What should I write about in my blog?

Hello FNED 546 Students, As explained on our syllabus, this blog is a place for you to journal, reflect, and share about your experience in Providence schools this month and connect this experience to:
- Course texts, theorists’ arguments/class discussions,
- Your own schooling experience,
- Other personal and professional experiences.
Most importantly, tell us stories from your classroom to illustrate all of the above!

You are required to post 6 sentries:
- Bio,
- Post 1 about the demographics of your school,
- Post 2-5, choose 4 prompts from the list of prompts 2 to 7 below.
Please include the title & number of the prompt in the title of posts 2 to 5 using the bolded words
Of course, please feel free to post more than 6 entries!
We will examine each prompt in class so please bring all your questions!

For your convenience, I am reproducing here the list of prompts from pp 4-5 of our course syllabus !

1) Describe the neighborhood, school building and classroom in which you are volunteering.
What do you notice about the space and structure of the school? How do people use the space? How does this school “feel” to you? What contributes to this feeling? Describe the classroom, the teacher, and the students. What is valued in this school? In this classroom? How can you tell? Check out data from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov about your school. Give examples.

2) The culturally competent teacher should be able to account for, demonstrate awareness of, and respond to the socio-cultural distinctiveness of her or his students, families, and communities when planning for and delivering instruction.
Describe the linguistic, ethnic, and socio-cultural characteristics of the students in the classroom in which you are tutoring (Use the data on Infoworks as well your observations). What cultural capital do the children bring into the classroom? What assets can be developed that will strengthen our society/democracy?

3) The culturally competent teacher should be able to use a variety of assessment techniques appropriate to diverse learners and accommodate socio-cultural differences that affect learning.
How might the teacher be responsive to the linguistic, ethnic, and socio-cultural characteristics of the students in his or her assessment practices?

4) The culturally competent teacher is aware of the diverse cultural groups represented in his/her classroom, investigates the socio-cultural factors that influence student learning, and is able to integrate this knowledge into his/her teaching.
No one enters a classroom without a personal history; thus, no one enters a classroom completely free of bias. How might your personal history/socio-cultural characteristics intersect with those of your students? What challenges or advantages might you have as a teacher in this classroom? What misconceptions about various cultural groups have you confronted during this experience? Give examples.

5) The culturally competent teacher involves and works with families and community resources, understanding the differences in families, the important influence of family participation in students’ learning, and the benefit of collaborating with the wider school community.
Imagine that you are the teacher of this classroom. What challenges might you encounter in collaborating with the parents of your students? How might you address these challenges? How might you demonstrate respect for the concerns or contributions of parents?

6) The culturally competent teacher communicates in ways that demonstrate sensitivity to socio-cultural and linguistic differences, using a variety of verbal and non-verbal communication techniques that encourage positive social interaction and support learning in their classroom.
How have you (or the classroom teacher) communicated in ways that demonstrate sensitivity and responsiveness to socio-cultural and linguistic differences? Give examples.

7) How is this experience shaping your teacher identity? Give specific examples/stories.