The problems comes in with directions and phrasing the application assignments. Since what the student reads is the only thing they have to go on it needs to be extremely clear. The way questions and directions are phrased can become confusing and if a student is having trouble understanding what they need to do they are likely just to abandon the assignment all together. If the student has to send a message to the educator to clarify it takes away valuable time that student had planned to use completing the assignment.The professor I am working with also needs to understand what is needs to be done so that know how the lesson flows and connects the content. This has been plaguing me because it is hard to keep directions at the level required for the college level while also making the objective easily understood.
The only way I could figure how to do this is that we are having a preliminary run of the course with the student who keeps a journal of what they think of the assignments and if they understand how to complete the assignment. From these journal entries I am able to adjust the directions until they are easily understood. The student is a current university student so they would be the type of person who would take this course. Of course I had a lot of help with this from the professor I am working with. They have expertise in this area from teaching at this level for a long time and can help with suggestions on how to improve the wording.
This case is always open because this is the type of thing that can always be improved in a course. There is always someone who may interpret the directions different from others. As I have adjusted the diction the student has had an easier time understanding what they need to do to complete the assignment. I would like to think that I am satisfied with how the directions are, but I always feel like there is a way I could tweak them to be more clear. I would definitely recommend doing a trial run of any lesson or online course so that when it is delivered it will be at the best it can be. This method of course does have a name, formative evaluation, and is used largely for testing museum exhibits, but works wonders for online courses and lessons.
I would say that functional literacy comes more into play here because that is what a student needs to use to figure out how to complete the assignments. "Rather, it is acknowledged that the symbols--words, texts, primers--employed in teaching and learning communicate ideological values to the learner that very process of their becoming literate." I view the reading of directions to be the learning of symbols to communicate ideological values of what the assignment needs for completion.
I would say that functional literacy comes more into play here because that is what a student needs to use to figure out how to complete the assignments. "Rather, it is acknowledged that the symbols--words, texts, primers--employed in teaching and learning communicate ideological values to the learner that very process of their becoming literate." I view the reading of directions to be the learning of symbols to communicate ideological values of what the assignment needs for completion.
This is an interesting take compared to mine and the others I have read because it is an online course with adult students in comparison to in class with minors.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine how the exact wording would be a problem in an online class but I can also relate. I use a wikispaces page for one of my classes and I when I post assignments, especially if there is a substitute, I try my best to write down every detail of the assignment and instructions.
With high school students, and I imagine probably some college students, they often need specific instructions (I cannot expect to assume certain things) and this is good when giving a detailed explanation of the assignment and expectations. Although with high schooler, and probably college students, they can get overwhelmed with a lot of instructions and expectations and not read them.
I contend that this is a case of authentic literacy because you are involving the student in the meaning making. It is authentic because you realize that providing precise instructions is difficult because their understanding will vary from student to student based on their experiences with science and interpretation of the words. Furthermore you are taking responsibility for providing the best instructions that you can rather than blaming students for not understanding.
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting case to read through. After reading, I thought to myself, if all I gave my students was my initial instruction before an activity, and then I left the room, are my directions clear enough for them to complete the activity with success. After realizing how often I have to repeat or rephrase instructions, I am guessing the answer is "no". I beleive your case falls under authentic literacy.
ReplyDeleteYou say in your case that it's hard to keep the instructions for your course at the college level, but still make them easy to follow and understand, which is similar to what Lankshear expands upon at the beginning of Ch. 3, pg 39, when he explains the distinction between "being able to read" and "being literate." I think that's part of the frustration you are feeling with your test student, and maybe that she can "...follow the words" but can't seem to bring "knowledge and...experience to bear on what passes before [her]," because she doesn't have enough experience with the terminology or higher education level.
ReplyDeleteA quote from the text that I think relates to your case is "Response to texts requires meaning making" (Lankshear 63).
ReplyDeleteThere is sometimes a fracture between reading a text and understanding it, which I believe applies to your case. In order to be able to complete assignments, students must be able to make meaning out of the instructions.
"Ways are brought into being, and they evolve over time." Lankshear, p. 145. This case examines how you are attempting to refine your ways to better enable learning.
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