Thank you for posting to EDU 572 Class Blog. It is wonderful to see all of your deep thoughts and connections as you read about "Diagnostic Teaching" and "The Reading Event."
Each week you will be expected to respond to AT LEAST TWO of your colleagues' learning logs. You will respond under the comments section of the class blog (kwarham.blogspot.com). Be sure to include WHO you are responding to along with your response.
For Example:
-I agree with what Ellen had to say about _________ because...
-E. Musto really made me think about __________. I connected to my
experiences with...
-I was a little confused abut __________, but Michelle really cleared this up for me when she said ...
Also, feel free to jump in the comments at ANY TIME to add a rich depth to the conversation.
We look forward to watching this evolve.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI am responding to CCroff's key concept and reflection #3. I absolutely agree with the idea that teachers should be monitoring their students during their lessons at all times. If a teacher discovers that their class in not grasping a concept or getting their objectives, they may need to take their lesson in a new direction or scrap it all together. This is not only diagnostic teaching, this is just good teaching practices!
ReplyDeleteTo respond to KJones first point, I would like to commend her school for trying to provide help to the struggle readers in 11th grade instead of washing their hands of them. I feel that this class has such great potential that I hope it helps at least a few students if it can't help all of them!
As a side note, I think this a great way to enhance the learning in our class and as an elementary school teacher, I have not thought much about middle and high school aged students. It is nice to hear first-hand perspectives on everything!
This is in response to Jennifer Jones’s chapter 3 learning log on reflection. I really have never thought about how reflection can be two different things. Usually, it seems that I have my students reflect on what they have learned or somehow respond with some type of reading strategy. But to have them realize what they have done and then change their behavior or your own instruction is totally at another level. I feel that I have been getting better this past year on reflecting on my own teaching to help me modify my instruction, and it is something that I will continue to work on.
ReplyDeleteThis is in response to B. Matiash’s post about how children must be taught to value reading at a very young age, usually by someone in his or her family. This is how I learned to read when I was very young. My mother read so many books to me that I began to memorize words and letters before kindergarten. A lot of my middle school students say they never read outside of school and unfortunately it shows. The connection between parent, child, and teacher is incredibly significant.
- Mike Carter
In response to E. Musto's response about reading and writing, I agree completely. They do go hand in hand and I created many lessons with both reading and writing workshops. I believe writing helps students to think more about what they have read and writing only increases their understanding. They can also refer back to their writing and see how their thoughts have evolved over time.
ReplyDeleteIn response to M. Carter's thought about cultural diversity, I really liked how you went out of your way to learn some new phrases in your students' languages. The ultimate job that I want is to be an ESL teacher and in my student teaching, I took a day for the students to teach phrases to me and the class in their native language. This does add a lot to the atmosphere and everyone can feel comfortable.
Ellen Benigno
In responce to B Matiash's first point. I see this in not just some teachers, but maybe even more upsetting is parents and students that believe that they cannot suceed. I had a student to today who is in 6th grade and ready to give up because she stuggles and her parents tell her that she is stupid. I tried every thing I could think of at the time to let her know she is NOT stupid, and that I KNOW she CAN do it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with K Jones on wait time. I too am trying to allow my students time to think about their responces. I try not to call on the first person or the same person every time. I do find it sometimes difficult that when I give students time to think and respond, their peers are not used to having to wait so they shout out or tell them the answer. I am going to have to continue working with my students to let others have a chance. I love that they are excited and understand but I need to show them that by waiting thet help others get what they already have.
As I read Kelly O'Brien's learning log, it made me think about the importance of conferencing with students.
ReplyDeleteWhen I conference with my students it gives me a deeper insight behind their thoughts. Children often open up more and I am able to find out more about them. For example, I have a 7th grader who insisted on using capital letters within and at the end of words. After numerous times of explaining the appropriate use for capitals, NOTHING changed. However, during a conference I asked him why he was doing this. The student responded..."because I don't know the difference between a lowercase d and a lower case b."
AH HA! I had no idea. We then worked on coping strategies to help him remember the difference. If we had never had that one-on-one conversation, I would have never known what he really needed to help him succeed.
I like the idea that Connie Devlin had when she said, “I started the year off with a scavenger hunt in their new math textbook. I understand that not all of the students have the same experiences with math books, especially since they are coming from two different elementary schools. I also have found that they forgot about all of the things that they book can help them do. Before the chapter tests I remind them that there is section in the back that highlights each different part of the chapter by giving examples and problems for them to try. I have also recently had two students discover the homework help that is available online, even though this is one of the things that I showed them in the beginning of the year.”
ReplyDeleteConnie’s response proves the importance of Previewing the Text and discussing its components. It also shows that REINFORCEMENT of literacy strategies is imperative at all grade levels in all subject areas!!!
I agree with what Karrie Jones had to say about students dwelling on finding out the purpose of the task. I am also a math teacher and I would constantly run into similar problems while I was student teaching. Things would be going so well in class with whatever activity or experiment we were working on and just when you thought you made it through the lesson without that question, it popped up. "What was the point of that?" or "Why are we doing this?" Students would focus on that question so much that they missed the whole idea of the activity.
ReplyDeleteMike Carter wrote in his learning log: "While a well-planned lesson typically ensures an active learning environment, teachers must also be able to adjust plans quickly". I also wrote about this in my learning log. I think it's funny how much emphasis is put on planning when there are so many times that you have to stray from your lesson plans to meet the needs of your students. I experience this on a daily basis with my students. My students' needs are very different and individualized, so lesson plans are much less formal and they are specific to each student's IEP goals. When I plan group activities and read-alouds, they almost never go according to the plan. I have to be prepared to change directions and activities in reaction to my students' health, behavior, and comprehension. It really is a balancing act.
ReplyDeleteI am responding to Ellen Benigno comment about the teacher using humor and laughter to develop a relaxed atmosphere. I totally agree with using humor and laughter this allows the students to feel comfortable expressing themselves. When they all contribute they get to learn from each others experiences. By the teacher laughing at herself students can see that the teacher also makes mistakes and is not perfect. So it creates an atmosphere where children feel comfortable sharing.
ReplyDeleteI am responding to bmatiash comment on how the diagnostic teacher focuses on a students strength rather than analyze their weakness. By focusing on the positive it gives the student a more positive outlook on reading. This encourages them to read more and continue to develop their skills
ReplyDeleteI agree with E. Benigno that the classroom is supposed to feel like a safe place, where students do not feel trapped and forced to learn. The most enjoyable experiences that I have had while teaching include fun and laughter, not only from my students but from me as well. I also agree using humor helps students stay engaged and interested in the lesson. One little laugh can go a long way!
ReplyDeleteI also agree with C. Croff that teachers need to be aware and respectful of multiple cultures within the classroom. She mentioned that one topic, word, or story might have one meaning in one student’s culture but have an entirely different meaning to another student. Teaching in an ethnically diverse school, especially during social studies classes, I notice the necessity for this awareness. Students do notice the differences between one another especially as they get older, and they do have questions! I notice that if you teach to all cultures it keeps all students not only engaged but also informed. I think that literacy and social studies are two wonderful ways to promote cultural diversity, awareness and understanding.
Sorry, I posted this in the wrong place. I copied and pasted it here.
ReplyDeleteEMusto said:
Students jump at the opportunity to share their own experiences with the group. When students are able to share their own experiences and how they relate to what the group as a whole is reading, it gives the group the opportunity to understand a sometimes complex idea in a more concrete way. When students are given real world experiences as a way to associate those experiences to the situations in the book or story that they are reading, it is a more positive experience for everyone.
I agree with this because the students I have dealt with are always trying to share their connections with whatever we are doing. Sometimes their connections are right on and sometimes they are a stretch, but they are always willing to share. Verbal discussions about connections are a very good strategy to teach to the students to help them in reading comprehension.
January 26, 2009 9:34 PM
J Hejza said
ReplyDeleteStruggling readers have difficulty reading because they do not have the ability to strategize.
I agree with this because all of the struggling readers I have had the opportunity to work with did not have enough strategies and skills to help them be successful. I think once they are struggling, the skills and strategies need to be introduced slowly and repetitively to them so they can really understand how to use them.
January 26, 2009 9:18 PM