This week's reading was a quick and easy read for me. I am not sure whether I have read ahead at some point or if I have just heard some of the reading tips D&Z mention in Chapter 11 before.
Oh well, Chapter 11 still had valuable tips on helping students with understanding what they read. While I was never a struggling reader growing up, I can totally relate to the idea of reading a passage and after finishing having no clue what I had just read.
So when I see students, through my observations, struggling with a reading assignment I can relate. I have observed students reading something and look up quizzically and ask, "What's a [blank]?" or "What that mean?". So when D&Z mentioned that some students are just not familiar with the content in a reading that really made a connection for me.
Another thing that really stuck out to me in this week's reading was the idea of supportive relationships. Struggling readers are frustrated and their confidence is low, which may led them to just give up. If they have a teacher who they trust they will be more likely to keep at it because they know that you have their best interest in mind and they trust you.
While I was reading Chapter 11, I kept making connect to my observations at North Providence High School. I have observed my cooperating teacher using similar tips that this chapter talked about in his own classroom. I really am happy to have such an awesome cooperating teacher and have already learned a great deal from him.
I had the same thought during my observation! We are exceptionally lucky that our teacher prescribes to most of what D&Z discuss. I think the best method that our co-op teacher implements is making assignments specific to his student's experiences. I'm not sure what you think, but I believe that our co-op teacher has an excellent balance of spontaneity in his teaching. While there is a method to his madness, he gets students thinking in a way that allows them to be expressive -- I love this because sometimes the students don't realize that they are learning. Can't wait for our lesson plans!
ReplyDeleteHi Leah,
ReplyDeleteIn my most recent observation, I saw students struggling with reading too. The teacher gave them a worksheet to fill out about the water cycle that required them to get their books from a different part of the classroom. Some students were so hesitant that they never got up to get their books. Others would get the book, open it to the right page, and then stare at it blankly for a while, never turning the page or writing something down. I think this was partially due to having just finished presenting poster boards, and the teacher hadn’t gotten them ready to do the book work, which is much less enjoyable than presentations. So readying your students is also a good idea for when you are about to do a reading assignment.