Entry #6: Disengaged Or Disinterested?

The topic of the Language Experience Approach discussed in the Instructional Practices portion of Tompkins really stood out to me. Language Experience Approach, otherwise known as LEA, is "based on children's language and experiences" (p. 134). I recently had an issue regarding the Language Experience Approach and how my host teacher felt it contributed towards laziness in students. 

I am currently observing a sixth grade ELA class that has twenty-two students, eleven who have disabilities, and two who are ENLs. One of the students, who is neither a child with a disability or an ENL student, is consistently disengaged every day in class. He put's his head down as soon as he gets in and doesn't respond to teacher attempts to make him work. This was troubling to me and I figured there had to be more going on. I also noticed that when teachers would speak to him, they would stand above him instead of meeting him as his equal.

One day I decided to approach him by sitting next to him and getting to know him a little. I found out he was often tired during first period class because he doesn't get any more than three-four hours of sleep at night because of the pets in his house. I also found out that he wasn't interested in any of the texts being used in class; he really enjoys historical reads, especially about Ancient Egypt. After getting to know him, I told him that we could work together, that I would write for him, and that all he needed to do was tell me what to write. We ended up getting a lot of work done and finished before everyone else due to his engagement and high literacy skills. 

The next day I was approached by my host teacher and told not to do that anymore because he wasn't incapable, he was just lazy. This stuck with and angered me. He was far from lazy and I knew, very well in fact, that he was not incapable. He just simply wasn't interested. To get him engaged I participated in what I now know as the Language Experience Approach. I scribed for him while he told me what to write. It indicates on page 135 of Tompkins that "because the language comes from the children themselves and because the content is based on their experiences, they're usually able to read the text easily." I would also go to say that this also fuels engagement and that's what I used it for. I couldn't understand why using this approach was and is seen as lazy and crippling to the student and, honestly, I still don't. Of course, there should be limits but this was only my first time working with the student.

It makes me wonder how many approaches that are centered around the student's are thought of as enabling, crippling, and ineffective by those who are still approaching education with a teacher-based orientation. It also makes me wonder how many students are being deemed "lazy" simply based off of disinterest and how much work could be done if teachers took the time to sit next to the student, level to level, as equals, and helped them see the fun in literacy events and experiences.