scholarly journals Podcasting or Teaching in An Alternative High School

2018 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Murphy
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Figurative Language ◽  
Alternative High School ◽  
High Stakes Testing ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
High School English ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Middle College ◽  
English Class

Hello-- My name is Jack Murphy, and I am a high school English teacher in Chicago. My school is called Truman Middle College, an alternative high school for students 16-21 who have dropped out of public schools and are returning to earn their degree.I am writing both to express my appreciation for this journal, which I have found very useful and inspiring, and also to submit a proposal for 2 possible articles.I have two ideas I would like you to consider: one a short piece on a very successful project I have used in my class and another a longer piece on the nature of working at a school like mine.1. Podcast assignment: a very interesting and successful project I have used in my English class several times now has been a podcast. Students decide whether they want to work on their own, in pairs, or in groups. Each group is challenged to create a podcast segment that connects to the theme Truman Middle College, a la This American Life. The broadness of this theme allows for practically endless variations-- from anodyne issues such as the school bathroom, commutes, and going to school with siblings to deeper issues such as inequality in the school system, student subjugation at the hands of school authority figures, and dealing with Chicago gun violence.The assignment is successful for several reasons, among them 1) student choice in topic 2) a fresh and interesting outlet for the skills and tools we have honed throughout the semester (interviewing, story telling, figurative language, etc), 3) technology such as garageband that students find engaging and useful outside of the classroom (creating the fabulous situation where certain students, often quiet or disengaged, become classroom experts in the program, volunteering to assist and teach others, including their teacher).2. Teaching At An Alternative High School- This could be a longer reflection on the nature of teaching at a school like TMC. The students at my school have all been kicked out of another school, for a wide variety of reasons. We have students who have been incarcerated, students who have children of their own, students who work a fulltime low-wage job in addition to being a fulltime high school student, just to name a few obstacles they face. Our attendance is absolutely atrocious, students are often extremely bitter about schooling in general after a lifetime of bad experiences, and even the most dedicated are often too exhausted, hungry, or depressed to enjoy consistent success. It is at our little school you see the full tyranny of capitalism in full fury, as well as all the conflicting incentives and agendas imposed on teachers by CPS, the charter network, and the high-stakes testing regime. Much effort made by admin or teachers is often in pursuit of good data and other symbols of productivity, at the blatantexpense of the student population.  It is my 5th year as a teacher at this school (and 8th in general, all spent in Chicago) and nothing has done more to radicalize my politics than seeing what these young people are forced to endure on a daily basis.  Thank you for reading. If either of these ideas interest you, please let me know and I can produce the pieces. 

Composing Texts and Identities in an Alternative High School English Class

2014 ◽  
pp. 479-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Beth Hines ◽  
Michael L. Kersulov ◽  
Leslie Rowland ◽  
Rebecca Rupert
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Alternative High School ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
High School English ◽  
Theater Of The Oppressed ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
English Class ◽  
The Social

This chapter is drawn from a qualitative case study of one alternative high school English class, tracing students' engagement and resistance with digital media and school-based literacy practices, exploring how each student's use of literacy and digital media led to the formation of particular identities in the social sphere of the classroom. In this chapter the authors focus on two students, Callie--loud and socially dominant-- and Nina, quiet, reserved, outside the social circle. The authors trace the students' respective discursive practices in two composition units-- a multimodal children's book unit and a Theater of the Oppressed unit. The chapter argues that both young women have strong literacy skills and are strategic in using them, thereby creating particular identities as they produced texts.

Five Portraits of Teachers’ Experiences Teaching Writing: Negotiating Knowledge, Student Need, and Policy

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-60
Author(s):  
Juliet Michelsen Wahleithner
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Writing Instruction ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Teaching Writing ◽  
School Students ◽  
High School English ◽  
High Stakes

Background Numerous reports have highlighted problems with writing instruction in American schools, yet few examine the interplay of teachers’ preparation to teach writing, the instructional policies they must navigate, and the writing development of the students in their classrooms. Purpose This study examines high school English teachers’ instruction of writing while taking into account their preparation for teaching writing—both preservice and inservice, the instructional policies in place, and the learners in their classrooms. Setting Data used come from public high school English teachers teaching in Northern California. These data were collected in 2011–2012, when teachers were sill complying with the mandates of the No Child Left Behind legislation. Research Design I use year-long qualitative case studies of five high school English teachers to highlight various ways teachers used their knowledge of writing instruction to negotiate the pressures of accountability policies and their students’ needs as writers to teach writing. Data collected include beginning- and end-of-year interviews with each teacher, four sets of 1- to 2-day observations of each teacher's instruction of writing, and instructional documents related to each teacher's writing instruction. These data were analyzed using the constant comparative method to look for themes within the data collected from each teacher and then make comparisons across teachers. Findings from the case studies are supported by findings from a survey of 171 high school teachers who taught a representative sample of California high school students at 21 schools in 20 districts. The survey included 41 multiple-choice items that asked about teachers’ instructional practices and their perceptions of high-stakes accountability pressures and their students as writers. Survey data were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics and principal components analysis. Findings Findings illustrate that significant differences existed in how the five teachers approached their writing instruction. These differences were due to both the teachers’ varied preparations to teach writing and the contextual factors in place where each taught. Those teachers with more developed knowledge of writing instruction were better able to navigate the policies in place at their sites and more equipped to plan appropriate instruction to develop their students as writers. Recommendations Findings indicate teachers would be better served by opportunities to develop their knowledge of writing instruction both prior to and once they begin their teaching careers. Additionally, the findings add to an existing body of research that demonstrates the limiting effect high-stakes assessments can have on teachers’ instruction of writing.

Does External Accountability Affect Student Outcomes? A Cross-State Analysis

2002 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 305-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Carnoy ◽  
Susanna Loeb
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
High School Completion ◽  
High Stakes Testing ◽  
Completion Rates ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
School Completion ◽  
9Th Grade ◽  
8Th Grade ◽  
Math Test

We developed a zero-to-five index of the strength of accountability in 50 states based on the use of high-stakes testing to sanction and reward schools, and analyzed whether that index is related to student gains on the NAEP mathematics test in 1996–2000. The study also relates the index to changes in student retention in the 9th grade and to changes in high school completion rates over the same period. The results show that students in high-accountability states averaged significantly greater gains on the NAEP 8th-grade math test than students in states with little or no state measures to improve student performance. Furthermore, students in high-accountability states do not have significantly higher retention or lower high school completion rates.

Appearing Acts: Creating Readers in a High School English Class

1994 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 450-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Kernan Cone
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Collaborative Reflection ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
High School English ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
English Class ◽  
Reading Materials ◽  
Student Journals

Asking how she, as a teacher, can motivate students to discover the joy of reading, Joan Kernan Cone explores students' self-perceptions as "readers" and "non-readers." By engaging her students in this question and through her willingness to respond to their ideas Cone experiments with methods to cultivate "readers" — those who read on their own for pleasure and knowledge. Through the use of student journals, reading materials matching their interest and cultural backgrounds, and group discussion, she inspires a passion for reading. As a result of her in-class research and collaborative reflection with her students, Cone advocates creating a "community of readers" in which students can choose books, read them, talk about them, and encourage each others to read.

Our Readers Write: What's a Good Children's Book worth Using in a High School English Class?

1985 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
Marion F. Helfrich ◽  
Diana Memos ◽  
Nancy A. Hutchinson ◽  
Sharon Rinderer ◽  
Jeff Fischer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School English ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
English Class
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