In conclusion to the book Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? Content Comprehension, Grades 6-12, by Cris Tovani, in regards to the strategies she has spoken about in her book (highlighters, sticky notes, accessible text, assessments, journal entries, group work). She states, "none of these activities are fancy or complicated. I hope that as you finish reading this book, you are saying to yourself, "I can do this." Sure you can. You know more about reading instruction than you think." I like that she realizes some of the reading comprehension strategies she uses in her classroom work for her and her students, but will not work well for other teachers and their students. It is great to get ideas from teachers and students to see what will work best each year. The more I learn as a teacher, the more I can teach my students and figure out what works best. Each year will be different because myself as the teacher changes, the students change, and the content and focus changes. Therefore I cannot expect to teach the same way year after year and expect students to excel.
When I return to teaching, I will try to use some of these strategies that Tovani has used, I also anticipate to learn new strategies and think on the spot, to determine and meet the needs of students. As a teacher I have committed to being a life-long learner. I expect to change every year of teaching, at times I may refer to traditional strategies or I may need to evolve to more technical or modern ways of teaching. The thing I can count on, is that teaching changes everyday, I will use different strategies to be prepared and teach in the best possible way.
I found that this book fit into the framework of our course and the theories we have learned. Tovani uses examples of and expects that her students will draw on previous known information which ties to James Paul Gee's Discourses theories. Tovani thinks that discussions are a great way to increase student understanding , which ties into Janet Emig, stating that "talking is natural." In regards to Rosenblatt she also states that "a conversation is a temporal activity, a back and forth process. Each person has to come to the transaction with an individual history, manifested in what has been termed a linguistic-experiential reservoir."
"If teachers become distant from their own learning they will most certainly become distant from the learning of their students." - Alisa Wills-Keely.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Assessment
Assessment is usually a word that brings confusion and stress to teachers and students. What is assessment for and who benefits from it? Are there many ways to assess one thing, or many things? The answers are that assessment is for everyone and there are many ways to assess one thing. It is becoming increasingly important to meet Standardized testing criteria, which places stress on the teacher to teach specifics and stress on students that they need to have one correct answer for each question posed. Luckily in the classroom, teachers can teach and run their classroom in creative ways to help themselves teach in the best possible way and for students to learn and be assessed in different ways.
In her book Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? by Cris Tovani, she give some examples of how she tests what students know by redefining assessments. She gives them exams that help them learn what they have learned about themselves as readers. Here are some sample questions from her Reading Final Exam (keep in mind this is geared towards high school seniors).
1. Attached to this sheet is the definition of reading you wrote for me during the first week of the semester. Look at your definition, and think about all that you know about reading. Compare your new knowledge of reading with what you used to know.
2. Define metacognition. Why is it important? give a real world example of metacognition. Be specific and thorough in explaining your example.
3. You are reading a very difficult text, one that doesn't make sense on a first read. List at least five strategies you could employ to help you understand the reading.
4. You are reading a difficult textbook. You have little background knowledge about the topic. Answer the following:
a.) How do you know you are confused? (list five signals that indicate confusion.)
b.) List two strategies you could use to keep your mind from wandering. Explain how each strategy will help you construct meaning.
c.) List five strategies you could use to fix up meaning.
I think these are great assessment questions that really show the student how they have progressed and learned new strategies towards reading difficult text. This type of assessment, requiring open-ended responses, are geared toward showing the student what he or she has learned by sharing their thinking. As teachers change their teaching styles to accommodate different types of assessment, students will also change their ways of thinking and responding. Teachers will learn to guide students in the direction of thinking, discussing and students will respond accordingly by discussing their thoughts and finding many possible solutions to one answer.
Cris Tovani lists what works for her assessments.
1. Decide what you want to assess. Give a variety of ways for student to demonstrate understanding. Base your assessments on what you value. One test won't measure everything.
2. Design assessments that are checkpoints for understanding. Because learning is an ongoing process, assessment should also be an ongoing piece of your classroom.
3. Teach students how to use the assessment tool. Don't let format interfere with demonstration of knowledge.
I like that Tovani gives many examples of what works in her classroom. It is good to get different ideas and pick and choose what would work in my future classroom. Teaching and learning are lifelong non-stop practices, getting references from experienced teachers can be helpful.
In her book Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? by Cris Tovani, she give some examples of how she tests what students know by redefining assessments. She gives them exams that help them learn what they have learned about themselves as readers. Here are some sample questions from her Reading Final Exam (keep in mind this is geared towards high school seniors).
1. Attached to this sheet is the definition of reading you wrote for me during the first week of the semester. Look at your definition, and think about all that you know about reading. Compare your new knowledge of reading with what you used to know.
2. Define metacognition. Why is it important? give a real world example of metacognition. Be specific and thorough in explaining your example.
3. You are reading a very difficult text, one that doesn't make sense on a first read. List at least five strategies you could employ to help you understand the reading.
4. You are reading a difficult textbook. You have little background knowledge about the topic. Answer the following:
a.) How do you know you are confused? (list five signals that indicate confusion.)
b.) List two strategies you could use to keep your mind from wandering. Explain how each strategy will help you construct meaning.
c.) List five strategies you could use to fix up meaning.
I think these are great assessment questions that really show the student how they have progressed and learned new strategies towards reading difficult text. This type of assessment, requiring open-ended responses, are geared toward showing the student what he or she has learned by sharing their thinking. As teachers change their teaching styles to accommodate different types of assessment, students will also change their ways of thinking and responding. Teachers will learn to guide students in the direction of thinking, discussing and students will respond accordingly by discussing their thoughts and finding many possible solutions to one answer.
Cris Tovani lists what works for her assessments.
1. Decide what you want to assess. Give a variety of ways for student to demonstrate understanding. Base your assessments on what you value. One test won't measure everything.
2. Design assessments that are checkpoints for understanding. Because learning is an ongoing process, assessment should also be an ongoing piece of your classroom.
3. Teach students how to use the assessment tool. Don't let format interfere with demonstration of knowledge.
I like that Tovani gives many examples of what works in her classroom. It is good to get different ideas and pick and choose what would work in my future classroom. Teaching and learning are lifelong non-stop practices, getting references from experienced teachers can be helpful.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Small Groups
I am sure that most, if not all teaches have tried using small groups in their classes. Small groups are a great idea for students to connect and discuss text or writing assignments. They can share ideas and ask questions. Unfortunately, small group work can also be distracting. Students can sit in groups discussing everything but the work they are assigned to do. With the right guidance group work can be beneficial to individual students and the teacher. From the book Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? by Cris Tovani, she lists the following reasons for having students do group work.
Discussion...stimulates higher levels of thinking,
develops social skills,
develops listening skills,
encourages articulation of thinking,
honors all learners,
holds kids accountable,
helps students remember,
allows students to make connections,
allows others to see different perspectives, and promotes deeper understanding.
To help student stay on task, and for them to know you are paying attention to what they are doing, it helps to have a rubric or group observation form, to record their individual participation. While they are in groups, walk around and let the class see that you are listening and will grade the group project, but that individual work and participation is also being graded. The rubric helps the teacher to assess and be involved, without being overbearing to each group.
Before establishing group work, establish guidelines for group work. Have students set their own goals while working in groups. Some students may voice that they don't want to work with the kids who are lazy, who have not read the text, who are not prepared, or who talk the entire time. After hearing their concerns for group work, come up with solutions. For instance, the kid who usually talks the entire time is the one who has to record everything, the one who hasn't read the material goes to sit in the corner and read for five minutes, or for the kid who doesn't talk or contribute each kid has to respond a certain number of times. Having some guidelines will keep students on track and they will know what is expected of them each time they are in groups.
In chapter 7 of this book, I thought Tovani did a good job in setting guideline for group work. I like her take on curriculum. "Curriculum is often thought of as a set of specific knowledge, skills or books to be covered. I propose instead that we think of curriculum as a set of important conversations that we want students to engage in."
Discussion...stimulates higher levels of thinking,
develops social skills,
develops listening skills,
encourages articulation of thinking,
honors all learners,
holds kids accountable,
helps students remember,
allows students to make connections,
allows others to see different perspectives, and promotes deeper understanding.
To help student stay on task, and for them to know you are paying attention to what they are doing, it helps to have a rubric or group observation form, to record their individual participation. While they are in groups, walk around and let the class see that you are listening and will grade the group project, but that individual work and participation is also being graded. The rubric helps the teacher to assess and be involved, without being overbearing to each group.
Before establishing group work, establish guidelines for group work. Have students set their own goals while working in groups. Some students may voice that they don't want to work with the kids who are lazy, who have not read the text, who are not prepared, or who talk the entire time. After hearing their concerns for group work, come up with solutions. For instance, the kid who usually talks the entire time is the one who has to record everything, the one who hasn't read the material goes to sit in the corner and read for five minutes, or for the kid who doesn't talk or contribute each kid has to respond a certain number of times. Having some guidelines will keep students on track and they will know what is expected of them each time they are in groups.
In chapter 7 of this book, I thought Tovani did a good job in setting guideline for group work. I like her take on curriculum. "Curriculum is often thought of as a set of specific knowledge, skills or books to be covered. I propose instead that we think of curriculum as a set of important conversations that we want students to engage in."
Monday, July 1, 2013
Even Experts Have Questions!
As teachers we are expected to be experts in our field. Our students view us as experts in our field. We need to model to them that even teachers and experts have questions about the text we read. When I am teaching, I need to model that I am a reader and a writer, and that I question the text that I read and write. I can model that there is not always one exact answer for each question.
A great way to model questioning text is to write down your questions before class and show them to your class. Read each question to them and then have them read specific parts of the text. This should begin some good pre-reading discussion about the upcoming text. This will also help students develop their own questions while reading. Comparing questions may also help students compare and contrast the level of understanding just by the questions they ask. Often times, experts in that specific content area will have more sophisticated questions.
In this book, Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? by Cris Tovani, she uses comprehension constructors. "A comprehension constructor is a concrete way of taking students though an abstract process, and the simpler and more authentic it is, the better." An example of a comprehension constructor is a journal entry. Journal entries try to get students to connect information with other places or activities. Using accessible text will prompt more thinking and using the comprehension constructor will help students to achieve multiple answers. Try and stay away from worksheets that only guide or allow one question answers. To prompt a discussion, teachers can ask students to picture the text as a movie. When students view the text as a movie they can compare and contrast the characters, the scene and give details about what they envision.
"Asking questions is a signal that you are constructing meaning. Readers who don't ask questions are often disengaged and unable to remember what they've read." Questions help readers hold their thoughts and begin discussions about the text. Questions keep the discussion focused and keep it form turning into a free for all discussion.
A great way to model questioning text is to write down your questions before class and show them to your class. Read each question to them and then have them read specific parts of the text. This should begin some good pre-reading discussion about the upcoming text. This will also help students develop their own questions while reading. Comparing questions may also help students compare and contrast the level of understanding just by the questions they ask. Often times, experts in that specific content area will have more sophisticated questions.
In this book, Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? by Cris Tovani, she uses comprehension constructors. "A comprehension constructor is a concrete way of taking students though an abstract process, and the simpler and more authentic it is, the better." An example of a comprehension constructor is a journal entry. Journal entries try to get students to connect information with other places or activities. Using accessible text will prompt more thinking and using the comprehension constructor will help students to achieve multiple answers. Try and stay away from worksheets that only guide or allow one question answers. To prompt a discussion, teachers can ask students to picture the text as a movie. When students view the text as a movie they can compare and contrast the characters, the scene and give details about what they envision.
"Asking questions is a signal that you are constructing meaning. Readers who don't ask questions are often disengaged and unable to remember what they've read." Questions help readers hold their thoughts and begin discussions about the text. Questions keep the discussion focused and keep it form turning into a free for all discussion.
KICK ME
Some of the strategies that Cris Tovani explains in her book, Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? include the use of highlighters and sticky notes. She uses and explains that these strategies are important to help students hold their thoughts about the text. She does state that these tools can be disruptive and get old, that is why it is important to have many strategies and focused text to keep students attention.
Tovani suggests using a yellow highlighter to mark text that is difficult, a pink one to highlight information that is understandable and a different color to highlight the purpose of the text. I think this is a great idea, but I also think it can a bit time confusing and distracting to keep grabbing a different colored highlighter often.
Another strategy that Tovani describes is the use of sticky notes. She has her students write down their thoughts, the purpose or any questions that they think of. She does say that this method can get old and students get tired of using highlighters and sticky notes. Teachers are great at implementing other strategies to keep students interested and on task. Tovani also states that students she has worked with will use the sticky notes to write KICK ME notes and post on someone's back. But that gets old too and students will eventually come around to using them for the purpose of holding their thoughts while reading. Tovani will have students write their thoughts on the sticky notes and she will grade the sticky notes, which she claims is easier than grading and taking home lots of papers. A good thing to remember and to keep students on track is for them to write the page number of what they are questioning or referencing on the sticky note.
An issue with using highlighters and sticky notes is where and how to get them. She suggests having students bring them in by adding them to the supply list. This always sounds like a good idea and fair enough for students to bring them in. Unfortunately in the real world students cant afford or they forget to bring in extra supplies. The teacher usually ends up bringing these materials in. But if its a great strategy then its worth it.
Using different strategies is important to help reach a variety of students. As expected there are challenges and difficulty with each strategy, but it is important to keep things interesting for students so that they don't go into zombie mode in class. Highlighters and sticky notes may work for some and not others. Just try strategies until you can find one that works for you or your students.
Tovani suggests using a yellow highlighter to mark text that is difficult, a pink one to highlight information that is understandable and a different color to highlight the purpose of the text. I think this is a great idea, but I also think it can a bit time confusing and distracting to keep grabbing a different colored highlighter often.
Another strategy that Tovani describes is the use of sticky notes. She has her students write down their thoughts, the purpose or any questions that they think of. She does say that this method can get old and students get tired of using highlighters and sticky notes. Teachers are great at implementing other strategies to keep students interested and on task. Tovani also states that students she has worked with will use the sticky notes to write KICK ME notes and post on someone's back. But that gets old too and students will eventually come around to using them for the purpose of holding their thoughts while reading. Tovani will have students write their thoughts on the sticky notes and she will grade the sticky notes, which she claims is easier than grading and taking home lots of papers. A good thing to remember and to keep students on track is for them to write the page number of what they are questioning or referencing on the sticky note.
An issue with using highlighters and sticky notes is where and how to get them. She suggests having students bring them in by adding them to the supply list. This always sounds like a good idea and fair enough for students to bring them in. Unfortunately in the real world students cant afford or they forget to bring in extra supplies. The teacher usually ends up bringing these materials in. But if its a great strategy then its worth it.
Using different strategies is important to help reach a variety of students. As expected there are challenges and difficulty with each strategy, but it is important to keep things interesting for students so that they don't go into zombie mode in class. Highlighters and sticky notes may work for some and not others. Just try strategies until you can find one that works for you or your students.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)