October 31st: Response to Workshops 7 and 8

I think for the most part the readings for these two workshops really reiterated the fact we give language meaning depending on how we are situated and where we come from. There are many words in our language that can mean many things but depending on where we are situated to the conversation is how we gather information and decode the words that are presented to us. When reading the Gee articles in particular I was thinking about the high percentage of English Language Learners that attend the school I work at. How many things per day do I say or ask that their backgrounds may not allow for complete understanding. One article gave many examples of this, the light and the basketball shoes. I also think of many other words my class would struggle with; for example, touque or chair(head of a department instead of a place to sit).
I think the picture books chosen for this class illustrated that we as teachers need to be breaking down the discursive social practices for our students; this will allow them to try new things, as well as give them the tools and strategies needed to think in many different ways. This was the second course I've attend that has read "Winnie the Witch" for much of the same reasons. Within my Visual Arts specialist my professor would often connect picture books, to art and to literacy, which I have tried to take with me into my classes.
One of the most interesting parts of class would have to be the Halloween costume flyer. As adults in a critical environment we have no problem finding the horrors that lie in the flyer, but how often do we point these out to our students? I asked my class last year how often is there culture represented on T.V. or in advertising and the only answer that they could think of was the Sweet Chili Heat Dorito commercials and Kumar from Harold and Kumar. But besides that they rarely see themselves in "Canadian/American" programming. What can we do? Besides constantly challenging our students and ourselves to make change so that there is no such flyer that totally degrades women and minorities. Constantly ask if they are being represented whether male or female; young or old and culturally. Is this enough, I'm not sure but hopefully we can inspire them to change what they feel is wrong. And help them understand the language that is used.