DeVries Chapter 1- Forming a Personal Philosophy about Literacy Assessment and Intervention Please follow the blog criteria for this course and don't forget to reply to a peer for the full point
Last semester for our internship class, we had a guy come talk to us about applying for jobs and that most schools will ask us for our philosophy about education and that many students applying for the job are unsure of how to answer the question. So, when reading the title for this chapter I was instantly interested. According to this chapter, we not only need to establish our own philosophy about education but also a literacy philosophy. There are many theories and approaches to help establish our philosophy on literacy. As reading through the theories and approaches I was thinking there are many views to consider and how would an educator know what approach to take. The book states that no one method is the best and will suit the needs of all students.
This chapter also discusses RTI (Response to Intervention) which I have covered in many other education courses. This seems to be a very good framework to use. Kansas has even adopted its own version of RTI, MTSS. I would like to see this be used first hand and try it out in my own classroom one day.
This chapter has allowed me to remember that all students are different and made me aware that my philosophy will not be set but change for my students' needs as well as change as I learn more about education as I become more experienced as an educator.
Danielle, It is interesting that our classes keep emphasizing research-based practices, but yet so much is still undetermined. Just as you said, the text stated that no one method of literacy instruction is best. However, experts seem to have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn't so why can't they say what mode is most effective? I guess it comes down to the student. Different modes work better for different students. I do get overwhelmed thinking about all the different types of learners in my classrooms. When I go to my internships, I don't really see a whole lot of differentiated instruction except for guided reading. I hope to continue learning about this topic.
My experience with MTSS ,and this is the parent side, has been strange. Everything that we have learned about MTSS didn't show up with the real life MTSS that I have seen. I knew that parents are allowed to view the MTSS so when I asked for the records that would show what interventions my son had throughout the year there were only two.There was no record of interventions done weekly. The book says that it has to be done at least once a week. There was also no list of which intervention was used, which one worked or didn't work. I want to know as much as possible about this and hope that I will in this class.
I really liked the question on the first page of the chapter that asked about a personal teaching philosophy and how it relates to literacy. The three reading models were familiar from my RLA Methods class. While reading about them again, I started thinking about them in the context of what I have seen in my RLA internship last semester and what I have been working on with my own children (they are both age 5 going into kindergarten). First, I agreed with the Part-to-Whole Model – phonics approach, linguistic approach, and sight word approach. I have used Bob Books with my kids. They were good to start practicing decoding and sight words, but now that they are reading a little more those books are too boring for them. One of the main strategies I use to teach them is to “chunk” words, by breaking into parts and looking for words you know, like stand (st-and). I know that all these things are good and important, but something was missing. Then I read about the Whole-Part-Whole Model – shared reading, trade books, phonics instruction, but most of all enjoyment. To me, this was the missing piece. Working on skills in isolation is useful, but only when they are applied to a real world situation, like reading a trade book, writing in a journal, or some other similar activity. When I took the test on page 14, I scored at the high end of low for both sections. It’s not that I haven’t thought about my philosophy as the book implied but I think that literacy instruction should incorporate all models.
Critical literacy is more than just reading a text and answering questions about it. Teachers who embrace critical literacy encourage and guide students to act on what they have read and analyzed. I loved the example of looking at Mothers’ Day advertisements and comparing the moms in the pictures with their own moms and then determining what “real” moms would actually enjoy for Mothers’ Day.
SI stands for Sheltered Instruction. It is a way of scaffolding English learners in both social and language skills. In my opinion, many of the concepts emphasized in this theory could benefit all students, like using visual aids, limiting passive instructional time, and connecting concepts to students’ life experiences. Also, choral reading, LEA, shared reading, and audiobooks work well with English learners, and those are all elements I anticipate including in my future classroom regardless of language ability. My local elementary school has only two ELLs, and they are both from Africa. I find this surprising since we live in an area with a high Hispanic and Native American population.
TPR is Total Physical Response. This means that students learn about a concept using some sort of physical movement. For example, I developed a math lesson incorporating music for my music methods class. I used the song “Five Green and Speckled Frogs “ by Raffi to have students jump on and off a “log” to demonstrate addition and subtraction. This is a good demonstration of TPR.
RTI means Response to Intervention. The method identifies student that are struggling in one or more areas of reading then provides appropriate intervention to benefit the student. ALL students in the classroom receive basic instruction (tier 1). Some students receive moderate help (tier 2), while a few receive intensive help (tier 3). Intervention is immediate and once a student has mastered a concept he or she can return to tier 1 or receive intervention for another skill.
Multimodal literacy is composed of four basic literacies – technological, visual, media, and informational. Multimodal literacy moves from static, print-based learning to social learning and interaction.
I like the idea of TPR, I am glad you mentioned it. The physical movements would help strengthen the concept of the lesson as well as incorporate fun and interest to the lesson. You also discussed chunking, I remember learning about this in RLA method course. I think this is a natural way to teach/learn reading skills, but like you said, if we don't incorporate students' interests into the reading then we are missing a huge factor while teaching.
I really thought this was a great introductory chapter! I'm already excited about this text and what this class has in store for us. I was able to make several connections to this first chapter with previous courses here at FHSU, but I also learned some things from this reading that I didn't know or really understand, as well as an "ah ha" moment.
First off, the very beginning of the introduction talked about how all teachers need to be reading professional journals, attend professional development courses, and conferences to stay up on the latest educational information, teaching approaches, and research based practices. All of a sudden I could hear Dr. Walizer and Dr. Stramel in my heads because for their Method courses they spoke of just this. A well rounded professional constantly keeps updated with the latest in their field and keeps abreast of the latest information, which is why we had to do a peer-based journal research article as well as attend a professional conference during their classes. This reading solidifies what we are learning already here at FHSU.
Another passage that really struck me as a pre-service teacher is that as we go into the classroom we need to remember that, "the more advanced our society becomes, the higher the reading level we need to complete everyday reading activities." Although I did know this, when I took a look at the figure 1.1 list of the reading level that is required for daily reading materials I was absolutely shocked at the actual reading levels that are needed. Knowing the statement is one thing...seeing the actual reading level that it takes is another!
My "ah ha" moment came on page 8 where it is titled, "Which Method Is The Most Effective." I have often asked myself what method or theory I would use to teach reading, phonics, etc. I could identify with some of all of the models/approaches and I was trying to identify which ones I had observed in the classrooms. Then I kept reading and came to, "teachers teach children; they do not teach methods or materials." In the end, it's not about a particular method or approach. One size does not fit all. I have a theory about parenting and teaching: you cannot parent children the same way. They have different needs and you have to parent for those needs. The same is true for teaching~ no two students learn the same. Some may need you to be more visual, some may need manipulatives for hands on work, and some may just need to read. Well, reading is no different than this. A single approach or theory will not fit all students. Some may need to learn reading understanding the "whole" and some may need to break that down into "parts." We are there to meet the needs of each student- individually.
LeAnn,I felt the same way you did about beginning to read this book. This morning I also heard from the principal in our district and he is going to help me get together my tutoring group, so I am super excited to get going. Like you, I have been thinking about my literacy philosophy. I have been in schools where they focus on phonics, but I know families who home-school that use Dolch's site words and word memorization. Dick and Jane were on their way out when I was learning to read, but I remember reading them. I think if we consider how diverse our students will be, we will probably use the comprehensive approach which uses all of the models and overlaps all of the strategies. I'm looking forward to learning more.
(1)Chapter one was about how important literacy is in our lives. Reading is necessary for full participation in society. Everywhere we look, we see words. Some theorists were mentioned in relation to reading. Next, we were introduced to three reading models which are the part-to-whole model, the whole-part-whole model and the comprehensive approach. I liked the graphic organizer on page 6 because it makes all of these models visually understandable. I also like the list of strategies on page 9 that goes along with the comprehensive approach. There was a great deal of information on how to teach English learners. On page 13, we learn about forming our own teaching philosophy and the importance of having a literacy philosophy as well. We learn on page 15 where the “Big Five” originated. The National Reading Panel (NRP) came up with five components for reading instruction. The text also gave a good description of the Response to Intervention (RTI) method and emphasized that it is just a framework to help schools identify students with language and literacy needs. Finally, the author discusses multimodal literacy which is technological literacy, visual literacy, media literacy and informational literacy. Since this is all part of our social world, learning becomes social. This develops higher-level thinking skills. (2)I don’t have any questions about this chapter right now. (3)Though, it really made me think about how I will conduct my tutoring sessions and then one day my own classroom. There is a lot to consider, but with practice and experience, I’m sure it will become easier to diagnose and help those who need it. (4) A few years ago, I was a Para and I wish I knew then what I know now because I know it would have made a difference. In my reading internship class, we worked with our MTSS group on fluency using reader’s theater and the students made awesome improvements. I am a big fan of reader’s theater now. I saw Dr. Tim Rasinski (mentioned in our chapter, pg. 8) at a reading conference for one of my professional learning events and I absolutely loved attending and listening to him. Some of you may have also gone to that reading conference. It ended much too quickly for me. I was soaking up everything. I am really looking forward to using it in my classroom.
Patti- you mentioned working with MTSS groups. I think all of these tips, techniques, and skills are going to help our students in MTSS groups so much! We are going to be educated and prepared to go beyond just assessing our students. We will know what to look for, how to assess, as well as how to help them with their individual needs.
Patti, I agree with you that this chapter made me think about what I will be including in my lessons for when I tutor this semester. I really want to make literacy fun for the studnets and this chapter gave me several items to achieve that goal. That is great that you got to attend a professional development conference. I do not get many oppunities to go but as the text book mentioned they are bery important. It is important for teachers to remember that we are still learning how to be better educators too.
I found that this chapter was a very informational read. I feel a tie to this subject since my son has struggled with reading for the past year. One thing that I find interesting was how the text spoke about the phonics approach. This is where we (my sister in law who has taught 1st grade for the past 15 years and me) started my son this summer. Throughout his whole first grade year he never raised one grade level. His school goes by DRA levels. During the summer alone he went from a 4 to passing a 12 working on a 14. The benchmark for the end of first grade is 16, so he was nearly 1 level from reaching our goal. What we did this summer was took him back down to the beginning. We reviewed the vowel sounds, constants, phonograms, blends, and digraphs. This gave him a base that he never picked up well while he was in kindergarten. I also thought that it was important to note such as the text says that not every child learns the same way by the same method. My favorite sentence in this chapter was that to understand that teachers don’t teach methods or materials they teach children. Understanding what the strengths and weaknesses are of a student will help us to determine the correct method to use with them that will help them excel with reading. I like the part-to-whole model. I like the idea of walking before you run, and by that I mean knowing the sounds of the letters and the sounds of the phonograms before trying to read. I feel this will help a reader be able to decode words when they are reading. I like the phonics, linguistic and sight word approach for teaching students to read especially early primary students who are in the beginning stages of reading.
Hanna- I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post about your son and your personal connection to your own struggling reader and what we have learned in this first chapter. I too feel it is important to know and understand the sound of the letters, vowels, and phonograms before reading the whole word. Thank you for sharing your experience with your son!
Hanna, I can relate to your struggles to help your son. My Son is a 4th grader that is reading at a guided reading G/H (1st-2nd) and has been working his butt off all summer to get here. He ended 3rd grade at an D/E. This chapter rang true for me on many levels. We started Ashton on a tutoring program that went back to phonemic awareness and it has been a huge help to him. Good luck with your son, I know you will find many tools for helping him through this semester.
Great discussion on how well phonics worked for your son. It is great that you were able to work with him one on one and get him up to almost grade level. I feel that even though teaching is now working towards helping each and every child it doesn't always happen. Teachers may be too busy or wrapped in cramming so much in a day that students end up suffering. I believe that phonics does work well with younger struggling readers like your son. I hope he reaches that goal soon. Great post!
I really enjoyed reading baout the progress your son had over the summer. That is great and that must make you feel pretty good about not only your son, but for what you helped him to accomplish. I think that going back to the basics and refreshing that information is very important to learning and building upon that knowledge. I know that I always like to have a refresher to help me remeber things I have previously learned but may have forgotten about.
Hi Hanna! Thanks for sharing your son's experiences. It is refreshing to hear that you were not afraid to work with your son over the summer or to take him back to the basics. I didn't start reading until I was part way through 1st grade. My dad is an educator and my parents felt that I would catch on to reading when my mind was ready for it. They worked with me but didn't push it. Rather, they continued to read stories to me and take me to the library regularly. Part way through the year, I not only began reading, but quickly jumped to higher reading levels than most of my classmates. I have been a strong reader ever since then and enjoy it immensely. I'm sharing this just to say that sometimes it just takes a little longer for some kids but that does not determine how strong their skills will be for the rest of their life. The fact that he has a mother that is interested in helping him learn is worth a lot!
1. Analysis of the reading/issue. Chapter one of the textbook Literacy Assessment &Intervention by B. Devries first discussed how important reading is to people’s daily life and how much more people are reading now than ever before. The textbook then introduced some learning theories that are commonly used. These learning strategies include constructive theory, which is having the students relate new material with the existing and teachers helping students fill in the gap with subjects they may not be familiar with (Devries, 3), zone of proximal development, which basically refers to someone assisting students through the learning process (Devries, 3), hierarchy of human needs, which is referring to what needs in a person’s life needs to be satisfied, and critical literacy theory, which consists of a variety of forms of literacy (Devries, 3). This chapter then discussed the different approaches that can be used in the classroom to teach students about literacy. The text book gives many different examples of comprehensive approach that can be used in the classroom (fig 1.3). There are many different reforms that have gone into effect of the years which is discussed in the first chapter of the textbook like RTI and No Child Left Behind Act. 2. Questions and/or contradictions about the reading/issue. I really did not have any questions or contradictions with this chapter it seemed very informational and straight forward for me. 3. How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently? I really enjoyed reading about the required reading levels for tasks that are apart for many people’s lives (figure 1.1). I also enjoyed learning more about the critical literacy theory. This theory seems like one that I will be using in my classroom. Reading and learning should always be enjoyable for the students and it should something that they look forward to. I want to make reading fun for students so that they will want to learn on their own outside of the classroom. The figure 1.3 on page 9 of the textbook made me thing of different ways that I can introduce literacy in the classroom. These are great strategies to use when it comes to organizing and planning my future lessons. 4. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience. I think that writing is critical but the first step is getting your thoughts on to paper. This can be a difficult task for some students because they can explain a story in spoken word but written “speech” can be challenging for some. Just this summer I got the chance to teach extended school year summer school and I gave the students the chance to keep a journal to write about whatever they wanted to become more familiar with getting their thoughts on paper. I told the students to not worry so much about perfect spelling instead think about what they want to say to the reader and they can go back and fix any mistakes they may have. Something else that was discussed in this chapter that made me think about my own experience was when I was in grade school I can remember all the fun plays and activities that we did during language arts to this day. I have always struggled with a learning disability and reading was never one of my strong suites. What did make me want to try harder in reading were the fun activities that my teachers would plan that would often make me forget that I had a difficult time. One activity that I remember in particular was a series of books called “choose your own adventure”. I loved reading these books because they were fun and I wanted to know what twist and turns I could create in the story. These books would improve my comprehension because I have to think about what was happening in the story and what I wanted to happen next. Having acgtivity that students enjoy will make them remember how fun reading can be.
Literacy is one of the most important areas of education. As I have seen with my own son not being able to read begins affecting all other areas of their academic lives. This is why it is vital that teachers understand how to spot difficulties early on and the make the changes necessary to correct them. Devries chapter 1 talks about literacy development in a real world approach that is easy to relate to. Reading figure 1.4 on the stages of language development you can see how the progression looks and what you should be watching for in your students. Vygotskys’ “zone of proximal development” has always been the theory that I most related to. It shows us just how important the scaffolding teachers do is in the development of proficient readers. Today’s students are more diverse than ever before and thus selecting an educational philosophy that works for everyone is key in the success of your classroom. I would love to know more on how to select one that is good for all so that I don’t ever overlook a child that needs that extra bit of help to e successful. I feel that it is my responsibility to my students to have the knowledge to deal with their needs regardless of what they may be. I know that I have seen my own severely dyslexic struggle for years with teachers that despite trying had no idea how to help him. Over the last 18 months that has changed and the difference in his confidence and skill level is incredible. ~Cat
I agree with your statement that literacy is one of the most important areas of education. I feel you are correct; teachers need to start intervention as early as possible to help students gain confidence and assistance in what area they are struggling in. I do not think you need to choose one specific philosophy, I think you can take great parts from each philosophy and form one unique to your teaching style. It sounds like you have been a great help to your child, and I am sure you will be a great help to students who struggle in the classroom.
I, like you am a fan of Vygotsky's theory. I feel that no matter what age or grade you're in you learn much better with someone scaffolding you. As an adult we get scaffolded, i.e. when we first start a job we are scaffolded so we know how to do things correctly. The chapter did a great job on giving overviews of the many strategies that are available. And as you said it is our responsibility to figure out how to help each child, not only that we also need to know the best strategy or strategies to use to help each child. Good post.
I think you are completely right about literacy being the most important area of education. Literacy affects almost every aspect of your education and life in general. I was just trying to think about what life would be like if you couldn’t read signs, labels, etc. and that left me feeling completely blank. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I went back and looked at figure 1.4 again after you mentioned it and it is a great tool. I like how it shows the students progression and how their needs change and how your instruction should change with them. As you said, today’s students are more diverse than ever and they are only going to get more diverse as we progress through our careers in education. I think it is important to establish our teaching philosophies but I also think it is important to be open to changes and new ideas and approaches.
I agree as well that literacy is an extremely vital part in the components of a students’ education. Many things that a student learns early on collaborate with the understanding of sounds, communication, reading, math, and so forth. Like you mentioned it is important for a teacher to view and understand what to look for so he/she can better accommodate that student which in turn will help with his/her future success in other areas, not just reading. Another component in which students really need to be able to comprehend is with technology. As every student learns and adapts to different teaching techniques differently, some students may do better when using different forms of teaching – such as technology. The diversity in our worlds with people and the tools to teach students have really grown and as you mentioned, is going to be a great attribute to the future success of our students if we continue to grow right alongside it. This gives us the ability to give our students the ability to expand their knowledge of learning in ways that works best for them. By Jennifr Willcott
Forming a personal teaching philosophy seems to be a similar theme is most of my course work. I thought the beginning of this chapter presented a comprehensive outline of theories and approaches used in literacy development in children. In reading these theories and approaches I was able to relate my feeling and practices to certain approaches and models. I can now see why it is important to have the Reading and Language Arts methods class completed prior to taking this class. From my time in the classroom I was able to experience a classroom that followed the critical literacy theory and used multiple forms of literacy to engage students. I was also able to observe the comprehensive approach being used; students learned how to use prefixes and suffixes to understand meaning. After reading this chapter I began to think of my own philosophy or approach to literacy. I have seen educators take a little from each theory and use those ideas or practices in the classroom. I find this to be important especially since students learn differently. Some students may thrive to memorize sight words while others thrive when literature can be related to a personal experience. I feel I will also take a little from each theory or model in my classroom. From my personal experience, my daughter used sight words and a linguistic approach to learn to read in kindergarten. For my daughter this worked well and she was able to read with more fluency and have more comprehension once she mastered her sight words. Another personal experience from my own education was when I was diagnosed as having a learning disability. I was given an IQ test to determine this along with other assessments. I feel transitioning to the RTI model is an improvement and focuses more on getting a student help immediately and setting guidelines in place that help both the educators but also the student.
Hi Zoe, I was also able to picture myself using different theories and approaches that were discussed in the chapter reading. I could really relate to the Critical Literacy Theory mainly because it involved many different learning strategies revolving around literacy. I can see myself using many of the forms that were discussed because many of the forms involved some sort of active engagement between both the educator and students. I think this is because I am visual/hands on type of learner myself, so I can relate that as an educator. I also believe that learning should be fun for the students as well. I personally believe that students learn more when they are involved in engaging activities. There are many approaches that I enjoyed reading about and could see myself using, but that one really stood out to my style of teaching. Charelle S
Great comments so far! Thank you for following the requested questions for your blogs. We will discuss how an "eclectic" approach to reading can and does benefit all students. After 27 years of teaching in an elementary classroom, I have not found "1" method or program that works for all. The buzz word is definitely DIFFERENTIATION!!
I have noticed that having a teaching philosophy or theory to use is an important part of teaching. The beginning the chapter talked about the common theories I have seen over and over. The chapter did elaborate more on the reading aspects of teaching.
I really liked reading the 3 models of reading. Last semester in RLA internship I saw parts of all three models used. I like the Comprehensive Approach personally, but do believe that a lot of it has to do with the needs of the child or children that you are working with. RTI is a familiar and very important part of teaching reading; in Kansas this is MTSS. I would like to go to conferences on how best to implement and use this tiered system. I haven't looked any further in the book, but even though I have seen it extensively in books I am not exactly sure on the best way to use it or what strategies are supposed to be used.
All in all this was a great starting chapter and I believe I will really enjoy this book. The chapter gave a good overview of what is to come. It also looks like I need to start thinking about my teaching philosophy as I start my new career.
I really adore MTSS, most likely because I come from a Positive Behavior Supports background. I agree with your assessment that the theories we have been reading about seem to mimic those in many of our other classes and I am actually comforted by this. If the methods we were seeing were only discussed in passing I would be worried about whether or not we would be as liberally educated as we are told we will be here at FHSU. I did take a sneak peak ahead in the book and Ryan, I don't think you will be disappointed. There are many things in this text that you will find yourself using in your other internship classes. This book is a keeper!
I’m not sure that I have developed my philosophy of education or literacy just yet; it is difficult because things are constantly changing and there is no one right answer. I think through experience and trial and error I will come to a conclusion on my philosophies but I also think it may change over time as I gain a better understanding of teaching practices and learning what is more effective for me and my students. Is one method more effective than another? Based on the research, people are still in disagreement and so am I. As I was reading through the different methods, I agreed and disagreed with parts of each. I also tried to remember back to my RLA internship and tried to decipher what philosophy or method my mentor teacher followed, but it didn’t seem to be done one exact way. She used part-to-whole with flash cards for sight words, phonograms, and individual letter sounds. The whole-part-whole model was used through shared reading. They would discuss plot, theme, characters, concepts and phonics instructions through the use of vocabulary within the books. Within the comprehensive approach, it states on page eight that “teachers recognize that whole-group instruction is not the most effective form of reading instruction”, which my mentor teacher definitely believed. A good portion of their reading instruction was done in small groups with some students receiving one on one help. She also used many of the classroom strategies that were listed in figure 1.3. I thought that was an excellent list with some great ideas and strategies that I hope to incorporate into my classroom. One thing that I do think is very important is helping students find reading materials and subjects that they enjoy. My approach is that if it’s not interesting and you don’t like it, you’re not going to read it and you’re certainly not going to learn from it. I think one way of getting and keeping students attention and teaching literacy is through technology. Students today are definitely more technologically advanced and know how to use the different media modes and they should be made available for students to learn through them and to enhance their literacy skills. I think having different modes of technology can also make it easier to find those topics and materials that are interesting to your students. I really enjoyed the discussion on RTI. The text put it in a way that I could easily understand. I know we have touched on it a lot in other courses, but the discussions always left me wanting just a little bit more information. I think the provided background and history leading up to RTI was something that I may have been missing before. I have also never witnessed RTI or MTSS first hand so I would be interested in hearing others experiences and opinions on it. This first chapter was a wonderful refresher for me and it also solidified some reading and literacy concepts that we touched on in other courses.
I agree that our teaching philosophy will most likely be ever-changing. I think it could change daily, yearly, just depending on the students and their abilities and behaviors. I'm looking forward to developing my philosophy this semester with the students that I am tutoring to see how I change and develop over the course of the next few months.
Reading this chapter was a great review for beginning this semester of tutoring. The Reading and Language Arts Methods course taught me a lot about the background and base knowledge of teaching reading. This semester will really enhance my knowledge through experience with the students. This chapter refreshed my background on the different approaches to teaching reading and how each can be advantageous at times. Personally, I think the phonics approach is great for young learners and guided practice is beneficial for older students.
Something that really stuck out to me in this chapter was when the author states that teachers teach children, they do not teach methods or materials. This will stick with me throughout this semester, as it will be important to remember that each student is different and different methods will need to be utilized.
Another thing that struck me in this chapter was when the author discussed the importance of teaching students to read. It was stated that students will need to be capable of reading at a high level. To many of us reading just seems to come easier, but it is so important to remember that everyone learns in different ways and at different paces. I think more than anything this reminds me to be patient and understanding, as well as observant of what students need.
I will also have to constantly remind myself that the methods and materials are not what is most important. The students are separate individuals and what works well for one may not work well for others. That is exactly why courses like these are so important.
Week 1 Blog- Corrections Chapter1 was about forming a personal philosophy about literacy assessment and intervention. Before reading this chapter I really did not have true personal philosophy on literacy assessment and intervention, but after reading about the different models I would have to say that I most likely fall into the Part –to-Whole Model. This is most likely because this is the model I tend to see used more in the schools I have worked in, though I do often see teachers using a combination of all of these models. I think that an important idea was brought up in this reading which was that when teaching students there is not just one method that is going to work for every student, and that you teach the students, not the models. I really found the section about English Learners was very helpful in understanding ways to effectively teach these students. The list of effective practices for English learners will definitely be something I will definitely refer to in the future. Another section that I found to be very informative was the section about Multimodal Literacy. This section discussed several ideas to help students with literacy through technology. Kids enjoy using technology and it is a part of our every day lives. I was not sure what WebQuest was so I looked it up and went to the site. Here I was able to find different grade level lessons that have been created by other teachers. I also went to the Fun Brain website that was mentioned and on this site there are several different types of games and learning activities for math and reading. When looking at some of the lessons on WebQuest I was also able to find ABCya website which is another great site for educational computer games. The last website I found was LessonSense,(http://www.lessonsense.com/phonics/flashcards.html#729_kb). Here I found great phonics flashcards that you can download.
I have also seen toe part to whole reading in the school where I worked at. I think you have a good point that a combination of models for teaching reading can be effective. Sometimes as an educator one must see what works best for the students.
After reading chapter 1, I realized that many of the things it discussed made me very excited. It’s weird to get excited over learning strategies that affect the outcome of my students learning, but it did. Chapter 1 really discussed the importance of literacy. Learning literacy is the backbone or rather “roots” to a student’s future cognitive approach to reading, understanding directions, math, science and much more. Literacy affects everyone every single day in their lives. According to Chapter 1 it discussed many strategies that can help teach the comprehension of literacy. One thing would be using graphic organizers or the use of the, “Big Five”. The National Reading Panel (NRP) came up with five components for reading instruction. As for questions about this chapter, I do not have any at this time. Using this information will greatly help me better understand my students, what and how I will approach my students during our tutoring lessons. I have been teaching Religious Education for 3 years now and I know it’s not “reading” but I have my students read and get involved. Understanding and learning the philosophy from the chapter on stages, approaches, and teaching techniques will only allow me to emphasize a broader approach in understanding and expectations of my students. When I had an internship for Reading and language Arts I really gravitated to how the teacher used many different techniques, strategies, tools and resources to help involve and teach students to read, at all learning capabilities. One day this teacher got a new student who came from another state. She was a little Caucasian girl that was placed in foster care. The teacher really took extra time to listen, test, and assess her level so she could quickly get her where it would benefit her best. Picking up strategies, and figuring out the philosophy of teaching is so exciting to me and something I never get tired of. by Jennifer Willcott
Literacy is such an important element of education. I have always believed this and have seen it show through more and more within my different internships and all of the time I have spent in the classroom. Without proper literacy nothing else can get accomplished within the educational environment. I have also seen this very clearly through some of the struggles my own brother had gone through over the years. Luckily the school he attended had a very good reading specialist that would work with him one on one. Making sure to see the struggles students are facing as early on as possible is very important. The earlier these issues are seen, the earlier steps can be taken to fix the situation and help the student to get back on track with fellow students. The theories the textbook discussed helped me to look at the information and use of literacy in a new way.; and examine the philosophy and theories I will be using in my own classroom.
I did not have any questions over any of the reading material this week.
Chapter 1 was about forming a personal philosophy about literacy assessment and intervention. One section of the reading was about reading models. I had never really thought about what reading model that I would personally like best. Two of the reading models discussed was part to whole model and whole-part-whole model. I personally like the part to whole reading model. I have seen this model in the school where I used to work. This model focuses on students learning the letters, letter sounds and rules. When I worked with kindergarten I remember them using this model. The kindergartners would learn the letters and sounds. They would also start learning sight words and begin reading books with the words they were learning. Over the coarse of the year it would build up to them learning all the letters, sounds, and sight words.
Analysis of the reading/issue. I really enjoyed reading Chapter 1 and getting familiar with the process of developing your own philosophy. I realized that I don't have a philosophy on how to teach reading but I hope to develop that over the new few weeks and learn more about what I can do to help students. I didn't realize how many different techniques there are to help students read, to practice reading and so on. I have often wondered if there is a specific method that would work for all students. The section in the text that covers which methos is most effective proves me wrong. I also learned this lesson in my internship. I realized that all students are different and they are learn and read differently. I like that the text gives so many different examples, I found that very helpful. Questions and/or contradictions about the reading/issue. Since I only have experience in a Specialized reading program, I wondered how easy or difficult it is reach all your students, since in a normal class setting they will be at different reading levels. How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently?I think the reading allowed me to look at the individual students process of learning instead of a whole class. Some students are going to learn at a slower pace or faster pace than others and it is important to have many different strategies available to help them. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience. In my RLA internship the teacher did a lot of buddy reading. Now they have a program called SFA, where students are grouped by their reading level not their grade level. So each morning the from 8-9:30 the students leave their classroom and go to another teachers room to have their reading lessons. It is a very interesting program, but I could see a lot of the strategies listed in the book that were used in my internship.
Tammi, I have the same questions as well. I think we are all going to have the same ones at first and then it will all fall into place. I would love to see SFA in person. I think it sounds like a great idea, but I am sure that it was a challenge to set up the schedule. I wonder how many times we will change our philosophies throughout our teaching years?
Tammi, with just the little experience that I have had in the classroom it is important to group students together by reading levels. Then spend time in the small groups to target the need of each group. I have witnessed this working well and meeting the needs of the students!
Analysis: Chapter one reading was about literacy assessment and intervention. The scenario at the beginning of the reading was extremely important because its main focus was on how education changes through the years and how mandates for local, state, and federal changes are a must for teachers to know. Reading in particular has changed through the years as well. Educators must research and become familiar with new terms, and theories that are being used in today’s classrooms. Some of the theories that were introduced in the reading were Constructive Theory, which is creating a link between new learning situations with situations that students may already be familiar with. This link is an important link with what children already know and linking that with what they are being taught at the present moment. Zone of Proximal Development is a term introduced by Vygotsky in order to describe the zone between what a student can figure out through their own independent problem solving and the level of problem solving with adult guidance. He views teachers as the key role in students’ learning because they provide the guided practice, maximize opportunities, and schedule time for independent practice in learning. Maslow introduced the Hierarchy of Human Needs. He believed that humans all have 5 basic needs.. Critical Literacy Theory has a main goal of helping students find their “voice” so they are able to deal with social issues later in life. Some of the terms that were introduced in chapter one was the phonics approach. This emphasizes on learning both the names and sounds of each letter. The term linguistic approach refers to identifying patterns in words, and sight word approach. The comprehensive approach integrates skill skills with both reading and writing processes. The chapter discussed the NCLB Act of 2001 that was signed by George W Bush. This act mandates that all students must show AYP (adequate yearly progress) in the five areas of reading that were introduced in the NRP. I felt like the chapter was very informative. I do not have any questions or contradictions at this time. It explained everything very well. How did the chapter reflect or allow you to look at an issue differently? I am going to use the Critical Literacy Theory because it was discussed very well and in detail in the reading. I really never read about it and believe that it is a great theory to incorporate into a classroom. I feel this way because although students are in school to learn, every student should enjoy learning as well. There are so many different strategies and approaches that can be introduced in the classroom that can make learning fun for students. I am a very visual and hands on learner, so this approach really caught my interest as a future educator. Connect the reading to you by providing your own experiences. While reading about Critical Literacy Theory it made me think of all of the fun activities that I try and incorporate into my lessons. I remember being in elementary school and doing some really fun activities. It is always the educators that make learning fun that a student will look back and remember for the rest of their life. I know when I am asked to write about my biggest influences in education I always write about the fun teachers that really and truly cared about my learning and future.
I can only agree with all the other posts in that this was a great introductory chapter. Table 1.1 shows the reading level of daily reading materials. It is interesting that help wanted ads are written at 6th to 7th grade levels and information on medicine is at a 10th grade level. I found the information about the Part-to-Whole model and Whole-to-Part model to be a great refresher on the information. figure 1.3 lists classroom strategies used in a comprehensive reading approach. The Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile (TORP) was very interesting and helpful in showing me where I stand. RTI, MTSS in Kansas, is becoming seen more and more in schools and is necessary to help struggling students succeed.
I have not really thought about my philosophy about reading and how students learn reading. I do, however, realize that reading success is vital for success in all other areas of school and life, as indicated in Figure 1.1. It is interesting to note that the reading level on medicine is higher than on help wanted ads, with the help wanted ads being the lowest of those listed. In the past year, I realized that my son, who is a junior this year, is still having reading dificulty, which I attribute to a severe speech impediment when he was younger. He does comprehend what he is reading, but it takes him much longer to read and sound out words. When sounding out new words, I discovered that he often guesses or used the letter sound(s) that he knew for the letter combination(s). I wonder if MTSS would have helped him earlier in school.
I was working as a substitute teacher last week at our high school. During the advidory period, a teacher was telling the students that if their grades were at a certain level, students may be referred to MTSS for assistance. A student asked what MTSS stood for. The teacher said that it was for "Multi-tiered..." and looked at me. I added "system of supports" and knew what she was talking about. This is the first year that this is being done in our high school. I am not sure if it is being done at all levels or just in the high school. Had this practice been being used previously, my son may not be in the same place that he is with his reading now, in his junior year.
Chapter 1 was a great introduction to literacy and the importance it has on our society, individuals, and education. It made me think about my own educational philosophy. One thing that I had not thought of previously is that I will develop a philosophy for each subject I teach. I may have an general education philosophy but then each content area will have methods that work best for them. I feel that there is no right philosophy because no teacher or student is the same. This means that while I excel in being social and making connections, others may not. Education, in my opinion, is strengthened when relationships are formed in the classroom. I’m not talking about friendships necessarily, but a child learns a great deal more when respect and understanding are mutual. I need to learn more about the literacy philosophies so I may find which ones work best for me. I am excited and nervous to do this with students this semester.
I like that this chapter addressed RTI. MTSS is the program that Kansas is currently using. While several teachers I have worked with have talked highly of the program, I’m not sure that I fully understand how this particular program works. I look forward to learning more about this during this semester.
One thing that I really enjoyed about this book was the visual set up. It included graphic organizers, page 6, and other visual representations of the information. This is how I learn best so I appreciate that we have a book that will utilize many different learning styles just within the text. I look forward to learning more about methods that will help students learn the best way they possibly can also.
Hannah, I think that it's great that you thought about the fact that you should have a philosophy for each content area you teach rather than one broad philosophy for education. I think this will make you stand out as an educator and really show people that you care enough to make those philosopies.
As I began to read the first chapter in the textbook, I realized that I don’t really have a philosophy related to literacy. This chapter is full of knowledge that I feel has opened my eyes to many things I did not know. For instance, under the title Hierarchy of Human Needs it states that Maslow believes that basic needs have to be met before anything else such as safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization. I mean it makes sense but I have not read that prior to this chapter. I believe all the theories must be used, I am not just taking the easy road I promise; I really feel they are all important. If I were to lean towards one more than the rest I would have to agree with Ms. Rea’s idea on literacy philosophy. When it comes to different approaches and reading models I lean more towards the Part-to-Whole approach, however, I agree with the book on page 8, “…no one method suits everyone”. This is what we will be using in our Title One Reading Program and I feel it will work very well. I look forward to all that I am going to learn from this class. It could not have come at a better time since I will be working as a Title One Reading Para this year. I think it is neat that I am learning the correct terminology for the things that I am implementing such as onset and rime. I am looking forward to learning about all the different assessments as well. I think assessments should be what drive our instruction as teachers. Students should be assessed and monitored throughout the school year making sure that adjustments are made to reach their highest potential. I have met many teachers that don’t know what to do once they have the results/scores in their hands, but I have a feeling with the new changes to MO education they are going to learn real fast! Our school will begin assessments from DIBELS, Road to Reading, SRI, and benchmarking test tomorrow for the next three weeks. I look forward to learning all about each of them and then seeing what the teachers do with all the great information given to them about each student.
Chapter 1 was such a great introduction to our course and into our book. It really made me open my eyes and think about a personal philosophy that I want to base my teaching upon. I fell in love with a quote that I'd heard one time and it's stuck with me through my experience as a special education paraprofessional. "If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn." - Ignacio Estrada
As far as the rest of the chapter I appriciated the fact that it gave us a good introduction into the RTI process which includes five steps; establishing benchmarks, student receives intervention in areas needed, monitoring student progress weekly, more intense intervention, and student's RTI is assesed again after a long period of time. I also really enjoyed a learned a lot in the portion of the chapter that talked about all of the historical overviews of reading reform. A couple of those include The America Reads Challenge Act, and the No Child Left Behind Act.
This chapter talked very much of all the reading models that are offered to teachers to help encourage the successes of their students but I wondered how do you know which one is the best. Do you just individualize the information per students. This way each student would be using the most effective model for themselves, or do you find the one that works best for you as the teacher and work that way?
In one of my classes last semester we had some experience with the zone of prximal development which was also talked about in this chapter. It includes the distance between the child's actual development as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidence. We got to look at a specific child's numbers and chart the development which I thought was very helpful and interesting because it shows you the areas where the child is struggling some or having much success.
DeVries Chapter 1- Forming a Personal Philosophy about Literacy Assessment and Intervention
This chapter seemed to mostly review topics that we have previously learned: the importance of literacy, the different theories surrounding literacy, different methods for teaching literacy, how to work with English Language Learners (ELL's) and more. I have to say that the section on ELL's was the one that i found to be the most interesting. This might be because I have been thinking for the last few days about whether or not I want to add the ESL minor but might be because I was shocked by how little space (LESS than a page!) was devoted to this population in this chapter. This got me thinking a bit more about what my literacy theory is and how my background influenced this. As a child I spent a lot of time in the resource room because of my dyslexia. I grew up in California in a town with a large Latino population and as a result I was often surrounded by very hard working and studentd who were striving to better their English. ESL classes were often in the resource room with students like myself and while I was learning I was beginning to form my personal philosophy about literacy assessment and intervention. What I learned was this: all of us learned better in a positive environment around teachers who treated us fairly and firmly with stated rules and expectations. I know that my personal philosophy will meld some of what I learned as a student with what I know as an adult and what I am being taught as a prospective future teacher. I know that I am lucky to have as many resources at my fingertips as I do now. I am looking forward to working with my students with semester in the hopes that I might be able to better their educational outcomes.
Jessica, I think from your personal experience you have a great idea of what a student with reading disabilities goes through. On top of that you have seen some possible problems that ESL students encounter as well. With that background you would make a great advocate to making sure that those students get a better chance in the classroom. Ricky
I found this chapter to be a pretty good synopsis of things that have been some of the foundations of out education so far. The author included theories from Vygotsky, Piaget, and Maslow. All theorist that we have covered numerous times due to their importance in not just education but living life. The chapter also covered briefly historical events that have shaped the face of education. For example No Child Left Behind. The chapter also discussed the types of different approaches that can be used in the classroom from linguistic to comprehensive. All of these things are keys to creating knowledgeable informed teachers. One of the things that I found grounding from the chapter was the reminder about having your own approach as a teacher. It is important to see in words sometimes that no one method is the right method. To be an effective teacher means having different approaches and methods to accommodate for all students.
One of the reasons that I found this chapter interesting was that every semester I find my self at times intimidated by the work load. There is always the possibility that there will be a wealth of information that will be a lot to take in. This chapter is a great reminder that in the end it is always worth it. Not only for the future students but to be a more well rounded teacher. Having more information and methods at my fingertips only makes me a better teacher.
In reading the first chapter of this text, I was reminded of the teacher I want to be! As I haven't developed my teaching philosophy yet, it is a work in progress. I know that the little that I have worked with MTSS and our RTI team I am a small group teacher. In reading about the different reading approaches to take with the different level of readers, I think about how each student will need require my time in different ways. I am so excited to work with early readers. I am excited to learn more about the different tests and why some are better than others!
I was also thinking about the teacher I want to be some day! As far as test taking goes, I think some teachers are better at making tests than others. There are times I feel like teachers are trying to trick you on the test. For elementary students, I think it is only fair to make the test as easy to follow/comprehend as possible. I know that a lot of time goes into making tests. It seems easy when you think about it, but sometimes it can be difficult!
I thought that this chapter was full of valuable information. It covered a lot or information for one chapter. With that being said, it made a lot of good points and got me thinking quite a bit. I was unaware of a lot of the historical reading reforms. While I know a lot about NCLB, I was unaware of others such as The America Reads Challenge Act and the Elementary and Secondary Education act. I got to thinking about why we might have such acts, and it made me realize how much our government pushes to have students reach their potential. I was aware of a lot of the reading that took place in this chapter. A lot of the chapter was based on items we have covered in other courses. For example, we talked about Response to Intervention in Educational Psychology. Also, we have talked about the No Child Left Behind Act in about every methods class I have taken. I do not have a lot of questions about the reading because like I mentioned earlier, I have been in touch with a lot of the subjects that were discussed in this chapter. However, I would like to know what some of the people think about the No Child Left Behind Act. This act has caused a lot of discussion in courses and amongst teachers. Does anyone think that this goal can be attained? One thing I look at differently is philosophy in general. I was unaware that elementary and middle school teachers need to have a specific literacy philosophy. It makes me think about the philosophy I wrote in my Introduction to Coaching course I took a few semesters ago. In that course, we wrote just one philosophy, and that was our philosophy of coaching. I always thought teachers were similar. They had just one philosophy about teaching. Now, I understand that teachers may have several philosophies, depending on the subject/amount of subject they teach. Like I mentioned above, I have experience making a philosophy. We were required to write a philosophy in my Introduction to Coaching class. At first, I struggled to come up with my philosophy. Then, after thinking for a while, I was able to come up with my personal philosophy. I think I struggled to come up with one because I saw too many examples. I wanted mine to be similar to others at first, but it wasn’t. However, it did contain some of the same components.
Last semester for our internship class, we had a guy come talk to us about applying for jobs and that most schools will ask us for our philosophy about education and that many students applying for the job are unsure of how to answer the question. So, when reading the title for this chapter I was instantly interested. According to this chapter, we not only need to establish our own philosophy about education but also a literacy philosophy. There are many theories and approaches to help establish our philosophy on literacy. As reading through the theories and approaches I was thinking there are many views to consider and how would an educator know what approach to take. The book states that no one method is the best and will suit the needs of all students.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter also discusses RTI (Response to Intervention) which I have covered in many other education courses. This seems to be a very good framework to use. Kansas has even adopted its own version of RTI, MTSS. I would like to see this be used first hand and try it out in my own classroom one day.
This chapter has allowed me to remember that all students are different and made me aware that my philosophy will not be set but change for my students' needs as well as change as I learn more about education as I become more experienced as an educator.
Danielle,
DeleteIt is interesting that our classes keep emphasizing research-based practices, but yet so much is still undetermined. Just as you said, the text stated that no one method of literacy instruction is best. However, experts seem to have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn't so why can't they say what mode is most effective? I guess it comes down to the student. Different modes work better for different students. I do get overwhelmed thinking about all the different types of learners in my classrooms. When I go to my internships, I don't really see a whole lot of differentiated instruction except for guided reading. I hope to continue learning about this topic.
Amy
My experience with MTSS ,and this is the parent side, has been strange. Everything that we have learned about MTSS didn't show up with the real life MTSS that I have seen. I knew that parents are allowed to view the MTSS so when I asked for the records that would show what interventions my son had throughout the year there were only two.There was no record of interventions done weekly. The book says that it has to be done at least once a week. There was also no list of which intervention was used, which one worked or didn't work. I want to know as much as possible about this and hope that I will in this class.
DeleteI really liked the question on the first page of the chapter that asked about a personal teaching philosophy and how it relates to literacy. The three reading models were familiar from my RLA Methods class. While reading about them again, I started thinking about them in the context of what I have seen in my RLA internship last semester and what I have been working on with my own children (they are both age 5 going into kindergarten). First, I agreed with the Part-to-Whole Model – phonics approach, linguistic approach, and sight word approach. I have used Bob Books with my kids. They were good to start practicing decoding and sight words, but now that they are reading a little more those books are too boring for them. One of the main strategies I use to teach them is to “chunk” words, by breaking into parts and looking for words you know, like stand (st-and). I know that all these things are good and important, but something was missing. Then I read about the Whole-Part-Whole Model – shared reading, trade books, phonics instruction, but most of all enjoyment. To me, this was the missing piece. Working on skills in isolation is useful, but only when they are applied to a real world situation, like reading a trade book, writing in a journal, or some other similar activity. When I took the test on page 14, I scored at the high end of low for both sections. It’s not that I haven’t thought about my philosophy as the book implied but I think that literacy instruction should incorporate all models.
ReplyDeleteCritical literacy is more than just reading a text and answering questions about it. Teachers who embrace critical literacy encourage and guide students to act on what they have read and analyzed. I loved the example of looking at Mothers’ Day advertisements and comparing the moms in the pictures with their own moms and then determining what “real” moms would actually enjoy for Mothers’ Day.
SI stands for Sheltered Instruction. It is a way of scaffolding English learners in both social and language skills. In my opinion, many of the concepts emphasized in this theory could benefit all students, like using visual aids, limiting passive instructional time, and connecting concepts to students’ life experiences. Also, choral reading, LEA, shared reading, and audiobooks work well with English learners, and those are all elements I anticipate including in my future classroom regardless of language ability. My local elementary school has only two ELLs, and they are both from Africa. I find this surprising since we live in an area with a high Hispanic and Native American population.
TPR is Total Physical Response. This means that students learn about a concept using some sort of physical movement. For example, I developed a math lesson incorporating music for my music methods class. I used the song “Five Green and Speckled Frogs “ by Raffi to have students jump on and off a “log” to demonstrate addition and subtraction. This is a good demonstration of TPR.
RTI means Response to Intervention. The method identifies student that are struggling in one or more areas of reading then provides appropriate intervention to benefit the student. ALL students in the classroom receive basic instruction (tier 1). Some students receive moderate help (tier 2), while a few receive intensive help (tier 3). Intervention is immediate and once a student has mastered a concept he or she can return to tier 1 or receive intervention for another skill.
Multimodal literacy is composed of four basic literacies – technological, visual, media, and informational. Multimodal literacy moves from static, print-based learning to social learning and interaction.
I like the idea of TPR, I am glad you mentioned it. The physical movements would help strengthen the concept of the lesson as well as incorporate fun and interest to the lesson.
DeleteYou also discussed chunking, I remember learning about this in RLA method course. I think this is a natural way to teach/learn reading skills, but like you said, if we don't incorporate students' interests into the reading then we are missing a huge factor while teaching.
I really thought this was a great introductory chapter! I'm already excited about this text and what this class has in store for us. I was able to make several connections to this first chapter with previous courses here at FHSU, but I also learned some things from this reading that I didn't know or really understand, as well as an "ah ha" moment.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, the very beginning of the introduction talked about how all teachers need to be reading professional journals, attend professional development courses, and conferences to stay up on the latest educational information, teaching approaches, and research based practices. All of a sudden I could hear Dr. Walizer and Dr. Stramel in my heads because for their Method courses they spoke of just this. A well rounded professional constantly keeps updated with the latest in their field and keeps abreast of the latest information, which is why we had to do a peer-based journal research article as well as attend a professional conference during their classes. This reading solidifies what we are learning already here at FHSU.
Another passage that really struck me as a pre-service teacher is that as we go into the classroom we need to remember that, "the more advanced our society becomes, the higher the reading level we need to complete everyday reading activities." Although I did know this, when I took a look at the figure 1.1 list of the reading level that is required for daily reading materials I was absolutely shocked at the actual reading levels that are needed. Knowing the statement is one thing...seeing the actual reading level that it takes is another!
My "ah ha" moment came on page 8 where it is titled, "Which Method Is The Most Effective." I have often asked myself what method or theory I would use to teach reading, phonics, etc. I could identify with some of all of the models/approaches and I was trying to identify which ones I had observed in the classrooms. Then I kept reading and came to, "teachers teach children; they do not teach methods or materials." In the end, it's not about a particular method or approach. One size does not fit all. I have a theory about parenting and teaching: you cannot parent children the same way. They have different needs and you have to parent for those needs. The same is true for teaching~ no two students learn the same. Some may need you to be more visual, some may need manipulatives for hands on work, and some may just need to read. Well, reading is no different than this. A single approach or theory will not fit all students. Some may need to learn reading understanding the "whole" and some may need to break that down into "parts." We are there to meet the needs of each student- individually.
LeAnn,I felt the same way you did about beginning to read this book. This morning I also heard from the principal in our district and he is going to help me get together my tutoring group, so I am super excited to get going. Like you, I have been thinking about my literacy philosophy. I have been in schools where they focus on phonics, but I know families who home-school that use Dolch's site words and word memorization. Dick and Jane were on their way out when I was learning to read, but I remember reading them. I think if we consider how diverse our students will be, we will probably use the comprehensive approach which uses all of the models and overlaps all of the strategies. I'm looking forward to learning more.
Delete(1)Chapter one was about how important literacy is in our lives. Reading is necessary for full participation in society. Everywhere we look, we see words. Some theorists were mentioned in relation to reading. Next, we were introduced to three reading models which are the part-to-whole model, the whole-part-whole model and the comprehensive approach. I liked the graphic organizer on page 6 because it makes all of these models visually understandable. I also like the list of strategies on page 9 that goes along with the comprehensive approach. There was a great deal of information on how to teach English learners. On page 13, we learn about forming our own teaching philosophy and the importance of having a literacy philosophy as well. We learn on page 15 where the “Big Five” originated. The National Reading Panel (NRP) came up with five components for reading instruction. The text also gave a good description of the Response to Intervention (RTI) method and emphasized that it is just a framework to help schools identify students with language and literacy needs. Finally, the author discusses multimodal literacy which is technological literacy, visual literacy, media literacy and informational literacy. Since this is all part of our social world, learning becomes social. This develops higher-level thinking skills.
ReplyDelete(2)I don’t have any questions about this chapter right now. (3)Though, it really made me think about how I will conduct my tutoring sessions and then one day my own classroom. There is a lot to consider, but with practice and experience, I’m sure it will become easier to diagnose and help those who need it. (4) A few years ago, I was a Para and I wish I knew then what I know now because I know it would have made a difference. In my reading internship class, we worked with our MTSS group on fluency using reader’s theater and the students made awesome improvements. I am a big fan of reader’s theater now. I saw Dr. Tim Rasinski (mentioned in our chapter, pg. 8) at a reading conference for one of my professional learning events and I absolutely loved attending and listening to him. Some of you may have also gone to that reading conference. It ended much too quickly for me. I was soaking up everything. I am really looking forward to using it in my classroom.
Patti- you mentioned working with MTSS groups. I think all of these tips, techniques, and skills are going to help our students in MTSS groups so much! We are going to be educated and prepared to go beyond just assessing our students. We will know what to look for, how to assess, as well as how to help them with their individual needs.
DeletePatti,
DeleteI agree with you that this chapter made me think about what I will be including in my lessons for when I tutor this semester. I really want to make literacy fun for the studnets and this chapter gave me several items to achieve that goal.
That is great that you got to attend a professional development conference. I do not get many oppunities to go but as the text book mentioned they are bery important. It is important for teachers to remember that we are still learning how to be better educators too.
I found that this chapter was a very informational read. I feel a tie to this subject since my son has struggled with reading for the past year. One thing that I find interesting was how the text spoke about the phonics approach. This is where we (my sister in law who has taught 1st grade for the past 15 years and me) started my son this summer. Throughout his whole first grade year he never raised one grade level. His school goes by DRA levels. During the summer alone he went from a 4 to passing a 12 working on a 14. The benchmark for the end of first grade is 16, so he was nearly 1 level from reaching our goal. What we did this summer was took him back down to the beginning. We reviewed the vowel sounds, constants, phonograms, blends, and digraphs. This gave him a base that he never picked up well while he was in kindergarten. I also thought that it was important to note such as the text says that not every child learns the same way by the same method. My favorite sentence in this chapter was that to understand that teachers don’t teach methods or materials they teach children. Understanding what the strengths and weaknesses are of a student will help us to determine the correct method to use with them that will help them excel with reading. I like the part-to-whole model. I like the idea of walking before you run, and by that I mean knowing the sounds of the letters and the sounds of the phonograms before trying to read. I feel this will help a reader be able to decode words when they are reading. I like the phonics, linguistic and sight word approach for teaching students to read especially early primary students who are in the beginning stages of reading.
ReplyDeleteHanna- I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post about your son and your personal connection to your own struggling reader and what we have learned in this first chapter. I too feel it is important to know and understand the sound of the letters, vowels, and phonograms before reading the whole word. Thank you for sharing your experience with your son!
DeleteHanna,
DeleteI can relate to your struggles to help your son. My Son is a 4th grader that is reading at a guided reading G/H (1st-2nd) and has been working his butt off all summer to get here. He ended 3rd grade at an D/E. This chapter rang true for me on many levels. We started Ashton on a tutoring program that went back to phonemic awareness and it has been a huge help to him. Good luck with your son, I know you will find many tools for helping him through this semester.
Great discussion on how well phonics worked for your son. It is great that you were able to work with him one on one and get him up to almost grade level. I feel that even though teaching is now working towards helping each and every child it doesn't always happen. Teachers may be too busy or wrapped in cramming so much in a day that students end up suffering. I believe that phonics does work well with younger struggling readers like your son. I hope he reaches that goal soon. Great post!
DeleteI really enjoyed reading baout the progress your son had over the summer. That is great and that must make you feel pretty good about not only your son, but for what you helped him to accomplish. I think that going back to the basics and refreshing that information is very important to learning and building upon that knowledge. I know that I always like to have a refresher to help me remeber things I have previously learned but may have forgotten about.
DeleteHi Hanna! Thanks for sharing your son's experiences. It is refreshing to hear that you were not afraid to work with your son over the summer or to take him back to the basics. I didn't start reading until I was part way through 1st grade. My dad is an educator and my parents felt that I would catch on to reading when my mind was ready for it. They worked with me but didn't push it. Rather, they continued to read stories to me and take me to the library regularly. Part way through the year, I not only began reading, but quickly jumped to higher reading levels than most of my classmates. I have been a strong reader ever since then and enjoy it immensely. I'm sharing this just to say that sometimes it just takes a little longer for some kids but that does not determine how strong their skills will be for the rest of their life. The fact that he has a mother that is interested in helping him learn is worth a lot!
Delete1. Analysis of the reading/issue.
ReplyDeleteChapter one of the textbook Literacy Assessment &Intervention by B. Devries first discussed how important reading is to people’s daily life and how much more people are reading now than ever before. The textbook then introduced some learning theories that are commonly used. These learning strategies include constructive theory, which is having the students relate new material with the existing and teachers helping students fill in the gap with subjects they may not be familiar with (Devries, 3), zone of proximal development, which basically refers to someone assisting students through the learning process (Devries, 3), hierarchy of human needs, which is referring to what needs in a person’s life needs to be satisfied, and critical literacy theory, which consists of a variety of forms of literacy (Devries, 3).
This chapter then discussed the different approaches that can be used in the classroom to teach students about literacy. The text book gives many different examples of comprehensive approach that can be used in the classroom (fig 1.3).
There are many different reforms that have gone into effect of the years which is discussed in the first chapter of the textbook like RTI and No Child Left Behind Act.
2. Questions and/or contradictions about the reading/issue.
I really did not have any questions or contradictions with this chapter it seemed very informational and straight forward for me.
3. How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently?
I really enjoyed reading about the required reading levels for tasks that are apart for many people’s lives (figure 1.1). I also enjoyed learning more about the critical literacy theory. This theory seems like one that I will be using in my classroom. Reading and learning should always be enjoyable for the students and it should something that they look forward to. I want to make reading fun for students so that they will want to learn on their own outside of the classroom.
The figure 1.3 on page 9 of the textbook made me thing of different ways that I can introduce literacy in the classroom. These are great strategies to use when it comes to organizing and planning my future lessons.
4. Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience.
I think that writing is critical but the first step is getting your thoughts on to paper. This can be a difficult task for some students because they can explain a story in spoken word but written “speech” can be challenging for some. Just this summer I got the chance to teach extended school year summer school and I gave the students the chance to keep a journal to write about whatever they wanted to become more familiar with getting their thoughts on paper. I told the students to not worry so much about perfect spelling instead think about what they want to say to the reader and they can go back and fix any mistakes they may have.
Something else that was discussed in this chapter that made me think about my own experience was when I was in grade school I can remember all the fun plays and activities that we did during language arts to this day. I have always struggled with a learning disability and reading was never one of my strong suites. What did make me want to try harder in reading were the fun activities that my teachers would plan that would often make me forget that I had a difficult time. One activity that I remember in particular was a series of books called “choose your own adventure”. I loved reading these books because they were fun and I wanted to know what twist and turns I could create in the story. These books would improve my comprehension because I have to think about what was happening in the story and what I wanted to happen next. Having acgtivity that students enjoy will make them remember how fun reading can be.
Literacy is one of the most important areas of education. As I have seen with my own son not being able to read begins affecting all other areas of their academic lives. This is why it is vital that teachers understand how to spot difficulties early on and the make the changes necessary to correct them. Devries chapter 1 talks about literacy development in a real world approach that is easy to relate to. Reading figure 1.4 on the stages of language development you can see how the progression looks and what you should be watching for in your students. Vygotskys’ “zone of proximal development” has always been the theory that I most related to. It shows us just how important the scaffolding teachers do is in the development of proficient readers. Today’s students are more diverse than ever before and thus selecting an educational philosophy that works for everyone is key in the success of your classroom. I would love to know more on how to select one that is good for all so that I don’t ever overlook a child that needs that extra bit of help to e successful. I feel that it is my responsibility to my students to have the knowledge to deal with their needs regardless of what they may be. I know that I have seen my own severely dyslexic struggle for years with teachers that despite trying had no idea how to help him. Over the last 18 months that has changed and the difference in his confidence and skill level is incredible.
ReplyDelete~Cat
I agree with your statement that literacy is one of the most important areas of education. I feel you are correct; teachers need to start intervention as early as possible to help students gain confidence and assistance in what area they are struggling in. I do not think you need to choose one specific philosophy, I think you can take great parts from each philosophy and form one unique to your teaching style. It sounds like you have been a great help to your child, and I am sure you will be a great help to students who struggle in the classroom.
DeleteI, like you am a fan of Vygotsky's theory. I feel that no matter what age or grade you're in you learn much better with someone scaffolding you. As an adult we get scaffolded, i.e. when we first start a job we are scaffolded so we know how to do things correctly. The chapter did a great job on giving overviews of the many strategies that are available. And as you said it is our responsibility to figure out how to help each child, not only that we also need to know the best strategy or strategies to use to help each child. Good post.
DeleteI think you are completely right about literacy being the most important area of education. Literacy affects almost every aspect of your education and life in general. I was just trying to think about what life would be like if you couldn’t read signs, labels, etc. and that left me feeling completely blank. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I went back and looked at figure 1.4 again after you mentioned it and it is a great tool. I like how it shows the students progression and how their needs change and how your instruction should change with them. As you said, today’s students are more diverse than ever and they are only going to get more diverse as we progress through our careers in education. I think it is important to establish our teaching philosophies but I also think it is important to be open to changes and new ideas and approaches.
DeleteI agree as well that literacy is an extremely vital part in the components of a students’ education. Many things that a student learns early on collaborate with the understanding of sounds, communication, reading, math, and so forth. Like you mentioned it is important for a teacher to view and understand what to look for so he/she can better accommodate that student which in turn will help with his/her future success in other areas, not just reading. Another component in which students really need to be able to comprehend is with technology. As every student learns and adapts to different teaching techniques differently, some students may do better when using different forms of teaching – such as technology. The diversity in our worlds with people and the tools to teach students have really grown and as you mentioned, is going to be a great attribute to the future success of our students if we continue to grow right alongside it. This gives us the ability to give our students the ability to expand their knowledge of learning in ways that works best for them. By Jennifr Willcott
DeleteCh1 Blog-Zoë Greenemeyer
ReplyDeleteForming a personal teaching philosophy seems to be a similar theme is most of my course work. I thought the beginning of this chapter presented a comprehensive outline of theories and approaches used in literacy development in children. In reading these theories and approaches I was able to relate my feeling and practices to certain approaches and models. I can now see why it is important to have the Reading and Language Arts methods class completed prior to taking this class. From my time in the classroom I was able to experience a classroom that followed the critical literacy theory and used multiple forms of literacy to engage students. I was also able to observe the comprehensive approach being used; students learned how to use prefixes and suffixes to understand meaning.
After reading this chapter I began to think of my own philosophy or approach to literacy. I have seen educators take a little from each theory and use those ideas or practices in the classroom. I find this to be important especially since students learn differently. Some students may thrive to memorize sight words while others thrive when literature can be related to a personal experience. I feel I will also take a little from each theory or model in my classroom. From my personal experience, my daughter used sight words and a linguistic approach to learn to read in kindergarten. For my daughter this worked well and she was able to read with more fluency and have more comprehension once she mastered her sight words. Another personal experience from my own education was when I was diagnosed as having a learning disability. I was given an IQ test to determine this along with other assessments. I feel transitioning to the RTI model is an improvement and focuses more on getting a student help immediately and setting guidelines in place that help both the educators but also the student.
Hi Zoe,
DeleteI was also able to picture myself using different theories and approaches that were discussed in the chapter reading. I could really relate to the Critical Literacy Theory mainly because it involved many different learning strategies revolving around literacy. I can see myself using many of the forms that were discussed because many of the forms involved some sort of active engagement between both the educator and students. I think this is because I am visual/hands on type of learner myself, so I can relate that as an educator. I also believe that learning should be fun for the students as well. I personally believe that students learn more when they are involved in engaging activities. There are many approaches that I enjoyed reading about and could see myself using, but that one really stood out to my style of teaching.
Charelle S
Great comments so far! Thank you for following the requested questions for your blogs. We will discuss how an "eclectic" approach to reading can and does benefit all students. After 27 years of teaching in an elementary classroom, I have not found "1" method or program that works for all. The buzz word is definitely DIFFERENTIATION!!
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that having a teaching philosophy or theory to use is an important part of teaching. The beginning the chapter talked about the common theories I have seen over and over. The chapter did elaborate more on the reading aspects of teaching.
ReplyDeleteI really liked reading the 3 models of reading. Last semester in RLA internship I saw parts of all three models used. I like the Comprehensive Approach personally, but do believe that a lot of it has to do with the needs of the child or children that you are working with. RTI is a familiar and very important part of teaching reading; in Kansas this is MTSS. I would like to go to conferences on how best to implement and use this tiered system. I haven't looked any further in the book, but even though I have seen it extensively in books I am not exactly sure on the best way to use it or what strategies are supposed to be used.
All in all this was a great starting chapter and I believe I will really enjoy this book. The chapter gave a good overview of what is to come. It also looks like I need to start thinking about my teaching philosophy as I start my new career.
I really adore MTSS, most likely because I come from a Positive Behavior Supports background. I agree with your assessment that the theories we have been reading about seem to mimic those in many of our other classes and I am actually comforted by this. If the methods we were seeing were only discussed in passing I would be worried about whether or not we would be as liberally educated as we are told we will be here at FHSU.
DeleteI did take a sneak peak ahead in the book and Ryan, I don't think you will be disappointed. There are many things in this text that you will find yourself using in your other internship classes. This book is a keeper!
I’m not sure that I have developed my philosophy of education or literacy just yet; it is difficult because things are constantly changing and there is no one right answer. I think through experience and trial and error I will come to a conclusion on my philosophies but I also think it may change over time as I gain a better understanding of teaching practices and learning what is more effective for me and my students. Is one method more effective than another? Based on the research, people are still in disagreement and so am I. As I was reading through the different methods, I agreed and disagreed with parts of each. I also tried to remember back to my RLA internship and tried to decipher what philosophy or method my mentor teacher followed, but it didn’t seem to be done one exact way. She used part-to-whole with flash cards for sight words, phonograms, and individual letter sounds. The whole-part-whole model was used through shared reading. They would discuss plot, theme, characters, concepts and phonics instructions through the use of vocabulary within the books. Within the comprehensive approach, it states on page eight that “teachers recognize that whole-group instruction is not the most effective form of reading instruction”, which my mentor teacher definitely believed. A good portion of their reading instruction was done in small groups with some students receiving one on one help. She also used many of the classroom strategies that were listed in figure 1.3. I thought that was an excellent list with some great ideas and strategies that I hope to incorporate into my classroom.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I do think is very important is helping students find reading materials and subjects that they enjoy. My approach is that if it’s not interesting and you don’t like it, you’re not going to read it and you’re certainly not going to learn from it. I think one way of getting and keeping students attention and teaching literacy is through technology. Students today are definitely more technologically advanced and know how to use the different media modes and they should be made available for students to learn through them and to enhance their literacy skills. I think having different modes of technology can also make it easier to find those topics and materials that are interesting to your students.
I really enjoyed the discussion on RTI. The text put it in a way that I could easily understand. I know we have touched on it a lot in other courses, but the discussions always left me wanting just a little bit more information. I think the provided background and history leading up to RTI was something that I may have been missing before. I have also never witnessed RTI or MTSS first hand so I would be interested in hearing others experiences and opinions on it.
This first chapter was a wonderful refresher for me and it also solidified some reading and literacy concepts that we touched on in other courses.
Abbie,
DeleteI agree that our teaching philosophy will most likely be ever-changing. I think it could change daily, yearly, just depending on the students and their abilities and behaviors. I'm looking forward to developing my philosophy this semester with the students that I am tutoring to see how I change and develop over the course of the next few months.
Reading this chapter was a great review for beginning this semester of tutoring. The Reading and Language Arts Methods course taught me a lot about the background and base knowledge of teaching reading. This semester will really enhance my knowledge through experience with the students. This chapter refreshed my background on the different approaches to teaching reading and how each can be advantageous at times. Personally, I think the phonics approach is great for young learners and guided practice is beneficial for older students.
ReplyDeleteSomething that really stuck out to me in this chapter was when the author states that teachers teach children, they do not teach methods or materials. This will stick with me throughout this semester, as it will be important to remember that each student is different and different methods will need to be utilized.
Another thing that struck me in this chapter was when the author discussed the importance of teaching students to read. It was stated that students will need to be capable of reading at a high level. To many of us reading just seems to come easier, but it is so important to remember that everyone learns in different ways and at different paces. I think more than anything this reminds me to be patient and understanding, as well as observant of what students need.
I will also have to constantly remind myself that the methods and materials are not what is most important. The students are separate individuals and what works well for one may not work well for others. That is exactly why courses like these are so important.
DeleteWeek 1 Blog- Corrections
ReplyDeleteChapter1 was about forming a personal philosophy about literacy assessment and intervention. Before reading this chapter I really did not have true personal philosophy on literacy assessment and intervention, but after reading about the different models I would have to say that I most likely fall into the Part –to-Whole Model. This is most likely because this is the model I tend to see used more in the schools I have worked in, though I do often see teachers using a combination of all of these models. I think that an important idea was brought up in this reading which was that when teaching students there is not just one method that is going to work for every student, and that you teach the students, not the models.
I really found the section about English Learners was very helpful in understanding ways to effectively teach these students. The list of effective practices for English learners will definitely be something I will definitely refer to in the future.
Another section that I found to be very informative was the section about Multimodal Literacy. This section discussed several ideas to help students with literacy through technology. Kids enjoy using technology and it is a part of our every day lives. I was not sure what WebQuest was so I looked it up and went to the site. Here I was able to find different grade level lessons that have been created by other teachers. I also went to the Fun Brain website that was mentioned and on this site there are several different types of games and learning activities for math and reading. When looking at some of the lessons on WebQuest I was also able to find ABCya website which is another great site for educational computer games. The last website I found was LessonSense,(http://www.lessonsense.com/phonics/flashcards.html#729_kb). Here I found great phonics flashcards that you can download.
I have also seen toe part to whole reading in the school where I worked at. I think you have a good point that a combination of models for teaching reading can be effective. Sometimes as an educator one must see what works best for the students.
DeleteAfter reading chapter 1, I realized that many of the things it discussed made me very excited. It’s weird to get excited over learning strategies that affect the outcome of my students learning, but it did. Chapter 1 really discussed the importance of literacy. Learning literacy is the backbone or rather “roots” to a student’s future cognitive approach to reading, understanding directions, math, science and much more. Literacy affects everyone every single day in their lives. According to Chapter 1 it discussed many strategies that can help teach the comprehension of literacy. One thing would be using graphic organizers or the use of the, “Big Five”. The National Reading Panel (NRP) came up with five components for reading instruction.
ReplyDeleteAs for questions about this chapter, I do not have any at this time.
Using this information will greatly help me better understand my students, what and how I will approach my students during our tutoring lessons. I have been teaching Religious Education for 3 years now and I know it’s not “reading” but I have my students read and get involved. Understanding and learning the philosophy from the chapter on stages, approaches, and teaching techniques will only allow me to emphasize a broader approach in understanding and expectations of my students.
When I had an internship for Reading and language Arts I really gravitated to how the teacher used many different techniques, strategies, tools and resources to help involve and teach students to read, at all learning capabilities. One day this teacher got a new student who came from another state. She was a little Caucasian girl that was placed in foster care. The teacher really took extra time to listen, test, and assess her level so she could quickly get her where it would benefit her best.
Picking up strategies, and figuring out the philosophy of teaching is so exciting to me and something I never get tired of.
by Jennifer Willcott
Week 1- Chapter 1 Post
ReplyDeleteLiteracy is such an important element of education. I have always believed this and have seen it show through more and more within my different internships and all of the time I have spent in the classroom. Without proper literacy nothing else can get accomplished within the educational environment. I have also seen this very clearly through some of the struggles my own brother had gone through over the years. Luckily the school he attended had a very good reading specialist that would work with him one on one. Making sure to see the struggles students are facing as early on as possible is very important. The earlier these issues are seen, the earlier steps can be taken to fix the situation and help the student to get back on track with fellow students. The theories the textbook discussed helped me to look at the information and use of literacy in a new way.; and examine the philosophy and theories I will be using in my own classroom.
I did not have any questions over any of the reading material this week.
Chapter 1 was about forming a personal philosophy about literacy assessment and intervention. One section of the reading was about reading models. I had never really thought about what reading model that I would personally like best. Two of the reading models discussed was part to whole model and whole-part-whole model. I personally like the part to whole reading model. I have seen this model in the school where I used to work. This model focuses on students learning the letters, letter sounds and rules. When I worked with kindergarten I remember them using this model. The kindergartners would learn the letters and sounds. They would also start learning sight words and begin reading books with the words they were learning. Over the coarse of the year it would build up to them learning all the letters, sounds, and sight words.
ReplyDeleteI also really liked the Part-to Whole Model. I have seen this in class settings and it seems to very effective!
DeleteAnalysis of the reading/issue.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading Chapter 1 and getting familiar with the process of developing your own philosophy. I realized that I don't have a philosophy on how to teach reading but I hope to develop that over the new few weeks and learn more about what I can do to help students. I didn't realize how many different techniques there are to help students read, to practice reading and so on. I have often wondered if there is a specific method that would work for all students. The section in the text that covers which methos is most effective proves me wrong. I also learned this lesson in my internship. I realized that all students are different and they are learn and read differently. I like that the text gives so many different examples, I found that very helpful.
Questions and/or contradictions about the reading/issue. Since I only have experience in a Specialized reading program, I wondered how easy or difficult it is reach all your students, since in a normal class setting they will be at different reading levels.
How did the reading reflect you or allow you to look at an issue differently?I think the reading allowed me to look at the individual students process of learning instead of a whole class. Some students are going to learn at a slower pace or faster pace than others and it is important to have many different strategies available to help them.
Connecting the reading to you. Examples of your own experience.
In my RLA internship the teacher did a lot of buddy reading. Now they have a program called SFA, where students are grouped by their reading level not their grade level. So each morning the from 8-9:30 the students leave their classroom and go to another teachers room to have their reading lessons. It is a very interesting program, but I could see a lot of the strategies listed in the book that were used in my internship.
Tammi, I have the same questions as well. I think we are all going to have the same ones at first and then it will all fall into place. I would love to see SFA in person. I think it sounds like a great idea, but I am sure that it was a challenge to set up the schedule. I wonder how many times we will change our philosophies throughout our teaching years?
DeleteTammi, with just the little experience that I have had in the classroom it is important to group students together by reading levels. Then spend time in the small groups to target the need of each group. I have witnessed this working well and meeting the needs of the students!
DeleteAnalysis: Chapter one reading was about literacy assessment and intervention. The scenario at the beginning of the reading was extremely important because its main focus was on how education changes through the years and how mandates for local, state, and federal changes are a must for teachers to know. Reading in particular has changed through the years as well. Educators must research and become familiar with new terms, and theories that are being used in today’s classrooms. Some of the theories that were introduced in the reading were Constructive Theory, which is creating a link between new learning situations with situations that students may already be familiar with. This link is an important link with what children already know and linking that with what they are being taught at the present moment. Zone of Proximal Development is a term introduced by Vygotsky in order to describe the zone between what a student can figure out through their own independent problem solving and the level of problem solving with adult guidance. He views teachers as the key role in students’ learning because they provide the guided practice, maximize opportunities, and schedule time for independent practice in learning. Maslow introduced the Hierarchy of Human Needs. He believed that humans all have 5 basic needs.. Critical Literacy Theory has a main goal of helping students find their “voice” so they are able to deal with social issues later in life. Some of the terms that were introduced in chapter one was the phonics approach. This emphasizes on learning both the names and sounds of each letter. The term linguistic approach refers to identifying patterns in words, and sight word approach. The comprehensive approach integrates skill skills with both reading and writing processes. The chapter discussed the NCLB Act of 2001 that was signed by George W Bush. This act mandates that all students must show AYP (adequate yearly progress) in the five areas of reading that were introduced in the NRP. I felt like the chapter was very informative. I do not have any questions or contradictions at this time. It explained everything very well.
ReplyDeleteHow did the chapter reflect or allow you to look at an issue differently?
I am going to use the Critical Literacy Theory because it was discussed very well and in detail in the reading. I really never read about it and believe that it is a great theory to incorporate into a classroom. I feel this way because although students are in school to learn, every student should enjoy learning as well. There are so many different strategies and approaches that can be introduced in the classroom that can make learning fun for students. I am a very visual and hands on learner, so this approach really caught my interest as a future educator.
Connect the reading to you by providing your own experiences.
While reading about Critical Literacy Theory it made me think of all of the fun activities that I try and incorporate into my lessons. I remember being in elementary school and doing some really fun activities. It is always the educators that make learning fun that a student will look back and remember for the rest of their life. I know when I am asked to write about my biggest influences in education I always write about the fun teachers that really and truly cared about my learning and future.
I can only agree with all the other posts in that this was a great introductory chapter. Table 1.1 shows the reading level of daily reading materials. It is interesting that help wanted ads are written at 6th to 7th grade levels and information on medicine is at a 10th grade level. I found the information about the Part-to-Whole model and Whole-to-Part model to be a great refresher on the information. figure 1.3 lists classroom strategies used in a comprehensive reading approach. The Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile (TORP) was very interesting and helpful in showing me where I stand. RTI, MTSS in Kansas, is becoming seen more and more in schools and is necessary to help struggling students succeed.
ReplyDeleteI have not really thought about my philosophy about reading and how students learn reading. I do, however, realize that reading success is vital for success in all other areas of school and life, as indicated in Figure 1.1. It is interesting to note that the reading level on medicine is higher than on help wanted ads, with the help wanted ads being the lowest of those listed. In the past year, I realized that my son, who is a junior this year, is still having reading dificulty, which I attribute to a severe speech impediment when he was younger. He does comprehend what he is reading, but it takes him much longer to read and sound out words. When sounding out new words, I discovered that he often guesses or used the letter sound(s) that he knew for the letter combination(s). I wonder if MTSS would have helped him earlier in school.
I was working as a substitute teacher last week at our high school. During the advidory period, a teacher was telling the students that if their grades were at a certain level, students may be referred to MTSS for assistance. A student asked what MTSS stood for. The teacher said that it was for "Multi-tiered..." and looked at me. I added "system of supports" and knew what she was talking about. This is the first year that this is being done in our high school. I am not sure if it is being done at all levels or just in the high school. Had this practice been being used previously, my son may not be in the same place that he is with his reading now, in his junior year.
Chapter 1 was a great introduction to literacy and the importance it has on our society, individuals, and education. It made me think about my own educational philosophy. One thing that I had not thought of previously is that I will develop a philosophy for each subject I teach. I may have an general education philosophy but then each content area will have methods that work best for them. I feel that there is no right philosophy because no teacher or student is the same. This means that while I excel in being social and making connections, others may not. Education, in my opinion, is strengthened when relationships are formed in the classroom. I’m not talking about friendships necessarily, but a child learns a great deal more when respect and understanding are mutual. I need to learn more about the literacy philosophies so I may find which ones work best for me. I am excited and nervous to do this with students this semester.
ReplyDeleteI like that this chapter addressed RTI. MTSS is the program that Kansas is currently using. While several teachers I have worked with have talked highly of the program, I’m not sure that I fully understand how this particular program works. I look forward to learning more about this during this semester.
One thing that I really enjoyed about this book was the visual set up. It included graphic organizers, page 6, and other visual representations of the information. This is how I learn best so I appreciate that we have a book that will utilize many different learning styles just within the text. I look forward to learning more about methods that will help students learn the best way they possibly can also.
Hannah, I think that it's great that you thought about the fact that you should have a philosophy for each content area you teach rather than one broad philosophy for education. I think this will make you stand out as an educator and really show people that you care enough to make those philosopies.
ReplyDeleteAs I began to read the first chapter in the textbook, I realized that I don’t really have a philosophy related to literacy. This chapter is full of knowledge that I feel has opened my eyes to many things I did not know. For instance, under the title Hierarchy of Human Needs it states that Maslow believes that basic needs have to be met before anything else such as safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization. I mean it makes sense but I have not read that prior to this chapter. I believe all the theories must be used, I am not just taking the easy road I promise; I really feel they are all important. If I were to lean towards one more than the rest I would have to agree with Ms. Rea’s idea on literacy philosophy.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to different approaches and reading models I lean more towards the Part-to-Whole approach, however, I agree with the book on page 8, “…no one method suits everyone”. This is what we will be using in our Title One Reading Program and I feel it will work very well. I look forward to all that I am going to learn from this class. It could not have come at a better time since I will be working as a Title One Reading Para this year. I think it is neat that I am learning the correct terminology for the things that I am implementing such as onset and rime.
I am looking forward to learning about all the different assessments as well. I think assessments should be what drive our instruction as teachers. Students should be assessed and monitored throughout the school year making sure that adjustments are made to reach their highest potential. I have met many teachers that don’t know what to do once they have the results/scores in their hands, but I have a feeling with the new changes to MO education they are going to learn real fast! Our school will begin assessments from DIBELS, Road to Reading, SRI, and benchmarking test tomorrow for the next three weeks. I look forward to learning all about each of them and then seeing what the teachers do with all the great information given to them about each student.
Chapter 1 was such a great introduction to our course and into our book. It really made me open my eyes and think about a personal philosophy that I want to base my teaching upon. I fell in love with a quote that I'd heard one time and it's stuck with me through my experience as a special education paraprofessional. "If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn." - Ignacio Estrada
ReplyDeleteAs far as the rest of the chapter I appriciated the fact that it gave us a good introduction into the RTI process which includes five steps; establishing benchmarks, student receives intervention in areas needed, monitoring student progress weekly, more intense intervention, and student's RTI is assesed again after a long period of time. I also really enjoyed a learned a lot in the portion of the chapter that talked about all of the historical overviews of reading reform. A couple of those include The America Reads Challenge Act, and the No Child Left Behind Act.
This chapter talked very much of all the reading models that are offered to teachers to help encourage the successes of their students but I wondered how do you know which one is the best. Do you just individualize the information per students. This way each student would be using the most effective model for themselves, or do you find the one that works best for you as the teacher and work that way?
In one of my classes last semester we had some experience with the zone of prximal development which was also talked about in this chapter. It includes the distance between the child's actual development as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidence. We got to look at a specific child's numbers and chart the development which I thought was very helpful and interesting because it shows you the areas where the child is struggling some or having much success.
Ignacio Estrada hit the nail on the head with that quote. As teachers, we have to be able to adapt to all students at their level!!
DeleteDeVries Chapter 1- Forming a Personal Philosophy about Literacy Assessment and Intervention
ReplyDeleteThis chapter seemed to mostly review topics that we have previously learned: the importance of literacy, the different theories surrounding literacy, different methods for teaching literacy, how to work with English Language Learners (ELL's) and more. I have to say that the section on ELL's was the one that i found to be the most interesting. This might be because I have been thinking for the last few days about whether or not I want to add the ESL minor but might be because I was shocked by how little space (LESS than a page!) was devoted to this population in this chapter. This got me thinking a bit more about what my literacy theory is and how my background influenced this. As a child I spent a lot of time in the resource room because of my dyslexia. I grew up in California in a town with a large Latino population and as a result I was often surrounded by very hard working and studentd who were striving to better their English. ESL classes were often in the resource room with students like myself and while I was learning I was beginning to form my personal philosophy about literacy assessment and intervention. What I learned was this: all of us learned better in a positive environment around teachers who treated us fairly and firmly with stated rules and expectations. I know that my personal philosophy will meld some of what I learned as a student with what I know as an adult and what I am being taught as a prospective future teacher.
I know that I am lucky to have as many resources at my fingertips as I do now. I am looking forward to working with my students with semester in the hopes that I might be able to better their educational outcomes.
Jessica, I think from your personal experience you have a great idea of what a student with reading disabilities goes through. On top of that you have seen some possible problems that ESL students encounter as well. With that background you would make a great advocate to making sure that those students get a better chance in the classroom.
DeleteRicky
Literacy
ReplyDeleteChapter 1
I found this chapter to be a pretty good synopsis of things that have been some of the foundations of out education so far. The author included theories from Vygotsky, Piaget, and Maslow. All theorist that we have covered numerous times due to their importance in not just education but living life. The chapter also covered briefly historical events that have shaped the face of education. For example No Child Left Behind. The chapter also discussed the types of different approaches that can be used in the classroom from linguistic to comprehensive. All of these things are keys to creating knowledgeable informed teachers. One of the things that I found grounding from the chapter was the reminder about having your own approach as a teacher. It is important to see in words sometimes that no one method is the right method. To be an effective teacher means having different approaches and methods to accommodate for all students.
One of the reasons that I found this chapter interesting was that every semester I find my self at times intimidated by the work load. There is always the possibility that there will be a wealth of information that will be a lot to take in. This chapter is a great reminder that in the end it is always worth it. Not only for the future students but to be a more well rounded teacher. Having more information and methods at my fingertips only makes me a better teacher.
In reading the first chapter of this text, I was reminded of the teacher I want to be! As I haven't developed my teaching philosophy yet, it is a work in progress. I know that the little that I have worked with MTSS and our RTI team I am a small group teacher. In reading about the different reading approaches to take with the different level of readers, I think about how each student will need require my time in different ways. I am so excited to work with early readers. I am excited to learn more about the different tests and why some are better than others!
ReplyDeleteMichelle-
DeleteI was also thinking about the teacher I want to be some day! As far as test taking goes, I think some teachers are better at making tests than others. There are times I feel like teachers are trying to trick you on the test. For elementary students, I think it is only fair to make the test as easy to follow/comprehend as possible. I know that a lot of time goes into making tests. It seems easy when you think about it, but sometimes it can be difficult!
I thought that this chapter was full of valuable information. It covered a lot or information for one chapter. With that being said, it made a lot of good points and got me thinking quite a bit. I was unaware of a lot of the historical reading reforms. While I know a lot about NCLB, I was unaware of others such as The America Reads Challenge Act and the Elementary and Secondary Education act. I got to thinking about why we might have such acts, and it made me realize how much our government pushes to have students reach their potential. I was aware of a lot of the reading that took place in this chapter. A lot of the chapter was based on items we have covered in other courses. For example, we talked about Response to Intervention in Educational Psychology. Also, we have talked about the No Child Left Behind Act in about every methods class I have taken.
ReplyDeleteI do not have a lot of questions about the reading because like I mentioned earlier, I have been in touch with a lot of the subjects that were discussed in this chapter. However, I would like to know what some of the people think about the No Child Left Behind Act. This act has caused a lot of discussion in courses and amongst teachers. Does anyone think that this goal can be attained?
One thing I look at differently is philosophy in general. I was unaware that elementary and middle school teachers need to have a specific literacy philosophy. It makes me think about the philosophy I wrote in my Introduction to Coaching course I took a few semesters ago. In that course, we wrote just one philosophy, and that was our philosophy of coaching. I always thought teachers were similar. They had just one philosophy about teaching. Now, I understand that teachers may have several philosophies, depending on the subject/amount of subject they teach.
Like I mentioned above, I have experience making a philosophy. We were required to write a philosophy in my Introduction to Coaching class. At first, I struggled to come up with my philosophy. Then, after thinking for a while, I was able to come up with my personal philosophy. I think I struggled to come up with one because I saw too many examples. I wanted mine to be similar to others at first, but it wasn’t. However, it did contain some of the same components.