I’m working on transcripts for a discussion
PD2Teach filmed with teachers discussing the new TEKS. At first, I played the
video from the raw feed, stopping every few moments to type out all the words.
Then, I accidentally turned on the closed caption function. The words were
already there. I youtubed to find out how to download the transcript into Word
and came up with a transcript. I realized that the transcription service had
some flaws:
- 1.
It didn’t distinguish between speakers.
The text reads more like a constant flow of oration rather than the discussion
it really represented.
- 2.
There were no divisions between
sentences, no punctuation, and all the wonky stuff we do when we talk…I wasn’t
sure how to even punctuate that stuff.
- 3.
Sometimes, the text was correct, but
didn’t represent the intonation and interruptions and restarts that we could
follow with the audio/visual, but were impossible to interpret without punctuation
or further exposition of what was left unsaid. The words couldn’t carry all the
intended meaning. There were gaps.
- 4.
Even when I did have the sentences
put into order and punctuated in some semblance of sense, the text still broke
the rules. There were still areas that needed explanation or refinement to meet
grammatical and genre and audience standards.
But here’s the kicker. It is THE
most authentic experience I have had in editing a text for clarity. It is THE
most authentic experience in revising a text to make sure the message is clear.
It strikes me that THIS is the experience we need kids to have. See what you
can make of the transcript, compare it with the audio feed (when I figure out
how to load that), and compare it with my edits and revisions.
I’m wondering: what if we have kids have
a conversation or speak what they are about to write? We video that and upload
it to youtube and have the technology transcribe the conversation. Then the
kids can go back and make the edits – because they’ll see immediately where
meaning must be clarified with punctuation. Then we have the kids talk and
evaluate whether or not the words need clarification, elaboration, or
refinement.
The transcript is long, so you'll probably just want to skip or skim that. But hang in there with me to the end. I think you'll see something powerful for helping your students.
Context – Kelly Tumy of Harris County Department of Education is speaking about
the Response Strand for the New ELAR TEKS. She’s pointing out a contrast to how
we have been teaching to what the new standards promote. What she said made total sense based on what was before and the verbal and nonverbal cues as she spoke. The transcript...not so much sense going on there. Check it out:
Transcript
from youtube:
so
I look at
30:12
this
strand and my goal as a teacher was
30:16
always
to raise good thinkers and I
30:20
wanted
you to walk out of my classroom
30:22
yes
being a good reader in a good writer
30:24
but
overall I wanted you to be able to
30:26
make
your own decisions and the response
30:30
skill
strand I wrote down as everybody
30:33
was
talking it's it's not English
30:35
language
arts it's academic discourse
30:37
it's
anything anybody puts in front of
30:40
you
whether it's a dance move whether
30:44
it's
a song whether it's a poem whether
30:47
it's
an advertisement that I can talk
30:50
about
that and I can look at claims and
30:52
I
can look at warrants and I can look at
30:53
bias
or I can look at the colors and I
30:56
can
talk about what I see and how it
30:59
makes
me feel and in really gone are the
31:03
days
of of silo teaching of here is pick
31:09
on
Romeo and Juliet but here's Romeo and
31:12
Juliet
and this is what I've done but
31:14
instead
what is in the news today about
31:18
difficult
relationships there are
31:20
different
difficult relationships and
31:22
politics
there are difficult
31:23
relationships
in business and if you can
31:26
hold
a conversation about that you know
31:29
that
we no longer have college and
31:32
career
readiness standards we have
31:34
college
career and military readiness
31:36
standards
so those standards have now
31:38
changed
in the state of Texas and look
31:41
at
this strand what kind of skills are
31:45
we
asking kids to develop that meet
31:48
industry
standards if I'm going to work
31:51
for
a chemical company is there
31:53
something
here that I'm going to have to
31:55
do
to be successful at a chemical
31:57
company
is there something here that is
32:00
going
to make me a successful realtor is
32:02
there
something here that's going to
32:03
make
me a success 'full my challenge is
32:07
yes
that these are not language arts
32:10
skills
but they're this academic
32:12
Discourse
Your
Edits: Try it out. Don’t look at mine yet. See where you make
the divisions and why.
My
Edits:
30:11:
Kelly: So I look at this strand, and my goal as a teacher was to always raise
good thinkers. And I wanted you to
walk out of my classroom -yes being a good reader and a good writer - but
overall, I wanted you to be able to make your own decisions. And the response
skill strand - I wrote down as everybody was talking - it's it's not
English Language Arts. It's academic
discourse. It's anything anybody puts in front of you whether it's a dance move, whether it's a
song, whether it's a poem, whether it's an advertisement, that I can talk about that.
And I can look at claims. And I can look at warrants, and I can look at bias, or I can look at the colors. And I can talk about what I see and how it makes me feel.
And really, gone are the days of of silo teaching of here is... - I don’t
want to pick on Romeo
and Juliet - but here's Romeo and Juliet. And this is what I've done. But instead: what is in the news today about difficult relationships? There are different
difficult relationships and politics. There are difficult relationships in business. And if you can hold a
conversation about that...
You know that we no longer have college and career readiness standards? We have college, career, and military readiness standards. So those standards have now changed in the state of Texas. And look at this strand. What kind of skills are we asking kids to develop that meet industry standards? If I'm going to work for a chemical company, is there something here that I'm going to have to do to be successful at a chemical company? Is there something here that is going to make me a successful realtor? Is there something here that's going to make me a
successful... my challenge is: yes! That these are not language arts skills but they're this academic discourse.
Your Revisions: What’s not
clear? What needs work? Highlight areas where you are confused or unclear about
what we are talking about here.
Shona’s
Revisions:
30:11:
Kelly: I look at this strand, and I think about my goal as a teacher. I wanted raise
good thinkers. I wanted students to
walk out of my classroom as good readers and good writers. But most important,
I wanted students to be able to make thier own decisions. As I look at the
Response strand and the student expectation, I realize that the focus is not English Language Arts: It's academic
discourse. The focus is about developing critical discernment
to analyze and interpret anything anybody asks me to consider: whether it's a
dance move, whether it's a song, whether it's a poem, whether it's an advertisement. After exposure and time to
think, can I have an intelligent conversation about that topic? I can look at
claims, and I can look at warrants; and I can look at bias, or I can look at the colors. And I can talk about what I see and how it makes me feel.
Gone are the days of silo teaching where we focused on the
content of specific texts. I don’t want to pick on Romeo
and Juliet - but here's Romeo and Juliet and how we have traditionally taught this text. Instead, the Response
Strand asks us to examine something deeper: what is in the news today about difficult relationships? There are different
difficult relationships and politics. There are difficult relationships in business. And if you can hold a
conversation about how you can use Romeo
and Juliet as a model or example for your thinking and communicate that to
others in classes other than Language Arts? That kind of response with academic
discourse empowers learners.
Some might be surprised, but we no longer have college and career readiness standards. We have college, career, and military readiness standards. These standards have now changed in the state of Texas. Look at this strand and how it asks us to reconsider
the Language Arts classroom. What kind of skills are we asking kids to develop that meet industry standards? If I'm going to work for a chemical company, is there something in Romeo
and Juliet and how we approach the text that informs and empowers success at
a chemical company? Is there something about the way we do
our work in the English Language Arts classroom that is relevant to success as a realtor? Is there something here that's going to lead to
success regardless of what path the student takes? My challenge to teachers is: Yes! And we must. Our standards are not simply language arts skills. The Response Strand
represents and leads to useful and relevant academic discourse.
