Page 161: "As all teachers discuss and reflect on reading instruction, they develop a community of practice, literacy teachers have an identity defined by a shared interest: to teach all children to read. Within the community of practice, the teachers add to their shared knowledge base. This shared knowledge implies a commitment to teaching reading and therefore a shared expertise that distinguishes literacy educators from others."
The community of practice seems to focus on collaborative instruction. This method is ideal in the sense that the classroom teacher will have the benefit of outside criticism/feedback in a non-threatening manner. It is difficult in the day-to-day hustle and bustle of teaching to catch and perfect all aspects of our lesson on our own. This "shared knowledge" of differing approaches to teaching reading can be passed along from teacher to teacher, having successes trickle down to students. It makes so much sense because when a lesson does not work well, it is so much more difficult to manage, reteach, etc. When a lesson works well, the students respond. Utilizing a community of practice is essential for teacher development.
Page 162: "A collaborative group of teachers working in low-poverty schools increased student learning when they used higher-level questions that focused on relating the reading passages to student's background knowledge, making predictions before and during reading, summarizing what was read and discussing the theme...A characteristic of classrooms with increased student learning is one where the students are highly engaged."
The concept of connecting material to students' lives is one I have tried to incorporate in every lesson I create. I have yet to find a tool that engages students more than relating the material to their lives. For example, students readily discussed several issues they felt they knew a lot about when we read To Kill a Mockingbird: small town gossip, gender roles, stereotypes, racism, classism, education, etc. They offered many opinions to our class discussion. As a colleague of mine and I often debate about classroom discussion, one thought reverberates: conversation builds comprehension. Engagement is increased when their peers offer conversation, however, as Walker's text states the focus is on "teacher and student behaviors" and careful attention to building a safe, comfortable environment is necessary.
Page 163: "The literacy coach and the teacher continuously reflect on instruction and plan new ways to improve teaching. This is the cycle of literacy coaching. It is a means for continuous teacher development that results in student learning."
The literacy coach offers observational data focusing on student learning. Ideally, the literacy coach can guide the teacher through questioning to generate some thoughts on improving student engagement. It is through this deep reflection that meaningful change can be made.
Page 165: "Eskridge (2002) found that the teachers talked extensively about their personal connections to characters in trade books. In fact, personal stories that helped the teachers understand the books were retold quite frequenlty."
Students benefit from hearing how an avid reader makes connections with the text. Oftentimes, students do not have many life expierences to draw from. Constistant modeling of this will impress upon the students the importance of this method. Creating connections also shows students how to identify with and create enjoyment out of what could be an otherwise boring text. Connecting with character is crucial to increased student engagement.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Chapter 9
Page 152: "Series books are often easier for readers because the authors use the same characters and the same language structures in each book...In fact, some of these series appeal to older readers and can be used to develop fluency."
Last year the Twilight series spread like wildfire throughout our school. It ran beyond cliques and genders and generated some much needed "good press" about reading. Some of the struggling readers just looked at the sheer thickness of the book and needed convincing. However, many of those same students are on the the third and fourth book. Not wanting to miss out on such an important opportunity, I bought multiple copies for my classroom library.
Page 153: "The diagnostic teacher collects a sample of the reading behavior she is going to teach. She selects about 50 to 120 words from the story and writes questions focusing on the main ideas and key facts or events. After the student reads the passage, the diagnostic teacher computes error or miscue rates and a percentage of the comprehension to decide whether the text is at the student's instructional level."
Makes me wonder if this is a cold read or if the student would have some prior knowledge of the content of the text? Would the diagnostic teacher create a word list of some of the more challenging words in the passage before the reading or is it more important to see what the reader is able to accomplish without support?
Page 159: "Interest is crucial in selecting books. If the topic/or story line is interesting and engaging, then the book is usually easier to read. Students can be drawn into a text when the characters are interesting and readily befriended, words provoke strong images, and stories have unanticipated twists."
Reading is perceived as work to struggling readers. As long as they feel that way, they will not buy into reading for enjoyment. The largest hurdle I find is locating easier reads that entice students. I am constantly reading books, short stories, and articles that I could use in class...and while I find it a major achievement when I find something that works, I feel that there should be more out there. Most of the "classic" literature is criticized by some colleagues (the others, non- English teaching teachers :) as being too "heavy" or "sad" and while this is true, there just doesn't seem to be a wide selection of literature with the depth of character, symbolism, and clearly drawn themes as most of the classics commonly taught at the high school level. The classics also provide our class with loads of juicy discussion topics.
Last year the Twilight series spread like wildfire throughout our school. It ran beyond cliques and genders and generated some much needed "good press" about reading. Some of the struggling readers just looked at the sheer thickness of the book and needed convincing. However, many of those same students are on the the third and fourth book. Not wanting to miss out on such an important opportunity, I bought multiple copies for my classroom library.
Page 153: "The diagnostic teacher collects a sample of the reading behavior she is going to teach. She selects about 50 to 120 words from the story and writes questions focusing on the main ideas and key facts or events. After the student reads the passage, the diagnostic teacher computes error or miscue rates and a percentage of the comprehension to decide whether the text is at the student's instructional level."
Makes me wonder if this is a cold read or if the student would have some prior knowledge of the content of the text? Would the diagnostic teacher create a word list of some of the more challenging words in the passage before the reading or is it more important to see what the reader is able to accomplish without support?
Page 159: "Interest is crucial in selecting books. If the topic/or story line is interesting and engaging, then the book is usually easier to read. Students can be drawn into a text when the characters are interesting and readily befriended, words provoke strong images, and stories have unanticipated twists."
Reading is perceived as work to struggling readers. As long as they feel that way, they will not buy into reading for enjoyment. The largest hurdle I find is locating easier reads that entice students. I am constantly reading books, short stories, and articles that I could use in class...and while I find it a major achievement when I find something that works, I feel that there should be more out there. Most of the "classic" literature is criticized by some colleagues (the others, non- English teaching teachers :) as being too "heavy" or "sad" and while this is true, there just doesn't seem to be a wide selection of literature with the depth of character, symbolism, and clearly drawn themes as most of the classics commonly taught at the high school level. The classics also provide our class with loads of juicy discussion topics.
Chapter 7
Page 123: "As she teaches, the diagnostic teacher adjusts her instruction to the needs of the student. She asks herself these questions: How can I elicit responses so that students can understand the main idea? What does the student know that will help him? How much time do I need to wait before I assist? What kind of assistance (prompting, questioning, or modeling) will be most helpful?"
I feel that this part of the lesson is most important, yet oftentimes overlooked. Questioning during the lesson is as important as the lesson itself. Question helps the student come to his or her own conclusions about what they are learning and encourages them to think deeply about the material. Furthermore, one must be careful not to overwhelm or confuse the student with too many questions. I find that wait time is crucial as well. This is something I practice often with the entire class. Some students will rush to be the first ones with their hands raised, while others are contemplating and putting together their thoughts. I often let the students know that I will be waiting for a few minutes before I call on students, and I include a few techniques to make calling on students as random as possible. When working one on one with students, teachers should also consider giving ample wait time.
Page 125: "After the baseline data have been established, the teacher designs a diagnostic lesson based on her hypothesis about the student's reading. She selects a technique that matches the reader's profile. The second section is use to establish optimal conditions for learning new reading strategies. As she teaches the lesson, her modifications are summarized and become a part of the diagnostic collection."
Diagnostic teachers are record keepers. They are constantly evaluating and creating new ways tom improve reading skills. Multiple reading strategies are often incorporated into a single lesson, with the diagnostic teacher consistently assessing what is effective and what is not.
Page 127: "If mediated instruction produces an independent reading level, the diagnostic teacher carefully evaluates the task modifications and teacher investment, or assistance, to establish the instructional modifications that produced the change. If mediated instruction does not produce reading progress, the diagnostic teacher eliminates those techniques and modifications that were used. She returns to her diagnostic hypotheses, adds any new information collected during the diagnostic lesson and reformulates her new hypothesis."
The diagnostic teacher is constantly evaluating what works and what doesn't for each reader. I think if is also important to recognize the behaviors that occur during the tutoring session. My student, for example, is always rushing through the reading. He wants to get back to his study hall. This makes it difficult for him to focus and comprehends very little. It makes it difficult for me to feel as though I am evaluating him accurately, as the motivation is lacking. He is a willing participant, but forever in a hurry.
Page 128: "To help this passive reader learn more active strategies for comprehension meaning, the diagnostic teacher needed to modify a number of instructional areas. She changed the task from silent to oral reading when Terry could not talk about what he read when he read silently. She segmented the section into sentences when he could not follow the paragraphs that she demonstrated."
It seems to be so important to break down reading into smaller chunks when trying to diagnose a student. It is difficult to detect what a problem could be if the student is reading silently. It seems like a good strategy to start small in this instance, before increasing to a larger segment of reading.
Page 131: "Sometimes the diagnostic teacher needs to combine several techniques to produce the desired change. In these cases, the combined techniques are more effective than using either one of them alone."
As an active reader and teacher, I am aware of some of the strategies used to help struggling readers. I am surprised to see a combination of techniques recommended. However, if developmentally appropriate, I can imagine success with this approach. If the ultimate goal is to make students better readers, they should be armed with a wealth of tools. The tools may change over time, depending on challenge and ability.
I feel that this part of the lesson is most important, yet oftentimes overlooked. Questioning during the lesson is as important as the lesson itself. Question helps the student come to his or her own conclusions about what they are learning and encourages them to think deeply about the material. Furthermore, one must be careful not to overwhelm or confuse the student with too many questions. I find that wait time is crucial as well. This is something I practice often with the entire class. Some students will rush to be the first ones with their hands raised, while others are contemplating and putting together their thoughts. I often let the students know that I will be waiting for a few minutes before I call on students, and I include a few techniques to make calling on students as random as possible. When working one on one with students, teachers should also consider giving ample wait time.
Page 125: "After the baseline data have been established, the teacher designs a diagnostic lesson based on her hypothesis about the student's reading. She selects a technique that matches the reader's profile. The second section is use to establish optimal conditions for learning new reading strategies. As she teaches the lesson, her modifications are summarized and become a part of the diagnostic collection."
Diagnostic teachers are record keepers. They are constantly evaluating and creating new ways tom improve reading skills. Multiple reading strategies are often incorporated into a single lesson, with the diagnostic teacher consistently assessing what is effective and what is not.
Page 127: "If mediated instruction produces an independent reading level, the diagnostic teacher carefully evaluates the task modifications and teacher investment, or assistance, to establish the instructional modifications that produced the change. If mediated instruction does not produce reading progress, the diagnostic teacher eliminates those techniques and modifications that were used. She returns to her diagnostic hypotheses, adds any new information collected during the diagnostic lesson and reformulates her new hypothesis."
The diagnostic teacher is constantly evaluating what works and what doesn't for each reader. I think if is also important to recognize the behaviors that occur during the tutoring session. My student, for example, is always rushing through the reading. He wants to get back to his study hall. This makes it difficult for him to focus and comprehends very little. It makes it difficult for me to feel as though I am evaluating him accurately, as the motivation is lacking. He is a willing participant, but forever in a hurry.
Page 128: "To help this passive reader learn more active strategies for comprehension meaning, the diagnostic teacher needed to modify a number of instructional areas. She changed the task from silent to oral reading when Terry could not talk about what he read when he read silently. She segmented the section into sentences when he could not follow the paragraphs that she demonstrated."
It seems to be so important to break down reading into smaller chunks when trying to diagnose a student. It is difficult to detect what a problem could be if the student is reading silently. It seems like a good strategy to start small in this instance, before increasing to a larger segment of reading.
Page 131: "Sometimes the diagnostic teacher needs to combine several techniques to produce the desired change. In these cases, the combined techniques are more effective than using either one of them alone."
As an active reader and teacher, I am aware of some of the strategies used to help struggling readers. I am surprised to see a combination of techniques recommended. However, if developmentally appropriate, I can imagine success with this approach. If the ultimate goal is to make students better readers, they should be armed with a wealth of tools. The tools may change over time, depending on challenge and ability.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
