Chapter 3 Points 1/28/08

"Diagnostic teachers plan on having students read entire stories and passages and relate them to personal and cultural experiences." pg.47

I think that students learn the most when they can relate it to something. I find that even my own personal reading material reflects thoughts or events that I can relate to. Why would a student be much different? I've found students enjoy making connections between stories and their own lives.

"Not only does the diagnostic teacher plan successful reading experiences by placing the students at the appropriate reading level, but she also carefully selects authentic texts that are familiar and interesting to her students." pg. 47

Working in the middle school setting I notice that students who are struggling readers also struggle to find enjoyable reading material. One student I am thinking of is in 7th grade but only reads at a K-1 reading level. The student has such a hard time finding something to read in the library because most of our books are middle school reading levels. He often ends up getting books with lots of pictures to look at and fails to even try and read the words. I think one useful type reading/genre would be anime or comic books. The pictures help to tell the story and it is more engaging that a typical K-1 book.

"They [students] continue to rely on the teacher to monitor reading performance." pg. 51

In this section, Walker discusses strategies to help students build independence. Working at the middle school I see this struggle all the time. (Both in life and in reading!) One minute the student is independently working but once they've hit a road block they instantly ask me for help. Not that asking for help is a bad thing, however, I think students need to try and use the strategies they've learned before asking for help. I think sometimes struggling readers rely a lot on their teachers. I think we are there for support, but it is necessary to teach the skills and strategies for independence!

"This attitude [encouragement] eases the need to conform and acknowledges that even though a particular process or strategy for solving problems is not an effective strategy for reading, it may be effective in other areas." pg. 56

I agree with this statement because encouragement and engagement go hand in hand. Walker suggests that the impulsive child's quick decision making may help her to become an artist but she needs to focus on slowing down while she is reading. This encourages the child be sending a positive message. The child's strategy is not wrong, but it is not the most effective in this particular situation.

"Continually, she demonstrates that real life requires coping with mistakes." pg. 57

I think that this is an excellent point. Using your own life as an example is a great model for your students. I know that students think it is funny when I make a mistake while reading or writing but they need to learn that everyone makes mistakes and it is okay! When I make a mistake, I can use that time to teach/model appropriate strategies and behaviors. This thought doesn't just apply to reading, but life in general!

Learning Log 1/21/09

1) "They found that effective teachers focused on higher level questioning strategies like prompts to use background knowledge and figure out a theme. This possibly indicated that they believed that readers in high poverty schools could actually read and think." pg. 5

I think that this statement is very true. Working in an urban setting, I see this everyday. I find that when I can pull from experiences in the students lives they respond very well. I believe there are some teachers that believe these kids do not know how to read or think. With that negative attitude I don't know how they can expect students to be successful in any subject area.

2) "Rather than looking for causes of reading disabilities the diagnostic teacher focuses on what students can do, then coordinates their strengths with suitable reading experiences." pg.5

I think that many times when a student is struggling with reading we sit and wonder what went wrong. We often analyze the negatives without promoting the things that the student did right. If we work on the negatives while accentuating the positives, I think we may get an overall better result.

3) "Assessment is continuous. As the student learns, diagnostic information is immediately incorporated into the lesson. The teacher thus deals with the problems as she teaches, not after she has gathered the facts." pg.12

I think that this is a very interesting point. I agree that we should deal with the problems as they come up and that there is no point in continuing the lesson if the student does not understand. However, what about when multiple students have various problems? Or only one student struggles while the others are all ready to move forward?

4) "Reading difficulties can arise from interactions among the task, the text, technique and situational context." pg. 15

I never really thought about all of the pieces of an assignment that a student might not understand and how one piece of the equation can throw a student's reading off kilter. If a student simply doesn't understand the assignment, then they could be viewed as a poor reader or slow learner when they simply just needed further explanation.

5) "If students come from homes where reading is valued, they are likely to value it too." pg. 29

For several literacy classes I have looked further in depth at this topic. Jim Trelease's "Read-Aloud Handbook" gives great insight on this topic. He suggests that motivation and engagement towards reading must start at an early age and that it should come from the parents or other family members. If children have not been exposed to the act of reading by a parent they will be at a significant disadvantage when they start school.

Intro

Hi everyone! I am Brittany Matiash, I am a SOSA (sub on special assignment) at Gaskill Prep School in Niagara Falls, which houses 7th and 8th graders. I am certified to teach grades 1-12, with a concentration in Social Studies for the upper grades. I am pursuing my Master's degree in Literacy for grades 5-12. See you all soon!

http://bmatiash.blogspot.com