In my second year of teaching, I obviously still consider myself a new teacher. Although I have many experiences in the classroom that I can take with me and I continue to learn new strategies, there is one thing that I have trouble with . . . differentiated instruction during reading lessons. For guided reading, students are already grouped by their ability (reading level) and so each group is already receiving differentiated instruction to fit their needs. The main area I need help in is in my whole group lessons each day.
We have a new curriculum, and although it has amazing lessons, there are minimal chances to differentiate how to teach them. Maybe I'm doing it, and I don't realize it, but I really think I know my area of growth! I know I'm already doing things like setting high standards for all of my students, and assessing them to plan out future instruction, but it's the other stuff I'm not so sure on. For instance, I need to be varying follow-up activities for my students, but I'm not sure how. It's hard for me to give one type of worksheet to some students, and a different one to others. Also, many follow-up activities are supposed to be done with a partner, so I have a difficult time deciding on which way is best to pair them. Our curriculum does not give us many examples for differentiated activities, and it's hard to develop them on my own. I do give my struggling students sentence starters, or help them more often than the students that are more "abled," but I just don't know what else to do. I do not make adjustments to make a lesson necessarily easier, because I feel as though all students should be learning the same things. If I can challenge them, then I do so with that group of students individually, or during guided reading.
Is there an easy way to differentiate during whole group lessons? I am afraid to do something way off-base with the fear that I would get "in trouble." I am to follow the lessons as they appear in the curriculum and so I can't change them up to much. I am in desperate need of help to learn some new ways to differentiate during whole group (other than the couple of things I am already doing). Do you have any ideas??? Please lend a helping hand . . .
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Fluency
Fluency when reading is extremely important. It consists of three components: accuracy, speed, and prosody. Something that my class textbook (Tompkins, 2010), and many people believe, is that fluency is compatible with successful comprehension, and vice versa. Although I believe this to be true most of the time, I have found that it is not always the case.
Last year, I had one student that was a very slow reader. She was able to decode the words she didn't know well, but her rate of reading was painfully slow. Most students would not be able to retain what they read if they are concentrating on each word that closely, but she could comprehend everything. I honestly don't think there was one time last year where her comprehension was incorrect. I worked with her on getting her mouth ready for the words, and focusing more on that first letter and each piece of each word. We also talked about trying to speed up her rate and I modeled what it should sound like. Even though she was still reading somewhat slow at the end of the school year, her rate of reading sped up and she actually looked and sounded like a fluent reader.
Last year I also had 3 students that read fluently and could decode new words quickly, but their comprehension was not there. They could read a level 7 text "fluently" but could not comprehend unless they were reading a level 3 text. That showed me that even though they could read the words, they had no idea what they were reading. With these students, I had to work on slowing down their rate and to make sure we did repeated readings. In addition, we worked on previewing the texts more thoroughly so they had a better idea of what they would see in the story.
These two scenarios are very different. One student would not really be labeled as a fluent reader, but in fact she was a very high leveled reader with great comprehension skills. The group of students that seemed like fluent readers had no idea what they were reading most of the time. Students' levels of fluency depend on many aspects, and working on their skills often require individualization.
Have you seen similar issues in your classroom? What do you do when you do not have a fluent reader? On the other hand, what do you do when you have a fluent reader but they are not comprehending?
Reference: Tompkins, G.E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Last year, I had one student that was a very slow reader. She was able to decode the words she didn't know well, but her rate of reading was painfully slow. Most students would not be able to retain what they read if they are concentrating on each word that closely, but she could comprehend everything. I honestly don't think there was one time last year where her comprehension was incorrect. I worked with her on getting her mouth ready for the words, and focusing more on that first letter and each piece of each word. We also talked about trying to speed up her rate and I modeled what it should sound like. Even though she was still reading somewhat slow at the end of the school year, her rate of reading sped up and she actually looked and sounded like a fluent reader.
Last year I also had 3 students that read fluently and could decode new words quickly, but their comprehension was not there. They could read a level 7 text "fluently" but could not comprehend unless they were reading a level 3 text. That showed me that even though they could read the words, they had no idea what they were reading. With these students, I had to work on slowing down their rate and to make sure we did repeated readings. In addition, we worked on previewing the texts more thoroughly so they had a better idea of what they would see in the story.
These two scenarios are very different. One student would not really be labeled as a fluent reader, but in fact she was a very high leveled reader with great comprehension skills. The group of students that seemed like fluent readers had no idea what they were reading most of the time. Students' levels of fluency depend on many aspects, and working on their skills often require individualization.
Have you seen similar issues in your classroom? What do you do when you do not have a fluent reader? On the other hand, what do you do when you have a fluent reader but they are not comprehending?
Reference: Tompkins, G.E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Junior Great Books
As a first year teacher last year, I was told I needed to do the Junior Great Books (JGB) Program for 2 weeks each quarter. First off, I had no idea what JGB was . . . it was honestly new to me. Then, when I was told what it was, I really didn't want to do it. A 1/4 of my class was below grade level, and I was supposed to implement a program that is meant for advanced (or gifted/talented) students! I really didn't see how it was going to work. In addition, I never had training in how to implement it in the classroom. My reading specialist came in one day to observe me, and she had quite a few complaints and questions about how I ran my lesson. I told her the reasoning behind what I was doing, but she told me, "You should be doing it this way . . ." I informed her I had never had training, and I was reading the lessons straight out of the guide. I thought I was doing everything right, but I didn't have anything to base it on, since I've never seen anyone teach it before. She helped me with some strategies and explained the JGB program a little more thoroughly. After that, it started to get a little easier, and more natural, to teach it.
This is all on my mind currently, because I am writing about, and doing research on, JGB for my reading class. Even though I wasn't too impressed with using it in my classroom at first, I have really seen the benefits over the past year. I have grown accustomed to it and really enjoy reading the stories with my class. It is amazing to see how much the kids understand and how their minds come up with the most creative ideas. Just because a child is below grade level doesn't mean they cannot be a part of this program. I only have 2 students that are below grade level this year in reading, but they enjoy the activities that accompany the readings. I tell my students to follow along as best they can while we are reading the story, because they will be able to learn new words. Also, their listening comprehension is still great, so there is no reason why that won't know what's happening. The higher order thinking questions are very elaborate, but most of my students make sense of it and can share their thoughts. Then their thoughts spark another idea in someone else, and it really gets the ball rolling. Each text spends about 4 days going through repeated readings and activities like drawing, asking questions, and completing a shared writing experience. The stories that are in the JGB series are fun to read, and all of my students look forward to it. I think that JGB has really grown on me, and I definitely think it helps students become better readers AND thinkers.
Do you implement JGB in your classroom? How often do you do it? Do you see the benefits, or not? I'm interested in what others think, because this is still very new to me . . .
This is all on my mind currently, because I am writing about, and doing research on, JGB for my reading class. Even though I wasn't too impressed with using it in my classroom at first, I have really seen the benefits over the past year. I have grown accustomed to it and really enjoy reading the stories with my class. It is amazing to see how much the kids understand and how their minds come up with the most creative ideas. Just because a child is below grade level doesn't mean they cannot be a part of this program. I only have 2 students that are below grade level this year in reading, but they enjoy the activities that accompany the readings. I tell my students to follow along as best they can while we are reading the story, because they will be able to learn new words. Also, their listening comprehension is still great, so there is no reason why that won't know what's happening. The higher order thinking questions are very elaborate, but most of my students make sense of it and can share their thoughts. Then their thoughts spark another idea in someone else, and it really gets the ball rolling. Each text spends about 4 days going through repeated readings and activities like drawing, asking questions, and completing a shared writing experience. The stories that are in the JGB series are fun to read, and all of my students look forward to it. I think that JGB has really grown on me, and I definitely think it helps students become better readers AND thinkers.
Do you implement JGB in your classroom? How often do you do it? Do you see the benefits, or not? I'm interested in what others think, because this is still very new to me . . .
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Vocabulary Instruction
Vocabulary instruction is extremely important in the classroom. I personally feel like I do an o.k. job at it, but know there is a lot of room for improvement. About 1/3 of my class are ESL (English as a Second Language) students, and these kids need it probably more than the others. My graduate class textbook (see reference below) gives us several strategies to use to help build a student's vocabulary. I already use some of them, but others are a little advanced for my first graders, and especially for the ones that need this sort of instruction.
The overall main thing that a person needs to do to gain vocabulary is to read, and most importantly, independently. As a teacher, it is important for me to be reading everyday to the whole class, because this exposure can also help each student increase their amount of vocabulary. No matter if my students are in whole group or small group instruction, it is imperative that I front-load them with important words in the text that they will read/hear. If they already have a sense of the difficult word, it will be easier to comprehend what is happening in the text if they hear it before. The more advanced reader we are, the more vocabulary we have. This should not come as a surprise . . . so lets get everyone reading!!!
Some good activities that I do in my class to help increase my students' vocabulary are: word wall writing (practice words on a white board), word posters (write a word and illustrate it; write a sentence with the word in it), dramatizing words (acting out a word and having another student guess the word), and word sorts (grouping words that are alike; could be by the ending like -ing, or the beginning sound like ch-). I take some of these activities and also make them into board games. The students really enjoy when they get to play a game, and little do they know they are also learning at the same time! These activities seem to work well in my classroom, but as I said before, I am always looking for more, successful ways, to increase vocabulary instruction. Do you have any activities???
Tompkins, G.E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
The overall main thing that a person needs to do to gain vocabulary is to read, and most importantly, independently. As a teacher, it is important for me to be reading everyday to the whole class, because this exposure can also help each student increase their amount of vocabulary. No matter if my students are in whole group or small group instruction, it is imperative that I front-load them with important words in the text that they will read/hear. If they already have a sense of the difficult word, it will be easier to comprehend what is happening in the text if they hear it before. The more advanced reader we are, the more vocabulary we have. This should not come as a surprise . . . so lets get everyone reading!!!
Some good activities that I do in my class to help increase my students' vocabulary are: word wall writing (practice words on a white board), word posters (write a word and illustrate it; write a sentence with the word in it), dramatizing words (acting out a word and having another student guess the word), and word sorts (grouping words that are alike; could be by the ending like -ing, or the beginning sound like ch-). I take some of these activities and also make them into board games. The students really enjoy when they get to play a game, and little do they know they are also learning at the same time! These activities seem to work well in my classroom, but as I said before, I am always looking for more, successful ways, to increase vocabulary instruction. Do you have any activities???
Tompkins, G.E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Motivation Continued . . .
Last time, I commented on motivation and how important it was to have in the classroom. This week, I read a couple of research articles that had me thinking even more about it. One of the articles wanted to see if early reading failure in students decreased their reading motivation, over time. To me, I thought that was a simple enough answer . . . yes. How can a child that is struggling to read be motivated and excited about something they fail to do? After reading the results, the study actually found that it had more to do with their motivation to begin with, that resulted in their motivation over time. Regardless if the child was a strong reader or not, if they were motivated at a young age, they were more likely to be motivated a few years later, and vice-versa. So the big question now is, how do we get ALL children motivated to read at a young age?
As a first grade teacher, I have students at both ends of the reading level spectrum. I have a couple that came in not knowing all their kindergarten words and reading at the Reading Behavior level (knowing their concepts of print, but not really being able to “read”). On the other hand, I have students reading at the end of a second grade level. With my lowest level students, I needed to find ways to get them up to grade level. We have done drill sandwiches with their kindergarten words, and practiced writing the words repeatedly, which has helped immensely. They know that when they get all of the words correct, they earn stickers. These students worked very hard, and after two weeks of hard drilling, they now know all of their words they should have learned last year. The next step is to get them reading texts, at a first grade level. The early levels of reading in first grade are still working on high frequency words, but from the first grade curriculum. Drill sandwiches, boardgames, word sorts that start to work on endings and blends, etc., will be the motivational piece to get them to increase their reading level. They understand that this is important, because there are many exciting books to choose from, especially the higher up you go. For me, I believe I can motivate my readers, because there are many activities that are fun, but also instructional. However, since the students can get bored easily, I am always looking for new drills, or activities to use with my class.
What do you find to be the most useful in your classroom?
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Motivation
A classmate this week brought in an article about motivation, and how important it is for students in their reading. Since I am also an athletic coach, I know how motivation is imperative to a human being in order to be successful. Intrinsic and extrinsic are both important, but motivation in itself, is the main thing, no matter where it is coming from.
The article stated that there were "three main facets to fostering motivation in students." This would include interest, confidence, and dedication. I completely agree that there must be an interest to read, in order to help a student be more successful. Usually, I see the students that are in the lower levels are the ones who have the least interest, and vice-versa. If we can get all students to enjoy reading, no matter what level they are at, their level of reading will increase even faster. I also believe that confidence is crucial to a student. This area includes a student feeling safe in their environment and that they know they have teacher support. I have always tried to have a very comfortable classroom environment, and I truly believe that my class feels comfortable with it, and with me. Although I agree that dedication is important, I believe this would be the least important of the three facets. Every once in a while, I will see a student that is not persistent in reading or doesn't do it as much as they need to, but they are still a strong/high level reader. It is important for students to dedicate time to reading, but I believe that some people are just more "natural" readers and can still be successful, even with less time spent reading than another person. What do you think? I'm stumped, because I think it's important, but I don't necessarily think it can define or label a reader, and that they HAVE to be dedicated.
With all this talk about motivation, I must say that it cannot be done without teaching it. I believe that all individuals needs to motivated, but they also need to know how and why. It is important to have a positive well-being, and a strong self-efficacy almost always leads to success!
Reference: Cambria, J., Guthrie, J.T. (2010). Motivating and engaging students in reading. New England Reading Association Journal, 46(1), 16-28.
The article stated that there were "three main facets to fostering motivation in students." This would include interest, confidence, and dedication. I completely agree that there must be an interest to read, in order to help a student be more successful. Usually, I see the students that are in the lower levels are the ones who have the least interest, and vice-versa. If we can get all students to enjoy reading, no matter what level they are at, their level of reading will increase even faster. I also believe that confidence is crucial to a student. This area includes a student feeling safe in their environment and that they know they have teacher support. I have always tried to have a very comfortable classroom environment, and I truly believe that my class feels comfortable with it, and with me. Although I agree that dedication is important, I believe this would be the least important of the three facets. Every once in a while, I will see a student that is not persistent in reading or doesn't do it as much as they need to, but they are still a strong/high level reader. It is important for students to dedicate time to reading, but I believe that some people are just more "natural" readers and can still be successful, even with less time spent reading than another person. What do you think? I'm stumped, because I think it's important, but I don't necessarily think it can define or label a reader, and that they HAVE to be dedicated.
With all this talk about motivation, I must say that it cannot be done without teaching it. I believe that all individuals needs to motivated, but they also need to know how and why. It is important to have a positive well-being, and a strong self-efficacy almost always leads to success!
Reference: Cambria, J., Guthrie, J.T. (2010). Motivating and engaging students in reading. New England Reading Association Journal, 46(1), 16-28.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Phonics Say What?
Our reading (from our class textbook) this past week dealt with phonics. Cue the music from Jaws as I write this (because of my fear of phonics). It's a word that I haven't been comfortable with . . . A word that is like nails on a chalkboard . . . A word that makes me shut down (and believe me, that's hard to do!). Do I think there is something wrong with phonics? No. Why do I not like the sound (pun intended) of it? Because I was never taught phonics. Yes, it's true, I am a teacher that never learned phonics. That means that as I am teaching my students, I am learning along with them. As an early childhood student in California, I learned the whole word approach to reading. I learned a word from what it looked like, not because I was able to "sound it out." Unfortunately, this is very noticeable when I encounter a new word and I have no idea how to pronounce it. Thank goodness for the internet and dictionary.com that pronounces words for you! In my class, I teach phonics with certain strategies: word sorts, initial/ending sounds, blends, etc. I find it helpful, in particular, for my students that have IEPs (individualized education plans) in speech/language and for my ESL students (English as a second language).
Although I have this negative relationship with phonics, I don't necessarily think it's unimportant. There are many positive things about phonics that help us as readers. There are rules to follow, that usually work. But what happens when those rules don't work? They confuse us! Then you're not sure about how to read the new word. Do I follow the rule? Is it the exception to the rule? Who knows??? Better check dictionary.com . . . The other day I interviewed a colleague of mine, who has been working in education for almost 40 years. She is currently in the role of a long-term substitute for our reading specialist (who is on maternity leave). From her experience, she believes learning phonics by itself is useless. If you learn phonics while working on comprehension, then it is worthwhile. She was adamant about her feelings with phonics and how to teach it. I think I'll spend some more time interviewing her about some strategies!
Is phonics necessary? Did you learn phonics, or whole word, when you were young? How do you implement it in your instruction? Please help me . . .(Jaws music is continuing to play).
Although I have this negative relationship with phonics, I don't necessarily think it's unimportant. There are many positive things about phonics that help us as readers. There are rules to follow, that usually work. But what happens when those rules don't work? They confuse us! Then you're not sure about how to read the new word. Do I follow the rule? Is it the exception to the rule? Who knows??? Better check dictionary.com . . . The other day I interviewed a colleague of mine, who has been working in education for almost 40 years. She is currently in the role of a long-term substitute for our reading specialist (who is on maternity leave). From her experience, she believes learning phonics by itself is useless. If you learn phonics while working on comprehension, then it is worthwhile. She was adamant about her feelings with phonics and how to teach it. I think I'll spend some more time interviewing her about some strategies!
Is phonics necessary? Did you learn phonics, or whole word, when you were young? How do you implement it in your instruction? Please help me . . .(Jaws music is continuing to play).
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Communication Is Key In Reading
This past week, in class, I presented a journal article to the rest of the students. I honestly can say that this was THE most beneficial article I have ever read. I am still new to teaching, only in my second year, and I am constantly learning new things to use in my classroom. One of my biggest challenges is helping my ESL (English as a second language) students to be on the same level as others in our class. The article I read, and presented to my reading class, hit on some very important facts that may help my students be more successful.
My article was about an elementary school in San Diego, that implemented a school wide literacy framework to help them be more successful. This school had some of the lowest scores in the state, it was in the poorest area of the city, 100% of the students qualified for free lunch, and over 70% of the students were ESL. The administrators, teachers, and parents worked for many years to collaborate on a framework that would work for their students. After a few years, the results were incredible, and the school was much more successful in testing. The basis of their framework is that learning is social. Even though they have a high ESL population, this was always part of instruction. Being social helped their students be more successful. The belief in the framework was that if oral language is not present, how is a child supposed to read and write successfully? Students increased their oral language through both whole group and small group instruction. During centers/stations, the students were expected to work collaboratively 100% of the time. Another positive result to this literacy framework, was that the school's math scores also improved. The school has since produced frameworks for other areas of study.
I loved reading and presenting this article. It gave me a new understanding in how ESL students might learn more successfully. It seems like common sense that an ESL student needs to increase their oral language, but I have never thought about that as far as instruction is concerned. Because of the success this school found with their literacy framework, I am going to increase collaboration time during activities and centers.
What do you think? Do you already have students collaborate often in your class? What are the positive/negative outcomes of implementing this in your classroom?
My article was about an elementary school in San Diego, that implemented a school wide literacy framework to help them be more successful. This school had some of the lowest scores in the state, it was in the poorest area of the city, 100% of the students qualified for free lunch, and over 70% of the students were ESL. The administrators, teachers, and parents worked for many years to collaborate on a framework that would work for their students. After a few years, the results were incredible, and the school was much more successful in testing. The basis of their framework is that learning is social. Even though they have a high ESL population, this was always part of instruction. Being social helped their students be more successful. The belief in the framework was that if oral language is not present, how is a child supposed to read and write successfully? Students increased their oral language through both whole group and small group instruction. During centers/stations, the students were expected to work collaboratively 100% of the time. Another positive result to this literacy framework, was that the school's math scores also improved. The school has since produced frameworks for other areas of study.
I loved reading and presenting this article. It gave me a new understanding in how ESL students might learn more successfully. It seems like common sense that an ESL student needs to increase their oral language, but I have never thought about that as far as instruction is concerned. Because of the success this school found with their literacy framework, I am going to increase collaboration time during activities and centers.
What do you think? Do you already have students collaborate often in your class? What are the positive/negative outcomes of implementing this in your classroom?
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Cinco
This week's class, and text reading, focused on numerous aspects of reading, including the five stages of the reading process (through shared reading). These stages, in order, consist of pre-reading, reading, responding, exploring, and applying. These strategies are something I try to use when I teach, on a daily basis, because they are a vital process for children when learning to read.
Pre-reading is important because it gets the students thinking about what they already know about the text, by looking at the title and taking picture walks. When students can activate prior knowledge, I think it is extremely important to their reading, because their comprehension will most likely be greater. As a teacher of several ESL (english as a second language) students, and others with IEPs (individualized education plan), during reading I make sure to go slowly and I am very articulate. I point out important information to make sure those words/ideas really stick in their heads. Afterward, I make sure to have a discussion about the text and answer questions that students have (start of responding stage). This leads into their follow up. On most days, the students will complete a writing and/or drawing piece that is a response to the text we went over. The stage of exploring is something I need to work on more as a teacher. I often follow plans from the curriculum, and sometimes it does not have this stage as an integral part (if at all). The exploring stage includes adding new words to the word wall from the text, teaching mini lessons in small group, talking more about the author/illustrator, etc. I believe that the stage of applying can be almost combined with the stage of responding; at least in my classroom. When my students are responding to the text, they are also applying what they learned in the follow up. If they do not complete it correctly, I know that they did not understand, and need to be re-taught the lesson of that day (or perhaps need to re-read the text).
The five stages of reading are essential to a student's education. Even though I need to improve on the fourth stage of exploring, I try my best to use these stages correctly and constantly! One way I think I can improve on this stage is by adding things to centers where my students can further explore the text we just looked at. Do you have any ideas of how I can improve on this stage? Please let me know . . . your feedback is much appreciated!!!
Pre-reading is important because it gets the students thinking about what they already know about the text, by looking at the title and taking picture walks. When students can activate prior knowledge, I think it is extremely important to their reading, because their comprehension will most likely be greater. As a teacher of several ESL (english as a second language) students, and others with IEPs (individualized education plan), during reading I make sure to go slowly and I am very articulate. I point out important information to make sure those words/ideas really stick in their heads. Afterward, I make sure to have a discussion about the text and answer questions that students have (start of responding stage). This leads into their follow up. On most days, the students will complete a writing and/or drawing piece that is a response to the text we went over. The stage of exploring is something I need to work on more as a teacher. I often follow plans from the curriculum, and sometimes it does not have this stage as an integral part (if at all). The exploring stage includes adding new words to the word wall from the text, teaching mini lessons in small group, talking more about the author/illustrator, etc. I believe that the stage of applying can be almost combined with the stage of responding; at least in my classroom. When my students are responding to the text, they are also applying what they learned in the follow up. If they do not complete it correctly, I know that they did not understand, and need to be re-taught the lesson of that day (or perhaps need to re-read the text).
The five stages of reading are essential to a student's education. Even though I need to improve on the fourth stage of exploring, I try my best to use these stages correctly and constantly! One way I think I can improve on this stage is by adding things to centers where my students can further explore the text we just looked at. Do you have any ideas of how I can improve on this stage? Please let me know . . . your feedback is much appreciated!!!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
What I think about learning theories is . . .
This week in class we discussed different learning theories. Throughout the past year at Hopkins I have learned about a lot of different theorists, and have been asked to think of which one I agree with the most. I find it hard to really zero in on one in particular. There are so many theories that have certain aspects I agree with, but then others that I do not. In class, after discussing the differences between these theories, we worked with a partner to figure out what our commonalities and differences were, and why.
The four theories we discussed were behaviorism, constructivism, sociolinguistics, and cognitive/information processing. The cognitive/information processing theory really focuses on comprehension during reading. Although this would be nice for everyone to be successful in, and many are, there are plenty of students that have problems with comprehension. I have noticed many students that can read higher level texts, but have no idea what they just read. This is an area that some children really need help in. The sociolinguistics theory states that oral language is the basis to reading and writing. Although I agree this is important, I have seen many ESL children that are successful without much English background, and students in my highest reading group that are the least social in the class. Oral language does not have to do with only speaking, but also with listening and processing language. Something I definitely agree with in this theory is the zone of proximal development (ZPD). I agree that students learn best in the area of when something is not too hard or too easy.
The last two theories are very important to me, because these are the two that I believe in the most, and use the most when I teach. They are also very different theories, and many believe to be "opposites." While behaviorism is teacher-centered, constructivism is student-centered. When behaviorism believes behavior/learning is "learned," constructivism believes that students create knowledge "naturally." I believe that both of these are essential in a first grade classroom. Students are young enough that they still need to be guided in many ways, and behaviorism is a necessity, especially the earlier in the school year we find ourselves. I also believe that as a teacher, I shouldn't be feeding all the information to my students, and that they need to use critical thinking to come up with the answers on their own.
Looking at different theorists is definitely interesting. It is important for me, especially, because I am only in my second year of full-time teaching at this grade level. Just as a student, I am constantly learning. Students (and classes) are different. I need to remember that what works for one student (or class) doesn't necessarily work for another!
The four theories we discussed were behaviorism, constructivism, sociolinguistics, and cognitive/information processing. The cognitive/information processing theory really focuses on comprehension during reading. Although this would be nice for everyone to be successful in, and many are, there are plenty of students that have problems with comprehension. I have noticed many students that can read higher level texts, but have no idea what they just read. This is an area that some children really need help in. The sociolinguistics theory states that oral language is the basis to reading and writing. Although I agree this is important, I have seen many ESL children that are successful without much English background, and students in my highest reading group that are the least social in the class. Oral language does not have to do with only speaking, but also with listening and processing language. Something I definitely agree with in this theory is the zone of proximal development (ZPD). I agree that students learn best in the area of when something is not too hard or too easy.
The last two theories are very important to me, because these are the two that I believe in the most, and use the most when I teach. They are also very different theories, and many believe to be "opposites." While behaviorism is teacher-centered, constructivism is student-centered. When behaviorism believes behavior/learning is "learned," constructivism believes that students create knowledge "naturally." I believe that both of these are essential in a first grade classroom. Students are young enough that they still need to be guided in many ways, and behaviorism is a necessity, especially the earlier in the school year we find ourselves. I also believe that as a teacher, I shouldn't be feeding all the information to my students, and that they need to use critical thinking to come up with the answers on their own.
Looking at different theorists is definitely interesting. It is important for me, especially, because I am only in my second year of full-time teaching at this grade level. Just as a student, I am constantly learning. Students (and classes) are different. I need to remember that what works for one student (or class) doesn't necessarily work for another!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)