Building a Knowledge Chps 2-3 Reflection

"...learners must be free to approximate the desired model-mistakes are essential for learning to occur." 

chapter 2 page 26

To often as educators we try to force perfection rather than attempts. This is evident in many teachers' dialogue. For example, a kindergardener spells 'wish' as 'yish.' One may want to rescue this  child from the spelling mishap; however, to an extent, allow students to experiment. Students should do their best, rather than worrying about getting a perfect score or praise. 

"Families influence literacy development in three ways (Leichter,1984): through interpersonal interactions (literacy experiences shared by family members), the physical environment (literacy materials found in the home), and the emotional and motivational climate (the relationships and their attitudes towards literacy.)"

chp 2 page 33

I found this interesting. So much of a child's willingness to learn hinges on their background. As a child, my parents encouraged reading, trips to the library, and other learning opportunities such as museums. As I result, I love reading and encourage others to do so. Others may not have the same access or time to explore libraries or read for fun. Therefore, they haven't truly discovered the love of reading. Not every person is going to enjoy reading, but one must ask, why? What turned them off of reading? When did this occur, and how we can encourage them to get back into reading? 

"Walqui suggests that teachers use the following strategies to create classrooms that are particularly supportive for adolescent ELLs .....amplify and enrich--rather than simplify--the language of the classroom, to give students more opportunities to learn the concepts involved."

chp 3 page 51

I think this is a common misconception of both teachers with ELLs and special needs children. All students should be surrounded by variety and more challenging words than they are used to. This is not to say that one doesn't use smaller words; however, one may want to increase a child's vocabulary and explain the word with other smaller words they are used to. A stronger vocabulary will help their reading as well as their communication skills. 

When Kids Can't Read chp 14 response

"The problem was....that I was handing students books that I loved instead of focusing on what the students might enjoy." 

pg 282

I found the above quote so obvious yet usually overlooked. Not all students are going to love Agatha Christie,  the Twilight series, or biographies. My roommate and I had been hearing about the Twilight hype for a good while before we decided to give it a try. Jen is not one to read 'just for fun' as I was. She started reading the Twilight series and was amazed at not only how fast she was reading them but how much she liked it. I think sometimes educators put too much emphasis on specific books 'have' to read, when actually the students need read and enjoy doing so.

"...Mom said if you'll give me a copy of the itinerary she'll take me to the library. We'll check out books of the places you'll be seeing."

pg 292

I loved this story. My mom was always excited about library trips. My sister and I had our very own library card by the time we were four. I agree with the author that library trips should be a regular occurrence. Libraries are not only wealths of information but also have potential to be great adventures. Some students may not be familiar with libraries and therefore think of them as stuffy and uninviting; however, it is our job as educators to continually disprove this myth. Each teacher should strive for students to discover what books they enjoy reading.

Chapter 1 Reflections

I found this chapter very insightful. On page 3 the author is discussing the diversity of definitions for literacy. 

"Signature literacy, the ability to read and write one's name, was the mark of a literate person at the time of the American Revolution. By the mid-19th century, 'recitation literacy' was the standard, demonstrated by oral recitation of memorized texts, such as Bible verses. Then in the early 20th century the bar was raised: The measure of literacy was the ability to read previously unseen text."

I didn't realize literacy had previously been so crude. This quote made me think about how much plantation owners really understood, how literate they were compared to the modern definition. The 'masters' were probably only a few grade levels above their slaves. 

Another comment I found noteworthy is found on page 7: 

"The diversity of students in public schools today does not support a 'one size fits all' program of reading instruction; rather, teachers must be able to provide instruction appropriate to the wide range of students' experiences and needs."

I thought this was a good point. Since it would be difficult to give one-on-one instruction in a public school setting, smaller groups would be more conducive.

On the same page the author makes a very valid statement.

"teachers must recognize and work to eliminate the ways in which students' ethnicity, culture, language, and social class are used by schools consciously or unconsciously as an explanation for students' success or failure." 

It is important for educators to promote and 'live out' this viewpoint. 

Literature Circles

In my opinion, literature circles could be a useful tool to encourage classroom participation.

  As www.literaturecircles.com states "Group meetings aim to be open, natural conversations about books so personal connections, digressions, and open ended questions are normal." 

This type of activity allows all students, regardless of reading level, to gain different perspectives and converse with their peers. Literature circles may not be the best choice for any student. Some special needs students may have difficulties expressing their thoughts, be socially inept, or even nonverbal. In these cases, a teacher may try a literature journal where each child writes a sentence or two, depending on grade level, about what they enjoyed or found confusing. As the student progressed, depending on the situation, the teacher could include more students in the journal and begin practicing conversations with their peers.

I like how www.literaturecircles.com suggests "when books are finished readers share with their classmates and then new groups form around new reading choices."

I think this would help students become more outgoing and have better communication skills.