Like many have said already, the readings this week focused on teaching strategies that deal with discussion based methods. Rather than having lessons that focus on learning material through answering questions correctly, discussions and other lessons that deal with having in depth sharing of ideas have many benefits of their own. Students can reach on their prior knowledge and add to a discussion this way. Students can connect readings they are assigned with everyday situations and past experiences. This is similar to what we do with our readings in TE 402. Much of what we read, we are able to connect with our field work and discuss this with others in the class. This leads to a more stirring and thought provoking conversation during class.
In learning methods of discussion, we have come across many options to stimulate conversation that enable students to learn in the process. One of these methods, as mentioned before, is the think-pair-share method. This allows students to pry upon knowledge they have or thoughts that arise from a question presented during the think portion of this method. When pairing up with another student or small group within the class, theses ideas can aid others in their thought process and can also help one add to their thoughts as well. Sharing then allows all students in the classroom get out ideas and allow others to hear different perspectives and ideas they may not have thought of before.
Other methods that we have discussed before can all be used to develop units based on a series of lessons using discussion methods. The first lesson can be one that is similar to our "science talk" or "seeing student thinking" assignments in TE 401. This type of lesson can be a pre-assessment to gage what students know about a topic and what they will need to learn during a unit. The next type of lesson that can be used is an open discussion or debate about the topic. As the teacher, we can serve the role of facilitator and get the discussion up and running by posi9ng thought provoking questions or situations. One can also use another type of discussion based method we learned which was the case study method. Here our students can learn through actual cases that have been documented. This can dwell on the prior knowledge of the students, change opinions during the discussion, and also spark new discussions based on the results of the case. In doing so, the most important thing to convey to students before doing any kind of discussion is set rules and guidelines on how to conduct a proper discussion without offending or hurting anyone in the classroom. Ideas such as respect, open-mindedness and willingness to learn from others are all ideas that can and should be stressed.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Weinstein and Mignano- Blog #2
I think that Weinstein's Chapter 10 was incredibly eye opening. The teacher initiation, student response and teacher evaluation method is the only type of instruction I really had in my grade school career. With the exception of my advanced 7th and 8th grade social studies and my senior year AP English I was always taught using this recitation style where the teacher provided the majority of the information and the questions. I never remember discussing ideas, only repeating verbatim what I had read, and honestly it got boring becuase I had wonderful comprehension skills. I understood what the text said and meant but I wanted to give my own perspective but with the IRE system students can't.
I think this IRE method is the easiest to implement and that is why it is so often used. The teacher can prepare simple repeatable answers and check for basic understanding of information. I admit that many lessons I will do in the future will be these becuase they are the easiest to fall back on. However, I think that the most engaging and entertaining lessons I have had have been discussion lessons. I think one of my favorite methods is one that Eric Byker taught us that is also in the Weinstein Magnano book, it is the "Think-Pair-Share" method (p 322). This is where students take a minute to think independently about the idea, then talk about it for a minute with a single partner and then the partners are able to share with the whole class their ideas. This method allows for interaction between students without having to conduct a whole-class discussion that can be time consuming. This method is simpler but gives the same effect that you are able to share your ideas with the group and especially being able to pair before you talk in front of the whole group allows you to feel more comfortable. Students who don't normally share may feel better telling their idea to only one neighbor or friend.
I also really liked that the chapter reminded teachers to beware of differing cultural norms when doing class discussions. The chapter said to be mindful of different "discourse patterns" (p 321). This idea is key because not only are there different languages but there are different modes and styles of communication based on cultural and religious differences. I think this is important when you get different kids together and want them to open up to each other and to the group. If you know that maybe thier culture typically only allows them to speak when spoken to by an adult, then you will need to make accomodations and create an environment where they feel comfortable sharing out of turn or with their peers. Again it is the teacher's job to change what she is doing to accomodate for the different learning styles in her classroom- not the students job to try to figure out what is wanted from them.
I think this IRE method is the easiest to implement and that is why it is so often used. The teacher can prepare simple repeatable answers and check for basic understanding of information. I admit that many lessons I will do in the future will be these becuase they are the easiest to fall back on. However, I think that the most engaging and entertaining lessons I have had have been discussion lessons. I think one of my favorite methods is one that Eric Byker taught us that is also in the Weinstein Magnano book, it is the "Think-Pair-Share" method (p 322). This is where students take a minute to think independently about the idea, then talk about it for a minute with a single partner and then the partners are able to share with the whole class their ideas. This method allows for interaction between students without having to conduct a whole-class discussion that can be time consuming. This method is simpler but gives the same effect that you are able to share your ideas with the group and especially being able to pair before you talk in front of the whole group allows you to feel more comfortable. Students who don't normally share may feel better telling their idea to only one neighbor or friend.
I also really liked that the chapter reminded teachers to beware of differing cultural norms when doing class discussions. The chapter said to be mindful of different "discourse patterns" (p 321). This idea is key because not only are there different languages but there are different modes and styles of communication based on cultural and religious differences. I think this is important when you get different kids together and want them to open up to each other and to the group. If you know that maybe thier culture typically only allows them to speak when spoken to by an adult, then you will need to make accomodations and create an environment where they feel comfortable sharing out of turn or with their peers. Again it is the teacher's job to change what she is doing to accomodate for the different learning styles in her classroom- not the students job to try to figure out what is wanted from them.
Blog #2
This week's readings were interesting for me as I had a major "text to self connection" and highlighted a main point from the McGee article that I had been observing quite a bit in my classroom (in fact, I think the method that McGee talked about is one that my CT follows the most!) My CT uses the response-centered talk in her classroom where she delegates an area in the room (which she calls 'the carpet'). All students report to the area to have openly free discussions of books that are either read to them by the CT, read amongst eachother, or read independently. The students are given the chance through-out the CT's reading to: 1) predict the outcome on the next page, 2) follow the picture for further details on the story, 3) note any text to self, text to text or text to world connections. While reading the story, my CT allows each student to freely raise their hand if they have a comment, where she is sure to call on everybody. When she calls on a student, she firsts asks them what kind of connection they had to the story as the students know the proper terminology to use - hence why I stated that I had a 'text to self' connection during the McGee reading ;) In the opening of McGee's article, I noticed that Ms. Antos did something much similar with the story Rosie's Walk as the students reported to the 'book talk center' in their classroom. I have noticed that my CT helps scaffold the quiet/shy students by asking them to share their opinions as when they don't raise their hands to contribute. If the student has nothing to say, the CT will ask something like "well, what do you think of what Garrett just said then?" Amongst the other readings, I enjoyed Almasi's (as well as Weinstein and Mignano's) direction of discussions vs. recitations. Discussions are definitely something that takes place more in my placement as well because my CT always let's the children freely speak when analyzing a book, as she occassionally prompts them with questions. Because the class is a first grade level, in-depth discussions or revelations toward the readings aren't commonly noticed in the discussion which is why my CT allows them to use the "text to connections" idea. This way, the students seem to become more motivated and excited to read because eventually each one of them will find something relatable within the texts.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Blog #2
After reading the articles in the course pack and chapter 10 of Weinstein and Mignano I have come to a couple of conclusions.
There was a lot of detail and different terms that was included into each article about discussions. But I mainly found that all of the requirements and thoughts were alike. Less teacher intrusion and prodding and more student leadership. One of the teachers in the second article said that it was funny to listen to herself on videotape but it gave her a lot of insight into how to go about doing the discussion next time. She said she was proud of herself for not butting in or saying "yes, um hum" all the time but she was disappointed in herself for not picking up on a few of the students thoughts. She realized they could have been important gateways to guiding the discussion. I bring this teacher up because I feel like discussions in this time in our educational history is ver important. But I fear that I may do the things that the articles mentioned not to do. Or I may forget the difference between the student's roles and my roles as a teacher. I have decided though that I would really love to incorporate ideas like these into my classroom for literature.
The third article brought up a few good points that although we may say we need all this change in our school systems, very rarely does anyone actually do anything about it. Language arts definately need a new approach because I can remember certain ways of doing things in elementary school and beyond and rarely ever did they include ANYTHING like a discussion. It really was all the boring old recitation and quizzes that assessed our knowledge based on the readings. BORING and really not a good base to show a teacher my knowledge!!!
Anyways, as far as support goes for students that are involved in a discussion; the options are endless. First, I believe a safe and productive environment are the most important aspects. Also, remembering the purpose of the dicussion will help students know what they are doing. Being clear and concise with what you expect of them will allow the discussion to run a lot more smoothly than just letting the students do whatever they want. Student and teacher roles need to be defined so that everyone understands, this type of support will allow students to reach a high level of participation.
Chapter 10 in W&M listed a few good ideas for teachers during a discussion that I really liked. The idea of using the popsicle sticks so that everyone gets a chance to speak is a good idea. I also liked on page 326 how the book offered examples of how to facilitate the discussion by giving questions on how to properly guide the discussion. Asking inproper questions that we normally would can turn the direction of a discussion-but the examples they listed instead to keep in mind are interesting; ones that you would not think of saying.
I really enjoyed reading about this type of thing because last semester we got a little glimpse of a 'science talk' which is sort of like a discussion. I have learned that some subject areas where you would not normally think of including a discussion, actually benefit from it. Preparing and facilitating classroom discussions like these are such a simple way of improving many skills for a student that can have a lasting impression!
There was a lot of detail and different terms that was included into each article about discussions. But I mainly found that all of the requirements and thoughts were alike. Less teacher intrusion and prodding and more student leadership. One of the teachers in the second article said that it was funny to listen to herself on videotape but it gave her a lot of insight into how to go about doing the discussion next time. She said she was proud of herself for not butting in or saying "yes, um hum" all the time but she was disappointed in herself for not picking up on a few of the students thoughts. She realized they could have been important gateways to guiding the discussion. I bring this teacher up because I feel like discussions in this time in our educational history is ver important. But I fear that I may do the things that the articles mentioned not to do. Or I may forget the difference between the student's roles and my roles as a teacher. I have decided though that I would really love to incorporate ideas like these into my classroom for literature.
The third article brought up a few good points that although we may say we need all this change in our school systems, very rarely does anyone actually do anything about it. Language arts definately need a new approach because I can remember certain ways of doing things in elementary school and beyond and rarely ever did they include ANYTHING like a discussion. It really was all the boring old recitation and quizzes that assessed our knowledge based on the readings. BORING and really not a good base to show a teacher my knowledge!!!
Anyways, as far as support goes for students that are involved in a discussion; the options are endless. First, I believe a safe and productive environment are the most important aspects. Also, remembering the purpose of the dicussion will help students know what they are doing. Being clear and concise with what you expect of them will allow the discussion to run a lot more smoothly than just letting the students do whatever they want. Student and teacher roles need to be defined so that everyone understands, this type of support will allow students to reach a high level of participation.
Chapter 10 in W&M listed a few good ideas for teachers during a discussion that I really liked. The idea of using the popsicle sticks so that everyone gets a chance to speak is a good idea. I also liked on page 326 how the book offered examples of how to facilitate the discussion by giving questions on how to properly guide the discussion. Asking inproper questions that we normally would can turn the direction of a discussion-but the examples they listed instead to keep in mind are interesting; ones that you would not think of saying.
I really enjoyed reading about this type of thing because last semester we got a little glimpse of a 'science talk' which is sort of like a discussion. I have learned that some subject areas where you would not normally think of including a discussion, actually benefit from it. Preparing and facilitating classroom discussions like these are such a simple way of improving many skills for a student that can have a lasting impression!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Blog #1
Okay so I messed up and here is my blog for at least the coursepack readings!
When I was reading the first couple of articles I was baffled to see so many styles of incorporating the ELL into a classroom. It almost makes me nervous to think that one day I will be confronted with students that are facing these issues and they will look to me and their classmates for help. I was pleasantly surprised though that decisions about how to assess ELLs have been made in the past and how to go about doing so has been put into readings for teachers. The little bullets that outlined points for teachers to keep in mind was neat. What I found MOST interesting in the first article was the predictability log, the idea is so simple but actually serves a great purpose. Also, keeping in mind that using resources that are available to my students is important. These resources could include but are not limited to are, the student's family, friends, past experiences, and knowledge. In the second artcile the teacher that sent home the 'homework assignment' for parents was really funny. I would be afraid that parents would be mad at me, but the request was actually quite encouraging and insightful. Keeping in mind that no matter where I go I will have to face these issues and I will have to help an ELL someday. Remembering the best way to assist and guide any ELL is an excellent tool to have.
When I was reading the first couple of articles I was baffled to see so many styles of incorporating the ELL into a classroom. It almost makes me nervous to think that one day I will be confronted with students that are facing these issues and they will look to me and their classmates for help. I was pleasantly surprised though that decisions about how to assess ELLs have been made in the past and how to go about doing so has been put into readings for teachers. The little bullets that outlined points for teachers to keep in mind was neat. What I found MOST interesting in the first article was the predictability log, the idea is so simple but actually serves a great purpose. Also, keeping in mind that using resources that are available to my students is important. These resources could include but are not limited to are, the student's family, friends, past experiences, and knowledge. In the second artcile the teacher that sent home the 'homework assignment' for parents was really funny. I would be afraid that parents would be mad at me, but the request was actually quite encouraging and insightful. Keeping in mind that no matter where I go I will have to face these issues and I will have to help an ELL someday. Remembering the best way to assist and guide any ELL is an excellent tool to have.
Adapting
The biggest idea that I took from the reading and the many other readings we have done is the concept of teachers being able to adapt to every child and the needs they require to succeed in the classroom. At the same time, we also need to consider the classroom as a whole and incorporate ideas to help each student as individuals and as part of the classroom environment. This is something that will more than likely have to change year to year because each individual student brings a different case and a unique aspect to the classroom. Granted one may find similarities in some students from the past, it is important not to group them or label them, but look at them as a new person with distinct traits and attributes that will allow them to contribute to the classroom in some way.
We say this all the time but the hardest thing to do is actually hold true to this type of logic. In an ideal world, one would be able to completely give every student a way of learning that suits their needs all the time. However, realistically this is not the case and some students will struggle with certain methods or teaching instruction. What one does from here is the most important thing to consider. How will one adapt if a student does not understand an assignment while the rest do? How will you meet their needs without holding back the other students? Will you be able to make them understand in enough time? These are all questions that will come up and most likely be encountered numerous times throughout our time in the classroom. I feel how we handle these situations and adapt to them will define us as teachers and educators looking for the well being of the future for all the children.
We say this all the time but the hardest thing to do is actually hold true to this type of logic. In an ideal world, one would be able to completely give every student a way of learning that suits their needs all the time. However, realistically this is not the case and some students will struggle with certain methods or teaching instruction. What one does from here is the most important thing to consider. How will one adapt if a student does not understand an assignment while the rest do? How will you meet their needs without holding back the other students? Will you be able to make them understand in enough time? These are all questions that will come up and most likely be encountered numerous times throughout our time in the classroom. I feel how we handle these situations and adapt to them will define us as teachers and educators looking for the well being of the future for all the children.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Week 1 Post- ESL
I think it is very interesting that the Lansing school district has all but eliminated their ESL programs. There used to be the CLCCA, Center for Language and Communication Arts, where many student were English language learners as well as refugees and immigrants into this country. The CLCCA offered ESL programs as well as languages that English speaking students could learn (French, Spanish, and Arabic). This was an elementary school and it was a wonderful idea with a great forward thinking principal. Unfortunately it no longer exists and the ESL classrooms I have come across pale in comparison. The room that I substitute taught in was a nightmare. There had to have been twenty students in the room ( it was a resource room by name (from the district) but the teacher called the class an ESL class) and there were at least 15 countries being represented. Some could talk to one another (a few students were speaking Arabic and a few were speaking what I beleive was Hmong or Thai) but the student teacher in the room could not communcate with them and to my knowledge the teacher had difficulty communicating with them as well. These students were also of all different age groups so they did not really have a community in each other (students ranged from k to 6th or 7th grade).
I know this may sound a little unrelated but my question is: How do we teach in these ESL or resource room settings when we have not been taught the language in question or how to understand the differing cultures?
I understand the idea of scaffolding and I think in all cases it is a perfect UDL tool. All students would benefit from scaffolding whether or not they need the help (it wouldn't hurt anyone). However in Chapter 1 Gibbons is talking about a communication centered approach to teaching. She says that the modern models support Vygotsky's idea of the socio-cultural theory, which says that human development is intrinsically social rather than individualistic. She says "it is all in the company you keep." This is where my trouble really begins because if I cannot speak the language of my student and I don't know their culture then how will I adapt my teaching to suit them. I think it is not only that the students have to learn English but that we as teachers must be willing to learn the languages and cultural differences of our students. But certainly this would take time, years probably, in which case your students would already have moved on.
MSU has eliminated its ESL degree and other than taking the language that your students speak as a minor, it is practically impossible to fit language into your curriculum as a college student (especially as a special education major which is what I am). I just feel that unless you know the language it is going to be impossible to teach a student that you cannot connect with or have this communication centered approach. Language and communication is how you build a classroom community and an atmosphere where students feel they can open up to you; if you cannot understand them and they cannot understand you, how do you break down the barrier?
I know this question is basically unanswerable because it is based on my perspective and experiences but I think that it would be interesting to see what others think about not knowing the language and still using a communcation centered approach.
I know this may sound a little unrelated but my question is: How do we teach in these ESL or resource room settings when we have not been taught the language in question or how to understand the differing cultures?
I understand the idea of scaffolding and I think in all cases it is a perfect UDL tool. All students would benefit from scaffolding whether or not they need the help (it wouldn't hurt anyone). However in Chapter 1 Gibbons is talking about a communication centered approach to teaching. She says that the modern models support Vygotsky's idea of the socio-cultural theory, which says that human development is intrinsically social rather than individualistic. She says "it is all in the company you keep." This is where my trouble really begins because if I cannot speak the language of my student and I don't know their culture then how will I adapt my teaching to suit them. I think it is not only that the students have to learn English but that we as teachers must be willing to learn the languages and cultural differences of our students. But certainly this would take time, years probably, in which case your students would already have moved on.
MSU has eliminated its ESL degree and other than taking the language that your students speak as a minor, it is practically impossible to fit language into your curriculum as a college student (especially as a special education major which is what I am). I just feel that unless you know the language it is going to be impossible to teach a student that you cannot connect with or have this communication centered approach. Language and communication is how you build a classroom community and an atmosphere where students feel they can open up to you; if you cannot understand them and they cannot understand you, how do you break down the barrier?
I know this question is basically unanswerable because it is based on my perspective and experiences but I think that it would be interesting to see what others think about not knowing the language and still using a communcation centered approach.
Blog #1
Ok, well I'll be honest, I do not have the scaffolding book yet (I ordered it online a week ago tomorrow) so hopefully I will be getting it soon!
Blog #1
After reading the syllabus, I feel that I am very eager to learn more about teaching math and literacy in TE 402 and techniques to making it more enjoyable for children (especially math, because that is not my best subject!) Overall through this course I hope to gain more confidence to teaching literacy, as well as tactics to make it as enjoyable and promising for my future students.
As far as the readings go, it was nice to read the introductory chapter to Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning as well as the articles in the coursepack because they mainly talked about ESL (I guess it's properly called ELL now). ESL is something that I feel very strongly about because I have been working with an ELL student in my field placement and observing the school's ESL teacher during my first grader's lunch break. When we were given the "literacy concept map" assignment, ELL students were one of the first things that came to mind while attempting to define the word. As this just shows how literacy and language can help connect people, cultures, languages and customs all around the world!
Some of the information in Chapter #1 was very interesting to me, such as Gibbons comments regarding the inclusion of ESL students in English-speaking schools. She noted that English-speaking children build off of their already acquired at-home native tounge in a classroom setting with a teacher and other students. The language is reinforced in the schools, where ELL students are experiencing something more challenging as two different languages are spoken at home and in the classroom. This reminded me of the ELL student that I am working with (who I will call May). May often replaces the word 'and' with 'y' which is the Spanish form of the word. She often mixes her sentences up in a "Spanglish" sort of form as she tries to communicate with me and the rest of her classmates. Although at times I feel bad for my CT because May sometimes holds she and the rest of the class back during instruction, the inclusion of her being engulfed in the language is what is best for her to pick up the slang and embrace the language, which was mentioned by Gibbons as well. However, I was wondering exactly how school's ESL program best supports these students? How do you even begin to communicate with someone that doesn't speak your native language? I have previously learned (and came across in the readings as well) that mockery is the best way to begin with ELL students, but it still seems like such a challenging objective that could be slightly embarrassing for the ELL student to be around their peers when they cannot properly communicate with them. All in all, ESL is something that I am very interested in studying and learning more about, so I will keep you all posted on what I learn! ;)
As I stated earlier in my post, I believe that literacy is a wonderful tool to connect all cultures and races through its many forms of reading, writing, communicating, identifying, interpreting and understanding the spoken language.
As far as the readings go, it was nice to read the introductory chapter to Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning as well as the articles in the coursepack because they mainly talked about ESL (I guess it's properly called ELL now). ESL is something that I feel very strongly about because I have been working with an ELL student in my field placement and observing the school's ESL teacher during my first grader's lunch break. When we were given the "literacy concept map" assignment, ELL students were one of the first things that came to mind while attempting to define the word. As this just shows how literacy and language can help connect people, cultures, languages and customs all around the world!
Some of the information in Chapter #1 was very interesting to me, such as Gibbons comments regarding the inclusion of ESL students in English-speaking schools. She noted that English-speaking children build off of their already acquired at-home native tounge in a classroom setting with a teacher and other students. The language is reinforced in the schools, where ELL students are experiencing something more challenging as two different languages are spoken at home and in the classroom. This reminded me of the ELL student that I am working with (who I will call May). May often replaces the word 'and' with 'y' which is the Spanish form of the word. She often mixes her sentences up in a "Spanglish" sort of form as she tries to communicate with me and the rest of her classmates. Although at times I feel bad for my CT because May sometimes holds she and the rest of the class back during instruction, the inclusion of her being engulfed in the language is what is best for her to pick up the slang and embrace the language, which was mentioned by Gibbons as well. However, I was wondering exactly how school's ESL program best supports these students? How do you even begin to communicate with someone that doesn't speak your native language? I have previously learned (and came across in the readings as well) that mockery is the best way to begin with ELL students, but it still seems like such a challenging objective that could be slightly embarrassing for the ELL student to be around their peers when they cannot properly communicate with them. All in all, ESL is something that I am very interested in studying and learning more about, so I will keep you all posted on what I learn! ;)
As I stated earlier in my post, I believe that literacy is a wonderful tool to connect all cultures and races through its many forms of reading, writing, communicating, identifying, interpreting and understanding the spoken language.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
QUESTION
Hey guys, can someone tell me the page number for the reading in the coursepack?? please thank you
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Seeing if this works!
Hey everyone! I hope this works... Sorry about the cheesey name- I couldn't really think of anything else- feel free to change it if you think of something more creative! ;)
Abbey
Abbey
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