Alexa Parker Ed 321 Assignment 1

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This page is a template for student work in Alexa Parker's course Ed 3xx, Assignment # 1, Due (Date). The actual assignment consists of two parts. First, write a paper of approximately 350 to 350 words in length that explores -, and post it onto this page using a screen name you make up for yourself. Then, after all students have posted their papers, write feedback comments for three different papers. (Do not write feedback comments for your own page.) Use your own screen name to identify the comments that you author.



Template for Student ABC
Title of Student ABC's Document This section is designed to contain a document written by student ABC and presented for sharing with the class and with others.

First Set of Comments About Student ABC's Document
Feedback comments from Student PQR.

The strongest and most interesting part is …

I think that the part that most needs improvement is …

Second Set of Comments About Student ABC's document
Feedback comments from Student DEF.

The strongest and most interesting part is …

I think that the part that most needs improvement is …

Third Set of Comments About Student ABC's Document
Feedback comments from Student XYZ.

The strongest and most interesting part is …

I think that the part that most needs improvement is …

Example of a Posting by Student DEF
Building Schema

In Chapter 2 of E.D. Hirsch, Jr.’s book, Cultural Literacy, Hirsch contends that background knowledge is more important to the reading process than previously thought. Hirsch proposes that understanding text depends on relevant background knowledge we have acquired and not given in the text.

Hirsch presents two conflicting hypotheses about how we acquire language. One theory states we interpret meaning in chunks or clauses and store them in long term memory. The other theory suggests we create a complex model of what the words signify and store that. The second theory implies that our background knowledge is conceived as part of the meaning of the text. Experts agree inferences based on prior knowledge are part of meaning from the beginning. The background knowledge we recall is interpreted through categories that have been useful to us in the past. Knowing prototypes in categories such as robin as a class under the category bird is important to applying past knowledge to the comprehension of speech. These prototypes are called schema.

Our schemata (plural for schema) are flexible. We apply past schemata to make sense of what we read but also use words and contextual clues to adjust our choice of schemata. In other words, if we do not know how to connect what we read with larger schemata, we cannot make sense of the words we read.

Schemata have two functions. One function is storing knowledge in a retrievable form. The second function is to organize language. Through these two functions, schemata are applied rapidly thereby causing language to be acquired in efficient ways.

In conclusion, good reading requires us to access already acquired, relevant schemata rapidly. Poor readers are ineffective because they are on cognitive overload. With limited schemata, poor readers have too many things to work out. How do children develop into good readers? Studies have shown children who talk to literate adults have a better chance of becoming good readers than children that do not have the wider speech community.

REFERENCES

Hirsch, E.D., Jr. (1987). The Discovery of the Schema. In, Cultural Literacy (pp. 33 – 69). Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Example of Comments About Student DEF's Document
Comments by Student PQR.

Thank you for introducing me to the work of E.B. Hirsch. Your short article led me to looking him up on the Web. He has been an influential important in education.

It would have helped me if you had provided a few Web-based resources to his work.

Second Set of Comments About Student DEF's Document
Etc. Etc.

Third Set of Comments About Student DEF's Document
Etc. Etc.

Student GHI
Document written by student GHI and presented here for sharing with the class and others.

Student JKL
Student JKL's document presented her for sharing with the class and with others.

Author or Authors of This Page
The contents of this page were developed by Alexa Parker and her students at University of New Mexico, Farmington NM.