Jennifer Jones
Chapter 4: Learning Log
Page 60: “Effective diagnostic teaching allows students to demonstrate their strengths (what they already know and can do) by overlapping what is known and done with new information and new strategies.”
In a previous learning log, I mentioned the importance of students (especially struggling learners) assimilating new ideas into their preexisting schema so that new ideas are not provided lip service and forgotten, but transferred to various new contexts and situations. In this passage, Walker is urging teachers to not only accept but embrace whatever prior knowledge, successes and experiences a child has as a starting point for growth. I like the term she picks (overlapping) as it provides the reader to visualize the interaction/ intersection of new strategies with the existing information. I think it is interesting that Walker points out that effective reading teachers continuously pursue and perfect simplistic reading strategies as they help students build and perfect new ones.
Page 61: “Allowing the reader to choose what she will read increases engagement. By choosing the reader establishes reason for reading the selected text.”
The reason I selected this passage is because I imagine this is an area of contention for reading teachers (especially at secondary levels) who know that student ownership leads to increased engagement, but at the same time are required to “cover” certain classic pieces of literature which may be unpopular with teens. I think this passage ties directly to Glasser’s theory of motivation and though it is not unique to reading- makes a lot of sense. Though Walker does not explicitly say it, interest is the reason why struggling readers will spend hours surfing the internet (reading web pages), sifting through magazine and comic books but are reluctant and unmotivated to read in school. Though I would be interested in knowing how reading teachers provide their students with choice, I think giving students a choice between options, a class vote or a free reading day occasionally will certainly increase student motivation (and morale).
Page 66: “For Mary, therefore, an effective diagnostic technique would be an adapted repeated reading that incorporates the strategy instruction of self talk.”
I think this notion of self-talk is very interesting and potentially powerful reading strategy for readers of all skill levels. One of my primary goals in working with my middle and high schoolers is to teach them how to be life long learner- to give them the tools and strategies they need to learn on their own without the assistance of an adult. This self-talk strategy seems to be a very powerful way to achieve that end as (in the example of Mary) it seems to be an example of self- reflection and self-coaching. I would like to know more about developing self talk in children in the upcoming chapters.
Page 67: “(Self assessment) helps students draw relationships among their strategy use, skill knowledge and personal effort.”
I think the portion of this sentence about “personal effort’ is one of the most important components of self assessment. I know I wrote about self assessment in a previous learning log, however I had not considered how reflection can empower students to consider how their efforts are effecting (negatively or positively) their academic accomplishments. Especially at the middle school level (the students I teach) being “smart” is not enough; students at this point in their academic careers also must exhibit some effort to be successful. I think that giving students the power to pinpoint how strategy, skill and effort can effect their achievement is not only a reading skill but a life skill.
Page 68: “For personal writing, the students and teacher communicate through writing. During each session students write to the teacher about anything of interest or importance to them… the focus is on communication between students and teacher.”
In this passage, Walker makes a tremendous point about the importance of allowing students to write about topic of interest as a way to increase motivation and engagement in writing tasks. For struggling readers/writers to have an outlet where they will not be judged is extremely important, especially given the fact that it is likely an atypical experience. Though I teach math, my very first homework assignment of the year is to have my students write a letter (journal entry) to me introducing themselves to me, after I write one to them. Though I provide guidelines it is largely an open ended assignment, which gives the students an opportunity to write about their favorite topic (themselves). Not only does this task give me the opportunity to get to know them better (thus guiding my instruction) it is also a terrific way to build community and relationships. Though in my example the letters are not continuous, the model Walker provides is certainly a tool which will help build and strengthen teacher-student relationships.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Learning Log: Chapter 3
Jennifer Jones
Chapter 3: Learning Log
Page 44: “The reflective diagnostic teacher considers and selects among instructional alternatives and at the same time anticipates the consequences of differing decisions on student learning. This reflection helps teachers know why they teach and facilitates their explanation to others.”
The notion of teacher reflection and reflective action is really interesting to me and the reason why I picked this passage out from page 44. In my experience (and this idea is one Dewey’s great contributions to educational literature) there are two types of reflection: reflection for the sake of thinking and reflection for the sake of acting. In other words, it is one thing to informally think about how a class responded to a certain experience or what information an assessment provided you with but it is another to turn those observations into action and actually modify your behavior (and classroom instruction) based on critical reflection. It is this sort of active, problem-solving sort of reflection that I think Walker is getting at on page 44. I think that she is saying here that good reflective practitioners are those who are intentional in their actions. They are educators that have many instructional options at their disposal and deliberately choose the one that is most appropriate for their learners at a given time.
Page 45: “After analyzing the characteristics described in the research literature, she felt she knew enough to identify one of her students as a passive reader.”
I thought this portion of the vignette on page 45 was particularly interesting because Walker had the “master” teacher consult a body of educational research before taking action in the classroom (in this case identifying one of her students as a passive reader). I think she makes a very good (but subtle) point about the importance of educational theory and practice, hinting at the age old disconnect between education and educational theory. Since (especially pre-service teachers) educators bring such a tremendous amount of innate knowledge about both pedagogy and content, it can be difficult for some teachers to accept/consult new research supported ideas. Shifts in educational research do not always result in shifts in practice and so I was very pleasantly surprised at her consultation of research to inform/drive classroom instruction.
Page 47: “Reading is an active problem solving strategy. The diagnostic teacher engages students in this active problem-solving process so they can construct meaning as they read.”
The reason I picked these sentences out of chapter three is because of the tremendous connections I see between what the author is describing in terms of developing reading competency and my job as a mathematics teacher. It was especially interesting that Walker describe reading as “active problem solving” because the course I teach is called “problem solving” and it is entirely math based. Constructing meaning from text (as Walker describes) is analogous to how I teach my students to attack word problems. We (the PS teachers in Lockport) teach our students a process called UPS check, which stands for “Understand the problem”, “Plan”, “Solve” and “Check”. I wonder how these could be translated from an approach to solving word problem to an approach to reading text since essentially in both instances students need to make meaning from a passage and apply the ideas to a new situation.
Page 54: “Many struggling readers do not recognize their effective strategy use. These readers need more than teachers evaluating their performance and strategy use orally. Thus, the diagnostic teacher encourages self assessment.”
On page 54, Walker discusses the importance of self assessment, not from the perspective of a teacher (as she did on page 44) but on the part of students. I tend to disagree with Walker when she says a diagnostic teacher encourages self assessment, because I think a truly effective diagnostic teacher does more than encourage reflection- she plans for it, making it an integral component of her instruction. I think when we can teach our students to reflect on their performance (whether it be in reading or any other subject), over the course of a school year it is the type of competency which can become an anticipated, habitual activity. I think teaching students to self assessment, helps learners students value their own learning (and their responsibility for their learning) as well as identify their own learning gaps and eventually can teach students to solve their own academic/learning needs (or learn how to ask for help solving them).
Page 57: “Finally, the diagnostic teacher engages students by personally responding to literature, discussing her own personal change as a result of reading and writing experiences.”
I think this quotation makes such an important point- it is something I wish every member of my faculty could read and employ in their classrooms. Every Friday during 9th period study hall is “reading day” where students are expected to bring a book, magazine or newspaper and read silently at their desk for the entire 45 minutes. Students are not permitted to do homework, computers or any other activities (including talking). While many teacher struggle to get their study halls to comply I think the biggest factor determining whether or not students participate is whether or not the teacher herself reads during the allotted time. Modeling desired behaviors is so critically important (especially at the middle and high school levels) that I think teachers would have far more success getting students to read on reading day if they did so themselves and had an open conversation with their study halls about what each person learned (themselves taking a turn). If reading day (and reading in general) were of observable importance to each educator, I think students would not only comply but also find it a worthy activity.
Chapter 3: Learning Log
Page 44: “The reflective diagnostic teacher considers and selects among instructional alternatives and at the same time anticipates the consequences of differing decisions on student learning. This reflection helps teachers know why they teach and facilitates their explanation to others.”
The notion of teacher reflection and reflective action is really interesting to me and the reason why I picked this passage out from page 44. In my experience (and this idea is one Dewey’s great contributions to educational literature) there are two types of reflection: reflection for the sake of thinking and reflection for the sake of acting. In other words, it is one thing to informally think about how a class responded to a certain experience or what information an assessment provided you with but it is another to turn those observations into action and actually modify your behavior (and classroom instruction) based on critical reflection. It is this sort of active, problem-solving sort of reflection that I think Walker is getting at on page 44. I think that she is saying here that good reflective practitioners are those who are intentional in their actions. They are educators that have many instructional options at their disposal and deliberately choose the one that is most appropriate for their learners at a given time.
Page 45: “After analyzing the characteristics described in the research literature, she felt she knew enough to identify one of her students as a passive reader.”
I thought this portion of the vignette on page 45 was particularly interesting because Walker had the “master” teacher consult a body of educational research before taking action in the classroom (in this case identifying one of her students as a passive reader). I think she makes a very good (but subtle) point about the importance of educational theory and practice, hinting at the age old disconnect between education and educational theory. Since (especially pre-service teachers) educators bring such a tremendous amount of innate knowledge about both pedagogy and content, it can be difficult for some teachers to accept/consult new research supported ideas. Shifts in educational research do not always result in shifts in practice and so I was very pleasantly surprised at her consultation of research to inform/drive classroom instruction.
Page 47: “Reading is an active problem solving strategy. The diagnostic teacher engages students in this active problem-solving process so they can construct meaning as they read.”
The reason I picked these sentences out of chapter three is because of the tremendous connections I see between what the author is describing in terms of developing reading competency and my job as a mathematics teacher. It was especially interesting that Walker describe reading as “active problem solving” because the course I teach is called “problem solving” and it is entirely math based. Constructing meaning from text (as Walker describes) is analogous to how I teach my students to attack word problems. We (the PS teachers in Lockport) teach our students a process called UPS check, which stands for “Understand the problem”, “Plan”, “Solve” and “Check”. I wonder how these could be translated from an approach to solving word problem to an approach to reading text since essentially in both instances students need to make meaning from a passage and apply the ideas to a new situation.
Page 54: “Many struggling readers do not recognize their effective strategy use. These readers need more than teachers evaluating their performance and strategy use orally. Thus, the diagnostic teacher encourages self assessment.”
On page 54, Walker discusses the importance of self assessment, not from the perspective of a teacher (as she did on page 44) but on the part of students. I tend to disagree with Walker when she says a diagnostic teacher encourages self assessment, because I think a truly effective diagnostic teacher does more than encourage reflection- she plans for it, making it an integral component of her instruction. I think when we can teach our students to reflect on their performance (whether it be in reading or any other subject), over the course of a school year it is the type of competency which can become an anticipated, habitual activity. I think teaching students to self assessment, helps learners students value their own learning (and their responsibility for their learning) as well as identify their own learning gaps and eventually can teach students to solve their own academic/learning needs (or learn how to ask for help solving them).
Page 57: “Finally, the diagnostic teacher engages students by personally responding to literature, discussing her own personal change as a result of reading and writing experiences.”
I think this quotation makes such an important point- it is something I wish every member of my faculty could read and employ in their classrooms. Every Friday during 9th period study hall is “reading day” where students are expected to bring a book, magazine or newspaper and read silently at their desk for the entire 45 minutes. Students are not permitted to do homework, computers or any other activities (including talking). While many teacher struggle to get their study halls to comply I think the biggest factor determining whether or not students participate is whether or not the teacher herself reads during the allotted time. Modeling desired behaviors is so critically important (especially at the middle and high school levels) that I think teachers would have far more success getting students to read on reading day if they did so themselves and had an open conversation with their study halls about what each person learned (themselves taking a turn). If reading day (and reading in general) were of observable importance to each educator, I think students would not only comply but also find it a worthy activity.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Learning Log 1 and 2
Jennifer Jones
Chapter 1 & 2 Learning Log
Page 6: “In this book reading is viewed as a constructive process that involves making meaning with text within a situation. Students employ strategic processes that help them monitor and elaborate their understanding. As they actively use these processes, they combine resources like their prior knowledge, the information they are reading and their prior and recent reading situations to construct meaning.”
I think this passage is so important because it speaks to the tremendous role the reader plays in the actual reading process. It sounds almost like an absurdity to say “readers must play an active role in their reading” but this passage poignantly details reading as a dynamic, fluid process. In thinking about the “self” portion of reading I tried to make a list of factors that impact reader success. Though the passage mentioned issues like prior knowledge, textual information and recent reading experiences, I might also add the ability to accurately self assess, personal interest and motivation, self esteem, cultural background, personal reading style, comfort level with innovation and reading culture. It seems to me there are tremendous amount of personal competencies which contribute to success in reading.
Page 9: “After an extended period of failing to combine sources of information or elaboration strategies, struggling readers become accustomed to understanding only bits and pieces of what they are reading. They refrain from monitoring and passively read words without constructing meaning.”
I chose this passage because I think it speaks to the feelings of defeat many struggling readers feel after years (even an entire lifetime) of being illiterate. It makes tremendous sense to me that after a while readers give up the struggle to understand the entire meaning of a piece of text, instead “accepting” that they will only understand a fraction of the information presented. This passage made me think about (especially in higher grade even adult non readers) whether or not it is appropriate to simplify materials for struggling learners. On the one hand, simplifying text ideally would make the information more comprehensible, thus only using vocabulary the learner knows and using it repeatedly, but does the redundancy and reiteration just make struggling readers more frustrated by hurting their self esteem and motivation. I can think with my students who are struggling readers given them an oversimplified passage (one completely different from their peers) would make them more anxious, feeling as though they are being singled out from their literate peers.
Page 12: “In diagnostic teaching, assessment is continuous. As the student learns, diagnostic information is immediately incorporated into the lesson. The teacher thus deals with the problem as she teaches, not after she has gathered all of the facts.”
One reason I like this passage is because it talks about the continuous nature of effective teaching. I think it is widely held misconception (especially among the pre-service teachers I work with) that teaching is stagnate. Not a process of continuous change and reflection but more of a mentality of “one and done”. This passage emphasizes the fact that effective teachers must have both spontaneous and planned interventions available to suit students’ developing needs. Whether the subject be reading, math or any other topic it is the data received both formally and informally from students which should drive instruction, in this case reading instruction.
Page 17: “Teachers need to choose activities that will show children the variety of functions that reading can serve: reading for pleasure, reading for information and reading to remember.”
I never really thought about the nature of reading tasks until coming across this passage on page 17. I think these distinctions ((1) reading for pleasure, (2) reading for information and (3) reading to remember) relate directly to the contextualized nature of literacy with direct applications for the teaching of reading. Literature is automatically made relevant (and therefore meaningful) to a students who derives pleasure or importance from a task, as is done in the “real world” when adults read to make decisions or form opinions. I also think the last function of reading (reading to remember) is directly the result of the first two. If text is pleasurable it will be remembered as if it is viewed as important by the student. Therefore it is not as though we should encourage students to remember if the form of memorization but rather in the way of “big ideas”.
Page 21: “The diagnostic teacher thinks about what he asks students to do when they read. Then he formulates tentative decisions about the students’ reading processes.”
I think this statement speaks to the importance of a student centered reading classroom. Rather than a directive role, I think the best reading teachers (the best teachers in any subject) are those who act more as a facilitator- guiding and coaching students in ways that best fit their needs and strengths. Though I didn’t pick that passage, one of the major themes for me in chapter two was the idea of using student strengths (and curiosities I would add) as a springboard for learning- starting where the students are and setting direction. Student motivation, “enticing effort” is so important to facilitating growth in reading that building confidence from student strength is critical.
Chapter 1 & 2 Learning Log
Page 6: “In this book reading is viewed as a constructive process that involves making meaning with text within a situation. Students employ strategic processes that help them monitor and elaborate their understanding. As they actively use these processes, they combine resources like their prior knowledge, the information they are reading and their prior and recent reading situations to construct meaning.”
I think this passage is so important because it speaks to the tremendous role the reader plays in the actual reading process. It sounds almost like an absurdity to say “readers must play an active role in their reading” but this passage poignantly details reading as a dynamic, fluid process. In thinking about the “self” portion of reading I tried to make a list of factors that impact reader success. Though the passage mentioned issues like prior knowledge, textual information and recent reading experiences, I might also add the ability to accurately self assess, personal interest and motivation, self esteem, cultural background, personal reading style, comfort level with innovation and reading culture. It seems to me there are tremendous amount of personal competencies which contribute to success in reading.
Page 9: “After an extended period of failing to combine sources of information or elaboration strategies, struggling readers become accustomed to understanding only bits and pieces of what they are reading. They refrain from monitoring and passively read words without constructing meaning.”
I chose this passage because I think it speaks to the feelings of defeat many struggling readers feel after years (even an entire lifetime) of being illiterate. It makes tremendous sense to me that after a while readers give up the struggle to understand the entire meaning of a piece of text, instead “accepting” that they will only understand a fraction of the information presented. This passage made me think about (especially in higher grade even adult non readers) whether or not it is appropriate to simplify materials for struggling learners. On the one hand, simplifying text ideally would make the information more comprehensible, thus only using vocabulary the learner knows and using it repeatedly, but does the redundancy and reiteration just make struggling readers more frustrated by hurting their self esteem and motivation. I can think with my students who are struggling readers given them an oversimplified passage (one completely different from their peers) would make them more anxious, feeling as though they are being singled out from their literate peers.
Page 12: “In diagnostic teaching, assessment is continuous. As the student learns, diagnostic information is immediately incorporated into the lesson. The teacher thus deals with the problem as she teaches, not after she has gathered all of the facts.”
One reason I like this passage is because it talks about the continuous nature of effective teaching. I think it is widely held misconception (especially among the pre-service teachers I work with) that teaching is stagnate. Not a process of continuous change and reflection but more of a mentality of “one and done”. This passage emphasizes the fact that effective teachers must have both spontaneous and planned interventions available to suit students’ developing needs. Whether the subject be reading, math or any other topic it is the data received both formally and informally from students which should drive instruction, in this case reading instruction.
Page 17: “Teachers need to choose activities that will show children the variety of functions that reading can serve: reading for pleasure, reading for information and reading to remember.”
I never really thought about the nature of reading tasks until coming across this passage on page 17. I think these distinctions ((1) reading for pleasure, (2) reading for information and (3) reading to remember) relate directly to the contextualized nature of literacy with direct applications for the teaching of reading. Literature is automatically made relevant (and therefore meaningful) to a students who derives pleasure or importance from a task, as is done in the “real world” when adults read to make decisions or form opinions. I also think the last function of reading (reading to remember) is directly the result of the first two. If text is pleasurable it will be remembered as if it is viewed as important by the student. Therefore it is not as though we should encourage students to remember if the form of memorization but rather in the way of “big ideas”.
Page 21: “The diagnostic teacher thinks about what he asks students to do when they read. Then he formulates tentative decisions about the students’ reading processes.”
I think this statement speaks to the importance of a student centered reading classroom. Rather than a directive role, I think the best reading teachers (the best teachers in any subject) are those who act more as a facilitator- guiding and coaching students in ways that best fit their needs and strengths. Though I didn’t pick that passage, one of the major themes for me in chapter two was the idea of using student strengths (and curiosities I would add) as a springboard for learning- starting where the students are and setting direction. Student motivation, “enticing effort” is so important to facilitating growth in reading that building confidence from student strength is critical.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Introduction
Hello! This is Jennifer Jones. I am a seventh grade math teacher in Lockport, NY. I am looking forward to learning more strategies and interventions to help my struggling readers.
http://jjones-jjones.blogspot.com
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