Module 9 – Centering Bilinguals Activity

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  Posted by Sara Vogel, PhD. (she/her) on June 14, 2023 at 12:05 pm

  In the module, you were asked to explore a Scratch-integrated social studies unit created by a bilingual middle school teacher – first as a learner, then as a teacher.

  To access: Make a copy of this Google document, and complete the activities at your own pace. If you do not have a Google account, you can download a Word version here.

  When you’ve completed this activity and the others in the module, reflect on the following prompts:

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  • What are your core takeaways from engaging with this module?
  • How do these ideas influence how you think about preparing teachers?

• Kristen Lia Hodnett (she/her)

  Member

  June 22, 2023 at 7:13 am

  After engaging in this module which used Scratch I learned how accessible coding can be for students learning English and how students can connect across languages using this tool and its various translation options.  The project designed by Ms Silfa, which included Syncretic Computational Literacies, taught me about three areas I might use to design a unit or to encourage my students to design a unit – Computing concepts, Community, and School Discipline (content area).  I noticed in the unit plan example that the teacher also included language objectives which ties the practices together with language.   I spent a lot of time reading the unit around Hurricane Maria and thinking about where this would fit in the work we already do with educators.

  The planning box dedicated to Opportunities for Translanguaging caught my attention in the unit.   I noticed how practical the activities were for educators to include in their classroom as part of learning.   One example is listed below but this planning was provided for each session.

  1. Students interviewed family members and guest speakers in any mutually understandable language and took notes in any language. They also utilized drawings to take notes.
  2. Teachers provided students with media from different Spanish and English sources so they could gain multiple perspectives and practice new language.
  3. Students can engage with news stories using the preview-view-review method (preview in home language, view in new language, review together in home language)

  I also spent time exploring “Journeys to School.  The project is labeled as a work in progress and when attempting to help the student get to school, I struggled with the directions, consistently sending my student player off the page..  The look-inside option was such fun to see how coding can work across languages.  I jumped around a bit and also looked at the slide deck that includes Scratch coding for 10 languages.  What a great resource for teachers.  – Go to: https://tinyurl.com/bilingualScratch 

   

   
  Marcella Mandracchia (She/Her)

  Member

  June 25, 2023 at 3:43 pm

  There were a few core takeaways from this module. I struggle with Scratch. I understand the concepts with Scratch, but I get all turned around when it comes to the follow-through. In this case, literally!! The struggle is important for the students to interact with as this builds character and knowledge. The other takeaway that I saw was the definition and realization of syncretic computational literacy. This is a form of what I previously wrote about at a very low level.

  I think it is important to introduce different literacies and types of activities to our students in order for them to truly get their students. We need to take ourselves out of our comfort zone and also really have an open mind in order to showcase that to their students.