Weinstein Chapter 10

The thing I liked the most about this chapter was that it didn't demonize recitation though it gave the opinion that discussion was more effective. As recitation is used so widely, to say that it is completely ineffective would be ignorant. I feel like a lot of teaching books that take an opinion about a more effective strategy and take away all benefits of a widely used strategy. This goes without saying I agree the discussions are more effective. I think that recitations are much more traditional, which is not really my thing. When I am with a group of students, I feel like my own personal style is to be more casual. Last semester I had a CT tell me not to speak so informally to students only when I recorded a lesson because though my informality worked well in the classroom, an outsider, like my professor, who wasn't there to whitness might view me as being unprofessional. (I should note this same CT adopted a similar style to my lesson for the next few weeks!) I do find that less traditional approaches leave me, or any will be/teacher to defend their professionalism regardless of what is effective for the student. I worry that I will get a CT in my internship next year who does not see the benefit of valuing students as more active participants in their own learning, as is emphasized in practices like discussions. Don't get me wrong, I do see benefit in more traditional teacher-student roles and recitations more specifically, but I think there is a time and place. I really hope to utalize some of the strategies in this chapter for monitering student knowledge and involvement, such as the "Pick Me" method. I want to engage my students and promote their learning in any way that I can.

W&M Ch10

Although this chapter mainly discussed the differences between discussion and recitiation, which I agree is striking the difference it makes in the child's learning and deeper understanding, I was really intrigued about the classroom management ideas in regards to these discussions. Especially in large group recitation (which of course should be done correctly in that, instead of rote learning, "student talks" and open-ended questions should probe discussion), it can be difficult insuring every child participates and is engaged. I find small group discussions much easier in this regard, although small group isn't always the best way to engage discussion, especially when introducing material. There are always certain students who are eager to speak with hands waving wildly, and there are also students who tend to slump in their chair afraid to be called on. I recall my horrors of elementary school being one of the students who was always afraid to speak in class, and I struggled with some of the ideas in this book because they were what some of my teachers used that have vividly stamped my mind. One of the ideas W&M mentioned is the use of pulling name sticks. Personally, I think this tool is similar to the "randomly call on someone to read" method. Students' minds are more focused on when they will be called on and whether they will have something to say about the subject than on the discussion at hand; I know I felt that way. Instead, I think it is the teacher's role to promt students in regards to their own learning styles. Not everyone is comfortable speaking all the time, and although it should always be encouraged and plenty of opportunities should be given, if students are not actively speaking in discussions, I think it's more efficient to find other ways to engage the student. This also reminded me of an article we read in the math portion regarding funds of knowledge. Studnets have different backgrounds, cultures and histories, affecting the way that they learn. I relate this idea because it reinforces that all students are different, and the way we as teachers teach should be tailored to their needs as students. This is true in discussions. Possibly by using individual time with students and promoting deeper comprehension, or even using written responses would be more effective. I also like the "turn to you neighbor and disuss this idea___" method. I realize I that my response may be a bit off the intended topic of the chapter, but this is where my mind brought me. I really believe that there are easy ways out of managing discussions, and you should always encourage and push a little, but never judge a student's knowledge or comprehension based on their learning styles or differences as a person.

Weinstein and Mignano Ch. 10

It was interesting to find out that there are a lot of teachers who claim to have discussions in their classrooms, when in fact they are leading non authentic recitations which call on students to recite rote facts with no deeper thinking. "Discussion is a form of verbal interaction in which individuals work together to consider an issue or a question. The discussion is intended to stimulate a variety of responses, to encourage students to consider different points of view, to foster problem solving, to examine implications, and to relate material to students' own personal experiences." This definition of discussion, leads me to believe that this type of instruction should be done in every classroom by every teacher. Students are not only learning content material through deeper thinking, but they are also learning life skills through interacting appropriately with their peers. With discussion content becomes personal, and thus students can see all the different points of view each student has based on his or her personal experiences relating to the topic of the content. This type of instruction is one that is hard on both the students and the teacher. Discussion takes lots of practice, and lots of work by the teacher, but just like anything worthwhile in education, work is required. Recitation when done at the right done and done appropriately can be authentic and spur deeper thinking but usually recitation is done as an easy way out through rote questions that require rote answers. Through discussion where participation is mandatory teachers can evaluate the classes understanding as a whole much better and can see where instruction is needed. Discussion in my classroom would revolve around the student's interacting with each others answers to probing question by myself. As a teacher I would serve only as a mediator, making sure everyone is participating. This is something that I believe would create authentic and different learning opportunities for my students.

Almasi- Student Roles

I was slightly skeptical when I first started reading this article due to my own personal dislike for discussion roles as a student, but the more I read the more I liked. Almasi talks about the role of students in a small group discussion in comparison to their roles in large group instruction (referring to this as recitations). She talks about four main roles (inquisitor, facilitator, evaluator, and respondent) that the teacher has control of in recitation discussions, and how these roles are brought to the students in small group. I will start by saying that I have always not enjoyed having discussion roles in small group, mostly due to me focusing more on what I can say to fulfill my role than what I really want to say in the discussion. I always found it limiting, but I think the way Almasi defines it makes it much more liberating for all students, while they still have control of the conversation other than the teacher. From my interpretation, Almasi doesn't feel students should be assigned to these roles, rather that they should all assume these roles as members of the discussion. These four roles in communication in the hands of the students allow them to discuss in a different way. First, it makes learning more authentic. Students are answering each other's questions and work together to interpret and make sense of what's happening in the text. The discussion becomes related to the students because they take the plot and relate it to their own experiences. Students take lead of the discussion and turn it to something that becomes meaningful to them. Also, students motivate each other to become involved. It is each other's responsibility to make sure everyone has an input. Students work as facilitators to control the group dynamics and inquire to students who might feel dominated by more conversationally aggressive students. Students also evaluate each other to promote further thinking. This is a role I can easily see the teacher filling. Usually, in large group discussions that I have seen, student make responses and the teacher challenge their thoughts on a different level or perspective. This role allows students to take complete charge of that, not to "attack" other students, but to foster deeper thinking.
I gained a new perspective by reading this article, along with the other articles involving student discussions. I think that any way that the teacher can put some of the power into the hands of the student stimulates meaningful learning in a way that the student takes the text and has direct control in relating it to themselves and their peers.

Class discussions

Usually when I read through pieces like this for classes, I take what the author has to say as truth because they are the author and I'm the student. The author has, I assume, put a lot of work into studying what they are writing about and I've just begun my studies on teaching. However, in this article, I found there were some things I agreed with and some I did not. I really liked the idea of putting more student discussions in the classroom. As pointed out in the Almasi article, the students start taking on some of the traditional teacher roles. I always hear teachers complain that they have too much to do and not enough time to get it done; class discussions not only take some of the stress off the teacher because the students are discovering things for themselves, but also the topics covered have more meaning for the students because the ideas are expressed in their own words. This would also help students to make a stronger link to prior knowledge so the new material covered is more likely to last past the test. As stressed in the Golsdenberg article, the teacher's role in class discussions is of course very important, but more student involvement in their own learning is always a good thing, in my opinion. (This goes without saying I often think teachers make students put too much work into a particlular task rather than in the actual learning part of a lesson, but this can of course be avoided by being open to new ways of doing things and having clear goals for the lesson.) Classroom discussions have a very constructivist way of looking at students, and this way I believe innately gives more respect and responsibility to students. What I did not agree with as much was the way Langer broke down looking at literature. I don't think this is a helpful way for me to look at literature as I feel it's too confining. I'm all for looking at text in multiple ways- I was an English major before I became a Special Education major- but I thought the labels were too technical and sucked the fun out of getting involved with a text. I really think that breaking down the best ways to get involved with text rather than just stressing that it's just good to dive into reading ruins loving literature for a lot of kids and turns them off. When I teach, I really hope that I can make students love to read and see personal value in reading, and whatever way they can find to get to that point is a good thing. I'm of the opinion that there's not enough stress of the value in reading being fun. The teacher needs to let the kids have fun with reading in their own way and show them different ways they can go about doing that in a way that is personally rewarding. Come up with labels if you will, but thinking in this way will probably be a kill joy.

Goldenberg Article

"True education-real teaching- involves helping students think, reason, comprehend, and understand important ideas." This quote at the beginning of Goldenberg's article, for me, sums up what education is all about, and a main reason in why I want to become a teacher. In schools today, too much of instruction is based on memorizing facts or procedures, and at the end of the day students have no idea why they learned these things, and how to apply these important ideas to every day life. As a teacher, I believe it is my job to create not only outstanding learners but to create outstanding people and citizens. To be this, students have to question things they don't understand, back their ideas with evidence and research, and hopefully by doing this will find that they will understand important ideas that our world has to deal with and be able to find solutions to problems and reasons to keep good things going. In my classroom I want to provide my students with "more intellectually demanding learning opportunities that promote the enlarged understanding of ideas and values". By doing this, it is my goal to educate my students how to be productive citizens not only in the United States but also in a global community.
Through instructional conversation or ICs, teachers and students have the opportunity to bounce ideas off one another with a main concept or goal the teacher has in mind. Usually this concept or goal is themed around an important ideal that is goaled at making the world a better place through better citizens. ICs demand full participation from all students and also demand that students are to engage in conversation with each other more than the teacher. Teachers are only to be used a facilitators and to keep the students on task with the main concept in mind. In a past field experience I have seen this technique used to great success. The teacher modeled appropriate behavior and language to be used during such conversations, and to make sure the students were engaging with each other the teacher would block his eyes, not making contact forcing the students to look at each other and converse. Through these conservations and opportunities to expand their understanding of certain topics, students gained different perspectives about an issue and were in return better apt to form their own opinion. I look forward to imploring this technique in my future classroom and would recommend it to all other teachers and future teachers.

Gibbons Chapters 1 &2 katchup

As it has been told to me, and as I have witnessed in various classrooms, ELL students are, by and large, a quiet group of individuals in American classrooms. It has also been brought to my attention that many of these students do not feel welcome in the room, and that language plays as a barrier rather than a means of expression for these students. I really liked the idea of scaffolding through group projects and guided discussions as a way to help students get a more comfortable grip on the language. I think it's also important to note that, as they said in the text, the way the teacher responds when an ELL student uses English is important. The way a teacher talks and acts towards students who are at risk for not being accepted sets the tone for the rest of the students. I think it's important for teachers to keep their own assumptions and behaviors in mind when working with students who have a culture different from their own for this reason. I also thought it is important to keep in mind that it's important to give explicit instruction and make sure directions are clear before beginning because ELL students will struggle with the language as it is, and not knowing what to do on top of this would be an unnecessary hardship the teacher can help the student avoid.

Buckingham Belated

There is one word that came to mind when reading this article: "duh."

When we compare the number of websites students have pulled from in their college careers vs. the number of books they've actually checked out a the library, I'd say it's pretty clear that these skills need to be taught from an early age as they are CLEARLY skills that are going to be utilized, and utilized often, in higher education. Isn't that that ultimate goal- getting students to give themselves the furthest education that will offer the most opportunities?

Many teachers, it seems, have a stigma against using internet sources to site from over print text, but have no problem using it themselves in research papers. Come on now- I just used dictionary.com to make sure I was using the word "stigma" correctly. It's about time we, as educators, recognize that digital literacy is a part of the need-to-know modern professional skills.

As one of my favorite professors pointed out, there is probably just as much crap on a bookshelf as there is in a Google search. Skills like comparing sources and assessing the legitimacy beyond the "bias" or author are skills that we should have learned in school- and probably our parents should have learned in school. After all, one of the most highly regarded philosophers of all time argued that the Earth was the center of the universe in the face of convincing evidence presented by a lesser-known and less popular man. It took hundreds of years to undo this socially recognized "fact" because most people looked more at the author than of the evidence; do we really want our students making the same mistake?

Breaking down this stigma against digital use as a literacy also starts to break down barriers of socioeconomic status. If we are teaching students how to use computers at school, those who are not getting access to them at home will leave your room with the skills to further their education just like the students who have computers at their house, or- God forbid we know it will happen- when the little snappers start showing up with their own laptops.

In conclusion, looking at things like word processors, internet games, and internet sources as useful and legitimate learning tools is a must for future teachers to be able to give students the opportunities we hope they will take in the future. The skills mentioned in the article are long overdue, and will undoubtedly make for more meaningful learning experiences when students are looking to these technologies for their education- whether we are teaching it to them or not.

Gibbons Chapter 5

For TE250 two years ago, I did my field in an ELL room. On the first day I worked in the room, a the students were being tested to see how much English they were familiar with. The students all worked quietly. Five minutes before the end of class, a small boy from China raised his hand. When I went up to him, he whispered that he hadn't started his test because he couldn't read the directions. This chapter made me reflect on this incident, because the situation probably could have saved this boy an hour and a half of stress had more detailed information been given before the test was handed out. In any reading- any form of literacy- it is very important for ELL students to have before-reading activities. I've often heard about giving a small discussion before reading a book or using a book to introduce an activity or skill, but I hadn't given much thought to how I would introduce a book. What I liked most about this idea is that it helps all learners: it gets those familiar with the genre and background knowledge thinking about what they will be learning and it gives a more even playing field to those who may not be as familiar with the language or culture for any number of reasons. I also thought the during-reading activities were important because they were teaching reading strategies. I'm taking CEP 301, which is like TE 301 in special education, and they brought up the fact that a big difference between good readers and poor readers is that good readers are familiar with and use more reading strategies. By teaching students how to skim and scan, to summarize, and to listen to books to get an idea of voice inflection, students learn strategies that will help them to be better readers. I feel like ELL students, because they are often quiet and it won't always be obvious they are falling behind, will benefit greatly from learning strategies to reading in English. I feel like many of the activities listed would give students more direction, and leave them to flounder less. I was surprised to find out recently that it is language rather than culture in many cases that keeps ELL students feeling so alienated in the classroom- giving students rich texts and activities that will aid in comprehension may help the classroom to be more cohesive and give all students a more well reounded experience.

Gibbons Chapter 5

In my second grade class there are a majority of students who are not from the United States, and a few of them who have never spoke English before this year. Literacy is a subject that they struggle with very much, even though they are making excellent strides, and through reading Gibbons' chapter on textual understanding it is easier for me to understand why. In teaching it is common practice to never teach a new skill with new content and I believe that because I am in a lower elementary grade this is happening, and making reading for these ESL students very difficult. "Effective readers draw on different kinds of knowledge depending on what they are reading and how much they know about the topic". For ESL students who in their country have different cultural norms sometimes have new experiences with literacy and can not draw back on prior knowledge. According to Gibbons, "when you are unable to bring personal knowledge and understanding of a topic to a text, you are effectively robbed of the ability to make use of a key resource for reading: what you already know". Because these ESL students have no personal knowledge of a lot of topics that American authors write about, they often struggle. on top of this they are learning to read, adding a new skill to new content and making it almost impossible for them to understand the text.
There are strategies to combat this difficulty, including picking the right book, with pictures that match the words, or books that have repeated words. However, the "challenge for the teacher is to build up the knowledge and understandings that are relevant to the text the children will read, so that by the time the reader interacts with the text, the text will not be so unfamiliar". I have seen this in my CT's literacy circles, where she will almost give a brief history lesson about the topic of the text and ask for self to text connections before the book is even read. Students will skim the book, looking at pictures and characters, then predicting what the book is going to be about. In sense the students already know what the book is going to be about before they start to read it, so when the come upon a word they do not know they at least can draw upon personal knowledge or knowledge that they acquired before reading the text.

Gibbons Chapter 5

I think the main point that Gibbons was trying to get across in this chapter was the point that there's more to reading than the ability to read. For ESL students especially, the comprehension aspect is much more difficult. Gibbons talked about the cultural aspect of reading and comprehension. For example, he included a newspaper heading, an ad, and a book title without including those labels on them. It was easy for me to know exactly the purpose of the phrases because I have been reading phrases like them all my life. I think the little things that we might assume to be obvious to everyone isn't always that way. I would assume that these societal norms to me would be well known to others, but even the small details to the bigger customs could be different depending on culture. I want to make this a focus in my future classroom to provide background and understanding for reading. I like the ideas that the chapter provided about pre-reading strategies. I think these ideas help all students become familiar and gather predictions before they read, making comprehension go a bit deeper. Even by having discussions about existing knowledge of the subject about to be read can help all readers. I feel that reading should make connections to all students reading, whether you can personally relate or not. It can always be made as a lesson to how someone else or another lifestyle is different than your own, and as always, people are more alike than different. These different connections can make the reading meaningful for ESL students and first language students as well. I think reading should be an opporuntity to learn from characters and situations, and also each other when connections are made.