RoAR Share #1

I posted to a conversation on English Companion Ning:

http://englishcompanion.ning.com/group/teachingreadinginmiddleandhighschool/forum/topics/7th-grade-read-alouds

Two Thoughts:

1) Getting students interested in specific books is great!  In reality, we all read a lot more than just the most popular Young Adult Literature and the Classics.  We read the news, blogs, facebook, and magazines to name just a few sources.  Reading aloud to your students from a variety of sources can help them see that reading skills are important across the broad spectrum.

2) Also, there is a way you can kill a few birds with one stone.  In Jeff Anderson's book "Mechanically Inclined" he talks about using a variety of texts to teach grammar.  From the lists of books that have been suggested you can take passages that you think are very effective in performing various functions.  You can read the passage with the students and ask them what the author does well.  In the context of many passages you can address all sorts of grammar, imagery, and other topics and help students see what good writing is.  As you help them see the good things in the passages they will naturally be interested in reading the books you share passages from.  More importantly they will start to find the joy in experiencing books.

It was interesting to see this person who was suddenly teaching Language Arts after teaching four years of science.  I think I sometimes take for granted the training I have received at BYU.  There is such a wealth of knowledge that has informed me on my own hopes for teaching.  While I haven't received a response at this moment, I am hoping that these ideas are helpful to this teacher.  I hope that I can also clearly remember the things I have learned when I start teaching my own classes.

RoAR/DEAR for 9/14

9/14

Respond to Quote for Roar

Theodore Sizer-

“The measure of the worth of a society is how it treats its weakest and most vulnerable citizens.”

            As a teacher this means we have to find ways to involve students; especially those who struggle.  If I am a teacher, who is going to model good values for society, I need to show students that I value them all, even the students who the classroom doesn’t.  It means connecting with students early on.  Letting them feel comfortable in the classroom, while raising them to a higher standard.  Giving them work that they can handle, and work that causes them to ask questions- but they have to feel safe to answer questions.  New students, if weak and vulnerable, DO NOT NEED THIS LABEL.  They should be made to feel strong and recognized for the strengths that are already inherent within them.  I think talking with the class and getting to know them, taking notes about them and observing who they are, joking around and having a little fun, but also gaining respect by asking them to do work.  I think students need to feel loved.  They also expect discipline.  So learn discipline.

RoAR/Dear for 9/12

9/12

What I have discovered about myself as a reader and how that impacts my future classroom.  Where do I struggle?  What’s easy for me?

It’s really easy for me to see where books have their value.  It’s really easy for me to see that gaining a love of reading has blessed my life in so so so many ways . . . my education and knowledge wouldn’t be the same without my love for reading and my ability to be introspective.  I think this will help my classroom in that I will be able to model for them how to introspectively search out the things they are reading and reflect upon how what they read means to them.

However, I do struggle, now, when I’m so busy, to just read for fun.  I don’t make extra reading enough of a priority. . .at least when it comes to novels.  For example, I do read the news a lot, I read a lot of school materials, which I continue to practice the same skills on.  But I don’t read a lot of extra literature to help me be more involved in the literary cannon.  I’ve not read enough children’s literature to keep me up to date on what would be good for my students.  I feel that if I don’t get to work on some of these things- I’ll connect with students on the things I know, but be unaware how to spark interest in things that would be more interesting to them.

RoAR/DEAR for 9/9

What is your opinion of using media in the English Language Arts Curriculum

    I think it is a fantastic idea.  Especially if you can inspire students to learn to love reading and storytelling through other mediums.  English Language Arts is based around themes and ideas and the power to express them.  Media is a major form of expressing these things and students need to know how to navigate and work in the media world to promote their ideas.  The better our students are educated, the better these tools can be used for good purposes in the world.  In the meantime, students may discover that media is still based in strong reading, writing, and analytical skills that they can gain by participating in class and being well read throughout their lives.

How comfortable are you with media literacy?  Why?

    I'm very comfortable with the idea of it.  I've grown up in love with computers and their powers.  I like using a computer and I love the multimedia nature of our world.  I fully embrace the power to communicate with pictures, sounds, and words.  I think our understanding is greatly enhanced when we are learning through all the senses.   I have been comfortable using the computer since a very young age and therefor find no qualms personally about using it with students.  However, I recognize that there will be challenges.  Not all students will have access to the tools I'd like to think they would have (some may not even have computers).  Some students will be computer illiterate and would have a steep learning curve to accomplish some tasks.  And I may find resistance from parents- but I am very comfortable with communication and know that my work will all fit into the curriculum in ways which I can share with the parent.  I can also explain the pros and cons of promoting media literacy in the classroom and in the world.

One idea that intrigues you:
    I love NPR.   I grew up listening to it in my Dad's car or on long vacations we would spend at least an hour or two a day listening to something on NPR.  From NPR I learned to love the power of good oral presentation.  I am very interested in using clips from NPR to first inspire my students to want to learn more about the world around them and secondly as a model for podcasts.  I once did a podcast for a teacher and it was a lot of fun.  Apple's Garageband makes creating and recording a podcast very simple and accessible I think to my students.  Besides it is also something that I could easily have the materials to do in the classroom.

RoAR #2 from 9/7

How are the students I'll teach different from me?
    Students are different because they want to be different.  Teachers in my generation who tried too hard to "fit in" got shunned like kids who tried too hard to "fit into" new social groups.  I suppose there will always be these generational distances.  Being aware - educating myself on the topics of interest to my students is good - gut ultimately students respect teachers who are confident in themselves and in their own ideas.  Students who like their teachers ask their teacher's for the teacher's own opinions and thoughts.  Teachers who try to hard to give their ideas get shunned.
   Students will benefit when they tell me their interests and not when I try to define their interests.  I should spend time the 1st day of school telling students about my parents allowing us to discover and explore lots of different activities so we could discover our own interests and talents.  I think Miller does a real good job of showing teachers how they, through a students survey can discover their students interests.