This week we read about the development of plans that lead to literacy gains in students from the early years through adolescents, noting the language principles are similar but the application may change depending on the developmental stages of the learners.
Given we all have various backgrounds, share a little bit about what levels of students you have had the opportunity to work with whether it has been in a classroom or another environment.
Various pieces of research have shown that a student who receives early learning experiences will be more likely to have greater achievement both in academics and life in the future. Given this information, there are initiatives in place to promote a cohesive learning continuum from birth through third grade. Even though Oklahoma isn’t using a Common Core state, we have begun this process through the new standards that were created and through the creation of more preschool programs. Krystal and Krystie- What is early childhood education like in your home? How do we ensure that our early childhood programs are “quality” like the chapter discusses?
One of the things that always jumps out in my mind and was noted in our reading this week, that we need to do everything possible to close literacy gaps. The book stated, “One in six children who are not reading proficiently in 3rd grade do not graduate from high school on time” (p. 61). One way to help address this is to have a team of leaders that are aware of the issues and standards for early childhood who can observe and question current policy and practices. What is your school or area doing to help ensure success for young learners? Given the strategies mentioned in chapter 4, which do you feel like your school should focus on? Why?
Continuing the thought of improving literacy performance in children, ch. 5 talked about the Standards-Based Change Process. In a way it places the power to effect change back into the hands of the teachers, while providing them strong leadership. This leads to teacher buy-in and the reflective practices we have talked about in past blogs. I think figure 5.1 (p. 78) does a great job showing the process and the fact that it is recursive. Have you all ever participated in a cycle like this? What was it like? If you haven’t, do you think it would be beneficial? Explain.
Adolescent literacy is probably something that none of use have a ton of experience with, at least from my knowledge about the educational backgrounds of the group. I think it is important to note that these students still need strategy instruction. This can occur through the literacy coach working with content area teachers to help them identify the strategies specific to their discipline that need to be taught to aid students in the reading process. If you were in the role of a literacy leader in a middle or high school, how would you get teachers to work with you to help them be teachers of reading even though they teach a content area?
Supporting student of all ages is key to developing strong lifelong readers and learners. In today’s world there are a variety of materials available to help meet grade level standards. Often I feel like it can be overwhelming. Teachers can use basals, textbooks, authentic literature, technology, etc. We need to prepare students to look at materials critically. School districts have different ways to go about adopting curriculum. If you were in charge of the process, how would you go about ensuring that the school collaborates in the selection of various instructional/ student materials?
Given we all have various backgrounds, share a little bit about what levels of students you have had the opportunity to work with whether it has been in a classroom or another environment.
ReplyDeleteProfessionally, I have had the opportunity to work with students in the first and second grade but in my personal life, having taught music, tutored, and being involved in a host of clubs and organizations I have worked with children of all ages. Even though I have had the chance to work with a range of students, I do find myself being drawn to students who are younger in age, mostly first, second or even third grade age. As a creative individual, I believe that more creativity can shine more as these students are still in the stages of enjoying everything that you do for and with them.
Krystal and Krystie- What is early childhood education like in your home? How do we ensure that our early childhood programs are “quality” like the chapter discusses?
Where we are from children begin schooling/preschool at the age of three and elementary at the age of five. Notable, preschools are privately owned as well as playschools. If you consider a playschool to be an educational entity, children can attend these as early as two years ( a year before starting preschool).
What is your school or area doing to help ensure success for young learners? Given the strategies mentioned in chapter 4, which do you feel like your school should focus on? Why?
In each of our schools we have reading recovery teachers who assist students with their reading if they have fallen below their grade level. We also have curriculum officers who check in and do observations in the schools and classroom, and have meetings among other things. There were many strategies to choose from but the one I would like my school to focus on would be Opportunities to Write. I think it is very important for students to write in a clear manner where they are able to express themselves, no matter their age. We write every day in our lives and when students have the opportunity to write they are also learning new words, punctuation, phonics, and so much more.
Have you all ever participated in a cycle like this? What was it like? If you haven’t, do you think it would be beneficial? Explain.
Unfortunately, I have never participated in a cycle like that.
If you were in the role of a literacy leader in a middle or high school, how would you get teachers to work with you to help them be teachers of reading even though they teach a content area?
This is sort of a tough question because I’ve never pictured myself in middle or high school, moreover in a position where I was a literacy leader. However, if I were in a position of such I would first get on my teacher’s level and let them know I am there to assist them in becoming what they need to be to help their students succeed. To get the teachers to work with me I think I would need to work with them in teams through grade level collaboration. I think working with smaller groups will allow me to have more to work with them, answer questions, have one-on-ones and so on.
If you were in charge of the process, how would you go about ensuring that the school collaborates in the selection of various instructional/ student materials?
I think it is important to first communicate with all the staff and work together to identify the goals that we would like to meet. I will ensure that there is a clear line of communication and everyone has a an opportunity to voice their opinions. Also, having grade level collaboration meetings, and workshops where teachers can ask questions, look at, work with and identify materials will be something that I would implement.
Krystie,
DeleteI love that you all have reading recovery. I know it isn't the topic of discussion for this blog, but it's a great program. We used to have it in a Putnam City school I worked at. I would love for the funding to be available to support this program once again.
I also agree with you that students need the opportunity to write everyday. It helps clarify learning, builds creativity, leads to higher level thinking, etc. As graduate student we are continually writing. It is also a big part of Oklahoma standards.
Getting to know teachers and being willing to help them where they are at is a big part of building trust. I think most people are willing to let people into their classroom if a positive relationship has been established.
In our school system we also have teachers who assist ELL students on a regular basis. They get pulled out of class :( to practice their reading and their interaction skills. I think it is important to remember that learning how to read does not only include books and such but learning how to read people and our environment.
DeleteKrystie,
DeleteI have heard many good things about Reading Recovery in other graduate classes. I am interested to know more about this program. I am glad that it works for you and your school back home.
Writing is so huge now! I think that children need lots of opportunity to write and have good writing instruction. My school has had a lot of writing PD and the push for children to be able to express themselves through writing across all of the curriculum; math, science, etc.
I could never see myself as a middle school or high school literacy leader either! I like your idea of working in small groups so that you can be more interactive with teachers.
As a writer myself I would really want writing and good writing at that, to be spar of my classroom instruction all across the curriculum and on a daily bases. We start writing as we enter primary school where I'm from and there are so many opportunities for our students to develop their writing outside the classroom. I took part in many easy, oratorical, slogan, and other contests, which are still done today and I think that helped me a lot in my creative writing.
DeleteAlso, I think the reading recover is a great program. In our schools I think the students do well despite the fact that they are pulled from class daily. This sort over program is needed every especially for those who are struggling and do not have that assistance at home.
Given we all have various backgrounds, share a little bit about what levels of students you have had the opportunity to work with whether it has been in a classroom or another environment.
ReplyDeleteGreat question Cathy. During my first year of teaching I was “blessed” to have students with varying abilities and attitudes. I had one student in particular who had the most difficult time reading, writing and even understanding very simple questions. He would also act out in frustration. He was tested and is now in special needs. There were also other students who struggled with reading but with a little work they increased their reading levels. On the other hand I had exceptional students who competed with each other. They excelled in everything! Within the mix I had Spanish speaking students who did very well too.
Have you all ever participated in a cycle like this? What was it like? If you haven’t, do you think it would be beneficial? Explain.
I have never participated in a cycle like this but it looks really interesting. Yes I believe it would be beneficial because it would get teachers to collaborate and incorporate ideas that help students as they more from grade to grade. At least these ideas would be what they want to use because they are the ones in the classroom.
If you were in the role of a literacy leader in a middle or high school, how would you get teachers to work with you to help them be teachers of reading even though they teach a content area?
Getting teachers to work with me and step out of their comfort zone can be a little bit challenging, however, nothing a little encouragement can’t change. I would offer to meet with them when it is best for them, enlighten them about the different and cool things they can use and also create incentives such as- meeting and consulting with me would go toward their PD hours :)
If you were in charge of the process, how would you go about ensuring that the school collaborates in the selection of various instructional/ student materials?
I think persons from every area of the school system should be involved. I would include administration including department of education heads and principals. Also teachers from each grade level and those who work in special areas. I think it is also imperative that the ideas of our students are taken into consideration. If not in a formal setting I would like to consult with students about their ideas for learning. With encouragement and probing you’ll be surprised what they may come up with.
Hi y'all,
DeleteIt wouldn't let me post on Kathy's discussion for some reason!! So I had to post a whole new discussion. So sorry!
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteKrystal,
DeleteI loved that you mentioned that an incentive to get teachers to work with you might be that they could count it toward PD hours. That would be great if it qualifies to meet those requirements.
Also, considering the voice of students in curriculum selection is of great importance. I think this would give them more motivation when interacting with the material. It would be interesting to see what this process would look like in real life. We have a variety of requirements when thinking about curriculum. It hasn't ever been and easy process. In my classroom I've always used a variety of materials to meet my instructional goals.
Incentives might be a long shot but if we give our students incentives why can't we as adults have too. :) We're all human.
DeleteSometime having students best interest at heart actually means listening to them on a personal level, not just thinking..."oh, this might be good or this might be good for them."
Krystal,
DeleteI like your idea of collaborating with students! It is definitely something that we tend to put on the back burner when creating instruction. I have been trying to be more intentional about that this year. Including the children gives them choice and gives them ownership in what they are learning.
Krystal I also like your idea about collaborating with staff and other education personnel. We seem to always bring this up in our discussions -collaboration. Schools, literacy programs or whatever it may be should have the foundation of collaboration. Input from everyone is important and so many tasks can get accomplished when everyone is involved. And I too agree, is teachers need incentives too.
DeleteCathy, I too would like to see how it would go if students had a say in the curriculum. I think they should have a say but then there's always that thin line between how much is too much, you know.
Given we all have various backgrounds, share a little bit about what levels of students you have had the opportunity to work with whether it has been in a classroom or another environment.
ReplyDeleteI’ve had the opportunity to teach for five years in a kindergarten classroom and this is my first year in a first grade classroom. I’ve only taught at one school, Monroe Elementary in Norman, and have had the privilege of doing my internship there as well. The students I have worked with over the years have ranged greatly from low income families to families who are well off. My school is a Title 1 school which means almost half of our student body receives free or reduced lunch services. Regardless of our population of low income families, we also have a lot of middle class families who are very involved in education. I’ve also worked with English language learners and special education students.
How do we ensure that your early childhood programs are “quality” like the chapter discusses?
I think that we can ensure that early childhood programs are deemed “qualified” by numerous things. Having literacy programs that promotes early literacy skills and making sure that tasks are developmentally appropriate is also important. I appreciated the text mentioning “literacy as a source of enjoyment” as part of developing quality literacy in the early years. I think that it is important to include phonics, functions of print, etc. as part of quality literacy instruction but it is also important to show positive views toward reading and other literacy experiences. Making literacy fun, enjoyable and playful with young children promotes intrinsic motivation and encourages them to want to learn to read.
What is your school or area doing to help ensure success for young learners? Given the strategies mentioned in Chapter 4, which do you feel like your school should focus on? Why?
I think it would be great for my school to focus on increasing our attention to early childhood assessments. Our school just switched to full day pre-k which is a huge deal for little ones. I think that with that there is an increased pressure for these little ones to be even more ready when entering kindergarten the following year. I think having the right kind of assessments will help not only our pre-k teacher but also our kindergarten teachers understand where these kids are coming from and how to meet their needs so that they are successful.
Have you all ever participated in a cycle like this? What was it like? If you haven’t, do you think it would be beneficial? Explain.
I have never participated in the cycle discussed in chapter 5. I liked the four process in the To Do Cycle and especially appreciated the first step in the cycle which was to, as a school, gain clarity about what the school wants to accomplish with their students. I think that it is important to always have focus on what is best for kids even though other things like testing and what legislators view to be important can get in the way. It is also important that every teacher is invested in this vision statement. I liked what you said Kathy about it promoting teacher buy-in. I agree that this is important for every teacher in a school building to know and understand what is needing to be
accomplished.
If you were in the role of a literacy leader in a middle or high school, how would you get teachers to work with you to help them be teachers of reading even though they teach a content area?
Building a positive climate in a middle or high school faculty I think is the first step to getting teachers involved with teaching reading even though it might not be their content area. I also think it is important for a literacy leader to provide support for those teachers who do not have background knowledge in reading. This can include having resources or lesson plans prepared to encourage reading in their classroom or implementing a short faculty PD that shows teachers simple ways to incorporate literacy in their classroom.
Katheryn,
DeleteI appreciate you referencing the text's mention of quality early childhood as one that promotes a child's enjoyment of literacy. I think in a standards driven age, it is easy to fall prey to the need to push our students. I continually struggle with the balance of promoting students' enjoyment of literacy and standards. I try to ensure that they promote each other, but sometimes I fail to do that.
Gaining clarity as a staff about areas of focus is essential to the success of the school. I think a school that has some continuity of focus will see growth. I also think that doing what is best for kids should be at the center of everything we do. Given that thought, this year there have been times that I felt like more of a social worker than a teacher, but I know that is what some of my students needed. We can't meet the educational needs of students if there physical needs haven't been met. Keeping kids at the center of what we do seems in theory to be so simple, yet it seems that many forget the true purpose of what we do. Reminding the faculty of our common goals can be nothing but beneficial.
I agree that switching to full day pre-k is a huge deal for everyone involved, not only the little ones. At that age it could be stressful for students to be in an environment like that for so long...and teachers. Maybe with that added pressure, they might not perform the way we want them to and rendering assessments might not even reveal their potentials.
DeleteKathy,
DeleteYes, having a balance of enjoyment while meeting standards can be difficult. I think that good teachers will try to incorporate the children's interest and tie it into the standards and curriculum. Sometimes it will be harder to do than others but I think always keeping our students in mind is so important and motivating as a teacher to do whats best for them.
I am so sorry this year is a tough one! I've had years like that as well. I love that you still keep your students at the center of what you do. They were placed in your classroom for a reason!
Katheryn, you said you'd first want to build a positive climate if you were in charge in the middle school, I like that. How would you go about this ? Teachers can be really hard to impress sometimes, especially the older ones or those who feel they know it all. I know building a positive climate isn't about impressing but if you think about it it is...you have to find impressive ways to keep the positivity up, espaiclly when things may seem dull. What would you do?
DeleteI second and third the statement of having a balance. Like Krystal said in a post above, teachers are humans too. Even though we work like robots we can have fun teaching/working.
ReplyDeleteIf you were in charge of the process, how would you go about ensuring that the school collaborates in the selection of various instructional/student materials?
I think it starts with communicating with your principal that you are wanting to participate in choosing student instructional materials. I feel like teachers are the most qualified in picking out what is best textbook material for students. I remember one year when the teachers in the upper grades were given the opportunity to choose from different social studies text book materials. There had to be unanimous vote from each school and a list of pros and cons for each kind of text that those teachers deemed important for their students. I thought that was a great way to get teachers involved!
So sorry, I figured it out. I had too many characters to post so I had to split it up. So complicated! Sorry again!
ReplyDelete