Chapter 10

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.