Week 2 readings

The reading all had to do with literacy in the classroom and effective teaching methods for teachers. I liked how there were many aspects of literacy represented and not just reading and writing. I found the Tompkins article useful in how it gave the eight steps of effective teaching. I also liked how it contained information on literacy and technology. We are obviously in a very technological world and a lot of students have the majority of the interaction with literacy through technology.
The Gibbons article caught my attention right away with the students quote. I found the whole article to be very interesting and it made me think more about how a student can use a language fluently but still not be comfortable with it. I liked how the article focused on the importance of making meaning explicit and how it said "it's not simply the matter of getting the basic grammar correct, but of knowing the appropriate  language to use in the context."
Of all the articles we read the Leland article was my favorite. I thought the article brought up a lot of great points about how students work improved and had more meaning when they read books that may be thought of as controversial. I found it interesting how the article mentioned the gap between students instructions and cultural understanding. The students in the mentioned classroom were exposed to different issues that surround them and then were given the opportunity to discuss those things. By doing that the students were able to make connections to their own lives and were then able to better reflect upon the book. When reading those books and making the connections, it made the text meaningful for the students, which then motivated them gain a deeper understanding.
The most important thing I took from the Cambourn article was that "engagement is the key to literacy learning, not immersion." The article pointed out the importance of allowing learners the opportunity to use what they are learning in a stress free way. They need to be able to practice and become comfortable with literacy. The article mentioned how babies learn language and how when doing so every advancement they make is met with praise. I think that is an interesting way to view literacy learning and by looking at it in that way a teacher may be able to have more patience which will in turn put the learner at ease and lead to a higher literacy understanding.