Pg. 17-18 – Story about Owen
Labels certainly can be damaging. Yes, many children need special education and extra help. Unfortunately, this oftentimes means that they will be treated differently and not get given the same opportunities or the same set of expectations as other students. We end up limiting their capabilities as learners, and we limit what we can do as teachers.
Pg. 20 – “I am therefore surprised whenever teachers comment: ‘You were respectful to every student. You didn’t raise your voice. You were firm but you were kind and encouraging.’”
I hope this is the way that I would be described by other teachers or observers. I wish that this was the way that all teachers treated their students and each other. Respect and encouragement are such important qualities to show and teach our children – especially if we expect them to be successful.
Pg. 21 – “Nobody is disrespectful to kids because she or he believes it’s the right way to treat them. We get stressed out, have a bad day, or feel overworked and tired. Staff members need to support one another by being careful about the way we talk about kids among ourselves. We need to make it a habit to avoid negative talk about students in the staff room or team meetings. Negative talk and feelings can carry over into the classroom. Showing respect is a worthy effort. Our students can’t learn without it.”
Some of the best advice I received was to stay out of the teacher’s lounge. I am very blessed to be in a school in which all of its staff members respect, encourage, and affirm its students, but no person is without at least one bad day. It does me well to stay away from any type of negativity; instead, I try to always choose something for which to be grateful. Gratitude and optimism are qualities that will flow over into our classrooms, our students, our coworkers, and our entire school. I like to say that positive attitudes result in positive experiences, and it is important for us to live that life and encourage our students and coworkers to live that life as well.
Pg. 25 – “Often I have found that high test scores coexist with scant student interest in writing, low engagement, and little understanding of audience and purpose.”
Are we teaching students to love language and learning or to pass the test? Can we do both? In the end, what good is a test score if students never pick up a pen to write or pick up a book to read once they leave our classrooms? We focus so much on how writing and reading should be rather than the possibility of how it can feel and how it can open up endless opportunities for our lives and imaginations. A teacher of mine, Vic Oglan, says, “Don’t get it right, get it written.” I think about this when I think about test scores and the interest levels of students. How much more do you think we would get from students if they focused not on what was right but instead on the process and progress that was being made?
Pg. 25 – “I have learned that all schools are “high needs” in different ways.”
I just had a conversation about this with a teacher last week. I feel that schools with affluent populations have needs that are sometimes overlooked or made to seem of lesser importance because our students are “given every opportunity.” No matter what the school or the population, students have needs that need to be met. We can’t assume that a certain community or student population is any less needy than another for any reason.
Pg. 27 – “’I’ve noticed that with increased nonfiction writing, there’s an increase in the desire to read nonfiction books.”’
A goal of mine for the upcoming year is to incorporate more authentic nonfiction writing. I think we definitely spent the majority of our time last year focusing on fiction reading and writing, and I want my students to be more interested in nonfiction.
Pg. 31 – “Celebration is about finding the joy in teaching and learning and “seeing” the child’s accomplishments, no matter how small.”
Teaching is hard work. I don’t think anyone realizes how hard it is going to be before they begin the profession, and I don’t think people who are not teachers appreciate how much work it is. If we don’t take time to enjoy, celebrate, and be thankful, it can easily get overwhelming and tiring. One of my teacher’s, Vic Oglan, once said, “We need to have a spirit of celebration because Lord knows we have lots of battles to fight.” This is so very true, and I hope that everyone takes the time to celebrate – for our sake and the sake of the children.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Chapter 4: Meaning First
This chapter is an excellent reminder of how vital "interacting meaningfully with text" (p.53) is in a child's learning process both in and outside of the classroom. Being a social studies teacher, I appreciate how the author points out the importance of making curriculum relevant and interesting, whether through correlating historical texts and how they relate to us today or discussing current events, such as asking a class about Hurricane Katrina. I have noticed that students seem to enjoy "reading" from different sources like newspapers and brochures during a class lesson or while researching in the library. I enjoyed the section on Highlighting Key Vocabulary and agree with Regie that a rich vocabulary is crucial to being effective in reading, writing, and understanding. The intentional teaching of selected words and going over the meanings of these words as they are used in a text or while speaking are great ways to expand students' vocabularies. Regie makes a good point in encouraging students to ask what a word means when they don't know. Often times students don't feel comfortable asking out loud, so making a point to say "please ask" will further vocabulary expansion. Lastly, the idea of "starting with the student" and using subjects he or she is interested in can encompass so many avenues in which to guide and motivate a child to learn.
Chapter 1
When I read professional texts, I like to Double Entry Journal, so most of my responses will be in that format...hope it makes sense!
Pg. 4 – “We need to suspend our preconceived beliefs and judgment each time we meet a student, to assume that every child is capable.”
We have to meet children where they are and know that if we do, they can and will succeed. Children take on so much of what we do as teachers – if we are enthusiastic, they are enthusiastic, if we make ourselves vulnerable and authentic, they will make themselves vulnerable and authentic, and if we believe they can succeed, they will succeed.
Pg. 4 – “When I conduct a residency, I insist that all children be included in the classroom—the special education students, the English language learners, and those with behavior problems—and that I not be told who they supposed “special” students are.
I wish all guests in our classrooms felt this way. I had a guest teacher in my room one day that completely turned our classroom community upside down because she did not treat each of the students as capable and equal. It took me weeks to gain back the trust and respect of one of my students because I “allowed” our community to be broken by a stranger. It is unbelievable how quickly the confidence of a struggling child can be shattered and how long it takes to build it back up once it has been.
Pg. 4 – “…it’s only when we see what kids can do that we raise our expectations. We don’t realize that we’ve got it backward.”
We sure do have it backward. I truly believe that students will only live up the expectations we have for them. From the beginning, we have to show them that we believe they can and will achieve great things…and they will! We can’t wait for them to show us they are capable – we need to show them that we know they are up front. When students feel validated, encouraged, supported, and believed in, they will be the risk takers they need to be to succeed.
Pg. 7-8 – Story of Kathy
How sad it is for the students who don’t get noticed like Kathy did. All too often our students slip through the cracks, and that is absolutely unacceptable. All of our students deserve to get the attention that Kathy did. As hard and time consuming as it is, we have to do what it takes to make sure that every struggling child gets the help he or she needs.
Pg. 9 – “Students immediately pick up on whether or not we view them as capable.”
This is so true. I can’t agree enough that we have to show children we believe in them and hold high expectations for them. Who wants to do anything for someone that doesn’t believe in him or her? Who is willing to put forth effort for someone who doesn’t expect much?
Pg. 11 – “Kids are kids.”
In my school we have academically gifted classes and regular education classes. I teach a regular education class, but when people ask, I say, “I teach gifted kids; they just aren’t state identified.” Kids are kids. There is no doubt about it. They will rise to our expectations – “gifted” or not. I think it is important for teachers, parents, and students to understand this. I hate labels. The kids come into my class already thinking they are not as smart as some of the other students in the grade, and that just isn’t true. They are every bit as capable, but it is hard to get them to rise above what they have already been conditioned to think of themselves. We have to make them feel as capable and successful as we know they are and can be.
Pg. 13 – “It is our own vulnerability and honesty in our storytelling and demonstration writing that helps kids feel safe to take a risk when they write.”
Some of my very best student writing comes after I am open and honest in my own writing in front of my students. When they see my process, my struggles, my questions, my feelings, etc. they know that it is okay for them to feel and think those same things, and they are willing to take risks and be open and honest in their writing and their conversations with me and each other.
Pg. 14 – Immigration letters
What an authentic writing experience for these students! I think it is absolutely essential for us to find ways for our students to write authentically and to have that writing validated. Students need to feel that their work is purposeful and meaningful in order for them to keep interest and enthusiasm throughout the process.
Pg. 4 – “We need to suspend our preconceived beliefs and judgment each time we meet a student, to assume that every child is capable.”
We have to meet children where they are and know that if we do, they can and will succeed. Children take on so much of what we do as teachers – if we are enthusiastic, they are enthusiastic, if we make ourselves vulnerable and authentic, they will make themselves vulnerable and authentic, and if we believe they can succeed, they will succeed.
Pg. 4 – “When I conduct a residency, I insist that all children be included in the classroom—the special education students, the English language learners, and those with behavior problems—and that I not be told who they supposed “special” students are.
I wish all guests in our classrooms felt this way. I had a guest teacher in my room one day that completely turned our classroom community upside down because she did not treat each of the students as capable and equal. It took me weeks to gain back the trust and respect of one of my students because I “allowed” our community to be broken by a stranger. It is unbelievable how quickly the confidence of a struggling child can be shattered and how long it takes to build it back up once it has been.
Pg. 4 – “…it’s only when we see what kids can do that we raise our expectations. We don’t realize that we’ve got it backward.”
We sure do have it backward. I truly believe that students will only live up the expectations we have for them. From the beginning, we have to show them that we believe they can and will achieve great things…and they will! We can’t wait for them to show us they are capable – we need to show them that we know they are up front. When students feel validated, encouraged, supported, and believed in, they will be the risk takers they need to be to succeed.
Pg. 7-8 – Story of Kathy
How sad it is for the students who don’t get noticed like Kathy did. All too often our students slip through the cracks, and that is absolutely unacceptable. All of our students deserve to get the attention that Kathy did. As hard and time consuming as it is, we have to do what it takes to make sure that every struggling child gets the help he or she needs.
Pg. 9 – “Students immediately pick up on whether or not we view them as capable.”
This is so true. I can’t agree enough that we have to show children we believe in them and hold high expectations for them. Who wants to do anything for someone that doesn’t believe in him or her? Who is willing to put forth effort for someone who doesn’t expect much?
Pg. 11 – “Kids are kids.”
In my school we have academically gifted classes and regular education classes. I teach a regular education class, but when people ask, I say, “I teach gifted kids; they just aren’t state identified.” Kids are kids. There is no doubt about it. They will rise to our expectations – “gifted” or not. I think it is important for teachers, parents, and students to understand this. I hate labels. The kids come into my class already thinking they are not as smart as some of the other students in the grade, and that just isn’t true. They are every bit as capable, but it is hard to get them to rise above what they have already been conditioned to think of themselves. We have to make them feel as capable and successful as we know they are and can be.
Pg. 13 – “It is our own vulnerability and honesty in our storytelling and demonstration writing that helps kids feel safe to take a risk when they write.”
Some of my very best student writing comes after I am open and honest in my own writing in front of my students. When they see my process, my struggles, my questions, my feelings, etc. they know that it is okay for them to feel and think those same things, and they are willing to take risks and be open and honest in their writing and their conversations with me and each other.
Pg. 14 – Immigration letters
What an authentic writing experience for these students! I think it is absolutely essential for us to find ways for our students to write authentically and to have that writing validated. Students need to feel that their work is purposeful and meaningful in order for them to keep interest and enthusiasm throughout the process.
Chapter 6
Independent, self-directed learners....did I ever think about this while I was teaching? Did I consider my end goal to be anything other than having them master the expected skills within each subject? Did I desire for them to be independent problem solvers, directing their own learning and setting worthwhile goals for themselves? Yes, it does make sense to me, so why does this seem like a new idea? It has been so many years since I taught second grade. I am grateful for this opportunity to learn more about the literacy program our district is using, especially since it is different from what I taught. Scaffolded conversations, shared experiences, emphasis on frontloading are strategies that I did not use, but I hope to have the opportunity to try this one day. Giving the students purpose, choices, and even allowing them to have input on classroom procedures and behaviors would surely engage them more in their learning. And Regies ideas for setting up the classroom make sense too, having it organized, simple, even 'beautiful', and especially having appropriate resources they can turn to that are easily accessible. How awesome it would be to foster their independence and confidence in their ability to learn, so that they would all believe, "Bam! Nothing can stop me!"
Chapter 5
There are many great points she makes in this chapter about assessment. Assessment is supposed to be ongoing and embedded into our instruction. I know that this is something I already do subconsciously during the day but, I would like to make a more conscience effort to record data from my assessments. Students also need immediate and specific feedback so that they can learn from their successes and mistakes. A great way to assess she talked about was to ask open-ended, thought-provoking questions to your students. Having a conversation with the student to find out their perception and understanding of something can be very beneficial. When we give our students written assessments such as, multiple-choice or true-false all of the time, we are taking away their ability to tell us what they know. I also think it is important when you are assessing your students to assess yourself as a teacher; if the majority of the class does not understand something, it is probably because it was not taught effectively.
She also discussed ways to group students in reading groups. I found this to be very difficult and still do. I really do not understand how to form reading groups without doing it by ability, especially as a new teacher. I hope to learn more about this in class.
She also discussed ways to group students in reading groups. I found this to be very difficult and still do. I really do not understand how to form reading groups without doing it by ability, especially as a new teacher. I hope to learn more about this in class.
Chapter 4
This is my favorite chapter so far. I think that focusing on meaning is so important. Students need meaning and purpose behind what they are reading, writing, etc. to make it relevant to them. I remember learning countless formulas in algebra and when I questioned my teacher about how I would use them in the real-world, he had no answer. Therefore, I did not feel that learning the material was important and put minimal effort into the class. Another good point she made is to demonstrate what you want the students to do instead of just telling them the instructions. A lot of students need visual reinforcement to go along the verbal. I also liked the point she made about textbooks being beyond the students reading levels. Students have a hard time reading the words; because of this, they spend all of their energy focusing on reading the word and lose the meaning. Even when books are on the students reading level I have found that little understand what is going on in the story. I feel there is a lot of emphasis on reading words but, not enough on understanding what is being read. I have also found that students have a hard time moving from literal thinking; impeding things such as character analysis, inferring, and predicting. I feel one of the biggest challenges I face as a teacher is making everything flow together while fitting in all of the required standards.
Live a Full Life
Wow! This is what I aspire to do. I try to tell myself to take the time to do more of the things I enjoy - if only I had more energy and hours in the day. We want our students to live a full life and be well rounded. We can do this by modeling and telling them stories about our lives. Regis tells us we should have more fun and rely on hope. I need to remind myself of this each day.
Put Coaching Into Practice
I would like to know more about coaching because I have never had a coach as a teacher. I could have probably used one. I wonder how much coaching gets done because I would assume teachers feel like they don't have enough time in the day. I think it is a great idea to have the Principle serving as a coach and giving feedback about what he/she witnesses in the classroom. I wonder how many Principles take time each day to go into the classrooms and witness what is going on.
Teach For Independent, Self-directed Learners
I enjoyed this chapter. I feel it is very important to give students the skills, the guidance, the demonstrations so that can learn to do tasks on their own. Once we give them the skills and the confidence they can develop and enhance their skills on their own. Regie said that the students must need and what to learn, have background knowledge, admire and trust the teacher, should be shown how to do it, learn enough strategies, and apply learning to new contexts. Boy, I wish that Regie could have visited my classroom when I was a student. I remember having to read the directions and then be expected to know how to do an assignement. There was not a whole lot of demonstration and strategy for students when I was in school. If I woud have seen more demonstrations and learned strategies I probably would have had an easier time learning new skills.
Embedded Assessment in All Teaching
Regie tells us that assessment should be interactive assessing in teaching by listening, observing, taking notes, and rethinking. We should ask our students guided questions to see how well they understand the material we are teaching. We should provide useful feedback that is: specific to the task, descriptive, uses language and concepts that the students can handle, tells the children what they did well, include demonstrations and step-by-step help.
We need to figure out if the students know and understand the expectations for the task, can tell you what they are doing, focused on deeper thinking, and engaged in learning.
I think if we do interactive assessment than it will help us to find out which children are not understanding the task or skill and then we may need to change the presentation or practice. If we keep in mind that the goal is to have the children understand why we are learning tasks and have they engaged in the learning process they will retain the information for a longer period of time.
We need to figure out if the students know and understand the expectations for the task, can tell you what they are doing, focused on deeper thinking, and engaged in learning.
I think if we do interactive assessment than it will help us to find out which children are not understanding the task or skill and then we may need to change the presentation or practice. If we keep in mind that the goal is to have the children understand why we are learning tasks and have they engaged in the learning process they will retain the information for a longer period of time.
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