My placement experience is virtually identical to Julia's, as we are placed in the same classroom, and attend at coinciding same times. It is clear that literacy instruction takes place in the classroom, however, the incorporation of literature is extremely limited. Last semester, I was in the classroom for the last portion of the school day, during which time the students engaged in Writer's Workshop. During Writer's Workshop, the students are encouraged to think of an interesting 'moment', draw a picture of that moment, and write a few sentences describing the moment. This semester, I attend my placement during the morning literacy block. During this time, students practice their alphabet knowledge and letter-sound knowledge as a group. Also, the students are given a 30-minute period to attend any / all of the six literacy stations set up around the room. These stations allow the students to independently practice the basic literacy skills. During this time, reading groups (based on skill level) meet with the teacher to practice recognizing and identifying high frequency words, making inferences using those high frequency words and pictures, and finally reading through the story. Although the students are receiving literacy instruction in several ways, literature itself is only minimally incorporated into the classroom.
This differs immensely from how I would use literature in my classroom. While I plan to incorporate similar aspects of literacy into my future classroom, including Writer's Workshop, I think it is extremely important to also provide my students with exposure to literature itself, in its different forms. Exposure to literature enables children to become familiar with the various concepts of print, especially directionality. Literature is also a great way to help create an anti-bias environment that exposes children to people/characters of a wide variety of cultures, ethnicities, languages, abilities, and more. In the "Out of the Box" article by Leland, Harste, and Smith, first grade teacher, Karen Huber, made the decision to incorporate literature into the classroom. This incorporation provided Huber's students' with exposure to different social issues that they would otherwise not be introduced to. Huber instructed her students to really consider the content of the readings by responding to them, and, by doing so, she was able to use literature to the advantage of her students by, not only furthering their literacy development, but also by furthering their knowledge of social issues.
Similarly, my head teacher could also incorporate literature into her classroom as a way to help introduce her students to realistic social issues occurring throughout the world. Exposing students to such social issue better enables children to begin understanding different perspectives, which could, in turn, improve children's literacy skills and the overall classroom behavior. It is clear from the Leland article that, aside from basic literacy instruction, it is very important to incorporate different forms of literature into the instruction as well, to promote open-mindedness in students, and further improvement their knowledge of the different concepts of print.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Week Three - Widzinski response
I am having an extremely similar situation to Julia. Last semester, I was in my classroom during their literacy time all four hours of the week. Literature is rarely incorporated. Their literacy time is focused around centers. These centers will have different activities that vary from worksheets, to rhyming matching, and to writing. They will work on letter-sound knowledge, practice sight words, and work on writing and reading their own work. I rarely see any literature being read. When it is read, it maybe focuses around a theme they are working on, or a holiday book.
This is also different from how I plan to use literature in my classroom. All three of us just finished our student teaching for child development, and in the labs, we would read the children at least two stories a day. We would carefully plan how literature was used and places around the classroom. The books that were brought in were specifically picked out to support a well-rounded anti-bias curriculum. I agree with Julia that these centers that I am observing are very helpful to the students, I feel as though my students need to be exposed to more literature. Although I am only there four hours a week, I may be missing out on their literature portion of the day.
In Leland's article, I liked all the different things the students could do with the literature and that the literature talked about social issues. By having many different activities to do with the literature, it helps to support all the students that are at different developmental levels. That is how I want to structure my classroom, and also how I think my mentor teacher should, since it is a kindergarten class.
This is also different from how I plan to use literature in my classroom. All three of us just finished our student teaching for child development, and in the labs, we would read the children at least two stories a day. We would carefully plan how literature was used and places around the classroom. The books that were brought in were specifically picked out to support a well-rounded anti-bias curriculum. I agree with Julia that these centers that I am observing are very helpful to the students, I feel as though my students need to be exposed to more literature. Although I am only there four hours a week, I may be missing out on their literature portion of the day.
In Leland's article, I liked all the different things the students could do with the literature and that the literature talked about social issues. By having many different activities to do with the literature, it helps to support all the students that are at different developmental levels. That is how I want to structure my classroom, and also how I think my mentor teacher should, since it is a kindergarten class.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Week 3- McLean (initial)
In my placement classroom, literature is incorporated minimally, yet literacy is taught. Last semester I spent the afternoons in the classroom where the children would engage in writer's workshop. This semester, in the morning literacy block, the children spend time working on their letter-sound knowledge or practice reading from the reading street curriculum. However, there is little literature that is incorporated into the classroom that engages students in creative thinking on social issues or literature that is reflective of their life.
This is very different than how I would use literature in my classroom. Although the aspects of literacy, like sound knowledge and writers workshop, are important, I also feel strongly about incorporating literature into the classroom. I feel this way for many reasons, some being children will see themselves in the classroom, be exposed to different social issues, understand print concepts, etc. In the article by Leland, a first grade teacher incorporated literature into the classroom and this allowed her to teach her students about social issues that they otherwise would not consider. Then, she had students write responses to these readings, talk about them, draw pictures of them, etc. This allowed literacy to be a multifaceted area of development in her classroom.
Similarly, it would be beneficial for my head teacher to include literature into her classroom where she and the children can engage in conversation about social issues and use this to further expand on with writing responses, drawings, etc. Leland also found that by incorporating this type of critical literacy into the classroom, children will begin to understand different perspectives, have better behavior in the classroom, have higher quality writing, and create intertextual connections (to name a few). Overall, I believe there are several ideas on how to include literacy in the classroom, and I just named a few in this post. Yet, the importance of including critical literacy into the classroom is clear, as shown through the Leland article.
This is very different than how I would use literature in my classroom. Although the aspects of literacy, like sound knowledge and writers workshop, are important, I also feel strongly about incorporating literature into the classroom. I feel this way for many reasons, some being children will see themselves in the classroom, be exposed to different social issues, understand print concepts, etc. In the article by Leland, a first grade teacher incorporated literature into the classroom and this allowed her to teach her students about social issues that they otherwise would not consider. Then, she had students write responses to these readings, talk about them, draw pictures of them, etc. This allowed literacy to be a multifaceted area of development in her classroom.
Similarly, it would be beneficial for my head teacher to include literature into her classroom where she and the children can engage in conversation about social issues and use this to further expand on with writing responses, drawings, etc. Leland also found that by incorporating this type of critical literacy into the classroom, children will begin to understand different perspectives, have better behavior in the classroom, have higher quality writing, and create intertextual connections (to name a few). Overall, I believe there are several ideas on how to include literacy in the classroom, and I just named a few in this post. Yet, the importance of including critical literacy into the classroom is clear, as shown through the Leland article.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Week 2 Post - Harris
Goals for the semester:
- Observe the methods my mentor teacher employs in order to successfully support all children in the classroom, despite their varied levels of knowledge and development, and employ the skills in my own teaching.
- Effectively maintain the motivation and attention of all students in the classroom in regards to literacy.
- Enable all students in the classroom to view literacy in a positive light, and to understand that everyone has the ability to be successful.
In what type of school and community context do you hope to teach? (Same as Julia and Janine!)
- A globally diverse setting that includes children and staff of different cultures and ethnicities, languages, socioeconomic status, etc.
- A setting that enables me to work as a team with other teachers of the same grade level
- A setting in which parents are invited to play a role in the classroom environment.
What do you want to learn about literacy instruction to help you reach your goals?
- I want to learn how to effectively interact with parents and families regarding their child's literacy development, and how to state in a positive manner if a child requires further development in specific areas.
- I want to make sure that a strong home-to-school connection is formed, to help ensure that literacy is being integrated in the home as well.
- I want to learn different ways to help children become more intrinsically motivated in regards to literacy, as opposed to solely being motivated by reward.
How do the jigsaw articles you read for today help you think about the kind of teacher you want to be?
I read the Fleming article
- The Fleming article focuses on teaching in urban schools. Although I do not intend to teach in an urban school, I do plan to teach children of varied races and cultures. For this reason, the text is applicable to my future teaching. It is clear that living in poverty has a negative effect on learners due to the poor environmental conditions. These children may not be receiving enough food, or getting enough sleep, which can make concentration and comprehension a struggle. Some children may be forced to take on adult responsibilities, which makes it difficult for those children to concentrate during the school day, and leaves little time for school work outside of the school day. As a future teacher, I want to make sure that I am consistently being mindful of such conditions that are possible among the families of children in my classroom. I also want to make sure that I am not placing a greater burden on these already-struggling families. In order to do so,
- Observe the methods my mentor teacher employs in order to successfully support all children in the classroom, despite their varied levels of knowledge and development, and employ the skills in my own teaching.
- Effectively maintain the motivation and attention of all students in the classroom in regards to literacy.
- Enable all students in the classroom to view literacy in a positive light, and to understand that everyone has the ability to be successful.
In what type of school and community context do you hope to teach? (Same as Julia and Janine!)
- A globally diverse setting that includes children and staff of different cultures and ethnicities, languages, socioeconomic status, etc.
- A setting that enables me to work as a team with other teachers of the same grade level
- A setting in which parents are invited to play a role in the classroom environment.
What do you want to learn about literacy instruction to help you reach your goals?
- I want to learn how to effectively interact with parents and families regarding their child's literacy development, and how to state in a positive manner if a child requires further development in specific areas.
- I want to make sure that a strong home-to-school connection is formed, to help ensure that literacy is being integrated in the home as well.
- I want to learn different ways to help children become more intrinsically motivated in regards to literacy, as opposed to solely being motivated by reward.
How do the jigsaw articles you read for today help you think about the kind of teacher you want to be?
I read the Fleming article
- The Fleming article focuses on teaching in urban schools. Although I do not intend to teach in an urban school, I do plan to teach children of varied races and cultures. For this reason, the text is applicable to my future teaching. It is clear that living in poverty has a negative effect on learners due to the poor environmental conditions. These children may not be receiving enough food, or getting enough sleep, which can make concentration and comprehension a struggle. Some children may be forced to take on adult responsibilities, which makes it difficult for those children to concentrate during the school day, and leaves little time for school work outside of the school day. As a future teacher, I want to make sure that I am consistently being mindful of such conditions that are possible among the families of children in my classroom. I also want to make sure that I am not placing a greater burden on these already-struggling families. In order to do so,
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Week 2 Post - Widzinski
Goals for the semester:
- Learn effective ways to engage all students in literacy in the classroom
- Practice new and upcoming methods learned in class in my placement
- Learn techniques and skills to support children who are at various developmental levels.
- Talk to my MT more about her literacy beliefs and how she practices those in the classroom.
In what type of school and community context do you hope to teach?
(Same as Julia!)
- globally diverse (different races, cultures, languages, income levels, etc)
- where teachers have the opportunity to work as a team with their grade level (would like to experience co-teaching)
- where parents are supported and encouraged to participate in the classroom and/or school environment (I would like parent volunteers as often as possible and for there to be a strong home-to-school connection)
What do you want to learn about literacy instruction to help you reach your goals?
- how to include families in the home-to-school connection in bringing literacy into the student's homes.
- how to approach a variety of families to talk to them about their child and their literacy development
- how to make children excited about literacy more independently (through intrinsic motivation)
- how literacy should be structured in the classroom (i.e., time of day taught, how long taught, materials available in the classroom, etc.)
How do the jigsaw articles you read for today help you think about the kind of teacher you want to be?
I read the Lester and Lenski articles.
- I enjoyed the idea of virtual field trips. I rarely think about field trips right now, and as I am beginning to think about them more, the more I realize how beneficial they are to learning
- I want to have my students feel a part of the community - this is something I lacked as a student myself
- I want to feel confident when teaching ELL students
- I want to use authentic assessments for ELL students, and am anxious to begin discovering what assessments these will be
- I want to be able to communicate in a successful way to my ELL families
- Learn effective ways to engage all students in literacy in the classroom
- Practice new and upcoming methods learned in class in my placement
- Learn techniques and skills to support children who are at various developmental levels.
- Talk to my MT more about her literacy beliefs and how she practices those in the classroom.
In what type of school and community context do you hope to teach?
(Same as Julia!)
- globally diverse (different races, cultures, languages, income levels, etc)
- where teachers have the opportunity to work as a team with their grade level (would like to experience co-teaching)
- where parents are supported and encouraged to participate in the classroom and/or school environment (I would like parent volunteers as often as possible and for there to be a strong home-to-school connection)
What do you want to learn about literacy instruction to help you reach your goals?
- how to include families in the home-to-school connection in bringing literacy into the student's homes.
- how to approach a variety of families to talk to them about their child and their literacy development
- how to make children excited about literacy more independently (through intrinsic motivation)
- how literacy should be structured in the classroom (i.e., time of day taught, how long taught, materials available in the classroom, etc.)
How do the jigsaw articles you read for today help you think about the kind of teacher you want to be?
I read the Lester and Lenski articles.
- I enjoyed the idea of virtual field trips. I rarely think about field trips right now, and as I am beginning to think about them more, the more I realize how beneficial they are to learning
- I want to have my students feel a part of the community - this is something I lacked as a student myself
- I want to feel confident when teaching ELL students
- I want to use authentic assessments for ELL students, and am anxious to begin discovering what assessments these will be
- I want to be able to communicate in a successful way to my ELL families
Week 2 Blog Post- McLean
Goals for the semester:
- learning creative teaching methods for including literacy in the classroom
- learning how to support children with high levels of achievement and low levels of achievement in the same classroom environment
- practicing the skills that we talk about in class in my field placement
- observing skills that my placement teacher has that I can discuss in class, as well as integrate or remove from my own teaching
In what type of school and community context do you hope to teach?
- globally diverse (different races, cultures, languages, income levels, etc)
- where teachers have the opportunity to work as a team with their grade level
- where parents are supported and encouraged to participate in the classroom and/or school environment
What do you want to learn about literacy instruction to help you reach your goals?
- how to teach parents about helping their child succeed with literacy
- how to teach illiterate parents about their child's development and skills
- how to encourage children's independence at home with reading/writing
- how to structure a classroom library to help meet children's needs
- how to include literacy in all areas of the classroom without overwhelming struggling students
How do the jigsaw articles you read for today help you think about the kind of teacher you want to be?
- I want to learn about my students' cultures, languages, and home life (Diller article)
- I want to incorporate their personal experiences into the classroom to help motivate them and meet their personal needs (Diller and Hettinger & Knapp article)
- I want to encourage struggling students to still feel like they are a part of the classroom community (Hettinger & Knapp article)
- I want to teach students why school is important- and why what we are learning is important (Diller article)
- I want to help scaffold children's learning (Hettinger & Knapp article)
- I want to have a variety of reading materials and teach students the importance of reading for different purposes, and model that as an adult too (Diller and Hettinger & Knapp article)
- learning creative teaching methods for including literacy in the classroom
- learning how to support children with high levels of achievement and low levels of achievement in the same classroom environment
- practicing the skills that we talk about in class in my field placement
- observing skills that my placement teacher has that I can discuss in class, as well as integrate or remove from my own teaching
In what type of school and community context do you hope to teach?
- globally diverse (different races, cultures, languages, income levels, etc)
- where teachers have the opportunity to work as a team with their grade level
- where parents are supported and encouraged to participate in the classroom and/or school environment
What do you want to learn about literacy instruction to help you reach your goals?
- how to teach parents about helping their child succeed with literacy
- how to teach illiterate parents about their child's development and skills
- how to encourage children's independence at home with reading/writing
- how to structure a classroom library to help meet children's needs
- how to include literacy in all areas of the classroom without overwhelming struggling students
How do the jigsaw articles you read for today help you think about the kind of teacher you want to be?
- I want to learn about my students' cultures, languages, and home life (Diller article)
- I want to incorporate their personal experiences into the classroom to help motivate them and meet their personal needs (Diller and Hettinger & Knapp article)
- I want to encourage struggling students to still feel like they are a part of the classroom community (Hettinger & Knapp article)
- I want to teach students why school is important- and why what we are learning is important (Diller article)
- I want to help scaffold children's learning (Hettinger & Knapp article)
- I want to have a variety of reading materials and teach students the importance of reading for different purposes, and model that as an adult too (Diller and Hettinger & Knapp article)
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