Authentic pedagogy, which emphasizes real-world, meaningful learning experiences, boasts several strengths. Firstly, it promotes a deeper understanding of concepts as students engage with content in relevant, practical contexts. This approach cultivates critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, and encourages independent inquiry. Authentic pedagogy also fosters a sense of ownership and motivation among learners, as they see the direct applicability of their education to real-life situations. Additionally, it encourages collaboration, communication, and teamwork, skills that are invaluable in professional settings. However, authentic pedagogy also has its limitations. Implementing authentic learning experiences can be resource-intensive and time-consuming, potentially posing logistical challenges for educators. Additionally, assessment in authentic pedagogy may be more complex, as it requires a nuanced evaluation of students' ability to apply knowledge in varied and authentic contexts. Lastly, there may be subjects or topics that are challenging to teach authentically, necessitating a balanced approach that combines authentic experiences with other instructional methods. Despite these limitations, the strengths of authentic pedagogy in fostering meaningful learning experiences and preparing students for real-world applications make it a valuable approach in education.

• April Ann Pesino

There are too many reading assignments in class and not enough real communication. If a pupil isn't reading the book for enjoyment, information, or some other meaningful goal then they child won’t be interested. The following reading exercises, like the majority of reading activities are based on students' views, depending on how you teach and enhance them. I advise considering ways to include all three of the characteristics of authentic communication: the deliberate development of an idea; the need and pressure for clarification and support; and information gaps. Language assistance is still another essential instructional strategy, but keep in mind that it should support students' communication.
To enhance authentic communication, it's recommended to incorporate deliberate idea development, need for clarification and support, and information gaps. Language assistance should also be an essential instructional strategy, supporting students' communication.
Authentic Literacy Pedagogy is a learner-centered strategy that emphasizes self-expression and links students' classroom learning to situations in the real world. It involves a range of teaching strategies that engage pupils with the outside world and promote motivation by exposing them to it. While still in use, traditional writing techniques like copying and tracing letters have changed as a result of technological improvements. Real-world issues and solutions must be incorporated into activities for older students to preserve realism. This immersive learning environment encourages productivity and creativity because it may be used at the learner's own speed and ability level. The ability to collaborate, receive criticism, and brainstorm can help learners become better problem solvers. To make sure the procedure is successful, teachers should also pique students' interests. Students make better sense of the learning process and contribute to their future success by tying interests and real-life experiences together.
Authentic literacy education in action elicits a range of powerful reactions. One response goes back to the basics, claiming that didactic instruction is more effective and best for all pupils. Another is a cultural response, which claims that real pedagogy disproportionately disadvantages minorities and students of lower socioeconomic status. In contrast, a didactic approach to literacy calls for learning the principles governing how sounds and letters match together. It entails understanding the official guidelines for what is regarded as the proper style of writing. It has to do with understanding what authors are actually trying to say.

• Monika Samaroo Latchman

Authentic Pedagogy on Process of Learning to Write

As we know, Authentic Literacy Pedagogy is learner centered and it gives room for improvement in self-expression. Having a wide variety of educational and instructional methods that help connect students see what they are taught in the educational setting to the real world outside the 4 corners of their classroom. Making students have more expectations and to be interested in what they are learning, and therefore making them accomplish something for the future. With that being said, we have the traditional way of learning how to write that is taught at home and school. True that we would have to know how to read in the process too. Yes, what we learn at home and school, like copying the letters and tracing them to finally doing them on your own is still used but with the new advances made in society, the process of learning to write has evolved.
For our young learners, considering how advanced our world is we have technology and applications to help them learn as well. Moving to the older generation who has the capability to write, how do we make it that it is still considered having authentic pedagogy?
For example; having an activity that involves real-world problems in which students could write about what they feel or even solutions to such problems, then they could have presentation of their findings to their class. Having an immersive and authentic learning window for learner that can be viewed at their own pace and skill level in forms of media is good. Making it a social element for learners can boost their learning skills and its learning value. The productivity and creativity would get the students to share and collaborate on their outputs, have feedbacks and brainstorm. In a way, learners use higher level of thinking with how they do problem solving and sharing in this case. They see the larger picture of it all.
In the end teachers should capture the students interest as well in order for all of this to work. And when they connect things they do in real life and something they are interested in, they make more sense of the process.

• Shaira Marie Del Rosario

In a first contact with the two currents, it becomes visible and logical that didactic pedagogy is an old and formal model of teaching. There is no contextualization and it keeps the student passive. On the other hand, authentic pedagogy comes as liberating, places the student at the center, contextualizes and frees the teacher's relationship with students.

However, the reality is often different. As we can see here in the comments of colleagues. At this point, the third video is very important because it shows the critical views of authentic pedagogy, taking it from the pedestal of savior of our literacy and as the only possible path.

We are dealing with two theories and not two immutable truths and there is no such thing as a totally right and a totally wrong line. I think there must be critical thinking on the part of teachers. Just as there are different students who learn on their own time and sometimes with different methods. A good literacy teacher must get to know his group of students and see which methodology is best applicable for that context. Sometimes it may be necessary to go back to the formal and apply didactic pedagogy and sometimes authentic pedagogy. A good lesson plan is one that mixes several theories to achieve maximum quality within that context of that classroom.

• Evelyse Eerola

Authentic literacy pedagogy recommends immersion in personally meaningful reading and writing experiences, focusing on the processes of reading and writing rather than the formalities of rules and adherence to conventions.

Students are actively engaged in exploration and inquiry.
Learning, most often, is interdisciplinary, requiring integration of content from several disciplines and leads to outcomes beyond the domain-specific learning outcomes.

Journals are one example of authentic learning task designed to showcase the students work and also allow for reflection.

• Amanda Mize

Here in Mexico, when I studied English as a second language during elementary school the didactic literacies had a special place, besides it was not the only one to be encouraged. Much of what I know today about English language is due to didactic literacies where I had, for example, to repeat 5 times each new word with a drawing and sentence. Many years later, I began to teach English as a second language to young and teenage learners and the situation is different. Today this type of traditional didactic literacies are considered as obsolete since new pedagogical approaches state that learners are to acquire knowledge by associating it with their own experiences brought in the classroom.
I agree that these new authentic literacy pedagogies which are more focused on the learner are more significant than traditional didactic literacies since the learner himself is involved actively in the educational practice. I do know that these new authentic literacy pedagogies are more a consequence of our contemporary global context, where the digital revolution makes learners more engaged in new literacies that certainly will make those traditional didactic literacies obsolete. This is why authentic literacy pedagogies such as whole language matters for today’s educational practice aimed at making active global citizens.
However, there can be a problem with these new authentic literacy pedagogies. These pedagogies can become utopian if they truly don’t consider learners needs as it is supposed to be. For example, when I was teaching English at public junior high schools there were so many challenges. The national curricula stipulated that at the end of junior high school learners should have a B2 level of English proficiency. This is impossible since most of junior high school students at public school have never learned English besides the national curricula states that it must be taught since kindergarden.
Not only there is a problem of lack of English teachers on public kindergarden and elementary schools but the own pedagogical approaches from the national curricula oriented to authentic literacies is prone to be an utopia since junior high school students are expected to learn certain level of English through immersion (learning about the what, how and why of the English language) when most of them have little to no knowledge about the language.
Didactic literacies become crucial strategies to mitigate these maladies caused by a lack of cognitive bridges since they are less autonomous learners. Moreover, third-grade junior high school students need these literacies to have more chances to pass the high school admission test where questions related about English language are more focused on vocabulary and grammar issues.

• Alberto Emmanuel Conti Morales

I work at a bilingual school, and last year we decided to implement biliteracy as an important part of our language program. Whereas in the past we’ve always tried to keep the two languages of our school (English and Spanish) separate, our biliteracy approach favors embracing the similarities and differences between the two languages, and using one to learn the other.

Our biliteracy program also teaches grammar explicitly, which is something that my school had shied away from in recent years. We implement a tactic called “bridges” or “puentes” in Spanish, in which we teach grammar to the students and show them how certain rules do or don’t apply in both languages.

In the past Spanish teachers were encouraged to avoid using English in their classes, and English teachers were likewise discouraged from using Spanish in front of the students. We’ve seen a huge change in that this school year, because we now realize that the learning of each language doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive.

My favorite aspect of the biliteracy program is that it takes a very holistic approach to language learning. For example, in the past we tended to focus on either decoding or reading comprehension when teaching the younger primary school students to read. Biliteracy reminds us that both of these things and many other aspects need to be taken into consideration to help our students become successful readers. I love that we are looking at the bigger picture now rather than at small snapshots.

It’s still too early to see the results of our new biliteracy program and the effects that it will have on our students’ education, but so far the teachers and other staff are very happy with it. I’m sure this will cause an improvement in our children’s understanding and use of both English and Spanish.

• Adriana Tellez Adriana

Literacy Teaching and Learning
Whole Language
Week 3 Update #5
Theresa Schantz

The whole language approach to literacy began its emergence in the early 1960’s. “Whole language is an approach to learning that sees language as a whole entity, and writing, speaking, reading, and listening should be integrated when learned. In whole language, learning is built upon the real experiences and background knowledge of the learner.” Some of the most well-known educational theorists are credited with contributing to its creation, Dewey,Vygotsky and Rosenblatt to name a few.
Many professional theorists believed that didactic education was unsuccessful and that a shift needed to occur. They believed that education needed to be more student centered, and that education needed to be more an experience as opposed to mote learning.
Many critics of the whole language movement feel that early readers develop disadvantages when it comes to certain areas including spelling, which can carry on to the later years. A misconception about whole language learning is that phonics in general is not taught properly when whole language learning is utilized. This is incorrect. While phonics instruction is not the main component, phonics instruction is present.
One of the more successful methods of education, still today, utilizes the whole language theory of learning. Maria Montesori believed that a more realistic form of learning would lead to a more well-rounded education .Her method of education is based on self-directed and hands-on learning. Her first school was opened in January of 1907, really long before whole language began to prosper. These student-centered schools still thrive today.

https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-is-whole-language-reading-620834?print

• Theresa Schantz

Authentic learning pedagogy imbibes the students with intrinsic motivation. They will learn without feeling that they are being tested and judged. Graves advises, children need to choose their own topics [to write about]. To visualise this, let us use an example of a class project where students will finally publish a blog about their own topic of interest. First, teacher prompts students to select a skill they would love to have. Teacher can give suggestions to spark ideas such as riding a bike, training a dog to sit or fetch, sailing, fixing a flat tyre, cooking something, knitting, swimming, mending clothing, or performing the Heimlich maneuver. Goodman writes, keep language whole and involve students in using it functionally and purposefully to meet their own needs. A good way of keeping writing true and relevant to students could be to start with video -- the fact is video is probably nearer to their hearts and habits than writing, and it can be useful to pique their interest by beginning the project with a video task. That way, not only will they be initially engaged, but they will see for themselves where video is more appropriate and where text indeed comes in handy. Their next task is to find a how-to video on Youtube for their chosen skill. They will analyse the video and select the five most important steps, and write these out clearly in their own words. Walshe declares that, people only develop through interactions with others, and Graves that, students need regular response from both the teacher and colleagues. This social aspect and feedback could come next by having students work in small committees where they review the how-to articles together. Each student has a copy of each students' work. The writer reads their piece aloud, and the others in turn give a comment about any part of any of the instructions whose clarity can be improved on. Students will learn directly from their colleagues, and indirectly, from having seen what did not work for others. Now, they will be better prepared to move on to reading more complex, written work. They will think of the broader area of their skill, i.e. learning to sew -- clothing & textiles, or, the heimlich maneuver -- First Aid. They will find reserach an article on the internet about this topic. Teachers will advise what kind of websites are appropriate i.e. recognised newspapers. They will then read this article, highlighting words they do not know. They will choose 5 words to research. Then they begin writing their final article. They write an intro with 5 facts they learnt from the article, in their own words, then they include their how-to steps, and finally a conclusion, stating the benefits to them personally if they learn this skill, and how long it will take to learn it.
There are of course certain disadvantages to this lesson. At any point, if the teacher had dictated the skill to be researched, the video to be watched, or the article to be read --as would happen in didactic pedagogy --, the teacher would have more control over the appropriateness of the material being studied. They could easily create scaffolding tasks and nitty-gritty grammar or understanding tasks. They could also compare students' work more easily. However, what would be missing is the students' feeling of independence, proactivity, and, of course, passion.

• Natasha Greenidge

Authentic pedagogy first was identified as an instruction and assessment which promote students’ achievements. Teacher should do the best to attract students’ interests to the subject to involve them. Authentic teaching occurs when the teacher utilizes information about how students learn and designs learning experiences or tasks based upon this knowledge. In authentic pedagogy while organizing the work teacher pays attention to the ways of motivating students. In psychology it is called intrinsic motivation. Actually, the main aim of such pedagogy is to connect education with real life. And it begins from pre-school education. At the kindergarten children are taught actions which they need in their life. If we talk about older leaners under authentic pedagogy, we understand students’ ability to read and write. Choose appropriate texts which attract their interest. Authentic pedagogy is directed not just give knowledge to students but also to get them use to the real life to make interesting their study

• Altynay Zh

Right. These pedagogies can be developed by considering learners' motivation based on experiences.

• Alberto Emmanuel Conti Morales

I agree. I like your comparison between the real life skills we are taught in kindergarten.

• Natasha Greenidge