Well, here we go! I have to say English Language Arts (ELA) is a subject which I anticipate will be one of the most enjoyable for me as a teacher. I have always loved reading (and, to a lesser extent, writing) and am looking forward to sharing that love with my students.
My thoughts on language arts in the classroom, as well as the rest of the elementary curriculum, are largely based in my own experiences as a child in school. Whether this will have much relevance in today's classroom remains to be seen, as I imagine a bit has changed in the classroom in the 15 or so years since I attended Elementary School!
Nevertheless, ever the idealist, I am reassured by my belief that many of the things that draw me to the language arts are enduring and timeless. Classics are classics for a reason and I truly believe that the aspects of reading and writing which resonated with me as a child will resonate with children today.
Something which I anticipate being a bit of a learning curve for me, and which we touched on briefly in class the other day, is the increasing introduction of digital media into the classroom. Even an unapologetic luddite such as myself cannot deny the importance of new technology in the classroom as a resource and a means of connecting with the generation of students coming up today. However, I do have particular concerns about incorporating technology into the ELA curriculum.
I feel that ELA presents an opportunity to develop children's imaginations, as well as to teach them the basics of reading, writing and oral communication. And, while I don't believe that technology necessarily hinders the development of imagination, I do believe that the experience of reading simple script on a page and translating that into whole worlds through the pure power of imagination is something which is of value and might suffer from the introduction of technology into the process.
Not to digress completely from the suggested topic of this entry, but I was listening to an episode of CBC Radio's “Ideas” the other day which explored to concept of genius and I found it fascinating that researchers believe that IQ is not the determining factor in most of the cases of what we perceive to be genius. They posited that IQ is only a factor to a certain point, after which imagination and motivation become the determining factors which propel people to remarkable achievement.
I could go on and on about this, as it is something that I find particularly interesting, but seeing as there are at least 3 people who are required to read this, I will spare you. For now...
Suffice to say, for now, I believe that my thoughts on what ELA will be like in the classroom are fairly traditional. However, I look forward to having those ideas challenged and expect them to evolve greatly over the course of the semester and the teaching practicums.
