https://padlet.com/amarac2/b327rmrgjgmndx1l en-us 2023-06-27 23:19:39 UTC 2023-07-21 23:04:59 UTC hello@padlet.com amarac2 https://padlet.com/amarac2/b327rmrgjgmndx1l/wish/2649299811 2023-07-21 18:09:52 UTC https://padlet.com/amarac2/b327rmrgjgmndx1l/wish/2649299811 amarac2 https://padlet.com/amarac2/b327rmrgjgmndx1l/wish/2649300681 2023-07-21 18:13:41 UTC https://padlet.com/amarac2/b327rmrgjgmndx1l/wish/2649300681 amarac2 https://padlet.com/amarac2/b327rmrgjgmndx1l/wish/2649301151 2023-07-21 18:15:41 UTC https://padlet.com/amarac2/b327rmrgjgmndx1l/wish/2649301151 amarac2 https://padlet.com/amarac2/b327rmrgjgmndx1l/wish/2649301192 Between my two stories I found three main links: engagement based on interest level, ways of learning and knowing, and use of background knowledge to expand my understanding of a literacy. 

My ability to learn new literacies was directly tied to my personal level of interest in the material. For the guitar, I chose the topic, which meant that I felt personally tied to it. I held myself accountable to learning it, but in a way that provided its own motivation. For the biology class, I had no choice in the matter and was forced to learn the material at a predetermined pace. This lack of choice meant that I was not engaged in the learning as much, which made it more challenging to learn the new literacies. The overwhelming vocab also made it harder for me to access the learning and connections, which in turn made me less interested in the content. The feedback loop built on itself, making me step farther and farther back from the material. In general, engagement in material is a positive feedback cycle, building on itself as you get either deeper or farther away from the material.  

The ways of learning and connecting to the material also influenced my ability to learn the new form of literacy. With the guitar, I was able to find my own ways of learning the material through videos and websites. In my biology class, my teacher directly taught us the words in class at her own pace, as well as provided some textbook readings to go along with it. But both of these systems didn't work well for me, which made the literacy challenging for me to internalize. I didn't feel confident with the literacy because I didn't have the right ways to access the information. In retrospect, watching videos would likely have been helpful, but the teacher never introduced that as an option, so I didn't seek it out. 

Lastly, the amount of background knowledge I have about the topic affects my ability to continue to build my fluency with the form of literacy. Since I had already learned how to read sheet music and understand basic music theory, I was able to more confidently attempt learning the guitar. On the other hand, I had very little background in bio, or at least my teacher didn't attempt to draw on my background knowledge. This made everything feel new and overwhelming. Scaffolding learning based on background knowledge allows for students to make more connections and apply their learning to their background. By framing concepts as not entirely new, literacy becomes more accessible.  ]]> 2023-07-21 18:15:53 UTC https://padlet.com/amarac2/b327rmrgjgmndx1l/wish/2649301192