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Written Reflection Module 2
Aaron Romero
Arizona State University
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Module Reflection 2: How can I plan instruction so students will actively engage in literary
and discipline specific activities?
Importance of Community and the Student as an Individual
Principally a major issue in participation in both in person classes and in a digital
medium is the aspect of community building make making the classroom a comfortable place for
students. Creating a community with rules, norms and expectations goes a long way to pave the
foundation for a healthy classroom environment in which interaction and respect is key (Tucker
2015). This is due in large part to the requirements of students to be both comfortable and have
stability before willing to invest in the classroom as individuals. These things include the explicit
behaviors modeled for things such as peer shares and discussions that allow everyone to
participate with their voice being heard and accounted for. Thus, instructors must explicitly
model expectations in order to create a stable environment in which students do not fear that
their academic investment will be ignored and assigned little value.
The next issue that must be tackled by instructors is the issue of student engagement and
keeping students stimulated in the classroom. Student engagement is largely driven by the value
the student assigns to the assignment or instruction at hand (Wickline 2015). This is where the
concept of differentiation comes to importance. This differentiation in instruction means that the
instructor must examine the various skill levels and needs of their student’s while creating a
learning experience. Thus, the instructor must make assignments that pertain to the interests,
goals and hopes of students and tie into real world scenarios. This is important as many
instructors try to fight the interest of students as they become distractions in the classroom rather
than integrating these interests into content instruction that would captivate and motivate the
student (Moje 261, 2015). This connection to real world application will heighten engagement by
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giving the assignment value in the eyes of the student. This also allows for practical and
disciplinary literacy skill building to take place in the classroom which beyond engagement
allows students to obtain skills beyond the classroom which constitute deeper learning (Irvin Et
Al, 2007). This differentiation is also important in addressing the various skill levels of students
as failing to adequately challenge them or setting the bar out of reach is likewise a path to
disengagement.
Formative Assessments and Objectives
A critical component to proper instruction in the classroom with regards to disciplinary
literacy and content language objectives involve the value of goal setting in the classroom.
Students should be explicitly instructed what they are currently aiming for and what they are
striving for in the future. In order to accomplish this the instructor must use formative
assessments to gauge the levels of understanding students currently have of disciplinary and
literacy knowledge. These formative assessments are highly varied but may include things such
as surveys, exit tickets or more modernized digital tools such as Kahoot. The knowledge
extracted from these assessments helps the instructor and students understand what still needs to
be worked on and what objectives are met, thus it is a steppingstone of knowledge for setting
larger knowledge goals. It is to note however that the instructor must make explicit feedback in
order to not only motivate the student but address concerns for how to move forward properly
(Fisher 6, 2014). Only then can the instructor and the student realize the full potential of
formative assessments.
Objectives during assignment completion are just as important as identifying their current
standing with formative assignments. A valuable way his can be done in regards disciplinary
literacy and meeting content language objectives is use the BDA framework. The BDA
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framework involves a system in which students conduct activities “before” reading a content
text, “during” the reading and “after” the text. This allows content language objectives to be met
during interaction with the content source in multiple ways such as through inquiry, information
sorting and many other content language techniques. Such a system allows students a framework
to more deeply analyze and connect with the content in a meaningful way with respects to
literacy comprehension (Moje 264 2015).
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References
Archie E. Hill. (2014). Using Interdisciplinary, Project-Based, Multimodal Activities to
Facilitate Literacy Across the Content Areas. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy,
57(6), 450–460. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.270
Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2014, May). Assessments That Highlight Strengths and Challenges.
Retrieved from https://secondaryliteracies.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/assessments-
strengths-challenges.pdf
Irvin, J. L., Meltzer, J., & Dukes, M. S. (2007). Chapter 1. Student Motivation,
Engagement, and Achievement. Retrieved October 09, 2020, from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107034/chapters/Student-Motivation,-
Engagement,-and-Achievement.aspx
Moje, E. (2015). Doing and Teaching Disciplinary Literacy with Adolescent Learners: A Social
and Cultural Enterprise. Harvard Educational Review, 85(2), 254–278.
https://doi.org/10.17763/0017-8055.85.2.254
Tucker, C. R. (2015). Successfully Taking Offline Classes Online. Retrieved October 09, 2020,
from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-
leadership/summer20/vol77/num10/Successfully-Taking-Offline-Classes-Online.aspx
Wickline, H. (2018, February 06). Creating the Conditions for Deeper Learning. Retrieved
October 09, 2020, from https://hewlett.org/creating-the-conditions-for-deeper-learning/
