Figure 12.3 in the Flint text, titled “Flow Chart to Help Students Monitor Their Comprehension” is an amazing tool, and one that I plan on using in its entirety in my classroom. I find it hard to articulate to a student or a reader how to comprehend and make meaning out of text. This flow chart, though, is both clear and coherent, and I could see it helping many students. The guiding questions and strategies provided here help readers to follow a text, garner its’ meaning, and visualize. I also really like the incredible amount of strategies that are contained in this flow chart. Many readers that I have observed who have trouble making meaning of text become frustrated easily and give up, or simply read the text for reading ability purposes, ignoring the need for comprehension. This chart gives up to 8 possible guiding questions and strategies, which I could see cutting down on this frustration level. Students can see that there are so many different ways to comprehend text, that these strategies are there to help them, not seem daunting, and they are good strong points – they would definitely lead readers to comprehend text well.
I would recommend this flow chart to many of the 6 clusters of struggling readers addressed in the Valencia & Buly article. Specifically, this recommendation would be to Automatic Word Callers, Struggling Word Callers, Slow Word Callers, and Disabled Readers.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Chapter 8 - Flint
In Chapter 8 of Flint, I enjoyed reading about Reading with Fluency and how, in many cases, students who read quickly are not garnering meaning from the text. As a general statement, I think that many believe that “Good readers read fast.” Readers associate a slower pace as being less fluent and a worse reader than their speed reading neighbor. I liked the ideas set forth in the Flint text, including Partner Reading, Repeated Readings and Reader’s Theater. I wonder, though, how effective these practices may be, given their dependence on reading aloud.
As a student, I must say that I find reading aloud to be somewhat of a hindrance to literary development. As a future teacher, I know of course that it is a necessary part of this process, and is one of the only true ways to assess a reader and their abilities. I know, though, from personal experience, that reading aloud is a factor in students comparing their reading speeds, fluency abilities, and their abilities to make meaning out of text. I must agree with the Flint text that using authentic and natural language, in conjunction with high-frequency words, is one of the most effective tools in gaining an actual understanding and assessment of student’s abilities when reading aloud.
As a student, I must say that I find reading aloud to be somewhat of a hindrance to literary development. As a future teacher, I know of course that it is a necessary part of this process, and is one of the only true ways to assess a reader and their abilities. I know, though, from personal experience, that reading aloud is a factor in students comparing their reading speeds, fluency abilities, and their abilities to make meaning out of text. I must agree with the Flint text that using authentic and natural language, in conjunction with high-frequency words, is one of the most effective tools in gaining an actual understanding and assessment of student’s abilities when reading aloud.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Flint, Chapter 11
In so many of our classes, we have heard time and time again the benefits of inquiry based learning. It encourages students to ask questions, facilitates them asking questions such as “why” and “how”, gives them personal ownership of their work, they become risk takers, collaborators and diverse learners. I find all of these to be important and relevant, but the benefit that I believe has the greatest pull is articulated in the Flint text as “Inquiry based teaching requires that teachers and students are active participants.” As both an outside observer and a classroom participant, I can’t even estimate the number of times that I have seen a classroom plagued by uninvolved, inactive students, teachers, or both.
Inquiry based learning, though, seems to be a great tool to solving this problem though. When students are allowed and encouraged to pursue their interests and questions they want to answer, they are engaged in high cognitive function. Even more importantly than that, they are engaged. They’re active. They want to solve the problem, find the answer, or even just figure out how something works. On the teacher’s end, they are required to observe and guide their students. They must actively scaffold them, and lead them in the right direction. Inquiry based learning is an integral part of creating an active, motivated, engaged, educational classroom.
Inquiry based learning, though, seems to be a great tool to solving this problem though. When students are allowed and encouraged to pursue their interests and questions they want to answer, they are engaged in high cognitive function. Even more importantly than that, they are engaged. They’re active. They want to solve the problem, find the answer, or even just figure out how something works. On the teacher’s end, they are required to observe and guide their students. They must actively scaffold them, and lead them in the right direction. Inquiry based learning is an integral part of creating an active, motivated, engaged, educational classroom.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Four- Resource Model
I enjoyed reading Chapter 7 of the Flint text and learning about the four-resource model for beginning readers. I know that I have been wondering when and how I was going to learn how to teach a student to read. These four steps seem to be great starting points for emergent readers. The four components of this model are Code Breaking, Text Participant, Text User and Critical Practices. Though all are integral and integrated with one another, the one that I found most helpful to learn about was Code Breaking.
In my first grade classroom, I find myself marveling at the skills my students have, and how these skills and the knowledge that accompanies them have been relayed to them. Reading and learning about the systematic approach by which teachers may impart the skills to decode, and ultimately, to enter into literacy.
I was torn, though, between the Prescriptive Approach and the Integrated Approach. My gut reaction to “how to teach how to read” is the above model, with a defined set of rules, and a systematic approach to learning sounds and rules – then applying this knowledge to literature. This is very similar to the Prescriptive Approach. The Integrated Approach, though focuses more on predictable language and authentic learning. Even after looking at the comparative chart of the two approaches (pg 185) I can’t make a choice. Traditional? Or Contextual? Do I even have to choose? Can the two be used together? I guess that’s one of the greatest and hardest things about being a teacher. You just have to make your own decision, and run with it. Hopefully you can figure it out along the way.
In my first grade classroom, I find myself marveling at the skills my students have, and how these skills and the knowledge that accompanies them have been relayed to them. Reading and learning about the systematic approach by which teachers may impart the skills to decode, and ultimately, to enter into literacy.
I was torn, though, between the Prescriptive Approach and the Integrated Approach. My gut reaction to “how to teach how to read” is the above model, with a defined set of rules, and a systematic approach to learning sounds and rules – then applying this knowledge to literature. This is very similar to the Prescriptive Approach. The Integrated Approach, though focuses more on predictable language and authentic learning. Even after looking at the comparative chart of the two approaches (pg 185) I can’t make a choice. Traditional? Or Contextual? Do I even have to choose? Can the two be used together? I guess that’s one of the greatest and hardest things about being a teacher. You just have to make your own decision, and run with it. Hopefully you can figure it out along the way.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Differentiated Instruction
A component of differentiated instruction is multiple intelligences. Appealing to and drawing on these different ways that students learn is a great instructional strategy within the classroom. This video on YouTube shows a condensed version of a speech by Ken Robinson. This speech is both informative and engaging, in addition to being humorous and easy to understand.
A point that I really took to heart from this speech comes at around 2:40. Ken says a more elaborate version of the following: “As a kid, you are told that what you like to do will never be a career. So don’t do it. Focus instead on the subjects in school.” Ken calls this “Benign Advice.” This meaning that it doesn’t necessarily harm the student or their future. However, it does little to help them.
By watching this Robinson’s talk, I feel that I am a little bit more excited about differentiating instruction, especially in reference to engaging and activating multiple intelligences within the classroom. Ideally, this will allow students to see that the measurable, data ridden intelligence that is so frequently stressed is not the only marker of an intellectual.
I would highly recommend viewing this short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLi-vJSNP6U&feature=related
A point that I really took to heart from this speech comes at around 2:40. Ken says a more elaborate version of the following: “As a kid, you are told that what you like to do will never be a career. So don’t do it. Focus instead on the subjects in school.” Ken calls this “Benign Advice.” This meaning that it doesn’t necessarily harm the student or their future. However, it does little to help them.
By watching this Robinson’s talk, I feel that I am a little bit more excited about differentiating instruction, especially in reference to engaging and activating multiple intelligences within the classroom. Ideally, this will allow students to see that the measurable, data ridden intelligence that is so frequently stressed is not the only marker of an intellectual.
I would highly recommend viewing this short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLi-vJSNP6U&feature=related
Monday, November 2, 2009
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