A Review of
Making Curriculum Pop: Developing Literacies in All Content Areas
Authors: Pam Goble, Ed.D. and Ryan R. Goble, M.A.
Queen's Education Library Call Number: teach LB1044.87 .G636 2016
Summary
Making Curriculum Pop introduces Learning Experience Organizers (LEOs) as a tool to engage learners in developing literacies while exploring a wide variety of texts. Page 17 in the guide describes a shift in education from focusing on only reading and writing in literacy to the “neglected literacies” of speaking, listening, viewing, representing, culling, and collaborating (Goble & Goble, 2016). The term ‘text’, according to the guide, “includes all print and nonprint carriers of information” such as cathedrals, pie charts, songs, and movies (16, Goble & Goble, 2016). LEOs are similar to what we know as graphic organizers; however, the guide explains that they can engage learners in a much more collaborative learning experience. As well, teachers can incorporate them into a variety of subjects, from language arts to math and science. Chapters 1-3 provide very detailed descriptions and examples on how to use and modify LEOs in the classroom. Chapter 4 gives a long list of resources – titles of books, films, websites, magazines/journals – that teachers can use to introduce and teach a variety of genres, such as advertising, cultural artifacts, fiction, non-fiction, music, visual arts, social networks, etc. Chapter 5 is the last section in the guide and it includes fifty-five LEOs for teachers to use in the classroom. Some examples of LEOs are: Blogger, Cartographer, Dialogue Master, Set Designer, Rhetorician, Time Catcher, Worldviewer, X-cavator, and many more.
Why use this literacy program?
This teacher guide illustrates a literacy approach that supports my philosophy of literacy education regarding collaborative and cross-curricular learning, as well as teaching 21st century literacy skills in the classroom. Learning Experience Organizers can engage learners in collaborative learning such as in group settings like jigsaws and four-member groups. Students are learning from one another by working cooperatively and building off of each others’ ideas and knowledge. Moreover, LEOs are a valuable resource for teaching literacies across the curriculum. They are essentially a tool for students to organize and analyze information from interdisciplinary text, and therefore it can help students develop literacy skills across curricular and cultural contexts. As mentioned in my teaching philosophy, 21st century learners need to develop critical thinking skills and creativity. The LEOs in this guide are designed to encourage the development of 21st century skills like communication, creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and information literacy (28, Goble &Goble, 2016). Another advantage of LEOs is that they are open-ended and have no wrong answers, which would encourage creativity, exploration, and differentiated instructions in the classroom.
Making Connections
Prior to reading this teacher guide, I have never heard of LEOs and planning LEO-based learning experiences in the classroom. This literacy program reminds me of the approach in literature circles in which students are assigned specific roles in the circle to explore and read a text, usually a fictional print text. LEOs are similar to literature circles because the organizers encourage learners to take on a role and read a text through a particular lens. Although LEOs are an effective tool for engaging students in original and critical thinking, teachers must first model and scaffold it by sharing sample responses and exemplars with students, or introduce it through guided and shared writing. A few things to be mindful about are to select LEOs that are relevant to the text being studied, and limit the number of selection to two LEOs at the beginning (44, Goble & Goble, 2016). There are fifty-five LEOs and it would be overwhelming for students to choose from this selection. For instance, let’s say the class is reading a text on sustainability. Teachers can select and model two relevant LEOs, like Ecologist and Climate & Culture Analyst, for students to choose from. As students become more comfortable with using LEOs, teachers can then introduce more LEOs or have students select their own to work on.