore less chance for multiple speakers. Suggesting that once the secondary English Teacher has delivered the mini-lesson and freed the students to work independently/in groups she should place the students in breakout rooms to encourage discussion of the materials or provide less distraction from the assignment.

Interview Takeaway # 3: Parents appreciate how virtual class meetings, particularly the individual breakout room feature allows them to become more directly involved in their childrens' education and makes it easier to request assistance from the teacher when helping with assignments/projects.

Breakout Rooms in virtual class meetings are beneficial, in that they allow the student/teacher to speak confidentially without being observed by the rest of the class. Angela likes the individual breakout rooms with her children attending classes from home because they give her the opportunity to speak with her childrens' teachers with more frequency than the parent/teacher conference format of the pre-COVID-19 era. Conferences for the A. family have become vital places for Angela and her children to gain guidance and advice for questions and suggestions for student improvement.

In Conclusion:

Though the practices in essence have remained the same, the teacher's approach to these practices have evolved in order to recognize the existing literacies of her students and build upon these literacies in a way meaningful to the student. Instead of writing struggling students off as illiterate, the modern secondary English teacher meets the student on their level and builds from there. Showing her students that success is possible with patience and practice. One of the most popular ways for secondary English teachers to achieve this is through the “workshop method.”

References:

Applebee, A. N., & Langer, J. A. (2011). " EJ" Extra: A Snapshot of Writing Instruction in Middle Schools and High Schools. The English Journal, 100(6), 14-27.

Bomer, R. (2011). Teaching Thinking Devices. In Building adolescent literacy in today's English classrooms (pp. 120–134). essay, Heinemann.

Brunow, V. (2016). Authentic Literacy Experiences in the Secondary Classroom. Language and Literacy Spectrum, 26, 60-74.

Pasternak, Caughlan, Hallman, Renzi, Rush, Caughlan, Samantha, . . . ProQuest. (2018). Secondary English Teacher Education in the United States.