Reading #9 - D&Z Chp. 11: Help for Struggling Readers

This chapter has provided me with, yet again, another opportunity to emphasize the importance of PERSONALIZATION in the classroom. D&Z spend chapter 11 discussing the ways we can help our struggling readers. A huge part of this is, yet AGAIN, making students accountable for their learning and encouraging teachers to put things in a context in which their students can relate. The other variables are trust and classroom community building.

The first part of the reading discusses the issue of students not having the mental images to apply to the materials they are reading. This is why it is imperative that we, as teachers, make every attempt to relate the course material to our student's experiences. IF they have their own experiences to pull from they can see the images. If the material is not a direct representation of their experiences, we need to help them make connections (reach to inspire a connection, if you will?). This helps to remove any doubt in what a student is learning, in turn, boosting their CONFIDENCE (another variable mentioned by Smokey and the Bandit) and self efficacy. No images, no confidence, resulting in frustration and students shutting down and becoming unwilling to learn (return of the Gremlin). As I have grown to notice through my observations at NPHS, student attention is INCREDIBLY fragile. As teachers we need to be helping OURSELVES by making all material engaging, otherwise we will lose our students.

D&Z make the mention that teachers complain that they "aren't reading teachers!" I agree with D&Z in the sense that we don't have to teach our students to read. What we need to be doing is GUIDING them in the right direction. Similar to cooperative learning where the teacher plays the mediator. We need to set goals for our students and give them something to work towards, they know how to read at different levels so lets help them use what they know and allow them to expand on that knowledge. For instance, I know how to drive, no one needs to teach me -- but just because I know how to drive doesn't necessarily mean that I know how to get from Providence to New Hampshire. We need to provide our students with directions, a road map, whatever analogy you want to throw at it.

Giving context to reading is the best we can do, other than building morale and efficacy. We need to give our students perspective and a lens in which to read with. Hopefully this lens is their own experience. Another great tool, discussed by D&Z, is roll play. Give your students a reason to care, ask questions from a specific perspective. Bellow I have provided a link to a video that discusses the effective implementation methods for "role-play"... I think this is a method worth considering. As you can see from the thumbnail...the video discusses EXPECTATIONS, I believe those are key to providing our students a "road map."

Reading #8 - D&Z Chp. 9 & 10: Book Clubs and Inquiry

I love the idea of book clubs. I believe that they are a smart way to encourage students to become accountable for their own learning. The idea of the teacher/facilitator role in book clubs is paramount to the success of this exercise. In order for a child to truly retain anything they learn, they have to make the important discoveries themselves, then an imprint/memory can be made. The most important discovery a student can make, in my opinion, is finding out why they care about what they're learning. Once the student is engaged the teacher can be there to facilitate and lead the students towards higher levels of thinking (this reminds me of class last week -- we should be asking our students questions ALL OF THE TIME -- not just asking them, "do you understand?" "does that make sense?" and other questions of the like). Bookclubs, or literacy circles as they are sometimes referred to, are student exploration at its finest! They choose their own reading, they develop their own discussion questions, they investigate the text together, and they challenge themselves and their peers. All the while, the teacher nudges them in the direction of their learning goals. The best part about these circles/clubs is how they can be assessed. This is an opportunity for students to express their creativity and to choose the best method in which they can show what they have learned -- all the while showing something new to their classmates.

What I was interested to see in D&Z was the section on preparing students for book clubs. This reminded me about our class discussion on metacognition. As I began to read about book clubs, I immediately saw the value and how I could implement them in my classroom, and began to think on how I would "facilitate" in-depth discussions. But D&Z helped me realize that maintaining these book clubs will be easier said than done. What I took away from the reading is that in order to start book clubs/literacy circles, you need a strong foundation in expectations. Making a list of rules either under your own discretion or with the students themselves will help them know what they need to accomplish within the circles (another way to make them accountable). The scheduling of these clubs is also important so that students can get a sense of consistency. However, the largest aspect contributing to the success of book clubs is the note taking. You need to provide students with methods in which to note take. Besides, this is the basis of the in class discussion. There may be some trial and error but if implemented correctly, book clubs are the most effective tools. I know this is all easily said as an English teacher. But I'm sure that this would be effective in any concentration. I know that if I were a math teacher I would use this as a way to gain student interest. (I know this would have been helpful for me when I was in high school). By having students engage in some research and dissuasion on relevant mathematical topics it might help to foster some deeper level thinking that would in turn contribute to the students ability to understand the course content.

Totally separate from the topic of this blog post, but I was listening to NPR on my way to campus this morning and I stumbled across this. The segment is on the top lowest performing higher ed. establishments in the country. The criteria for low performance is summed up to how poorly these schools are using their federal funding. The segment raises the question as to whether or not this is helping or hindering the schools at the bottom of the list. The intent is to make those schools achieve better standards, but some experts say the only thing the list is doing is plummeting their registration numbers. The reason I post this is to ask whether or not this would be a beneficial tactic to raise awareness of the performance of formal education. It doesn't seem to be a good fit for higher ed.

The Opposite of the Dean's List