Back to the Basics

This week for class I had to fill out a graphic organizer after reading the research report named, “Religious Literacies in a Secular Literacy Classroom” by Allison Skerrett. Why I am talking about simple homework I had to do?  Valid question, however, I think it brings up the point that sometimes as college students we need to take a step back and make sure we understand the basics.  This homework assignment was quite simple and was a search and find for the important information.  Yet, it opened my eyes even more to a topic that I do not have much background in, which is educational research.  By having me look for specific material within the report, I could better understand the set up and why it was in the order that it was in.  By giving me this task, I, a college senior and aspiring teacher, could fully grasp Skerrett’s methods and research process.  There was background information of her research, the environment in which she was observing, interviews of students and teachers, and any other additionally research she came across.  After completing the worksheet, I reflected on the task and realized that these simple procedures are important for students.  Sometimes, even the smartest students need a check-in to make sure they are understanding the material.  I think too often as college students we do not get the opportunity to think of information in a basic way and we lose the reason why we are talking about something.  I believe this can also happen in middle school as well.  At this point we are pushing students to take topics they know and understand them in a new lens.  However, it is important to review the basics before just jumping into the deep, philosophical end.  I know in this blog I do not really discuss the content of the research report, but I think this week is vital time to reflect on my own learning.  I feel like I do a lot of thinking about what I read or write in class, however, sometimes I do not always reflect on what I am producing.  This week in was a graphic organizer.  Simple, yet it incredibly important to remember that all students, even the advanced ones, need to go back to basics of their learning. 

Skerrett, A. (2014). Religious literacies in a secular literacy classroom. Reading Research Quarterly, 49(2), 233-250