Questioning is very important in a classroom. More specifically, there needs to be a wide range of questions. There needs to be literal questions that the students can look back and find in a text, and there needs to be higher order thinking questions that have the students reason out answers using their book and their noggin. I know the importance of having a variety of questions, but this does not happen by accident. The teacher must plan out the questions before hand. This helps from having a a sporadic lesson and helps keep the students focused on the purpose throughout the lesson. Even though our text did not focus on written questions, this information can help explain why teachers need to not rush when creating tests. Well thought out questions take a while to develop (sometimes).
I really liked that the text discussed on being sure to give enough time for the students to digest the question before the teacher expects the answer. I know I've been in classes that the teacher asks a question that they expect us to answer immediately, and I can't. It usually is because I was absorbed in writing the notes and processing the information, and it takes me a second to switch my brain over to process the question. The text also suggest to have the students repeat the question before they answer. I can seriously see how this could help because it has helped me in the past. It lets my brain figure out what exactly is the question asking.
The text discussed how teachers wanted to have a student centered lesson, where the students did most of the talking, but the teachers stuck to the IRE structure (initiate, respond, evaluate)? One question is how could these teachers become more comfortable with a student centered lesson, but still feel in control. I think one way is to realize that some noise in a classroom is not always a bad thing. Noise can be the sound of learning. By the students discussing with one another, they will develop a deeper understanding of the question. Also if the teacher becomes more a guide to the discussion without providing the answers, the students will develop a deeper understanding. The book stated that the teacher could restate the student developed question for clarity. In one of my classes, we were told not to restate the student's question, but to have them restate it for everyone to hear. If the teacher restates the question, then the students will only think the questions asked by the teacher are good questions.
My second questions deals with time. How can we show teachers that it is worth their time in the long run to explain to the students why we use strategies? The book discusses that teacher rush through teaching the strategy (and not focusing on why) which does not help the students. The students do not see the connection that it will help them so they do not take the strategy with them when they leave that classroom.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Notetaking...Note Making...
I know that when I am reading anything that I will need to know the details of later, taking notes greatly helps in more than one way. Not only does it let me review before a quiz or a test quickly, but the process of taking the time to write the information down also helps me remember it better. I dont like having to look through a text book as the main source of studying before a test. Whether it is from my notes I took from the lecture (notetaking) or my personal notes from reading the chapter (note making), I would much rather be looking at the summary of everything on lined notebook paper in my handwriting.
My note making skill is very detailed oriented. It may take me a while to read through a chapter, but I feel that I have a better understanding and will remember it longer, if I take notes. It also gives me a summary of the whole chapter in less pages. I remember in my 7th grade social studies class that my teacher would simply tell us to read the chapter during class and take notes (while he sat at his desk). He would then check to see if we did it. I had a hard time deciding what was the important information that needed to go in my notes because he never told us what type of information we were supposed to be recording besides "anything that you think would be on the test." Well to me that was not a purpose to our taking notes, so I had no idea what to focus on. Everyone else would finish earlier, but I was always trying to write ANYTHING that I thought would be on the test. This was very frustrating to me because I was good at taking notes in my other classes. In our textbook, it discusses that their needs to be a clear purpose when making or taking notes. I totally agree. I feel that this was one reason I was decent at taking notes in other classes and was so frustrated in that social studies class.
When I am in class notetaking, I sometimes do a good job, while other times, I do not. I remember taking History 102. The teacher continuously talked, and no matter how fast I wrote or typed, I never managed to get all the information down. I was not even trying to write down everything she said. I was just trying to write enough so I could go home and read on what the topics she discussed. She never used phrases to signal what was important. To her, anything she said in class was fair game for being on the test. My least favorite subject is history already. Then, with feeling of being so lost on what to write down, it was hard to even try in that class. Writing is one way that I learn the information. My favorite way for notetaking is when the teacher gives me enough time to write by pausing at certain times. This allows me to process the information, and not walk away wondering if the teacher was even speaking English.
Our textbook discussed that writing notes is an essential skill that needs to be taught in schools. I really liked the example of the art teacher taking the time to teach note taking because he knew it would not only help his students in his class, but in all of their classes. I also really liked idea of dictoglos. Having the students trying to have a verbatim copy of the text by the end of the activity, made the students repeatedly talk about the text. This will help them connect to the text and dive into deeper meaning. I loved the idea of combining the DR-TA (DNA) with computer-assisted outlining. The teacher was sure to incorporate the students' questions and input which made them more confident with themselves. I see the benefit of using multiple writing surfaces in the room (Ex: interactive board, overhead, flipchart). One would be that it might help the students stay focused because they must move back and forth between them. My concern is would it be to much movement which would lose students? They would not know where they needed to be looking. I feel that this could work, but the teacher must be very organized and have a wonderful procedure to follow (which in the example, she did).
There are many different ways to take notes. I have found the way the best fits me, but I will remember that each learner is different. Therefore in my classroom, I will teach the skill of taking notes (both notetaking and note making), but I will encourage my students to find their method of taking notes that benefits them the most.
My note making skill is very detailed oriented. It may take me a while to read through a chapter, but I feel that I have a better understanding and will remember it longer, if I take notes. It also gives me a summary of the whole chapter in less pages. I remember in my 7th grade social studies class that my teacher would simply tell us to read the chapter during class and take notes (while he sat at his desk). He would then check to see if we did it. I had a hard time deciding what was the important information that needed to go in my notes because he never told us what type of information we were supposed to be recording besides "anything that you think would be on the test." Well to me that was not a purpose to our taking notes, so I had no idea what to focus on. Everyone else would finish earlier, but I was always trying to write ANYTHING that I thought would be on the test. This was very frustrating to me because I was good at taking notes in my other classes. In our textbook, it discusses that their needs to be a clear purpose when making or taking notes. I totally agree. I feel that this was one reason I was decent at taking notes in other classes and was so frustrated in that social studies class.
When I am in class notetaking, I sometimes do a good job, while other times, I do not. I remember taking History 102. The teacher continuously talked, and no matter how fast I wrote or typed, I never managed to get all the information down. I was not even trying to write down everything she said. I was just trying to write enough so I could go home and read on what the topics she discussed. She never used phrases to signal what was important. To her, anything she said in class was fair game for being on the test. My least favorite subject is history already. Then, with feeling of being so lost on what to write down, it was hard to even try in that class. Writing is one way that I learn the information. My favorite way for notetaking is when the teacher gives me enough time to write by pausing at certain times. This allows me to process the information, and not walk away wondering if the teacher was even speaking English.
Our textbook discussed that writing notes is an essential skill that needs to be taught in schools. I really liked the example of the art teacher taking the time to teach note taking because he knew it would not only help his students in his class, but in all of their classes. I also really liked idea of dictoglos. Having the students trying to have a verbatim copy of the text by the end of the activity, made the students repeatedly talk about the text. This will help them connect to the text and dive into deeper meaning. I loved the idea of combining the DR-TA (DNA) with computer-assisted outlining. The teacher was sure to incorporate the students' questions and input which made them more confident with themselves. I see the benefit of using multiple writing surfaces in the room (Ex: interactive board, overhead, flipchart). One would be that it might help the students stay focused because they must move back and forth between them. My concern is would it be to much movement which would lose students? They would not know where they needed to be looking. I feel that this could work, but the teacher must be very organized and have a wonderful procedure to follow (which in the example, she did).
There are many different ways to take notes. I have found the way the best fits me, but I will remember that each learner is different. Therefore in my classroom, I will teach the skill of taking notes (both notetaking and note making), but I will encourage my students to find their method of taking notes that benefits them the most.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Vocabulary Acquisition
While reading, I thought it was very interesting that the article discussed that "how" teachers engaged students during a read aloud affected vocabulary acquisition and comprehension (465). This makes perfect sense because "how" the discussion on the book (or the lack of discussion) is handled will help the students digest the information differently. The just reading method was the least affective of the three methods for the read alouds because there was not any reaching out to the students to engage them in deep discussion. The other two, performance and interactional methods, had the students more engaged in the reading. The engagement happened differently, but it was there in both accounts. I can see how having periodic stops through out the read aloud will help the students break up the material into small manageable parts. I can also see how reading the text as a whole and discussion it at the end has benefits. I liked that the article pointed out that the reading style in higher grades may be different because of the style the students like the be read in (467). I believe part of this shift is due to the fact that the student can now keep in their memory more details of the whole story in sequential order. This is due their teachers helping them develop their intellectual skills through reading.
I agree with the article that read alouds will help students increase in their understanding more than silent reading. Students being read to can focus on the words and meaning of the story, without being distracted by the words on the page. They can hear the story read with prosody and correct pronunciation of unfamiliar words.
My first question/observation is that there was not a great regular attendance from the students. I wonder if the results would have changed significantly if there had been better attendance.
My other question that I had deals with the vocabulary test scores comparing the performance and interactional styles. On page 470, the article discusses how "for vocabulary acquisition from [the two books], interactional reading produced significantly higher mean gains over all subjects than performance reading." Then on page 471, it states " students whose teachers used a performance style did better on vocabulary tests than students whose teachers used interactional styles." The article then discusses that this is contradictory to the results for the vocabulary acquisition, but I would have thought that these would be more connected. The article did point out that there is not "one" best reading aloud method, which I agree with. I fee that I will use a mixture of the interactional and performance methods depending on what I am trying to accomplish that day in the classroom.
Read alouds are greatly connected to comprehension and vocabulary acquistion. This connection can either be embraced or forgotten. I plan to remember to embrace this even when the school days become hectic and chaotic.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Classmates Blog Sites Resource List
manderson16.blogspot.com
http://erinbreland411mw.
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http://nikkisnellman.blogspot.
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http://wwwkariwest411mw.
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http://emilyburnettcir411.
http://keelycarr411mw.
www.hayleycollins411mw.
http://kimdavis411mw.blogspot.
annieellis411mw.blogspot.com
http://abigaillewisforeman.
http://jessicahemby411mw.
http://meganmcmurry411mw.
http://rosiamontgomery.
http://sonianixoncir411.
http://contentarealitteracy.
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www.brittanysmith411mw.
http://nikkisnellman.blogspot.
maryanntwedtcir411classblogfal
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Sunday, September 16, 2012
Read Alouds
Reading aloud definitely has a place in the classroom. When you (Dr. Bishop) read to the class about marsupials, I remembered a lot of the details. When I randomly started telling my friends marsupial facts, they were very perplexed on how I knew so much. This was all because a teacher read to me in an engrossing way. I remember my favorite time in kindergarten was rug time which was when the teacher read to us. Then, I did not know that she was modeling for us on how to be engaged and active learners. All I heard was a great story.
As in my experience and as the article stated, the amount of read alouds dwindled as the grade in school increased. In all my English classes school memory, the teachers called on students who read with prosody to read passages outloud. As long as the teacher does not solely rely on students to read aloud, this is not bad. It allows the class to hear the passages with different voices. The teacher still can chunk the text so that there can be discussion on the thinking process that should be going on while reading. In my other classes, I do not have that many memories dealing with read alouds. I remember occasionally reading out of the science textbook, but only to glean information from it.
In the article, I thought it was interesting that the researchers did not define a read aloud. This allowed the teachers to elaborate on what "they" thought a read aloud was. I thought it was very fascinating that many teachers included reading directions and work sheets. This is NOT a read aloud. It is simply reading words out-loud. Promoting read alouds in a classroom and explaining WHY read alouds are so helpful is very important. I feel that my teacher classes at USM have taught me the value of reading aloud to my students. This will help them become independent learners.
One thing that I could not answer at first was how to incorporate read alouds into a band lesson. The article stated that the survey included band and choir classes. The more I thought about it, I thought of a few ways. The teacher could read an article about the composer or the type of music out-loud to the students. But how do they chunk the text to pause and have discussion on the thought process on an article of that nature.
In all the reading, one thought that kept occurring is "Read alouds are great, but how do teachers have time to do them often?" I want to incorporate read alouds to my class; my concern is that I will not have enough time to do this all the time. Time is precious and teachers never have enough of it in a day. How do you do read alouds in higher grades and still cover all the curriculum that is required?
PS: Here is a link for newborn baby marsupials pictures (Google images) :) ...they are tiny... and very pinkish red.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Writing to Learn
Writing to learn needs
to be incorporated in all subjects. With the focus being switched from
a final polished product after many drafts to the thinking process,
writing can become easier for many students. The reason is that the
students are focusing and collecting their thoughts on the given topic
without worrying about being grammatically correct. Their sole focus is
to write what they are thinking. I as the teacher can now know more
clearly where they are in their understanding of the topic. The book
discussed how the vocabulary will begin to appear when students grasp
the knowledge. Having to write about the topic will force the students
to process the information allowing the knowledge to become theirs to
use, not regurgitating with no understanding. I appreciate that this
will let the teacher and the students see where there needs to be
clarification for better understanding.
In my classes, we have learned that it is very important to involve a variety of DOK questions. When reading about the three different types of knowledge (Fisher/Frey 151), it reinforced that it is important to be sure to include questions that require deeper thinking. The Knipper/Duggan article also discusses how writing to learn dives deeper than declarative knowledge. (462) I know in my studies when I actually made the knowledge my own, I became more confident and knew the information better and for a longer period of time. I could not cram for a test; I needed to understand the topic to do well. I have learned that writing greatly helps me collect my thoughts. In my freshman college English class, I remember using a quick write while researching my research paper. While writing, I felt that I was writing with no connection. Afterwards, I was amazed at how there were pieces towards the end of my quick write that I could transfer to my paper. This was because the writing made me think more deeply about my topic. I plan to take this knowledge to my classroom where I can help my students see writing as a tool that can help them learn. Helping the students think through their thinking process by having them write is one of the best ways for them to relay what they know. Writing is more detailed than listening to a verbal response. Also it allows everyone to participate and allows the ELL's to focus their thought before group discussion. Another part that I enjoyed in the article was writing the microthemes on notecards. This allowed the students to also realize how to make notes to study from later at the same time. It helped the students break down the large topic into small manageable parts.
My first question is how would I have writing to learn in a classroom that I am told what and how to teach the children? I have heard of teachers getting into trouble if they are "caught" teaching more than the standard curriculum. I would think that the best method is to persuade the authorities that it is important for writing to learn to be in every classroom's curriculum. My second question is how to use writing to learn with students who are not yet well developed in their writing? I see how writing to learn lets them write in a non-pressured way, but there will be a gap. How do bridge this gap?
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