So, what are you wondering about this week? What have you tried with your book groups and how has it gone? My hope is that this will be a place for us to have conversations, exchange teaching ideas and just figure it all out with many minds instead of one!!
One of the things I have noticed in many districts is the implementation of basal series combined with efforts to encourage comprehension strategy instruction. How do these two work together? Can they work together? How are they different? What is your thinking about this?
Mosaic of Thought
A Place to Think Together
10 comments:
Thanks Tomasen for setting this up. Since this is my first time blogging I'm wondering if I did this correctly :)
I'm excited about blogging. The first time is always so special.
I feel like a teenager...blogging. Are we now officially techies??? Tomasen, thanks for projecting us out of the snail mail century.
Soule Sisters are on!!!
I'm glad we'll be keeping in touch - thanks, Tomasen!
One of the things I'm wondering about right now is the length of a strategy unit of study. The new Strategies That Work (STW) recommends teaching the strats one at a time, but moving along quickly so that kids a)build a repertoire of strategies they can use flexibly, and b)don't use the strats rigidly, but as tools for understanding. That makes sense to me, but all I've read/seen maps a year-long plan for teaching the strats. If a 4-6 week strategy unit of study is too much, what's "just right?" Is it different for different grades? Or do we just follow the kids' lead?
I forgot to answer Tomasen's question... I think one of the critical issues facing teachers is how to use McGraw-Hill and teach the strategies as presented in MOT, STW, RWM, etc. Lancaster teachers have been talking about this since last year. Ideas: split the week between M-H and literature/reading workshop, alternate M-H and reading workshop throughout the year, use M-H anthology as literature (skip the teacher's manual). What are other teachers doing?
Dinnette, I think that my initial response to your question would be to follow the lead of your students. To structure an 8 week long strategy study might be too much for some that are ready for more than one strategy at a time.
I struggle with this because I am of the new belief that with the older kids, they are more than ready to think about and employ more than one strategy at a time. As for the younger ones, I think a more focussed strategy study is a great idea, but not to the point where it is overdone.
For those who need more work on a particular strategy, I like the idea of breaking out into invitation groups so that those who need more intense instruction get it and those who are ready to fly are given the wings and permission to do so.
This kind of instruction works well in a workshop setting because the students are, ideally involved with multiple texts at the same time. They have their independent reading text and some instructional texts that challenge them more in their thinking.
My question with using a series is always, how can we be meeting the needs of all of our students if they are all reading the same thing? We know education is not that neat. The messiness of all of the differing needs is what makes teaching such a wonderfully challenging and rewarding profession!
I was just reflecting on the first MOT Study Group at Barron, reviewing some of the comments, questions, and requests from teachers. A request that came from more than one teacher was that they would like assistance on ways to integrate MOT with McGraw Hill. Perhaps, initially, one way to help phase in MOT in a manageable way for teachers, particularly those who are feeling hesitant/uncomfortable/... with MOT, might be to expand upon, elaborate upon the comprehension strategies that McGraw Hill does mention such as schema. Elaboration could include providing explicit instruction of the strategy as well as using some of the great MOT tools that are available.
Being an impatient person, I am sometimes frustrated with the pace of change. After two after school MOT workshops, I was wondering if teachers were just going through the motions trying an activity here or there but never really integrating the MOT philosophy with their kids in deep and meaningful ways.
Patience paid off when a teacher excitedly told me of her successes with questioning strategies with her 2nd graders. She relayed how she and her husband poured over each students' reponses amazed at the depth and quality of their questions. For me this was a triumph of sorts since this particular teacher is a strong devotee to MacGraw-Hill. I think she's caught the MOT bug. Good thing it is contagious:)
Karen,
Yes, patience is key. Remember that these changes are "life changing" and that for real change to occur this must be fully digested. What I mean is that this is really a way of thinking about thinking and learning. It is not as simple as learning a program because it requires deep thinking and reflection. Change starts to go more quickly when there is evidence from their students that they are thinking more deeply. People are often amazed at their students and I agree that this is the piece that is most infectious!
I am at the point in this work that I am never amazed at our student's thinking. They have been asking great questions and trying to make sense of the world since they were born! We are finally just giving them this opportunity within the walls of our schools.
So glad to hear of this success. Be sure to have her share her experience with the group to celebrate! This celebration will inspire more celebrations!
Celebrate good times, come on!
(a Kool and the Gang reference for those who enjoyed the disco days)
I appreciate your comments Tomasen and I will encourage the teacher in my school to share her successes. Hopefully that will set in motion the "change train" at Soule School.
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