Quest Sites I Use for Content in my Courses




K- 12 Sites

I used these sites in at least three ways:

1. Having students study specific content in them, such as a particular page, video, or document. I used Renee Moore's site in this way in my "Language Development Methods" (EDUC 353) course for secondary preservice teachers.

2. As content for students to conduct a meta-analysis of the various inquiries on teaching practice that these sites represent. This is the task I assigned students in my "Inquiry Into the Teaching Process: Practice Into Theory" (EDUC 207B) seminar with master's students. And

3. As models for my students to emulate both as they built their own sites using the KEEP ToolKit for my course and, I hope, as they develop professionally. Sarah Capitelli's was one site I used in this manner with students in my "Language Development Methods" (EDUC 352) course for elementary preservice teachers. With my "Inquiry Into Practice" (EDUC 207B) students, we spent considerable time discussing the potential that this form of documentation has for school reform as well as the inherent implications in it.




Renee Moore's "Culturally Engaged Instruction: Putting theory into practice" site

Although I encouraged my "Language Development Methods-Secondary" (EDUC 353) students to explore the site, they were required to read Renee's "Circles of Influence" article and post a related comment online, a procedure familar to them.

My motivation for including Renee's article and site as one of the texts in my course was to provide my students with an example of teaching toward language development outside of a designated "English Language Development" classroom. Judging by the content and number of comments, my students learned much from studying Renee's site. I intend to increase the number of assignments related to the study of her site as well as the time spent studying it.




Sarah Capitelli's "Learning from Our Conversations in English" site

Sarah's site was an optional site for my students in my "Language Development Methods-Elementary" course. I suggested Sarah's site to them as a model of inquiry-based teacher practice in a Spanish-bilingual classroom. Particularly after the passage of Proposition 227, a voter's initiative that effectively eliminated most bilingual programs in California (see critique by Jim Crawford), my colleagues in the credential program at Mills College and I have difficulty finding bilingual-credentialed cooperating teachers for our students. Sarah's site provides a rich window into the thinking of a bilingual teacher and her use of inquiry to inform her practice.

Despite not being required, almost half of all my students reported visiting Sarah's site, and four posted online comments, in which they mention being impressed by Sarah's collaborative use of video and inquiry. The presence of rich student data, particularly in the form of videos, suggests the possibility of using Sarah's site to teach observation and language assessment skills to my students. In this I am influenced by David Whitenack's (Quest colleague) use of Sarah Capitelli's site.





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