Chapter 1 & 2 Post & Reply Due 09-04-2011 DeVries, B. A. (2011). Literacy assessment and intervention for the elementary classroom. Chapter 1- Personal Philosophy and Chapter 2-The Literacy Event
I thought that the review of the various theories in chapter one was extremely helpful. Prior to reading this chapter I had never heard of the critical literacy theory. I think that this is a wonderful theory. It gives students an authentic learning experience, and shows them that there are more reasons as to why reading, writing, and speaking are important. I will be honest though, I was skeptical (until I read the example about the first grade class) as to how you would be able to use this theory in a lesson for lower elementary students. Like any other materials, it can be modified and adapted to meet various grade levels and student needs.
I also loved that there are so many examples throughout this textbook. For example, Figure 1.3 on page 9 gave several strategies to use within the classroom if an educator wants to use the comprehensive approach.
Chapter two started off with stating a list of six critical qualities of knowledge and practices that excellent literacy teachers possess, which were compiled by the International Reading Association (IRA). These qualities definitely give me an idea of what I can do to help students succeed. Figure 2.1 on page 25 also gave a number of characteristics and activities, which made for a great resource.
I have read about Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences, but I can’t say that I ever knew that these weren’t created specifically to describe education and learning styles. It is important for educators to acknowledge all of the preferred learning style within the classroom and use them to better their lessons, as well as student achievement.
I agree that the critical literacy theory is a very interesting and useful theory. Usually, there is a way to use certain things in many levels; fortunately, this is one of those things. I learned about the multiple intelligences in my educational psychology class many years ago and found them interesting because they weren’t developed to reflect education. I also liked how there were examples and lots of ideas of how to use different things that were discussed in the chapters.
After reading your blog, I also enjoyed reading about the Gardner's multiple intelligences. It is important to consider all students strengths when teaching students. My thought though is that would make it really difficult too, for a teacher to consider every student and their strengths in learning, and teach for all the different students. That would take a ton of planning on the teachers end!
1. Analysis of the reading/issue. In Chapters 1 and 2 discussed developing a personal philosophy of reading. I think that this would be interesting because I don’t know where to even start. There was also discussion about different theorists. The English Learners discussion was interesting and it also offers some effective practices. The multimodal literacy information was interesting because it does describe the different ways we should use while giving literacy. There was also discussion about differentiating instruction and the four ways to differentiate instruction. Also, on page 27, there were a couple of great ideas of how to show students their success and give other students literature ideas. 2. Questions/contradictions about the reading/issues. On page 14, there was the TORP. I took the quiz and added all of my scores together. I’m still a little confused on what it’s telling me. Is there any where I can go to find out what all of these scores mean? 3. How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently? It was really interesting reading and coming across numerous sentences about effective teachers. In one of my other classes, we are reading and learning about how to be effective and better teachers. I got to thinking about all of the different things I will have to be doing. I doubt my abilities because I don’t have a clue what to look for. However, I then remember why I’m going back to school and remember that everyone is different and that I will work this out and be able to help students. 4. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience. A lot of the information in these chapters weren’t being used when I was in elementary. However, on page 26, the text discusses motivation. I remember when I was in elementary, I remember never wanting to read or getting nervous before I had to read. I have never enjoyed reading aloud, and I still don’t.
Katie- I was the same way when I was in elementary, but it continued for a long time. I remember my first job in the school system. I was an aid for the kindergarten classes and one day we were having a really hard time with one of the boys. The teacher had to step out and she handed me the book to read to them. Flash backs to childhood began. I started to get nervous. I read and kept reading and the kids were really into the story. I think that is when my phobia finally left. I have become a much better reader since I started college. You kind of have to since we have to read non-stop. However I will never forget what I went through as a child and I strive to make it easier for my students.
I also do not remember a lot of the information and techniques, described for influencing reading, were not being used I was in school. I would consider myself as an average reader. I do fine with reading the words and sounding out, but when it comes to comprehending and remember the paragraph I struggle a great deal. And still do today. I do not remember being motivated to read. I want to do my best within this area with helping students to not have the struggles that I did/do.
Analysis of the reading/issue The first two chapters were filled with a lot of information about reading, how to encourage readers, and how to help readers. I found these chapters to have great ideas to help all teachers to understand the differences that students face when reading. Something the book stated “Diverse learners prevent one lesson plan from fitting all a class’s needs.” I found this to be very right on. I see this every day. The phonics lesson or the math lesson is meant to teach the class, but not all of the students are at the same level and the phonics maybe too hard for them. I think teachers really need to be more creative. The book also stated seven ways to enrich the environment to help students become interested and better at reading. Questions/contradictions about the reading issues My question is really more for ideas. I was reading the scenario in the second chapter thinking how I would love to be a teacher that can make all of the learning fun. The teacher described there seemed to have some great ways of teaching. However when I sub in a classroom or even intern in a classroom I almost never see that. I just wonder why? How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently? One thing that I found interesting that I never really thought of before was when the text was talking about giving rewards. As a sub I try and give rewards as a whole class. But in the book they were talking about how some kids never see the rewards because even though they are working hard it is not obvious to the teacher, so they don’t get the “scoop of ice cream”. After reading that I think I will be more aware and make rewards in my classroom as equal as possible. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience. As a student I was one of those kids that didn’t want to read aloud in front of the class. I wasn’t confident and had a very hard time sounding out words. I think having had this experience as a child I am more aware of how students feel when they are asked to read to the class. I always try to avoid embarrassing students.
Samantha - After reading the scenario on Miss. Brooke's class it sounds like she has everything together. I'm going to assume the Miss. Brooke's has been teaching a while and knows what works best with her students. However, I never see this in the classrooms that I have observed either. I know it will take a couple of years to get the experience to understand what works best for my students and every year will be a new group of students so I will have to start all over. I hope this class will teach us many strategies that we just read about in this scenario to make us successful!
First off I’d like to say how thrilled I am on how easy this book is to read and understand. Chapter one was very helpful because it laid out all the theories in an easy way to understand. I wish I would have had this book to help me study for my PLT. It will be easy to go back to chapter one of this book if I need to refer to any of the theories. I also really liked how at the end of each chapter about the theories it gave an example on how to use it regarding reading. On page 6 of the text it has a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the three major reading approaches. I found this Venn diagram very helpful in distinguishing the differences. The book also points out that not one of these methods is better then the other because not all students learn the same. I really like the quote, “teachers teach children; they do not teach methods or materials.” In chapter two it discusses differentiating instruction which was introduced to me in reading and language arts. I feel like differentiating instruction is a huge part of teaching reading. Theroux identified four different ways to differentiate instruction and I feel like all of these ideas are great and will be very helpful
Chapter one discusses the importance of forming my own teaching philosophy. Usually schools have a school wide way that they do reading. For instance, Hays school districts do accelerated reading. I just want to know if that strategy or method doesn’t work for all students do you use a different strategy or just stick with the one everyone else is using. From what I’ve experienced in the past in my internships the teachers don’t really use differentiated instruction for students that struggle with the method implemented at their school.
I’ve always loved to read so it’s sometimes hard for me to understand why a 1st grader would hate it so much. After reading the reasons for decline in motivation to read it made much more sense to me. I can now look at the issue in a completely different way. It still will break my heart to hear an elementary grade student say they don’t like reading but hopefully through my tutoring sessions I’ll be able to change some minds!
Andrea - I too enjoy how easy to read this text is. DeVries did an excellent job at laying out important information in a easy to read format. I think it is extremely important that educators know and understand the statement about how not one of the theories listed are better than the other because as you stated children all learn differently.
I am so thankful that I took Reading and Language Arts before taking this course because after reading the text I feel like I understand more of what they are talking about. For instance the different centers for children who need different kinds of help in reading; during my internship we practiced this. I am grateful that I was able to see the process of different centers in a classroom setting. However one aspect I learned in regards to centers is that organization is a must. Students must know where they are to be and what they are to be doing once they get there. In my internship classroom my mentor teacher had her students broken down into four groups. They had so much discipline and instruction that one group was even instructed to work at their desk; mind you this was a Kindergarten class. I was amazed at the amount of classroom management I was able to observe. After going through and reading all the approaches the Phonics approach sticks out the most for me. In Reading and Language Arts I saw how important phonics is for students. As our book states phonics approach emphasizes learning the names of each letter of the alphabet and the various sounds associated with the letters. Dr. Walizer has a vowel code rap that we learned to remember these letters; I was thrilled to know that Mrs. Stoppel also uses the vowel code rap. I cannot wait to teach my own students the vowel code rap. However, as I stated before the phonics approach would be an approach I would use in my classroom 100% among other approaches as well, it will all depend on the grade level that I wind up teaching.
One part of this chapter that I really took time to read and completely understand was the part about forming my own teaching philosophy. I know understand the importance in it. It is the foundation of how and what we teach. Along with that it states that we need a literacy philosophy, Meaning we need a reason as to why students read the way they do and what we as teachers are doing to better the education of our students.
Reading about RTI I cannot wait to learn more about MTSS. I understand MTSS to a point but I am so eager to learn more about it and how it works for all students. I plan on teaching back home in rural Kansas and I have high hope that I will help establish MTSS if they have not already done so.
Matraca- I am also extremely thankful for having taken reading and language arts last semester. It was amazing to see the difference centers and the set up for individual reading, group literacy, and silent reading. I also can't wait to learn more about MTSS, as my school doesn't do it yet so I am hoping that through this course and the text I can bring something to them!
Matraca-I too am glad that I took reading and language arts. I think that forming your own teaching philosophy is great because it should reflect you. I too am excited to learn more about MTSS. I feel that this is going to help so many students in reading!
Matraca--I am also thankful I took Reading and Language Arts methods with the corresponding internship last year, I believe the information we learned last semester will help us tremendously this semester with this course. We already have an understanding of what reading is and how to teach it. I can't wait to see all the new, helpful information we are going to learn throughout this cours.
Chapter 1 provides a knowledgeable review of the importance of learning literacy and how this can be done with reading models and practice. It also emphasizes the importance of developing your own teaching philosophy to help assist students with a great learning experience. In developing a philosophy we must understand federal and state laws to abide by, how English learners acquire knowledge, and how we, as instructors, can continually improve our philosophy to aid students and ourselves. Chapter 2 discusses different area components that take part in providing a successful learning environment. Teachers, students, text, context, and task are all components that take part in teaching and learning. Within the reading it discusses motivation and how some factors can provide a decline in motivation to read for students. One topic provided was an emphasis on competition. With teaching reading classrooms usually have a goal or objective to meet for student levels of reading. To practice or enhance this there is usually some form of competition going on within the classroom (ex; AR programs or other reading challenges). Instead of having one goal (competition) for the entire class, have individual goals that are not posted throughout the classroom. Have the goals and achievements only viewable for the teacher and student. Goals should be accommodated for individual students, just as the lesson plans do for those needed. (Hope that makes sense!) Reading more about philosophies and how each individual student is a different learner, is providing me with more and more confidence in myself to assist in educating these students. I have a feeling my philosophy, once developed, may change from the first time I step foot into my own classroom, but I believe I am acquiring a variety of knowledge to adjust and develop a successful philosophy and provide students with a positive learning experience. I have read various materials over different types of outside learning sources. Such as pen pals, foreign exchange programs, and book buddy reading (Chapter 2). I am really interested in this type of learning. I have had knowledge of pen pals, but never had the opportunity to experience this myself. I also observed in a classroom where they did something similar to book buddy reading. It was a 2nd grade classroom that once a week went and read to the Kindergarten students. The instructors both felt this was greatly beneficial and said the students absolutely loved the experience. I definitely want to try and incorporate this type of learning within my classroom.
Sheena- Its sad you never got to experience having a pen pal. But I agree with you on the importance of buddy reading. Its a great confidence booster for both kids involved.
First off, I would like to say that I really enjoyed reading the first two chapters of the text. It is rare that you find a textbook that you actually really enjoy reading and find both interesting and informative. I thought that chapter one was a great re-cap of a lot of things that we learned in Reading/Language Arts Methods. It was nice to be reminded about some of the theories and things that we had previously discussed. After having interned in R/LA last semester, I really enjoyed reading about the "Parts-to-Whole Model" as well as the "Whole-Part-Whole Model" and the "Comprehensive Approach". These were used a lot in my kindergarten classroom and I was really able to relate the readings to that. I really think that Figure 1.3 is a great resource to have on hand and displayed a lot of strategies to use in our classrooms. Chapter two was great also. It is so important that we know what makes reading teachers effective and have the knowledge to be able to know the difference in when a child may really not be understanding the material and when they just need a little motivation. I think that the information on readability was informative also. We really need to make sure that our students are reading books that are at their level. Kids get frustrated and lose interest so easily. Not having books that are right for them is just going to turn them off to reading.
These two chapters did seem to recap a lot that we learned in Reading and Language Arts methods. It was a good refresher! I think it is important that to remember that it doesn't take much for kids to lose focus. We have to always be aware of the kind and level of books that our kids are reading.
"Just another textbook" is what I was thinking when I began reading, but came away wanting to read more. Figure 1.1 gives some facts that I was unaware of about the reading levels of different reading materials. Who would have known that front page newpaper stories were written at a 9th-12th grade reading level. The theories related to literacy were also something that was of interest to me because I need to brush up on my knowledge of the theories. Most of the information in figure 1.3 is useable information for my future classroom. The sections on forming a teaching philosophy was especially useful to me as someone who is trying to formulate my own philosophy. I just love figure 2.1 in chapter 2 of this book. The list of traits that an effective teacher should possess is wonderful. I must pause to say that this is not a book I will sell to the highest bidder at the end of this semester. I have found this book to be highly useful and look forward to replying to others in this blog and entering my own opinions about the chapters. Yippie Skippy for a useful textbook. Thank You!
Jena- I was thinking the same thing as you when I started reading but was surprised how easy the text was to read. I also agree that all this information will be useful in my future classroom
I was surprised to see the information about newspaper reading levels too! Now it makes sense that the fourth graders I had looking for fact and opinion statements in the newspaper were having difficulty. I probably frustrated them all!
Chapter 1 reminds us of the importance of literacy. It is a part of everyday life, and a necessity. Because reading is so important many theories exist in regards to literacy. From constructivist theory which explains linking what students know to what they are being taught to proximal development, which is learning that happens by interacting with someone who already knows the information. As we go on to read, this chapters dives into discussions of reading models, English learners, reading reforms, and how we as future educators will develop our own teaching philosophies for assessing, providing intervention and instruction for readers. Next the chapter discusses the timeline of Reading Reforms that have impacted education as early as 1966 with the elementary and secondary education act. With all the emphasis placed on RTI and the opportunities we have had as students to learn more about response to intervention and MTSS, it was a nice overview and review to see the guiding principles and the process of RTI in the text. And finally, the chapter discusses multimodal literacy which includes four basic literacies: technological, visual, media, and informational. In Chapter 2 the literacy event itself is described. As the text explains, literary experiences or events include several factors; teachers, students, text, context or climate, and task or engaging students in the literary learning process. A common theme arises through the chapter when reading about any of the various factors. That theme is differentiation and motivation. Teachers must differentiate instruction and motivate their students. Students’ knowledge, skills, styles and intelligences are different. Texts vary and have different levels of readability and are appropriate for different students at different points throughout learning. And the climate and task of the classroom should be created with variety in mind as well. Students are motivated differently and in different ways. Therefore literacy events and experiences should reflect this. As we think about the different factors involved in the learning process, I instantly begin to think about my internship classrooms, the students in them, and the phonics and reading programs utilized to reach this variety of learners. Throughout the district I live in, teachers are searching for, borrowing, and constantly changing up their small group literacy center materials. It is amazing to see how different children can be motivated by different things. I believe that teachers in our district strive to create engaging and motivating centers because this is one way they are varying instruction and attempting to reach all students in their classrooms.
The chart about reading levels needed for daily reading materials (Figure 1.1, page 3) was really insightful when it comes to the importance of literacy. This would be something fun to share with students I think, and gather their guesses on what grade level is needed to read certain things. It would make it clear to the students as well that literacy is REALLY important.
Jackie, I really like what you had to say. I think we are in a battle to keep things fresh and new to keep children engaged. When you think about video games, movies, and music they are all constantly changing trying to be the newest and the best, I think children come into some classrooms and see the same old boring stuff. I think we need to be consistently looking for new ways to present the material. Maybe we should start looking at ourselves as superheros in a battle to save our kids. The villain is boredom. Great post
I was pleased to find out how easy of a read this text book is. I usually find it hard to focus and remember what I have read, however, with this text it is easy to follow and understand. I wish I would have had this book prior to taking my PLT, it would have been very helpful when studying. The first chapter talks about how important it is to have a good reading level and comprehension just to survive in life and how many different places require a higher level of reading to understand what they are saying. Chapter one also talks about the different approaches of teaching reading, and how important it is to decide what type of teaching method would work best with your students. The chapter also gives suggestions on how to help students that are ESOL and how to best instruct them.
In chapter two the text talks about literacy and how teachers can help the student succeed. There are different reasons that students loose interest in reading, I did not realize that competition within the classroom would have an effect on the students. If more emphasis is placed on those students who constantly succeed rather than other students who may be at a lower level, the students on the lower level simply give up. Also some students will have a hard time wanting to read if they have no interest in the material they are assigned. I know this is true because I am the same way when it comes to reading, I want to read material that interests me.
I found the chart about reading levels and which levels are needed to read and comprehend certain written pieces you encounter on a daily basis (Figure 1.1, page 3). I never really realized this before reading. It really gives a lot of insight on just how important reading is.
This textbook has useable knowledge and this is one reason it is so easy to remember. I am encouraged that this text will help me in the near future when I will be taking the PLT. The suggestions for teaching ESOL students was also very useable. The examples and text gives seem to be real world examples. I appreciate that the knowledge gained by reading this textbook will be easily transferable into the classroom.
I found this book was a very easy read. In chapters 1 and 2 it discusses developing a personal philosophy of reading. I found the English learners the most interesting part of this book it also gave some examples of effective practices. This book talks a lot about effective teachers. Effective teachers are talked about in each of my methods classes of “how are we going to be effective teacher?” I know that at times it will be a struggle but I will accommodate to each of my students. A lot of information that was given throughout these chapters I don’t feel that my teachers practiced when I was in school. One of the things I’m going to refer a lot to in this book is the motivation part. I feel that if students are motivated to read they will enjoy it more.
I don't know that you'll struggle with making accommodations for all students... I think it will more so be time consuming. Each student has unique needs, abilities, and interests. The only way to make lessons for everyone is to know the students and their needs, abilities, and interests.
Being an effective teacher is something I worry about also. How am I going to make sure each student's needs are met? This is sometimes what I think when I am sitting in class. But as I read more into these chapters I realize that I am getting all of the information I need to become a reliable teacher.
Chapters 1 and 2 made me think about how important it is to really develop your own philosophy about how children learn to read and write in addition to how you teach the children. It is also important to really take each individual child’s learning styles and needs into consideration when teaching. When developing our own philosophy, I think it is essential that we are familiar with the different learning theories. Those theories can be helpful when deciding how to go about teaching reading and how the students learn to read the best. I also think it is necessary that we use a variety of reading models instead of just one. We have been told and retold that all children do no learn the same way. Therefore, switching between the part-to-whole strategy, the whole-part-whole strategy, and the comprehensive approach to teach reading will help to accommodate all students’ needs. I really enjoyed reading the section about RTI. I have really become interested in RTI and MTSS and have high hopes of being a part of that program sometime after I graduate!! I think the only way we can truly be an effective teacher is to know our students. If we do not get to know their background, their learning styles, or their learning needs, how can we teach them? Our planned lessons will be worthless if they are not adapted the students we have in our class. In addition to figuring out how our students learn, we need to figure out what motivates and encourages them to learn. After getting to know our students, we can select appropriate reading material to help them learn. After reading these two chapters, I think the thing that would be most difficult to accomplish is finding the motivation to encourage students. I think this information gives some great ideas that I will definitely keep in mind. As a personal experience, I remember not being able to focus or pay attention if I had to read something I am not interested in. There have even been a few college courses that I have taken where I struggled to read the assigned material because it was just not interesting to me. I think it will be a personal goal of mine to motivate every student and to find reading material that each student enjoys reading. I do not believe that this will be an easy goal by any minds but it is definitely good motivation for me!
Sara D: I think MTSS and RtI are great! Our elementary school was one of the first in our area to start using MTSS. It seems to have made quite a difference for our students. The ones who need some definite interventions are getting what they need to stay on grade level. They are also able to provide more challenging work for the gifted students who need to keep progressing. I think you will really enjoy it if you're able to be placed in a school that utilizes MTSS! Also, I think your comments about theory were very good. We sometimes read through that stuff and memorize what we need to. Those theories, however, really have a lot to offer us as educators. I have either seen or used some of it already! Thanks for your thoughts!!
I think the elementary school that I just worked at transitioned from RTI into MTSS, if that is possible. I remember hearing about both of them. I know that MTSS is being more widely publicized.
Analysis of the reading/issue: In a previous class, we were asked to discuss our personal philosophy about teaching. I had never really stopped to consider what my philosophy actually was, but it really did open up my eyes as to how I might approach my students. It also gave me some insight as to what things I might need to change or adjust. It's extremely important to know your own views, strengths, and weaknesses before heading into the classroom. You will then be able to learn about your students so that you can tailor your teaching to meet their needs. It is also important to keep in mind that ALL students deserve the best education possible, so it is up to us to provide that by making adjustments, accommodations, or providing interventions for our students.
It is also crucial to consider our attitudes and approaches to reading as we teach. Students are more likely to take a positive approach to reading if we model a positive attitude and find ways to motivate our students and increase interest for them. Part of this process involves our knowledge of specific theories, strategies, and learning styles. This will help us pinpoint what our students need and which teaching styles/strategies will work best for each student. Another aspect of meeting a student's needs requires knowing what their reading level is and providing texts that are suited for their skill level. Once all these things have been addressed, then they can get down to reading!
Questions and/or contradictions about the reading/issue: I didn't have any questions this time. I really like the readability of the text book, though! It is straight-forward and gives a lot of good information. It is the perfect way to transition from our RLA course from last semester!!
How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently? Connecting the reading to you: I have always been a voracious reader, so it used to be hard for me to understand why such young children didn't enjoy reading. After working in a Title I reading intervention room for 2 years, I have a better picture of this problem. The book also gave some great explanations for why children lose interest in reading. Competition is something I have seen quite often. There really is a lot of competition these days, even at an early age! One thing I have really noticed is that once you find a subject that they really love, it helps tremendously where their interest & motivation are concerned!!
In response to Nicole Schell, I have never had a class until now that expressed the importance of developing our personal teaching philosophy, but I have often considered my own characteristics and how that will affect my teaching styles. I also think it is so important to consider these things, because how are you suppose to grow as a teacher without reflection?
In contract to you I have never liked to read, especially in school, but I never knew exactly why I had no motivation for it. I love how the book goes through many of the reasons that students loose motivation and how to combat these. After reading these I was able to pick out a few that I thought could have been some of the reasons why I started not liking to read in the lower levels. It’s so important to inspire a love/motivation for reading in the younger grade levels so that this can be cared on and built upon in the upper grades.
This book is a very easy read and I was very excited about that. Chapter 1 was about forming your personal philosophy about assessment and intervention. I enjoyed reading about all of the theories in reading. It is interesting to get the point of view to other people so I can construct my own philosophy. The part I really enjoyed about the chapter was how it explained many different philosophies. I saw a lot of different aspects of these philosophies that I liked. It is hard to determine what kind of classroom you are going to have without knowing what kind of children you have. As a teacher you must adjust how you teach reading so children will learn the best. Not every class will learn the same. RTI is something new I learned about in this chapter. I have learned so many different things about RTI, but there is so much out there. I really enjoyed the way the book broke it down to make it easier to understand.
Chapter 2 was strictly about Literacy. The first section of this was awesome. It is titled Differentiating Instruction. How much more clear can you get? This is a huge concept when becoming a teacher. There was also a section about Gardeners theory of multiple intelligences and how it is related to teaching literacy. I really love how much information this book really has inside of it.
I agree that it is interesting to see how other people, whether it be someone with experience or someone who is at the level that I am at, view point. No, not every class, or every student for that matter will learn the same. So we as teachers need to know our students the best we can and teach them how they best learn.
I agree that this chapter was exciting to read. I feel that I am developing my own teaching views and philosophy. RTI was defined in a way that made sense and gave me a clear image in my head on how RTI is used at the federal level. In the 2nd chapter I found the information about multiple intelligences to be useful in my current job as a Para and know this information will help me identify my future learners.
I really like the fact that you mentioned altering instruction for the benefit of the young reader! With the elements of comprehensive reading, it is a very beneficial reading method that targets a wide range of students. I know this element is going to be a vital part of tutoring this semester!
RTI was broken down quite well in chapter 1. I enjoyed how the author talked about it, then talked about relevant laws regarding RTI as well. In the next column, the guiding principles basically breaks down RTI step by step.
For anyone wanting to know more on Response To Intervention, this is a good way to start!
Chapter one starts off by talking about the Critical Literacy Theory, and how we as teachers need to ask questions not only to ourselves but to the students in our class. We need to ask questions like: does the character in the story, picture, etc. show what the person might truly look like. The chapter gave an example of how a first grade teacher had her first graders look at a catalog and see if the women in the pictures resembled their mothers in any way. This helps students understand that books with fiction or non fiction can be misleading. I took a Diverse Learners class at Emporia State and the teacher taught us how we as teachers need to look at a book and decide if the book depicts diversity in the right way or does it just stereo type people. Chapter one goes on to talk about reading models, such as: part-to-whole model, whole-part-whole model. In each of these models it breaks down how each of them works and also gives examples. I enjoy how this chapter gives effective ways to be effective with English language learners: understand their culture and background, be flexible, let them talk and ask questions in a non judgmental environment. The last part I really like because it breaks down RTI in to steps that is easy to understand. Chapter two is a great chapter! It starts off great by giving a list of six characteristics an effective literacy teacher should have. Those six are time, text, teaching, talk, tasks, and testing; each one has to do with the students. Don’t have the students do worksheets, allow students to read texts that they are interested in, other wise they get board. Teachers need to model for the students more, not just assign homework, and they need allow the students to feel comfortable to ask questions. Teachers need to incorporate more than just reading into literature, use writing, listening, speaking, and thinking. Finally, teachers need to let the students know how and on what they will be graded and that is through the use of a rubric. This chapter gives ideas on how to increase motivation, which can be a very difficult thing to do. Sometimes we as teachers have to teach something the students may not like, but by using a positive attitude and changing up what you teach, what they do not like, that will help them stay focused and get it done. Basically this chapter talks about knowing your students and how they learn best. Know where their reading level is and what they are interest in, and allow reading books of poems, dramas, and nonfiction. Let them have verity! I know that when I was able to chose the books I loved to read I did better on the AR tests than when I had to read something I did not like. These chapters did not leave me with any questions. Both had great charts and examples of what the authors were talking about.
Carrie S., like you I appreciated the way this book explains and breaks down the RTI process. I have read about it before in other texts for other classes, but only briefly. After reading this book I feel like I have a much better understanding of what RTI is and how to do it.
In chapter one, I was relieved to see an overview of different reading theories and the various acts presented by congress. This allowed me to connect the importance of offering students multiple reading experiences. In addition, I found figure 1.3 to be a very useful reference to the comprehensive approach. As I prepare for tutoring, I will reference this section frequently. Moreover, I was very intrigued by the English language learners section, figure 1.4 is a great time line of the stages ELL students undergo.
In chapter two, I loved the idea of a gumball machine bulletin board as a whole class reward! I really think this would take out competition between who is the best and worst reader among student discussion. Additionally, I really liked that the chapter addressed how to guide students into choosing appropriate reading materials to increase their enjoyment of reading. Page 33 has a great numbered list when selecting appropriate reading materials!
I find this text very compelling, for I am beginning to see why I struggled with comprehension and phonemic awareness as a beginning reader. One goal I have this semester is to find many varieties of appropriate text that can help my students relate and have high interest in the material. My hope that as a read this text is I will be better able to understand other student’s reading difficulties during tutoring this semester!
This text discussed many crucial topic involved not only in teaching reading but every subject. I really enjoyed chapter 1 about developing your own teaching styles. Over the past 3 years we all have been taught many different teaching strategies and theories. This book was the first to express the importance of developing one’s own philosophy. With everything I have learned I am very fond of the comprehensive approach to teaching reading because of the variety of different teaching methods and activities. Also in this chapter I learned about the TPR approach for teaching EL students. I’m interested in learning more about this approach sense most of the focus in my educational courses has been the SI model. I also found the list of effective practices for EL very beneficial. Also in this chapter was overview of historical reading reforms. Most of this information was a review but it’s important to learn from the past in order to move forward in the future. Chapter two had a plethora of information that I found very interesting. The first section that I liked was in the scenario where it listed the activities that a classroom uses that directly affected all of her students reading abilities. This is important for all of us because it shows very simple events that can be very positive. The section that follows is a list of characteristics that every teacher should have. Another major epidemic is schools today is student’s lack of motivations students have for reading and why. This is very important for teachers; we need to be able to find the root cause for this and how to combat it. Another important discussed in the text that directly relates to our tutoring and this class knows your students reading levels and administering the correct test to find these levels. Overall there are many different aspects of reading and literacy as teachers it is our job to find every child’s level in each of these areas. The main importance that we all should take from this reading is a student’s ability to read and motivation to read is directly effect by the teacher and her methods for instructions. I don’t have any questions regarding the text just yet.
Like has been mentioned before, this book is a very easy read. It is broken into easy understanding sections, each marked with a heading.
Chapter 1 starts by reviewing all of the different learning theories, and then talks about how teachers can develop their own philosophies in their own classrooms. I never really put much thought into the learning theories until I got out into my internships. I started to think on those theories, and actually put them into practice. Chapter 1 also talked about effective practices with ELL students. The number of those students has grown over 70% since 1994, so this discussion will become more prevalent as we, as prospective teachers, develop our own classrooms. And finally RTI is broken down in this chapter. I found this incredibly helpful, as we are getting educated on MTSS, but don't hear much on RTI here in Kansas.
Chapter 2 is all about literacy, and how teachers can teach literacy. One section I liked was named "Teaching Recommendations, to increase motivation". This part was about just that, motivating students to read. The author put 6 evidence-based principles to use as motivation techniques in this section, which were very interesting to read about. In the end, literacy is a complex task, and teachers have to be able to get the concept across, all while keeping them interested, even if they get frustrated.
The book was really easy to read and to understand. It is nice to have it broken down in sections with headings...especially in color! This book would definitely pass Fry's readability test. I do agree with you, literacy is a complex task. Teachers HAVE to be able to get the concept across and still keep the subject interesting for the students. It's hard but it can be accomplished.
After reading Chapter 1: Reading Philosophies and Chapter 2: The Literacy Event, I know this textbook and this entire course is going to be filled with great, useful information about teaching reading throughout the classroom. I am excited to learn about the different reading methods out there for teaching reading and ways to fit each child's needs. Chapter one was Reading Philosophies and the different theorist who used them. I really enjoyed reading about each theory and thinking about what theory I want to try to use in my own classroom. Every teacher can use their own philosophies if they are working. Chapter two was over The Literacy Event and it was all about literacy. What it is and how to teach it. I found this to be very interesting because literacy is definitely Important in reading, I am very thankful I took Reading and Language Arts methods and the corresponding internship because I learned a lot about what reading was and different methods to help teach/learn how to read. This course is going to be very beneficial for the future for us all new teachers.
I liked the review of several learning theories and reading models that the first chapter provided. It seems like as I get more into my classes, I tend to focus on one or two theories and it's good to be reminded of other ideas every now and then, even once I become a teacher. I'm sure most of you would agree that our personal philosophies of education are not set at this point. Each class, teacher, peer, student, and school I experience changes the idea I thought I had about education a little bit and I expect that will continue throughout my career. I also think you all would agree that no single learning theory seems to be the best. Taking pieces of several theories to create what works for us and our students will be ideal.
One part of the chapter that I could use more information and training with was the ELL section. Not having any actual experience with English language learners makes me a little bit nervous. I know some things to expect and look for, but I don't think it's something that I will fully understand until I get the actual practice.
Reading is a subject that I think might be a bigger struggle for English Language Learners, but what I keep forgetting is that they are just like other students in that they have prior knowledge that I need to build on. I kind of always thought of students who don't speak English as blank slates, but they're not. I need to figure out how to relate my materials to them. Like all students, they need to read at a level that doesn't frustrate them and I need to provide books that interest them. I look forward to learning more about this throughout the semester and becoming a better educator for it.
Chapter 1 was a good introduction to the reading process and provided good reasoning on why learning how to read and process information is important, such as warning signs, disclaimers, legal documents, instruction manuals, food packaging, etc. Knowing how to read and interpret information is vital to being a functioning member of society. I think that out of all the information, being an educator of critical literacy is the most functional since it involves the understanding of literacy in the various formats that are used in modern society, such as ebooks, blogs, and the more traditional formats. It was interesting that there is not one right or wrong method of teaching literacy that is most effective across all kinds of learners, but rather that each teacher must adapt to the unique needs of the students, and that not only changes from year to year but day to day among the same population. Near the end of the chapter was information on RTI (response to intervention) which I am somewhat already familiar with since it was the method used at an elementary school I recently worked at.
Chapter 2's Figure 2.1 on page 25 was very helpful as a guide for building effective literacy teachers (and thus learners). That type of guide would be effective to be printed and laminated and placed in the front of a reading binder. Figure 2.5 was also helpful and could prove as a helpful reference. I thought it was interesting that they included silent reading as an important part of the literacy process since it helps build reading skills such as skimming and scanning text; which I always thought was something that was taught by a teacher and not individually. Throughout school I always enjoyed the silent reading time, or SSR (Sustained Silent Reading) as it was called.
I agree, Jessica, that we need to be using more technology in our schools today. Critical literacy was a new term for me. Beginning this month, our fourth through sixth graders at the elementary school I work in is getting IPads for each student. I am anxious to see how the teachers will integrate these into their lessons. Laminating figure 2.1 is an excellent idea. Then I could have it as a constant reminder of what I am striving to be. Great post!
After reading Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, I felt that these chapters were extremely informative by covering research based methods and theories for reading instruction in the classroom. It also covered the laws and acts that have been passed to ensure that reading is being taught with research based theories and regulating instructors through testing. The big five is encourage also, to give teachers direction and structure in pin-pointing what students may need to work on to reach their full potential, to enable students to have reading as a strength rather than a weakness. These chapters enabled me to better understand what the foundations of reading are, and provide better research based methods to reference when talking or writing about what strategies will work best and why we use them in the classroom. Working in the special education office at a school, I have learned that parents want to know in meeting what instructional method the teacher is implementing and why that strategy is best for their student. As a teacher, especially in special education or reading remediation (MTSS, RTI, or an IEP meeting) the teacher needs to be able to explain why she/he is implementing a certain strategy and why.
Alison, I agree it is important to know not only the content but also why we are using the content. Parents are becoming more and more involved in their children's education. It is important for us to work as a team to help the children instead of bumping heads against the parents. As a parent I expect my children's teacher to know why she is teaching my children certain strategies. Teachers are given quite a bit of freedom to express their teaching in their own way so I hope were doing it the best way. Great post.
Much of chapters one and two was a review of some of the things we have been learning. The idea of using multiple modalities to engage students’ multiple intelligences is one example of this. The references to the learning theorists, such as Vygotsky and Brunner are a few more. I like the figures in this book such as figure 1.4 that explains English language development and figure 2.1 that lists traits and activities of effective literacy teachers. These provide us with quick references on many important topics. I am glad this text covers how to select appropriate reading materials for different students. This is something I have been wondering about as I think ahead to our upcoming tutoring sessions. I understand the importance of providing students with literature at the level that is appropriate for them, and I want to be able to do this for my students.
I also loved the figures in the text, especially figure 2.1. I love the fact that there are so many activities and techniques that we can take away from the text and apply in our own lives. I think that is the way all texts and teaching should be for students as well. I believe they have more fun and are more interested when they can apply what they’re learning. I’ve also been wondering about how to choose the proper read alouds and guided reading books for the tutoring sessions. This reading has helped me a little bit with that as well. Like you said, it’s extremely important to provide students with literature that is at their learning level and not their frustration level. I think this book will really help us do that!
The methods courses I had last semester and the ones I have this semester require me to relate many different theories to my experiences with the students in the field. I’ve learned of so many theories in the past but chapter one really helped refresh my mind on many of them that relate to literacy. I was shown the importance of the constructivist theory last semester during my reading and math internships. When I was writing my lesson plans for my observation teaches I greatly relied on the information my mentor had been teaching the students prior to my lesson. She stressed the importance of tying my lessons to that information the students had been learning. The fact that I utilized the constructivist theory when planning my lessons is what helped the students have a meaningful learning experience. I was also able to relate a little information to Maslows hierarchy of human needs. Reading over the theory again made me recognize the importance of providing the students I will be tutoring with snacks. Like the text says, students need their physiological needs filled before any of the others can be addressed. The theory also allowed me to see the importance of students having a sense of belonging in the classroom. It is important to group students and provide them with a family feeling the classroom. There are so many factors, or needs, that need to be addressed so students can have a meaningful learning experience. It makes me nervous to think about how I will be able to address all of these needs for all of my future students. I do know that doing so is critical in my teaching though so I guess one big question is how will I be able to address these needs for 20+ students all at the same time? I suppose through interning, tutoring, and student teaching I will feel more confident in addressing these needs for all students but I’m so eager to learn about it now!
Chapter two is a lot about being a good/effective literacy teacher. One thing I love about this chapter is the traits and activities list for being and effective teacher in figure 2.1. This list is going to be so useful for me in the future. I already have many ideas flowing about how I can be the most effective teacher possible. One key factor in whether or not I’m an effective teacher is whether or not I can motivate the students. This chapter stresses the importance of motivation for students. There are so many extrinsic motivational tools being used such as candy for students doing well. What’s lacking is intrinsic motivation. Like the text says, many extrinsic rewards emphasize competition in the classroom. This can cause students to become unmotivated if they don’t succeed. Rather than getting students interested in getting a piece of candy or being the winner I see the importance of engaging the students in a concept by teaching them what interests them. Just like the paragraph above, I question how I’m going to do this. I question how I’m going to cater to all students need and I question how I’m going to get every student interested in the content that I have to teach them. Again, I’m hoping the answers will come with experience but it’s nerve-wracking until them. Both of these chapters have been very informative and I’m excited to continue on in this book. It’s nice to read something that I’m intrinsically motivated to read. I’m so interested in this text and that is how I hope my future students feel about the content I teach them.
I am glad to hear that I am not the only one wracking my brain over questions on how I will be effective in the classroom. I have met some really great teachers over the last few years and I often wonder how they do it. I want to be the one who makes a difference. I am sure that no one goes into the job wanting to be known as the " bad teacher". It would be nice to hear what to do and what "not" to do.
I have to say after taking my background knowledge, what I have heard in class discussion, and what I have been reading in chapter one and two; being extremely knowledgeable in practices for English learners is very important. I see our focus on that in all of the texts that we have been using in the Elementary Education classes. Many of the steps and procedures I’m finding, I am already applying in the classes that I work in. The review and in some cases information that I missed about reading models was a very good refresher. I thought that figure 1:3 would be very useful for my tool belt. The school that I am at is currently using MTSS. We have had several in-services on MTSS. Both as a teacher and a mother I am very glad that we are putting assessments to use to help improve our teaching. In some classrooms I see a lot of paper pushing (giving worksheets), I know that sometimes a worksheet or even weekly tests are important, but some teachers never go over the wrong answers with the students. I know students will just throw the paper away; I like when I see a teacher walk the students through what and why it should be a certain answer so the children can learn from their mistakes. I know it may take some time. When chapter 2 talks about teaching children how and when to use reading strategies really breaks it down. Children have to be taught to think for themselves. We face words even at 40 years old that we don’t know. We have to be able to use our resources; sounding it out, context clues, and other strategies to think for ourselves.
Our local school district is also utilizing MTSS. I am still waiting for a course to give me a more indepth explanation and examples of this method of assessment. I have heard great things of this method so far, just want to know more.
There are always new theories coming out in regards how to educate today's youth. I enjoy this literature because it is easier to understand than the original educational psychology literature and will definitely assist me in being a thorough review for the PLT. I went through educational psychology last summer. It was so focused on solely how the psychology played in the classroom, that it could get stressful at moments when I was trying to self educate myself. I appreciate the additional examples throughout the text as it makes everything more of a classroom setting.
Chapter 1 deals with the various theories related to literacy and encourages future teachers to form their own teaching philosophy. I have been working on and revising my philosophy since I took my first Introduction to Education course at my local Jr. College. It is funny to see how my philosophy has changed and developed over the years. The more knowledge I gain about the art of teaching, the more I find myself tweaking my own personal philosophy. The chapter also gave some great information for teaching literacy to ELL’s. We learned about sheltered instruction in our diverse learner course. I am particularly interested in this area because I plan to get my ESOL endorsement and study abroad in S. America to acquire the language. The chapter gave some great instructional strategies for ELL’s that I can utilize in my diverse classroom like choral reading and interactive writing. One great thing about this chapter is it was a review of information and vocabulary that has been introduced in previous courses. The nuts and bolts of chapter 2 were being an effective teacher. One of my biggest concerns is that I learn to be and meet the criteria that determine that of an effective teacher. Figure 2.1 on pg 25 gives a list of traits and activities of effective literacy teachers. As I looked over the list #22 and #28 really stuck out. They are very similar as one is understand that no single strategy works best for all children and the other is understand the uniqueness of each student. I believe that these are two of the most important traits in a diverse classroom. And finally, I would like to point out my own personal belief of an effective teacher. I believe that it takes more than just content knowledge to teach effectively, there must also be a HEART involved. In my future classroom I want to never lose sight of this.
My teaching philosophy has also changed a lot as I've progressed and further completed my education. I think your teaching philosophy should be continually evolving and be open to change, even as an experienced educator. I think this is an important part of professional development. I would also like to get my ESOL endorsement and think that this will help me be a more effective teacher someday.
Chapter 1 discusses “forming a personal philosophy about literacy assessment and intervention.” It began by discussing different reading models including “part-to-whole, whole-part-whole, and a comprehensive approach.” Prior to reading this chapter was familiar with many of the approaches discussed either by seeing them used or reading about them. However, I am still not sure which I personally feel is most effective. I do like that the text states though that “no one method suits everyone,” and further states that we must understand that “teachers teach children; they do not teach methods and materials.” It is important to find the model that works best for student and teacher. I hope this class will help me to continue to develop my own personal philosophy on reading instruction. I also really enjoyed the classroom strategies and activities found in figure 1.3 and could see myself integrating many of these things into my lessons this semester and also using them in my future teaching. I also enjoyed the section titled “Effective Practices for English Learners.” Strategies for teaching ELL students has also been something I want to know more about, and I’m glad to see it made a focus in textbooks. Chapter 2 discusses the complexity of learning to read and the teacher’s role in the process. I particularly liked the section on motivation. It seems that students should be motivated to learn to read because it is such a necessity. However, as the section on motivation points out, there are many reasons that students could lose their motivation to read and that even at a young age they are aware of their and their peers reading proficiency. I also like the section on how teachers can increase a student’s motivation to read and can see myself using these strategies with students. Lastly, I also enjoyed the section on learning styles and multiple intelligences. I think it is important for a teacher to incorporate as many different learning styles as possible to ensure they are reaching as many students as possible. This is a great way to differentiate instruction and was a good reminder as we begin to think about creating lessons.
Lindsay I too am looking forward to learning more about developing my own philosophy on reading. Right now if I had to give my philosophy I would have to say I need to learn more about how to effectively teach to understand what my philosophy should be. I think tutoring will give us a great insight into how to help students with reading and the beginning stages of developing that philosophy will start to come together. I am ready to learn as much as I can and begin using that information to help students.
I found chapter one and two both very informative. The first chapter focuses on the various kinds models regarding reading. Also the chapter discuss about the reading practices that are federal and state and multimodal literacies. I really liked Figure 1.4 on page 11. I like how some textbooks puts information into a chart. This makes it easier on the eyes to understand the information. Some of the information in the chapter was repetitive such as the information for English learners. The text over teaching philosophy was important to me. I have not yet formed my own teaching philosophy and actually have been thinking about that lately. The information over Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1966 very new to me; I am surprised that I have not heard of it before. The information over RTI was very familiar to me. I had to do some research over RTI in one of my classes. I liked how the text went into detail over the guiding principles because these were new for me to read. My question is that will the schools get rid of RTI completely since MTSS is being accepted in the schools?
Chapter two was a complete review from what I have learned in Reading and Language Art methods and Curriculum and Assessment; which made me excited to read because I knew what the text was explaining. I liked how the text mentioned ways to motivate students and the types of students that a teacher will come across in her classroom over the years. A teacher should always be prepared. Once again I enjoyed looking at the table 2.5 this just makes the information easier to understand when it is organized in a different form. The section over readability was a great refresher I remember seeing the fry readability chart in one of my other textbooks. I also had to put a textbook to readability test. You would be surprised on the textbooks that are not very well written.
I also enjoy the figures and tables provided in the text. This text will be a great tool for us as we began our careers. Your thoughts on developing your own teaching style really got my wheels spinning. I need to get this done also!
Chapter 1 gave me alot to think about. The main thing it brought to the surface was needing to know what my personal philosophy is about reading. First, I learned a new term, critical literacy theory, which I had never heard of until I read this chapter. I can see this theory being utilized more in the upper grades, but the example of walking in Ruby Bridges shoes is something that can be done in the elementary level. It was informative to learn about all the different reading models. After reviewing each model, the comprehensive approach is the model I have seen used the most in our school district. It is also the model I feel most represents me. Like many others in this class, I too thought figure 1.3 was a very useful tool to bring into my classroom. Unfortunately, figure 1.4 made me aware of all the things we are not doing in my elementary school for our students in ESOL. But it helped me realize when I have my own classroom, there are many things that I can do to help my students that are struggling with English. Towards the end of chapter 1, the author discusses RTI. This is a reading process that we use in our school district and I have seen good results come from it. Chapter 2 begins by discussing what is an effective literacy teacher. In my social studies methods course we are researching what are the qualities of an effective teacher, so this was a good connection for me. The chapter continues with so much good information. Motivation is definitely one area I need some ideas in. The author described several of my first grade students when they read during independent reading time. I plan on utilizing some of the recommendations they give in the book this week to help motivate the unmotivated. The chapter was also a good review in the areas of multiple intelligences, selecting appropriate texts, and readability tests. Lots of good information to ponder on as we begin the semester!
As I am saddened that figure 1.4 brought to your attention the things that we are not doing for our ESOL students, I am very excited that you are aware of a problem and will be one to fix it!!
Reading chapter 1 gave me a lot of insight to the way I should be preparing to teach reading to students. I took the DeFord TORP inventory and my results indicated that I have not given much thought to how I would teach and assess reading. This course is going to give me the insight that I need to be able to develop a philosophy and plan for teaching reading. When the book talked about DEAR time I noticed that it encouraged teachers to read during that time as well, I know that the teachers in my children's school do not model reading for pleasure, they use DEAR time to catch up on work that they need to do. I like the idea of modeling good reading habits for the students and I am going to take a book to read when I sub, not textbooks:). I also found it interesting about the way students are grouped to read. The book said that if struggling readers are grouped together than they will never hear fluent readers and begin to think of themselves as poor readers. I would have to agree that if someone is not encouraged and thinks badly about themselves they will not try as hard.
In chapter 2 when the emphasis on competition was mentioned I immediately thought of the Pizza Hut Book It rewards. I remember when I was a little girl we were very poor and to earn one of those certificates meant that I was going to get a free pizza and I worked hard for them. I love to read so I don't think it was very hard for me to earn it but I do understand it might feel for someone who never earned that reward. I do like the idea of having a classroom party for the whole class. This will give them all something to look forward to and hopefully motivate children to read knowing that the party depends on all of them to happen. The Edward Fry readability test was something I learned about last semester and still find to be very interesting. I like the fact that there are tools that can assist a teacher in ensuring the correct level of texts are selected for the reader. I can never read too much about the different learning styles and theories so I liked the review that this chapter gave over those items.
Chapter 1 of the DeVries text provides a wealth of information on reading methods and styles of teaching reading. One of my biggest fears is that I won’t be able to reach the needs of each student in my classroom. This chapter offered a peace of mind as it pointed out that one particular method will not work for everyone. I found figure 1.3 to be very helpful with a list of strategies to implement into my planning. Another interesting part of the chapter was the discussion on the multimodal literacy. As we move into the digital future, multimodal literacy will be an emphasis is my classroom in the years to come. Chapter 2 began with a great quote from Herbert Spencer! I found the six critical qualities of knowledge and practice that excellent literacy teachers possess. When reading the list I thought, DUH these are no brainers. I took a few minutes to ponder the list and a few teachers stuck out in my mind that do not meet the criteria. I then became prepared to do whatever I have to do to work for my students. I was excited to see Howard Gardner’s theory revisited in this chapter. I firmly believe in multiple intelligences and think that I have a good understanding how important it is to use cross curricular in my lesson planning.
I thought that the review of the various theories in chapter one was extremely helpful. Prior to reading this chapter I had never heard of the critical literacy theory. I think that this is a wonderful theory. It gives students an authentic learning experience, and shows them that there are more reasons as to why reading, writing, and speaking are important. I will be honest though, I was skeptical (until I read the example about the first grade class) as to how you would be able to use this theory in a lesson for lower elementary students. Like any other materials, it can be modified and adapted to meet various grade levels and student needs.
ReplyDeleteI also loved that there are so many examples throughout this textbook. For example, Figure 1.3 on page 9 gave several strategies to use within the classroom if an educator wants to use the comprehensive approach.
Chapter two started off with stating a list of six critical qualities of knowledge and practices that excellent literacy teachers possess, which were compiled by the International Reading Association (IRA). These qualities definitely give me an idea of what I can do to help students succeed. Figure 2.1 on page 25 also gave a number of characteristics and activities, which made for a great resource.
I have read about Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences, but I can’t say that I ever knew that these weren’t created specifically to describe education and learning styles. It is important for educators to acknowledge all of the preferred learning style within the classroom and use them to better their lessons, as well as student achievement.
I agree that the critical literacy theory is a very interesting and useful theory. Usually, there is a way to use certain things in many levels; fortunately, this is one of those things. I learned about the multiple intelligences in my educational psychology class many years ago and found them interesting because they weren’t developed to reflect education. I also liked how there were examples and lots of ideas of how to use different things that were discussed in the chapters.
DeleteAfter reading your blog, I also enjoyed reading about the Gardner's multiple intelligences. It is important to consider all students strengths when teaching students. My thought though is that would make it really difficult too, for a teacher to consider every student and their strengths in learning, and teach for all the different students. That would take a ton of planning on the teachers end!
Delete1. Analysis of the reading/issue.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapters 1 and 2 discussed developing a personal philosophy of reading. I think that this would be interesting because I don’t know where to even start. There was also discussion about different theorists. The English Learners discussion was interesting and it also offers some effective practices. The multimodal literacy information was interesting because it does describe the different ways we should use while giving literacy. There was also discussion about differentiating instruction and the four ways to differentiate instruction. Also, on page 27, there were a couple of great ideas of how to show students their success and give other students literature ideas.
2. Questions/contradictions about the reading/issues.
On page 14, there was the TORP. I took the quiz and added all of my scores together. I’m still a little confused on what it’s telling me. Is there any where I can go to find out what all of these scores mean?
3. How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently?
It was really interesting reading and coming across numerous sentences about effective teachers. In one of my other classes, we are reading and learning about how to be effective and better teachers. I got to thinking about all of the different things I will have to be doing. I doubt my abilities because I don’t have a clue what to look for. However, I then remember why I’m going back to school and remember that everyone is different and that I will work this out and be able to help students.
4. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience.
A lot of the information in these chapters weren’t being used when I was in elementary. However, on page 26, the text discusses motivation. I remember when I was in elementary, I remember never wanting to read or getting nervous before I had to read. I have never enjoyed reading aloud, and I still don’t.
Katie-
DeleteI was the same way when I was in elementary, but it continued for a long time. I remember my first job in the school system. I was an aid for the kindergarten classes and one day we were having a really hard time with one of the boys. The teacher had to step out and she handed me the book to read to them. Flash backs to childhood began. I started to get nervous. I read and kept reading and the kids were really into the story. I think that is when my phobia finally left. I have become a much better reader since I started college. You kind of have to since we have to read non-stop. However I will never forget what I went through as a child and I strive to make it easier for my students.
I also do not remember a lot of the information and techniques, described for influencing reading, were not being used I was in school. I would consider myself as an average reader. I do fine with reading the words and sounding out, but when it comes to comprehending and remember the paragraph I struggle a great deal. And still do today. I do not remember being motivated to read. I want to do my best within this area with helping students to not have the struggles that I did/do.
DeleteAnalysis of the reading/issue
ReplyDeleteThe first two chapters were filled with a lot of information about reading, how to encourage readers, and how to help readers. I found these chapters to have great ideas to help all teachers to understand the differences that students face when reading. Something the book stated “Diverse learners prevent one lesson plan from fitting all a class’s needs.” I found this to be very right on. I see this every day. The phonics lesson or the math lesson is meant to teach the class, but not all of the students are at the same level and the phonics maybe too hard for them. I think teachers really need to be more creative. The book also stated seven ways to enrich the environment to help students become interested and better at reading.
Questions/contradictions about the reading issues
My question is really more for ideas. I was reading the scenario in the second chapter thinking how I would love to be a teacher that can make all of the learning fun. The teacher described there seemed to have some great ways of teaching. However when I sub in a classroom or even intern in a classroom I almost never see that. I just wonder why?
How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently?
One thing that I found interesting that I never really thought of before was when the text was talking about giving rewards. As a sub I try and give rewards as a whole class. But in the book they were talking about how some kids never see the rewards because even though they are working hard it is not obvious to the teacher, so they don’t get the “scoop of ice cream”. After reading that I think I will be more aware and make rewards in my classroom as equal as possible.
Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience.
As a student I was one of those kids that didn’t want to read aloud in front of the class. I wasn’t confident and had a very hard time sounding out words. I think having had this experience as a child I am more aware of how students feel when they are asked to read to the class. I always try to avoid embarrassing students.
Samantha -
DeleteAfter reading the scenario on Miss. Brooke's class it sounds like she has everything together. I'm going to assume the Miss. Brooke's has been teaching a while and knows what works best with her students. However, I never see this in the classrooms that I have observed either. I know it will take a couple of years to get the experience to understand what works best for my students and every year will be a new group of students so I will have to start all over. I hope this class will teach us many strategies that we just read about in this scenario to make us successful!
First off I’d like to say how thrilled I am on how easy this book is to read and understand. Chapter one was very helpful because it laid out all the theories in an easy way to understand. I wish I would have had this book to help me study for my PLT. It will be easy to go back to chapter one of this book if I need to refer to any of the theories. I also really liked how at the end of each chapter about the theories it gave an example on how to use it regarding reading. On page 6 of the text it has a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the three major reading approaches. I found this Venn diagram very helpful in distinguishing the differences. The book also points out that not one of these methods is better then the other because not all students learn the same. I really like the quote, “teachers teach children; they do not teach methods or materials.” In chapter two it discusses differentiating instruction which was introduced to me in reading and language arts. I feel like differentiating instruction is a huge part of teaching reading. Theroux identified four different ways to differentiate instruction and I feel like all of these ideas are great and will be very helpful
ReplyDeleteChapter one discusses the importance of forming my own teaching philosophy. Usually schools have a school wide way that they do reading. For instance, Hays school districts do accelerated reading. I just want to know if that strategy or method doesn’t work for all students do you use a different strategy or just stick with the one everyone else is using. From what I’ve experienced in the past in my internships the teachers don’t really use differentiated instruction for students that struggle with the method implemented at their school.
I’ve always loved to read so it’s sometimes hard for me to understand why a 1st grader would hate it so much. After reading the reasons for decline in motivation to read it made much more sense to me. I can now look at the issue in a completely different way. It still will break my heart to hear an elementary grade student say they don’t like reading but hopefully through my tutoring sessions I’ll be able to change some minds!
Andrea -
DeleteI too enjoy how easy to read this text is. DeVries did an excellent job at laying out important information in a easy to read format. I think it is extremely important that educators know and understand the statement about how not one of the theories listed are better than the other because as you stated children all learn differently.
I am so thankful that I took Reading and Language Arts before taking this course because after reading the text I feel like I understand more of what they are talking about. For instance the different centers for children who need different kinds of help in reading; during my internship we practiced this. I am grateful that I was able to see the process of different centers in a classroom setting. However one aspect I learned in regards to centers is that organization is a must. Students must know where they are to be and what they are to be doing once they get there. In my internship classroom my mentor teacher had her students broken down into four groups. They had so much discipline and instruction that one group was even instructed to work at their desk; mind you this was a Kindergarten class. I was amazed at the amount of classroom management I was able to observe. After going through and reading all the approaches the Phonics approach sticks out the most for me. In Reading and Language Arts I saw how important phonics is for students. As our book states phonics approach emphasizes learning the names of each letter of the alphabet and the various sounds associated with the letters. Dr. Walizer has a vowel code rap that we learned to remember these letters; I was thrilled to know that Mrs. Stoppel also uses the vowel code rap. I cannot wait to teach my own students the vowel code rap. However, as I stated before the phonics approach would be an approach I would use in my classroom 100% among other approaches as well, it will all depend on the grade level that I wind up teaching.
ReplyDeleteOne part of this chapter that I really took time to read and completely understand was the part about forming my own teaching philosophy. I know understand the importance in it. It is the foundation of how and what we teach. Along with that it states that we need a literacy philosophy, Meaning we need a reason as to why students read the way they do and what we as teachers are doing to better the education of our students.
Reading about RTI I cannot wait to learn more about MTSS. I understand MTSS to a point but I am so eager to learn more about it and how it works for all students. I plan on teaching back home in rural Kansas and I have high hope that I will help establish MTSS if they have not already done so.
Matraca Forell
Matraca- I am also extremely thankful for having taken reading and language arts last semester. It was amazing to see the difference centers and the set up for individual reading, group literacy, and silent reading. I also can't wait to learn more about MTSS, as my school doesn't do it yet so I am hoping that through this course and the text I can bring something to them!
DeleteMatraca-I too am glad that I took reading and language arts. I think that forming your own teaching philosophy is great because it should reflect you. I too am excited to learn more about MTSS. I feel that this is going to help so many students in reading!
DeleteMatraca--I am also thankful I took Reading and Language Arts methods with the corresponding internship last year, I believe the information we learned last semester will help us tremendously this semester with this course. We already have an understanding of what reading is and how to teach it. I can't wait to see all the new, helpful information we are going to learn throughout this cours.
DeleteChapter 1 provides a knowledgeable review of the importance of learning literacy and how this can be done with reading models and practice. It also emphasizes the importance of developing your own teaching philosophy to help assist students with a great learning experience. In developing a philosophy we must understand federal and state laws to abide by, how English learners acquire knowledge, and how we, as instructors, can continually improve our philosophy to aid students and ourselves. Chapter 2 discusses different area components that take part in providing a successful learning environment. Teachers, students, text, context, and task are all components that take part in teaching and learning.
ReplyDeleteWithin the reading it discusses motivation and how some factors can provide a decline in motivation to read for students. One topic provided was an emphasis on competition. With teaching reading classrooms usually have a goal or objective to meet for student levels of reading. To practice or enhance this there is usually some form of competition going on within the classroom (ex; AR programs or other reading challenges). Instead of having one goal (competition) for the entire class, have individual goals that are not posted throughout the classroom. Have the goals and achievements only viewable for the teacher and student. Goals should be accommodated for individual students, just as the lesson plans do for those needed. (Hope that makes sense!)
Reading more about philosophies and how each individual student is a different learner, is providing me with more and more confidence in myself to assist in educating these students. I have a feeling my philosophy, once developed, may change from the first time I step foot into my own classroom, but I believe I am acquiring a variety of knowledge to adjust and develop a successful philosophy and provide students with a positive learning experience.
I have read various materials over different types of outside learning sources. Such as pen pals, foreign exchange programs, and book buddy reading (Chapter 2). I am really interested in this type of learning. I have had knowledge of pen pals, but never had the opportunity to experience this myself. I also observed in a classroom where they did something similar to book buddy reading. It was a 2nd grade classroom that once a week went and read to the Kindergarten students. The instructors both felt this was greatly beneficial and said the students absolutely loved the experience. I definitely want to try and incorporate this type of learning within my classroom.
Sheena- Its sad you never got to experience having a pen pal. But I agree with you on the importance of buddy reading. Its a great confidence booster for both kids involved.
DeleteFirst off, I would like to say that I really enjoyed reading the first two chapters of the text. It is rare that you find a textbook that you actually really enjoy reading and find both interesting and informative. I thought that chapter one was a great re-cap of a lot of things that we learned in Reading/Language Arts Methods. It was nice to be reminded about some of the theories and things that we had previously discussed. After having interned in R/LA last semester, I really enjoyed reading about the "Parts-to-Whole Model" as well as the "Whole-Part-Whole Model" and the "Comprehensive Approach". These were used a lot in my kindergarten classroom and I was really able to relate the readings to that. I really think that Figure 1.3 is a great resource to have on hand and displayed a lot of strategies to use in our classrooms. Chapter two was great also. It is so important that we know what makes reading teachers effective and have the knowledge to be able to know the difference in when a child may really not be understanding the material and when they just need a little motivation. I think that the information on readability was informative also. We really need to make sure that our students are reading books that are at their level. Kids get frustrated and lose interest so easily. Not having books that are right for them is just going to turn them off to reading.
ReplyDeleteThese two chapters did seem to recap a lot that we learned in Reading and Language Arts methods. It was a good refresher! I think it is important that to remember that it doesn't take much for kids to lose focus. We have to always be aware of the kind and level of books that our kids are reading.
Delete"Just another textbook" is what I was thinking when I began reading, but came away wanting to read more. Figure 1.1 gives some facts that I was unaware of about the reading levels of different reading materials. Who would have known that front page newpaper stories were written at a 9th-12th grade reading level. The theories related to literacy were also something that was of interest to me because I need to brush up on my knowledge of the theories. Most of the information in figure 1.3 is useable information for my future classroom. The sections on forming a teaching philosophy was especially useful to me as someone who is trying to formulate my own philosophy.
ReplyDeleteI just love figure 2.1 in chapter 2 of this book. The list of traits that an effective teacher should possess is wonderful. I must pause to say that this is not a book I will sell to the highest bidder at the end of this semester. I have found this book to be highly useful and look forward to replying to others in this blog and entering my own opinions about the chapters. Yippie Skippy for a useful textbook. Thank You!
Jena-
DeleteI was thinking the same thing as you when I started reading but was surprised how easy the text was to read. I also agree that all this information will be useful in my future classroom
I was surprised to see the information about newspaper reading levels too! Now it makes sense that the fourth graders I had looking for fact and opinion statements in the newspaper were having difficulty. I probably frustrated them all!
DeleteChapter 1 reminds us of the importance of literacy. It is a part of everyday life, and a necessity. Because reading is so important many theories exist in regards to literacy. From constructivist theory which explains linking what students know to what they are being taught to proximal development, which is learning that happens by interacting with someone who already knows the information. As we go on to read, this chapters dives into discussions of reading models, English learners, reading reforms, and how we as future educators will develop our own teaching philosophies for assessing, providing intervention and instruction for readers.
ReplyDeleteNext the chapter discusses the timeline of Reading Reforms that have impacted education as early as 1966 with the elementary and secondary education act. With all the emphasis placed on RTI and the opportunities we have had as students to learn more about response to intervention and MTSS, it was a nice overview and review to see the guiding principles and the process of RTI in the text. And finally, the chapter discusses multimodal literacy which includes four basic literacies: technological, visual, media, and informational.
In Chapter 2 the literacy event itself is described. As the text explains, literary experiences or events include several factors; teachers, students, text, context or climate, and task or engaging students in the literary learning process. A common theme arises through the chapter when reading about any of the various factors. That theme is differentiation and motivation. Teachers must differentiate instruction and motivate their students. Students’ knowledge, skills, styles and intelligences are different. Texts vary and have different levels of readability and are appropriate for different students at different points throughout learning. And the climate and task of the classroom should be created with variety in mind as well. Students are motivated differently and in different ways. Therefore literacy events and experiences should reflect this.
As we think about the different factors involved in the learning process, I instantly begin to think about my internship classrooms, the students in them, and the phonics and reading programs utilized to reach this variety of learners. Throughout the district I live in, teachers are searching for, borrowing, and constantly changing up their small group literacy center materials. It is amazing to see how different children can be motivated by different things. I believe that teachers in our district strive to create engaging and motivating centers because this is one way they are varying instruction and attempting to reach all students in their classrooms.
The chart about reading levels needed for daily reading materials (Figure 1.1, page 3) was really insightful when it comes to the importance of literacy. This would be something fun to share with students I think, and gather their guesses on what grade level is needed to read certain things. It would make it clear to the students as well that literacy is REALLY important.
DeleteJackie,
DeleteI really like what you had to say. I think we are in a battle to keep things fresh and new to keep children engaged. When you think about video games, movies, and music they are all constantly changing trying to be the newest and the best, I think children come into some classrooms and see the same old boring stuff. I think we need to be consistently looking for new ways to present the material. Maybe we should start looking at ourselves as superheros in a battle to save our kids. The villain is boredom. Great post
I was pleased to find out how easy of a read this text book is. I usually find it hard to focus and remember what I have read, however, with this text it is easy to follow and understand. I wish I would have had this book prior to taking my PLT, it would have been very helpful when studying. The first chapter talks about how important it is to have a good reading level and comprehension just to survive in life and how many different places require a higher level of reading to understand what they are saying. Chapter one also talks about the different approaches of teaching reading, and how important it is to decide what type of teaching method would work best with your students. The chapter also gives suggestions on how to help students that are ESOL and how to best instruct them.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter two the text talks about literacy and how teachers can help the student succeed. There are different reasons that students loose interest in reading, I did not realize that competition within the classroom would have an effect on the students. If more emphasis is placed on those students who constantly succeed rather than other students who may be at a lower level, the students on the lower level simply give up. Also some students will have a hard time wanting to read if they have no interest in the material they are assigned. I know this is true because I am the same way when it comes to reading, I want to read material that interests me.
I found the chart about reading levels and which levels are needed to read and comprehend certain written pieces you encounter on a daily basis (Figure 1.1, page 3). I never really realized this before reading. It really gives a lot of insight on just how important reading is.
DeleteThis textbook has useable knowledge and this is one reason it is so easy to remember. I am encouraged that this text will help me in the near future when I will be taking the PLT. The suggestions for teaching ESOL students was also very useable. The examples and text gives seem to be real world examples. I appreciate that the knowledge gained by reading this textbook will be easily transferable into the classroom.
DeleteI found this book was a very easy read. In chapters 1 and 2 it discusses developing a personal philosophy of reading. I found the English learners the most interesting part of this book it also gave some examples of effective practices.
ReplyDeleteThis book talks a lot about effective teachers. Effective teachers are talked about in each of my methods classes of “how are we going to be effective teacher?” I know that at times it will be a struggle but I will accommodate to each of my students.
A lot of information that was given throughout these chapters I don’t feel that my teachers practiced when I was in school. One of the things I’m going to refer a lot to in this book is the motivation part. I feel that if students are motivated to read they will enjoy it more.
I don't know that you'll struggle with making accommodations for all students... I think it will more so be time consuming. Each student has unique needs, abilities, and interests. The only way to make lessons for everyone is to know the students and their needs, abilities, and interests.
DeleteBeing an effective teacher is something I worry about also. How am I going to make sure each student's needs are met? This is sometimes what I think when I am sitting in class. But as I read more into these chapters I realize that I am getting all of the information I need to become a reliable teacher.
DeleteChapters 1 and 2 made me think about how important it is to really develop your own philosophy about how children learn to read and write in addition to how you teach the children. It is also important to really take each individual child’s learning styles and needs into consideration when teaching. When developing our own philosophy, I think it is essential that we are familiar with the different learning theories. Those theories can be helpful when deciding how to go about teaching reading and how the students learn to read the best. I also think it is necessary that we use a variety of reading models instead of just one. We have been told and retold that all children do no learn the same way. Therefore, switching between the part-to-whole strategy, the whole-part-whole strategy, and the comprehensive approach to teach reading will help to accommodate all students’ needs. I really enjoyed reading the section about RTI. I have really become interested in RTI and MTSS and have high hopes of being a part of that program sometime after I graduate!!
ReplyDeleteI think the only way we can truly be an effective teacher is to know our students. If we do not get to know their background, their learning styles, or their learning needs, how can we teach them? Our planned lessons will be worthless if they are not adapted the students we have in our class. In addition to figuring out how our students learn, we need to figure out what motivates and encourages them to learn. After getting to know our students, we can select appropriate reading material to help them learn.
After reading these two chapters, I think the thing that would be most difficult to accomplish is finding the motivation to encourage students. I think this information gives some great ideas that I will definitely keep in mind.
As a personal experience, I remember not being able to focus or pay attention if I had to read something I am not interested in. There have even been a few college courses that I have taken where I struggled to read the assigned material because it was just not interesting to me. I think it will be a personal goal of mine to motivate every student and to find reading material that each student enjoys reading. I do not believe that this will be an easy goal by any minds but it is definitely good motivation for me!
Sara D: I think MTSS and RtI are great! Our elementary school was one of the first in our area to start using MTSS. It seems to have made quite a difference for our students. The ones who need some definite interventions are getting what they need to stay on grade level. They are also able to provide more challenging work for the gifted students who need to keep progressing. I think you will really enjoy it if you're able to be placed in a school that utilizes MTSS! Also, I think your comments about theory were very good. We sometimes read through that stuff and memorize what we need to. Those theories, however, really have a lot to offer us as educators. I have either seen or used some of it already! Thanks for your thoughts!!
DeleteI think the elementary school that I just worked at transitioned from RTI into MTSS, if that is possible. I remember hearing about both of them. I know that MTSS is being more widely publicized.
DeleteNicole Schell
ReplyDeleteAnalysis of the reading/issue: In a previous class, we were asked to discuss our personal philosophy about teaching. I had never really stopped to consider what my philosophy actually was, but it really did open up my eyes as to how I might approach my students. It also gave me some insight as to what things I might need to change or adjust. It's extremely important to know your own views, strengths, and weaknesses before heading into the classroom. You will then be able to learn about your students so that you can tailor your teaching to meet their needs. It is also important to keep in mind that ALL students deserve the best education possible, so it is up to us to provide that by making adjustments, accommodations, or providing interventions for our students.
It is also crucial to consider our attitudes and approaches to reading as we teach. Students are more likely to take a positive approach to reading if we model a positive attitude and find ways to motivate our students and increase interest for them. Part of this process involves our knowledge of specific theories, strategies, and learning styles. This will help us pinpoint what our students need and which teaching styles/strategies will work best for each student. Another aspect of meeting a student's needs requires knowing what their reading level is and providing texts that are suited for their skill level. Once all these things have been addressed, then they can get down to reading!
Questions and/or contradictions about the reading/issue: I didn't have any questions this time. I really like the readability of the text book, though! It is straight-forward and gives a lot of good information. It is the perfect way to transition from our RLA course from last semester!!
How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently? Connecting the reading to you: I have always been a voracious reader, so it used to be hard for me to understand why such young children didn't enjoy reading. After working in a Title I reading intervention room for 2 years, I have a better picture of this problem. The book also gave some great explanations for why children lose interest in reading. Competition is something I have seen quite often. There really is a lot of competition these days, even at an early age! One thing I have really noticed is that once you find a subject that they really love, it helps tremendously where their interest & motivation are concerned!!
In response to Nicole Schell,
DeleteI have never had a class until now that expressed the importance of developing our personal teaching philosophy, but I have often considered my own characteristics and how that will affect my teaching styles. I also think it is so important to consider these things, because how are you suppose to grow as a teacher without reflection?
In contract to you I have never liked to read, especially in school, but I never knew exactly why I had no motivation for it. I love how the book goes through many of the reasons that students loose motivation and how to combat these. After reading these I was able to pick out a few that I thought could have been some of the reasons why I started not liking to read in the lower levels. It’s so important to inspire a love/motivation for reading in the younger grade levels so that this can be cared on and built upon in the upper grades.
This book is a very easy read and I was very excited about that. Chapter 1 was about forming your personal philosophy about assessment and intervention. I enjoyed reading about all of the theories in reading. It is interesting to get the point of view to other people so I can construct my own philosophy. The part I really enjoyed about the chapter was how it explained many different philosophies. I saw a lot of different aspects of these philosophies that I liked. It is hard to determine what kind of classroom you are going to have without knowing what kind of children you have. As a teacher you must adjust how you teach reading so children will learn the best. Not every class will learn the same. RTI is something new I learned about in this chapter. I have learned so many different things about RTI, but there is so much out there. I really enjoyed the way the book broke it down to make it easier to understand.
ReplyDeleteChapter 2 was strictly about Literacy. The first section of this was awesome. It is titled Differentiating Instruction. How much more clear can you get? This is a huge concept when becoming a teacher. There was also a section about Gardeners theory of multiple intelligences and how it is related to teaching literacy. I really love how much information this book really has inside of it.
I agree that it is interesting to see how other people, whether it be someone with experience or someone who is at the level that I am at, view point. No, not every class, or every student for that matter will learn the same. So we as teachers need to know our students the best we can and teach them how they best learn.
DeleteI agree that this chapter was exciting to read. I feel that I am developing my own teaching views and philosophy. RTI was defined in a way that made sense and gave me a clear image in my head on how RTI is used at the federal level. In the 2nd chapter I found the information about multiple intelligences to be useful in my current job as a Para and know this information will help me identify my future learners.
DeleteI really like the fact that you mentioned altering instruction for the benefit of the young reader! With the elements of comprehensive reading, it is a very beneficial reading method that targets a wide range of students. I know this element is going to be a vital part of tutoring this semester!
DeleteRTI was broken down quite well in chapter 1. I enjoyed how the author talked about it, then talked about relevant laws regarding RTI as well. In the next column, the guiding principles basically breaks down RTI step by step.
DeleteFor anyone wanting to know more on Response To Intervention, this is a good way to start!
Chapter one starts off by talking about the Critical Literacy Theory, and how we as teachers need to ask questions not only to ourselves but to the students in our class. We need to ask questions like: does the character in the story, picture, etc. show what the person might truly look like. The chapter gave an example of how a first grade teacher had her first graders look at a catalog and see if the women in the pictures resembled their mothers in any way. This helps students understand that books with fiction or non fiction can be misleading. I took a Diverse Learners class at Emporia State and the teacher taught us how we as teachers need to look at a book and decide if the book depicts diversity in the right way or does it just stereo type people. Chapter one goes on to talk about reading models, such as: part-to-whole model, whole-part-whole model. In each of these models it breaks down how each of them works and also gives examples. I enjoy how this chapter gives effective ways to be effective with English language learners: understand their culture and background, be flexible, let them talk and ask questions in a non judgmental environment. The last part I really like because it breaks down RTI in to steps that is easy to understand.
ReplyDeleteChapter two is a great chapter! It starts off great by giving a list of six characteristics an effective literacy teacher should have. Those six are time, text, teaching, talk, tasks, and testing; each one has to do with the students. Don’t have the students do worksheets, allow students to read texts that they are interested in, other wise they get board. Teachers need to model for the students more, not just assign homework, and they need allow the students to feel comfortable to ask questions. Teachers need to incorporate more than just reading into literature, use writing, listening, speaking, and thinking. Finally, teachers need to let the students know how and on what they will be graded and that is through the use of a rubric. This chapter gives ideas on how to increase motivation, which can be a very difficult thing to do. Sometimes we as teachers have to teach something the students may not like, but by using a positive attitude and changing up what you teach, what they do not like, that will help them stay focused and get it done. Basically this chapter talks about knowing your students and how they learn best. Know where their reading level is and what they are interest in, and allow reading books of poems, dramas, and nonfiction. Let them have verity! I know that when I was able to chose the books I loved to read I did better on the AR tests than when I had to read something I did not like.
These chapters did not leave me with any questions. Both had great charts and examples of what the authors were talking about.
Carrie S., like you I appreciated the way this book explains and breaks down the RTI process. I have read about it before in other texts for other classes, but only briefly. After reading this book I feel like I have a much better understanding of what RTI is and how to do it.
DeleteIn chapter one, I was relieved to see an overview of different reading theories and the various acts presented by congress. This allowed me to connect the importance of offering students multiple reading experiences. In addition, I found figure 1.3 to be a very useful reference to the comprehensive approach. As I prepare for tutoring, I will reference this section frequently. Moreover, I was very intrigued by the English language learners section, figure 1.4 is a great time line of the stages ELL students undergo.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter two, I loved the idea of a gumball machine bulletin board as a whole class reward! I really think this would take out competition between who is the best and worst reader among student discussion. Additionally, I really liked that the chapter addressed how to guide students into choosing appropriate reading materials to increase their enjoyment of reading. Page 33 has a great numbered list when selecting appropriate reading materials!
I find this text very compelling, for I am beginning to see why I struggled with comprehension and phonemic awareness as a beginning reader. One goal I have this semester is to find many varieties of appropriate text that can help my students relate and have high interest in the material. My hope that as a read this text is I will be better able to understand other student’s reading difficulties during tutoring this semester!
This text discussed many crucial topic involved not only in teaching reading but every subject. I really enjoyed chapter 1 about developing your own teaching styles. Over the past 3 years we all have been taught many different teaching strategies and theories. This book was the first to express the importance of developing one’s own philosophy. With everything I have learned I am very fond of the comprehensive approach to teaching reading because of the variety of different teaching methods and activities. Also in this chapter I learned about the TPR approach for teaching EL students. I’m interested in learning more about this approach sense most of the focus in my educational courses has been the SI model. I also found the list of effective practices for EL very beneficial. Also in this chapter was overview of historical reading reforms. Most of this information was a review but it’s important to learn from the past in order to move forward in the future. Chapter two had a plethora of information that I found very interesting. The first section that I liked was in the scenario where it listed the activities that a classroom uses that directly affected all of her students reading abilities. This is important for all of us because it shows very simple events that can be very positive. The section that follows is a list of characteristics that every teacher should have. Another major epidemic is schools today is student’s lack of motivations students have for reading and why. This is very important for teachers; we need to be able to find the root cause for this and how to combat it. Another important discussed in the text that directly relates to our tutoring and this class knows your students reading levels and administering the correct test to find these levels. Overall there are many different aspects of reading and literacy as teachers it is our job to find every child’s level in each of these areas. The main importance that we all should take from this reading is a student’s ability to read and motivation to read is directly effect by the teacher and her methods for instructions. I don’t have any questions regarding the text just yet.
ReplyDeleteLike has been mentioned before, this book is a very easy read. It is broken into easy understanding sections, each marked with a heading.
ReplyDeleteChapter 1 starts by reviewing all of the different learning theories, and then talks about how teachers can develop their own philosophies in their own classrooms. I never really put much thought into the learning theories until I got out into my internships. I started to think on those theories, and actually put them into practice. Chapter 1 also talked about effective practices with ELL students. The number of those students has grown over 70% since 1994, so this discussion will become more prevalent as we, as prospective teachers, develop our own classrooms. And finally RTI is broken down in this chapter. I found this incredibly helpful, as we are getting educated on MTSS, but don't hear much on RTI here in Kansas.
Chapter 2 is all about literacy, and how teachers can teach literacy. One section I liked was named "Teaching Recommendations, to increase motivation". This part was about just that, motivating students to read. The author put 6 evidence-based principles to use as motivation techniques in this section, which were very interesting to read about. In the end, literacy is a complex task, and teachers have to be able to get the concept across, all while keeping them interested, even if they get frustrated.
I do not have any questions.
Two great chapters!
The book was really easy to read and to understand. It is nice to have it broken down in sections with headings...especially in color! This book would definitely pass Fry's readability test.
DeleteI do agree with you, literacy is a complex task. Teachers HAVE to be able to get the concept across and still keep the subject interesting for the students. It's hard but it can be accomplished.
After reading Chapter 1: Reading Philosophies and Chapter 2: The Literacy Event, I know this textbook and this entire course is going to be filled with great, useful information about teaching reading throughout the classroom. I am excited to learn about the different reading methods out there for teaching reading and ways to fit each child's needs. Chapter one was Reading Philosophies and the different theorist who used them. I really enjoyed reading about each theory and thinking about what theory I want to try to use in my own classroom. Every teacher can use their own philosophies if they are working. Chapter two was over The Literacy Event and it was all about literacy. What it is and how to teach it. I found this to be very interesting because literacy is definitely Important in reading, I am very thankful I took Reading and Language Arts methods and the corresponding internship because I learned a lot about what reading was and different methods to help teach/learn how to read. This course is going to be very beneficial for the future for us all new teachers.
ReplyDeleteI liked the review of several learning theories and reading models that the first chapter provided. It seems like as I get more into my classes, I tend to focus on one or two theories and it's good to be reminded of other ideas every now and then, even once I become a teacher. I'm sure most of you would agree that our personal philosophies of education are not set at this point. Each class, teacher, peer, student, and school I experience changes the idea I thought I had about education a little bit and I expect that will continue throughout my career. I also think you all would agree that no single learning theory seems to be the best. Taking pieces of several theories to create what works for us and our students will be ideal.
ReplyDeleteOne part of the chapter that I could use more information and training with was the ELL section. Not having any actual experience with English language learners makes me a little bit nervous. I know some things to expect and look for, but I don't think it's something that I will fully understand until I get the actual practice.
Reading is a subject that I think might be a bigger struggle for English Language Learners, but what I keep forgetting is that they are just like other students in that they have prior knowledge that I need to build on. I kind of always thought of students who don't speak English as blank slates, but they're not. I need to figure out how to relate my materials to them. Like all students, they need to read at a level that doesn't frustrate them and I need to provide books that interest them. I look forward to learning more about this throughout the semester and becoming a better educator for it.
Chapter 1 was a good introduction to the reading process and provided good reasoning on why learning how to read and process information is important, such as warning signs, disclaimers, legal documents, instruction manuals, food packaging, etc. Knowing how to read and interpret information is vital to being a functioning member of society. I think that out of all the information, being an educator of critical literacy is the most functional since it involves the understanding of literacy in the various formats that are used in modern society, such as ebooks, blogs, and the more traditional formats. It was interesting that there is not one right or wrong method of teaching literacy that is most effective across all kinds of learners, but rather that each teacher must adapt to the unique needs of the students, and that not only changes from year to year but day to day among the same population. Near the end of the chapter was information on RTI (response to intervention) which I am somewhat already familiar with since it was the method used at an elementary school I recently worked at.
ReplyDeleteChapter 2's Figure 2.1 on page 25 was very helpful as a guide for building effective literacy teachers (and thus learners). That type of guide would be effective to be printed and laminated and placed in the front of a reading binder. Figure 2.5 was also helpful and could prove as a helpful reference. I thought it was interesting that they included silent reading as an important part of the literacy process since it helps build reading skills such as skimming and scanning text; which I always thought was something that was taught by a teacher and not individually. Throughout school I always enjoyed the silent reading time, or SSR (Sustained Silent Reading) as it was called.
I agree, Jessica, that we need to be using more technology in our schools today. Critical literacy was a new term for me. Beginning this month, our fourth through sixth graders at the elementary school I work in is getting IPads for each student. I am anxious to see how the teachers will integrate these into their lessons. Laminating figure 2.1 is an excellent idea. Then I could have it as a constant reminder of what I am striving to be. Great post!
DeleteAfter reading Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, I felt that these chapters were extremely informative by covering research based methods and theories for reading instruction in the classroom. It also covered the laws and acts that have been passed to ensure that reading is being taught with research based theories and regulating instructors through testing. The big five is encourage also, to give teachers direction and structure in pin-pointing what students may need to work on to reach their full potential, to enable students to have reading as a strength rather than a weakness.
ReplyDeleteThese chapters enabled me to better understand what the foundations of reading are, and provide better research based methods to reference when talking or writing about what strategies will work best and why we use them in the classroom. Working in the special education office at a school, I have learned that parents want to know in meeting what instructional method the teacher is implementing and why that strategy is best for their student. As a teacher, especially in special education or reading remediation (MTSS, RTI, or an IEP meeting) the teacher needs to be able to explain why she/he is implementing a certain strategy and why.
Alison,
DeleteI agree it is important to know not only the content but also why we are using the content. Parents are becoming more and more involved in their children's education. It is important for us to work as a team to help the children instead of bumping heads against the parents. As a parent I expect my children's teacher to know why she is teaching my children certain strategies. Teachers are given quite a bit of freedom to express their teaching in their own way so I hope were doing it the best way. Great post.
Much of chapters one and two was a review of some of the things we have been learning. The idea of using multiple modalities to engage students’ multiple intelligences is one example of this. The references to the learning theorists, such as Vygotsky and Brunner are a few more. I like the figures in this book such as figure 1.4 that explains English language development and figure 2.1 that lists traits and activities of effective literacy teachers. These provide us with quick references on many important topics. I am glad this text covers how to select appropriate reading materials for different students. This is something I have been wondering about as I think ahead to our upcoming tutoring sessions. I understand the importance of providing students with literature at the level that is appropriate for them, and I want to be able to do this for my students.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth,
DeleteI also loved the figures in the text, especially figure 2.1. I love the fact that there are so many activities and techniques that we can take away from the text and apply in our own lives. I think that is the way all texts and teaching should be for students as well. I believe they have more fun and are more interested when they can apply what they’re learning. I’ve also been wondering about how to choose the proper read alouds and guided reading books for the tutoring sessions. This reading has helped me a little bit with that as well. Like you said, it’s extremely important to provide students with literature that is at their learning level and not their frustration level. I think this book will really help us do that!
The methods courses I had last semester and the ones I have this semester require me to relate many different theories to my experiences with the students in the field. I’ve learned of so many theories in the past but chapter one really helped refresh my mind on many of them that relate to literacy. I was shown the importance of the constructivist theory last semester during my reading and math internships. When I was writing my lesson plans for my observation teaches I greatly relied on the information my mentor had been teaching the students prior to my lesson. She stressed the importance of tying my lessons to that information the students had been learning. The fact that I utilized the constructivist theory when planning my lessons is what helped the students have a meaningful learning experience. I was also able to relate a little information to Maslows hierarchy of human needs. Reading over the theory again made me recognize the importance of providing the students I will be tutoring with snacks. Like the text says, students need their physiological needs filled before any of the others can be addressed. The theory also allowed me to see the importance of students having a sense of belonging in the classroom. It is important to group students and provide them with a family feeling the classroom. There are so many factors, or needs, that need to be addressed so students can have a meaningful learning experience. It makes me nervous to think about how I will be able to address all of these needs for all of my future students. I do know that doing so is critical in my teaching though so I guess one big question is how will I be able to address these needs for 20+ students all at the same time? I suppose through interning, tutoring, and student teaching I will feel more confident in addressing these needs for all students but I’m so eager to learn about it now!
ReplyDeleteChapter two is a lot about being a good/effective literacy teacher. One thing I love about this chapter is the traits and activities list for being and effective teacher in figure 2.1. This list is going to be so useful for me in the future. I already have many ideas flowing about how I can be the most effective teacher possible. One key factor in whether or not I’m an effective teacher is whether or not I can motivate the students. This chapter stresses the importance of motivation for students. There are so many extrinsic motivational tools being used such as candy for students doing well. What’s lacking is intrinsic motivation. Like the text says, many extrinsic rewards emphasize competition in the classroom. This can cause students to become unmotivated if they don’t succeed. Rather than getting students interested in getting a piece of candy or being the winner I see the importance of engaging the students in a concept by teaching them what interests them. Just like the paragraph above, I question how I’m going to do this. I question how I’m going to cater to all students need and I question how I’m going to get every student interested in the content that I have to teach them. Again, I’m hoping the answers will come with experience but it’s nerve-wracking until them. Both of these chapters have been very informative and I’m excited to continue on in this book. It’s nice to read something that I’m intrinsically motivated to read. I’m so interested in this text and that is how I hope my future students feel about the content I teach them.
I am glad to hear that I am not the only one wracking my brain over questions on how I will be effective in the classroom. I have met some really great teachers over the last few years and I often wonder how they do it. I want to be the one who makes a difference. I am sure that no one goes into the job wanting to be known as the " bad teacher". It would be nice to hear what to do and what "not" to do.
DeleteI have to say after taking my background knowledge, what I have heard in class discussion, and what I have been reading in chapter one and two; being extremely knowledgeable in practices for English learners is very important. I see our focus on that in all of the texts that we have been using in the Elementary Education classes. Many of the steps and procedures I’m finding, I am already applying in the classes that I work in. The review and in some cases information that I missed about reading models was a very good refresher. I thought that figure 1:3 would be very useful for my tool belt. The school that I am at is currently using MTSS. We have had several in-services on MTSS. Both as a teacher and a mother I am very glad that we are putting assessments to use to help improve our teaching. In some classrooms I see a lot of paper pushing (giving worksheets), I know that sometimes a worksheet or even weekly tests are important, but some teachers never go over the wrong answers with the students. I know students will just throw the paper away; I like when I see a teacher walk the students through what and why it should be a certain answer so the children can learn from their mistakes. I know it may take some time. When chapter 2 talks about teaching children how and when to use reading strategies really breaks it down. Children have to be taught to think for themselves. We face words even at 40 years old that we don’t know. We have to be able to use our resources; sounding it out, context clues, and other strategies to think for ourselves.
ReplyDeleteOur local school district is also utilizing MTSS. I am still waiting for a course to give me a more indepth explanation and examples of this method of assessment. I have heard great things of this method so far, just want to know more.
DeleteThere are always new theories coming out in regards how to educate today's youth. I enjoy this literature because it is easier to understand than the original educational psychology literature and will definitely assist me in being a thorough review for the PLT. I went through educational psychology last summer. It was so focused on solely how the psychology played in the classroom, that it could get stressful at moments when I was trying to self educate myself. I appreciate the additional examples throughout the text as it makes everything more of a classroom setting.
ReplyDeleteChapter 1 deals with the various theories related to literacy and encourages future teachers to form their own teaching philosophy. I have been working on and revising my philosophy since I took my first Introduction to Education course at my local Jr. College. It is funny to see how my philosophy has changed and developed over the years. The more knowledge I gain about the art of teaching, the more I find myself tweaking my own personal philosophy. The chapter also gave some great information for teaching literacy to ELL’s. We learned about sheltered instruction in our diverse learner course. I am particularly interested in this area because I plan to get my ESOL endorsement and study abroad in S. America to acquire the language. The chapter gave some great instructional strategies for ELL’s that I can utilize in my diverse classroom like choral reading and interactive writing. One great thing about this chapter is it was a review of information and vocabulary that has been introduced in previous courses. The nuts and bolts of chapter 2 were being an effective teacher. One of my biggest concerns is that I learn to be and meet the criteria that determine that of an effective teacher. Figure 2.1 on pg 25 gives a list of traits and activities of effective literacy teachers. As I looked over the list #22 and #28 really stuck out. They are very similar as one is understand that no single strategy works best for all children and the other is understand the uniqueness of each student. I believe that these are two of the most important traits in a diverse classroom. And finally, I would like to point out my own personal belief of an effective teacher. I believe that it takes more than just content knowledge to teach effectively, there must also be a HEART involved. In my future classroom I want to never lose sight of this.
ReplyDeleteMy teaching philosophy has also changed a lot as I've progressed and further completed my education. I think your teaching philosophy should be continually evolving and be open to change, even as an experienced educator. I think this is an important part of professional development. I would also like to get my ESOL endorsement and think that this will help me be a more effective teacher someday.
DeleteChapter 1 discusses “forming a personal philosophy about literacy assessment and intervention.” It began by discussing different reading models including “part-to-whole, whole-part-whole, and a comprehensive approach.” Prior to reading this chapter was familiar with many of the approaches discussed either by seeing them used or reading about them. However, I am still not sure which I personally feel is most effective. I do like that the text states though that “no one method suits everyone,” and further states that we must understand that “teachers teach children; they do not teach methods and materials.” It is important to find the model that works best for student and teacher. I hope this class will help me to continue to develop my own personal philosophy on reading instruction.
ReplyDeleteI also really enjoyed the classroom strategies and activities found in figure 1.3 and could see myself integrating many of these things into my lessons this semester and also using them in my future teaching. I also enjoyed the section titled “Effective Practices for English Learners.” Strategies for teaching ELL students has also been something I want to know more about, and I’m glad to see it made a focus in textbooks.
Chapter 2 discusses the complexity of learning to read and the teacher’s role in the process. I particularly liked the section on motivation. It seems that students should be motivated to learn to read because it is such a necessity. However, as the section on motivation points out, there are many reasons that students could lose their motivation to read and that even at a young age they are aware of their and their peers reading proficiency. I also like the section on how teachers can increase a student’s motivation to read and can see myself using these strategies with students. Lastly, I also enjoyed the section on learning styles and multiple intelligences. I think it is important for a teacher to incorporate as many different learning styles as possible to ensure they are reaching as many students as possible. This is a great way to differentiate instruction and was a good reminder as we begin to think about creating lessons.
Lindsay I too am looking forward to learning more about developing my own philosophy on reading. Right now if I had to give my philosophy I would have to say I need to learn more about how to effectively teach to understand what my philosophy should be. I think tutoring will give us a great insight into how to help students with reading and the beginning stages of developing that philosophy will start to come together. I am ready to learn as much as I can and begin using that information to help students.
DeleteI found chapter one and two both very informative. The first chapter focuses on the various kinds models regarding reading. Also the chapter discuss about the reading practices that are federal and state and multimodal literacies. I really liked Figure 1.4 on page 11. I like how some textbooks puts information into a chart. This makes it easier on the eyes to understand the information. Some of the information in the chapter was repetitive such as the information for English learners. The text over teaching philosophy was important to me. I have not yet formed my own teaching philosophy and actually have been thinking about that lately. The information over Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1966 very new to me; I am surprised that I have not heard of it before. The information over RTI was very familiar to me. I had to do some research over RTI in one of my classes. I liked how the text went into detail over the guiding principles because these were new for me to read. My question is that will the schools get rid of RTI completely since MTSS is being accepted in the schools?
ReplyDeleteChapter two was a complete review from what I have learned in Reading and Language Art methods and Curriculum and Assessment; which made me excited to read because I knew what the text was explaining. I liked how the text mentioned ways to motivate students and the types of students that a teacher will come across in her classroom over the years. A teacher should always be prepared. Once again I enjoyed looking at the table 2.5 this just makes the information easier to understand when it is organized in a different form. The section over readability was a great refresher I remember seeing the fry readability chart in one of my other textbooks. I also had to put a textbook to readability test. You would be surprised on the textbooks that are not very well written.
Marei,
DeleteI also enjoy the figures and tables provided in the text. This text will be a great tool for us as we began our careers. Your thoughts on developing your own teaching style really got my wheels spinning. I need to get this done also!
Chapter 1 gave me alot to think about. The main thing it brought to the surface was needing to know what my personal philosophy is about reading. First, I learned a new term, critical literacy theory, which I had never heard of until I read this chapter. I can see this theory being utilized more in the upper grades, but the example of walking in Ruby Bridges shoes is something that can be done in the elementary level. It was informative to learn about all the different reading models. After reviewing each model, the comprehensive approach is the model I have seen used the most in our school district. It is also the model I feel most represents me. Like many others in this class, I too thought figure 1.3 was a very useful tool to bring into my classroom. Unfortunately, figure 1.4 made me aware of all the things we are not doing in my elementary school for our students in ESOL. But it helped me realize when I have my own classroom, there are many things that I can do to help my students that are struggling with English. Towards the end of chapter 1, the author discusses RTI. This is a reading process that we use in our school district and I have seen good results come from it.
ReplyDeleteChapter 2 begins by discussing what is an effective literacy teacher. In my social studies methods course we are researching what are the qualities of an effective teacher, so this was a good connection for me. The chapter continues with so much good information. Motivation is definitely one area I need some ideas in. The author described several of my first grade students when they read during independent reading time. I plan on utilizing some of the recommendations they give in the book this week to help motivate the unmotivated. The chapter was also a good review in the areas of multiple intelligences, selecting appropriate texts, and readability tests. Lots of good information to ponder on as we begin the semester!
Angela,
DeleteAs I am saddened that figure 1.4 brought to your attention the things that we are not doing for our ESOL students, I am very excited that you are aware of a problem and will be one to fix it!!
Reading chapter 1 gave me a lot of insight to the way I should be preparing to teach reading to students. I took the DeFord TORP inventory and my results indicated that I have not given much thought to how I would teach and assess reading. This course is going to give me the insight that I need to be able to develop a philosophy and plan for teaching reading. When the book talked about DEAR time I noticed that it encouraged teachers to read during that time as well, I know that the teachers in my children's school do not model reading for pleasure, they use DEAR time to catch up on work that they need to do. I like the idea of modeling good reading habits for the students and I am going to take a book to read when I sub, not textbooks:). I also found it interesting about the way students are grouped to read. The book said that if struggling readers are grouped together than they will never hear fluent readers and begin to think of themselves as poor readers. I would have to agree that if someone is not encouraged and thinks badly about themselves they will not try as hard.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 2 when the emphasis on competition was mentioned I immediately thought of the Pizza Hut Book It rewards. I remember when I was a little girl we were very poor and to earn one of those certificates meant that I was going to get a free pizza and I worked hard for them. I love to read so I don't think it was very hard for me to earn it but I do understand it might feel for someone who never earned that reward. I do like the idea of having a classroom party for the whole class. This will give them all something to look forward to and hopefully motivate children to read knowing that the party depends on all of them to happen. The Edward Fry readability test was something I learned about last semester and still find to be very interesting. I like the fact that there are tools that can assist a teacher in ensuring the correct level of texts are selected for the reader. I can never read too much about the different learning styles and theories so I liked the review that this chapter gave over those items.
Chapter 1 of the DeVries text provides a wealth of information on reading methods and styles of teaching reading. One of my biggest fears is that I won’t be able to reach the needs of each student in my classroom. This chapter offered a peace of mind as it pointed out that one particular method will not work for everyone. I found figure 1.3 to be very helpful with a list of strategies to implement into my planning. Another interesting part of the chapter was the discussion on the multimodal literacy. As we move into the digital future, multimodal literacy will be an emphasis is my classroom in the years to come.
ReplyDeleteChapter 2 began with a great quote from Herbert Spencer! I found the six critical qualities of knowledge and practice that excellent literacy teachers possess. When reading the list I thought, DUH these are no brainers. I took a few minutes to ponder the list and a few teachers stuck out in my mind that do not meet the criteria. I then became prepared to do whatever I have to do to work for my students. I was excited to see Howard Gardner’s theory revisited in this chapter. I firmly believe in multiple intelligences and think that I have a good understanding how important it is to use cross curricular in my lesson planning.