"No longer will the one-day workshop with no follow-up be sufficient. Teacher development is viewed as an active process..." pg. 161
Just recently at my school we have a new reading coach/specialist. The previous reading specialist was more of the one-day workshop type of person. There was little teacher involvement and teachers were free to pretty much teach how they wanted to. With the new reading specialist, it is more of an active learning process. She acts more like a reading coach than a reading specialist. However, there has been some resistance to her methods due to the drastic differences.
"They learn the students' names and become and extra set of eyes to observe students' responses and learning in the classroom." pg. 162
Again, we have a literacy coach in our building but she is more of a person in transition. I believe that we are moving away from the role of literacy specialist to the role of a literacy coach. I think that literacy coaches should be in the classroom and should get to know the students. (All of the students!) It is important to know each child individually in order to help understand where they are coming from when you are trying to teach them. Teaching a child is about more than just the results of their assessment!
"They wanted to share their discoveries, so they developed reflective discussion groups. The teachers consider ideas from each other and begin to express their new insights." pg. 163
I think that collaboration and discussion among teachers is great! However, I am just curious where is there time in the day, week or month for one more meeting? As a permanent substitute teacher in my building, I am constantly covering for teacher meetings. I think that colloboration is wonderful but between professional development, workshops, individual meetings with coaches/administrators, all during the regular school day, how much time away from your students is too much??
"In the first year, all teachers read and discussed the book Mosaic of Thought. As the faculty read the book, they began to implement suggested practices, and their classroom language changed." pg. 165
Just this past Monday our ELA teachers meet at a professional development meeting to read and discuss this book. Many of the teachers were not entirely thrilled about it. Has anyone read it before? According to this book it seems like Mosaic would be good for all literacy professionals to read. In it, the teacher is supposed to ask more connection-like questions, which have proven to aid in comprehension. As far as I'm concerned, anything that helps a student better comprehend the text is an excellent addition to a literacy lesson.
"This ongoing form of professional development changes not only practice but also beliefs and values about literacy and literacy instruction." pg. 167
I think that this collaboration in terms of professional development helps prevent teachers from becoming stuck in their ways. I'm sure we have all observed a teacher who fails to advance their teaching methods over time, and teaches the same exact material, the same exact way year in and year out. The world of education is constantly growing and changing and we all need to keep up! This collaborative method not only helps the teachers to become the best instructors possible, but it ultimately helps the students to succeed.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Chapter 9
“In the past, many teachers, including diagnostic teachers, used materials organized by others. This approach is convenient and time saving, but teachers need to make sure these materials align with the strengths and needs of the readers.” Pg.148
I think that this is very true. Last class, we talked a lot about packaged reading programs and how they are not always the best programs for our students. Teachers need a variety of materials to use because every student is different, no one programs is going to help every child, and variety is the key. I have noticed that the students in my district do not respond well to these packaged programs because 1) they do not focus on the strengths and weaknesses of all individual readers in the class, 2) they are boring and 3) the topics are not relevant to the student’s lives.
“These books [high interest, low readability] are stories that would appeal to an older student but are written at an easier level to provide interesting stories that help improve literacy.” Pg. 150
At the school I currently work at, we have many high-need, struggling readers. I think that by increasing the supply of high interest-low readability books we would improve their overall reading success. If we gave them books that are written for their age level in interest, but a lower reading level, there will be less stress and anxiety when it comes to reading and it will allow students to focus more on the story and their literacy skills/strategies. In class we discussed that more of these books are becoming available to teachers and students, but I have yet to see many in my building.
“Using videos with struggling readers helps them (a) predict what the words are, (b) understand word meanings, (c) understand the story organization or content information.” Pg. 151
I think that this is an excellent idea to enhance the curriculum and improve reading of students, particularly lower level students. If students already knew the basic outline of the story before they read, they could then focus more in-depth on the content, aiding in comprehension. In my literacy practicum we allowed the students to watch the movie “Molly – An American Girl” before proceeding into our historical fiction unit based on WWII. This movie helped the students to visualize what the events and vocabulary of the upcoming books/stories would be. With something like historical fiction, where topics are often older and less used in everyday language this tool was vital in helping students to understand their future readings.
“Interest is crucial in selecting books. In the topic and/or storyline is interesting and engaging, then the book is usually easier to read.” Pg. 159
I think that student interest is absolutely necessary to think about when picking out materials to read in class with your students. If the students are not interested in the topic, chances are they could care less about reading it. We need to find someway to connect the piece of text to interesting topics that the kids like to read about. One way to do this would be to give the class an informal reading survey, asking them their general likes and dislikes.
“The attention span of many struggling readers is relatively short; therefore, as the diagnostic teacher selects books, she looks for texts, such as chapter books, that are short.” Pg. 160
I think that this is a very important point that I had never really thought about before. I have noticed that when I tell students we are going to be reading a certain chapter, that many of them instantly skip to the back of the chapter to see how long it is. They dread chapters that are long in length. Currently, the book I am reading with my students in the practicum is a chapter book, and thankfully most of the chapters are very short. It helps the struggling readers get through them easier. I also find that they stay more engaged and focused with shorter chapters as well.
I think that this is very true. Last class, we talked a lot about packaged reading programs and how they are not always the best programs for our students. Teachers need a variety of materials to use because every student is different, no one programs is going to help every child, and variety is the key. I have noticed that the students in my district do not respond well to these packaged programs because 1) they do not focus on the strengths and weaknesses of all individual readers in the class, 2) they are boring and 3) the topics are not relevant to the student’s lives.
“These books [high interest, low readability] are stories that would appeal to an older student but are written at an easier level to provide interesting stories that help improve literacy.” Pg. 150
At the school I currently work at, we have many high-need, struggling readers. I think that by increasing the supply of high interest-low readability books we would improve their overall reading success. If we gave them books that are written for their age level in interest, but a lower reading level, there will be less stress and anxiety when it comes to reading and it will allow students to focus more on the story and their literacy skills/strategies. In class we discussed that more of these books are becoming available to teachers and students, but I have yet to see many in my building.
“Using videos with struggling readers helps them (a) predict what the words are, (b) understand word meanings, (c) understand the story organization or content information.” Pg. 151
I think that this is an excellent idea to enhance the curriculum and improve reading of students, particularly lower level students. If students already knew the basic outline of the story before they read, they could then focus more in-depth on the content, aiding in comprehension. In my literacy practicum we allowed the students to watch the movie “Molly – An American Girl” before proceeding into our historical fiction unit based on WWII. This movie helped the students to visualize what the events and vocabulary of the upcoming books/stories would be. With something like historical fiction, where topics are often older and less used in everyday language this tool was vital in helping students to understand their future readings.
“Interest is crucial in selecting books. In the topic and/or storyline is interesting and engaging, then the book is usually easier to read.” Pg. 159
I think that student interest is absolutely necessary to think about when picking out materials to read in class with your students. If the students are not interested in the topic, chances are they could care less about reading it. We need to find someway to connect the piece of text to interesting topics that the kids like to read about. One way to do this would be to give the class an informal reading survey, asking them their general likes and dislikes.
“The attention span of many struggling readers is relatively short; therefore, as the diagnostic teacher selects books, she looks for texts, such as chapter books, that are short.” Pg. 160
I think that this is a very important point that I had never really thought about before. I have noticed that when I tell students we are going to be reading a certain chapter, that many of them instantly skip to the back of the chapter to see how long it is. They dread chapters that are long in length. Currently, the book I am reading with my students in the practicum is a chapter book, and thankfully most of the chapters are very short. It helps the struggling readers get through them easier. I also find that they stay more engaged and focused with shorter chapters as well.
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