Chapter 6: Affinity
Spaces
1.
Give
an example of a "community of practice" in which you are currently
participating in.
One example of a community of
practice that I am currently participating in is my Pottery II class, in which
my classmates and I benefit from interaction and sharing ideas, techniques, and
experiences as much as from instruction.
2.Why is the term
"community" better defined in relation to spaces rather than groups
of people?
“Community” in the term “community of practice applies better to spaces
rather than groups of people, because all of the people within a given group
are not necessarily part of the same community of practice. It makes more sense
to draw the boundaries of communites of practice according to space, and then
look at how the people within the space use it in different ways. (Gee, 73)
2.
What
is a "generator"? What is it's counterpart in school?
A generator is whatever gives a
space context; something that defines what the space is about. Generators in
school are related to content: a textbook, teacher, or classroom materials
could all be generators.
3.
What
is a "content organizer"? What is it's counterpart in school?
A content organizer is how the signs
generated by the generator are designed to communicate certain content and how
that content is organized. This could be the types of thoughts, values, deeds
and identities people adopt in relation to these signs. (Gee, 82)
4.
What
is a "portal"? What is it's counterpart in school?
Portals are places where people get
access to interact with the content of generators. A portal in a classroom
could be things that give students access to interaction with the signs, such
as textbooks, small group discussion, or lab work. ( Gee, 82,83)
6. What do people have
an "affinity" for in an "affinity space"? How does this
inform your understanding of good teaching?
In affinity spaces as described by
Gee, people have affinities with the interest or endeavor around which the
space is organized. This is significant to good teaching because it suggests
that in order to develop an affinity, or a connection, that leads students to
be committed to the content, they must have a interest in the goal of the
lesson; an idea that strongly supports
both Moll’s “funds of knowledge”
and problem based learning. (Gee, 84)
7. How do "affinity
spaces" support inclusive classrooms? Choose two characteristics below to
make connections between "affinity spaces" and inclusive classrooms.
Affinity spaces are strongly related to the inclusive practice of
creating a common vision, because affinity spaces are centered on a common
endeavor. A common vision can be established in a classroom in which the
students have an affinity with the content being taught. Affinity spaces are
also connected to inclusive practice through the characteristic of Students as
Problem Solvers. As suggested in Gee’s definition of an affinity space,
students must have an affinity with the endeavor or interest of the space.
Students will have a deeper connection with a space such as a classroom or
school community, in which they are given an active part and allowed to make
decisions about.
8. How are
traditional classroom different from Affinity Spaces?
Traditional classrooms differ from Affinity Spaces on many
points. First of all, in today’s typical classroom, the common endeavor is
unclear, and race, class, gender, and disability function much more prominent
than they are in an affinity space. Also, classrooms are often segregated
according to grade level, ability, and skills rather than being mixed as they
are in affinity spaces. Strong
generators are rarely found in classrooms. Students are encouraged to gain the
same level of information, and students who gain intensive information are not
allowed to teach the teacher and other students. In Affinity spaces, all of the
students share varying extensive knowledge, and each person is allowed to share
his or own intensive knowledge as a source for others. Classrooms also
encourage individual, stored knowledge rather than distributed knowledge,
networking, and utilizing dispersed knowledge as affinity spaces do. In
contrast to Affinity Spaces, traditional classrooms have limited routes of
participation and status, and inflexible leadership opportunities. ( Gee,
88-89)
source
Gee,
P. (2004). Situated language and learning a critque of traditional
schooling.
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