Good Job?

I was really puzzled and curious a few weeks ago in class when Dr. Koppenhaver mentioned the possibility that we say Good Job! and give other verbal praises way too often. I began to question how that could be such an awful thing. I thought kids needed to be praised. I thought that they, or anyone else for that matter, needed to know when someone else liked something they did and wanted to tell them that they liked or enjoyed it. To find out more, I took Dr. Koppenhaver's suggestion and read the article, "Five Reasons to Stop Saying "Good Job!". Now that I have read the article and understand the point of view, I will have to say that I really agree with the points that are being made. However, I must admit that I was still a bit skeptical even after reading about 3/4 of the article. It wasnt until I read the last quarter of the article that everything started coming together and making sense.
The first part of the article that really struck me was the part which suggests that telling kids they've done a good job has more to do with our convenience and less with their emotional needs. As I read that, I began thinking back to all the times I have done some kind of teaching. I came to the conclusion that every time I taught, I had told someone they were doing a good job when they did something correctly. Then I tried to think back to the thought processes I went through as I taught. It suddenly dawned on me that Kohn hit the nail on the head with this one. I realized that my "good job" responses were simply an expression of my relief at not having to deal with correctly correcting an incorrect response. I imagine most other people find themselves in the same situation as me. No one ever seems to think it important to plan for those things. We'd rather just fall back on "No, not quite." and "Good job!". Life is much simpler that way.
Another thing that really hit home with me in Kohn's article is when he says that praise makes kids less secure instead of more secure. Just as before, I had to reflect back on my own experiences to connect with this point. And yes, my parents are guilty of being "good job- sayers". And yes, now that I have read this article, I do think I am less secure because of it. Even today, I find myself consistently thriving on someone telling I have done a good job with something. If I dont get a good job or some sign of approval, it disappoints me and I begin feeling like my work wasnt good enough.
How much breath could I save if I would just stop giving out "good jobs" when they aren't necessary? This is one thing I hope to work on during practicum. "Good job" really doesnt even mean anything anymore. It is just a response that comes out of the mouth without thought. What if I actually gave my approval(or disapproval) of a students' work by conversing with them about it- by making them feel that they and their work are valued, rather simply giving them the two word response that everyone gets no matter what the teacher really thinks? It is really going to take some hard work to change the responses I give students. How much do I really want for my students to be self-motivated though? My "good jobs" certainly aren't going to help them be proud and motivated. I want my students to know that their hard work and efforts are appreciated by the time and effort I put into talking with them about it. I want my classroom to be a place where motivation comes from being pleased with yourself, instead of coming from two simple words that are now meaningless. I need to start thinking through exactly how I will repsond to the things I like and dislike in my classroom. Otherwise, I am afraid I will just rely on the old fallbacks and once again become a "No, not quite." and a "Good job!" sayer. I really, REALLY dont want that in my classroom. After reading this article, who would? Who wouldn't want to have a healthier classroom environment such as this one, where "good jobs" are no longer spoken unless they are really meant?

On Your Mark... Get Set... Practicum!

So Ive got to be honest. I am not one to admit when I am scared about something, but I am scared out of my mind about starting our Practicum. I'm not really sure why. I've subbed many times both in elementary and high school settings. The first day I subbed, I was called that morning and asked to get to the school as fast as possible. I was just thrown into a Kindergarten class. I hadn't even been in there fifteen minutes when the class trouble maker is doing what he does best- making trouble. Little blonde pig-tailed Mariah bounces over to where I am standing and says, "Miss Jarrell, Tyreek just called my mama a b****." Wow. You'd think if I could handle that, I wouldn't be scared of anything anymore. Wrong. I am scared. I am excited. I feel completely unprepared, and I feel more prepared than ever.
Let's face it. School is just a big game the kids these days play... because they have to. How do you win? Well, if you're a slacker, you do what you have to do just to slide by with a passing grade. If you're an overachiever (that's me), you do what you have to do to make the A. What happened to going to school because it is a privilege and paying attention and trying to learn because you want to be the best you can be? I know. It was killed. Murdered. Slaughtered. Although I am one of the very very few students who never went to school simply because I had to, I was surrounded by the sentiment. And yes, it eventually begins to rub off on you just a little. Well, starting Monday, playing the game of school is no longer a choice. The game is over. This is the rest of my life. Yes, I still have classes to take and assignments to do. But thats not what it's all about anymore. That's scary.
I am really excited though. I feel like I have some really good lessons to teach, and I am interested to see how they go and what my cooperating teacher thinks of them. Will they go well? Will they flop? For once, it will be nice to experience classroom life outside of the Wake County Public School System. I want to get to know my kids, my classroom, my teacher. I feel like I have learned so much this semester. I was just talking with my mom on the phone a few minutes ago. I told her how excited I was because I was in a class that was learning some different teaching strategies than the other blocks. I dont want to be the same. I strive to be different. I strive to stick out from the crowd. I have learned how to be different and stick out in the school setting. Now on to the professional world. For me, this practicum is the beginning of that. How?
Well, I want to be the kind of teacher learns who to create a classroom environment where kids can be the learners they were made to be, and not just game pieces on a playing board. I want to be the teacher who can convince her students that learning is cool and fun, and that reading a book outside or inside or in a tent or in a hammock or under a tree is more fun than a sleepover with friends! I want to change this apathetic feeling and environment we have created in our classrooms. Literacy doesnt deserve this kind of treatment. I know I am fighting an uphill battle here- especially as a beginning teacher. But I know it will all be worth it in the end. If there is even just one child who leaves my classroom caring more about learning than when they walked in, I will have been successful. And no matter how scary it may be, practicum is my place to start figuring out how to make that happen. Let's go!

Three Ring Circuses and Book Clubs

Sometimes it is really difficult for me to imagine how I am going to keep things fresh, new, and interesting for the students in my classroom. I am scared that I will run out of ideas or that I will find one thing that I enjoy and continue to use it week after week after week, whether the students are still enjoying it or not. However, when I read the "Guided Reading" section of The Teacher's Guide to the Four Blocks those fears were eased greatly. Although I really liked all of the suggestions the book made, the two that stuck out most to me were the Three Ring Circus and Book Clubs.
I really liked the Three Ring Circus for its great flexibility, both with the students and the teacher. It also allows the same idea to be used over and over and over again for a length of time without becoming monotonous and boring to the kids. For the teacher, the Three Ring Circus allows the flexibility to work with different groups of students who may need extra support and assistance with different skills each day this format is used. Although I would never use the same format for more than three or four weeks in a row, if that, this format of Guided Reading does allow for that amount of extended use if the need is there. When I picture this going on in my classroom, I see a picture of my ideal classroom environment- some students working alone, some working together, and some working under assistance, but all toward one common goal. I have been thinking and thinking about modifications to this activity were I to use it in my classroom, but I cannot come up with anything I would change to save my life. I think this format has been so carefully planned and developed over time that there are very few things that could make it a better experience for one. However, the one thing I will be sure of when employing the Three Ring Circus in my classroom, is that the assignment of each individual is very carefully considered according to their needs before being made, and not rushed through or planned at the last minute.
The other format I really like is Book Clubs. Just as with the Three Ring Circus, I feel that this format for Guided Reading does a remarkable job at allowing everyone in the classroom a great deal of flexibility, and would allow for an extended (3-4 weeks) period of use. Another great thing about Book Clubs is that it really gives kids the chance to dig into their own personal interests. Sometimes students are assigned according to their interests, and sometimes according their reading level. It just depends on what everyone choices were. It also makes some really great opportunities for "themed weeks" throughout the year. Aside from those benefits, this format is also a great teaching opportunity for helping kids to begin to understand that they will not always get their way in life. And when they dont, it's not the end of the world. Once again, when I picture this going on in my classroom, I see another picture of my ideal classroom environment-students working together in small groups, but all toward a common goal. Essentially, I aim for organized chaos and lots and lots of learning and fun, but I also aim to never lose sight of making sure the needs of each individual child are met. And, once again... after much thought, I really can't think of anything I would change about Book Clubs as I understand them. The most important thing, I think, is to make sure that everyone gets their first choice fairly often. Kids know who put what as their first choice, and they will know if one child is getting their first choice all the time while another child never gets their first choice.
The thing I am most sure of is that I am very excited about getting to try these Guided Reading formats in my very own classroom someday.

Word Wall

It seems that in today's schools, there has been this shift towards rote memorization of so many things. Multiplication facts, sight words, and so much more. While the ultimate goal may be to know these things so well that the learner can recall them without assistance, this process of committing information to memory is much, much different than the straight rote memorization of facts. I know from personal experience, as do many others, that this method of memorization is ineffective and is only useful for a short period of time. For example, in Marching Band, we are required to memorize our music. Most of the time that means cramming it in 20 minutes before a performance. Do I remember that music 3 weeks later when I need to play it again? Nope! However, I was in the Steely Pan Steel Band for three semesters. We always had our music right in front of us, but there were a few pieces we played so often that I eventually just began to realize that I knew them from memory and didnt need to rely on the sheet music right in front of me anymore. I learned it, and memorized it because I played it over and over again. And I could still go back and recall and play those pieces again today if I needed to.
This is why I feel a Word Wall is important. It is there as a tool for children to use and refer to as they attempt to commit basic information to memory. Some people are opponenets of the Word Wall and view it as a crutch for lazy children who dont want to learn or memorize. But it is unreasonable for us to expect our students to commit something to memory without seeing and using it many many times. I will certainly not expect that of my students.
Simply putting the Word Wall up with no explanation of the words that are displayed on it does absolutely no good. I really liked the "five words per week" rule we talked about in class. I also think it is really important to remember not to introduce any more new words to students once there is only six weeks of school left. My favorite activity to use with Word Wall words that we talked about in class was the "Read My Mind" activity where students were given clues and had to guess the word the teacher was talking about. Not only is it a fun activity for kids, but it also gives them a little practice and experience using context clues to figure out if their word is right or wrong, and if they should choose another word or not. I think that would be a great activity for me to use in my classroom. I was really amazed at how many activites came up on Google when Dr. Koppenhaver searched "word wall activities". It is good to know that there are so many resources right at our fingertips. We should definitely be taking advantage of them! One of the webistes I visited had suggestions for activities children could do at home with their sight words. I think that sending home a list of suggested activities such as that is a brilliant idea! It is a great way to keep kids practicing constantly, as well as a great way to get parents involved in their child's education and what is happening at school. The one thing I would be careful of is to not make it a homework assignment. If the child is wanting to practice at home and is excited about showing their parents what they have learned, that is one thing. But I think daily homework with sight words would be overkill, especially keeping in mind the small amount of instructional time that is really needed to teach and practice these words and concepts in class, as well as the overall ineffectiveness of homework.
Just like I want to encourage my students to use their resources(word wall, etc) to help them figure out things they dont know, I also want to continue to use my newly found internet resources to keep fresh ideas and activities in the back of my mind at all times!

Emergent Literacy

In our threaded discussion, I said that emergent literacy could be defined as "the phonological and phonemic awareness, and the reading and writing skills children develop naturally as they are exposed to, and have a chance to practice these things." Thus far, I would still say that this definition accurately reflects my beliefs about what emergent literacy is. Although this has the potential to change slightly as I learn more and get some experience under my belt, I think this is something that will largely remain the same over time for me.
When I first heard the idea of emergent literacy, it was very difficult for me to grasp. As we talked about it and spent some time discussing it, I began to realize what a simple concept it really was. I also realized that one of the reasons why I had such a hard time with it at first, was because this concept is so drastically different from the way I was taught in school, and the way many schools today are still structured. There is one set curriculum and each and every child is expected to meet or exceed that given set of standards without consideration of individual needs. Because I had never known anything else, I never thought there were any other possibilities. Now I know differently. After learning about it, emergent literacy makes all the sense in the world to me, and makes anything else seem foolish at best. What makes sense about pushing a child to do something before they are developmentally ready for it? I feel like that is only setting children up to fail. It's like asking a baby to stand up and walk before they have even learned to sit up on their own. It just doesn't make sense.
I would like to be able to implement emergent literacy into my future classroom. There are some things I am still struggling with and wondering about though. Although I would love to implement this type of learning model, I have my doubts about how that would go over in a school system that expects their students to meet a certain set of standards every year. If I teach at the Kindergarten or First Grade level, and my students are developmentally on schedule but not meeting standards, administrators are not going to be very happy with that, and my job is likely to be put at risk, depsite the fact that I know the students will be just fine if they continue on the path they are on. I feel like the way schools are set up being and run in today's society, that the idea of emergent literacy would fail miserably simply because all students were not necessarily meeting the set standards at the end of the year.
However, the one thing I am sure of is that anything besides emergent literacy is a big mistake. I am willing to risk it and give it a try. I think the biggest thing I can do to incoroporate the idea of emergent literacy into my classroom is make sure that I am offering several ways for students to complete assignments. I am really going to have put some effort in making sure that each student is doing developmentally appropriate and challenging work. This is going to mean making sure that I am spending lots and lots of time with each individual student, when it may have just been simpler to force them all to sit quietly and do their work while I sit at my desk and do mine. I NEVER want my classroom to look like that, but a place where each student knows that their time, their work, and their individual efforts and characteristics are valued and appreciated. Emergent literacy means allowing students to be who they are and to excel at what they are capable of, rather than pushing them to meet standards that force them to be someone they are not and to fail in the process. I hope that I will be successful in making the concept of emergent literacy an integral part of my classroom!

The Mystery Reader

Ever since this class began, I have found myself getting more and more excited about reading and reading instruction. I am constantly listening for great ideas that others may have, researching new ideas, and trying to think of my own creative ideas. I am beginning to come to the conclusion that any activity that results in one more child learning to enjoy reading is a success. Also, the more “tricks” I have up my sleeve, the better the chance that I will be able to connect with the needs of every child and the better the chance that I will be able to get every child interested in reading. Not only that, but the more I am able to vary the activities and instructional strategies I choose to use, the smaller the chance that students will become bored and uninterested, and the better chance that they will be on the edges of their seats waiting for their next opportunity to stick their nose in a book. I do believe that too much variation can do more harm than good, but a good balance is crucial!
Recently, I was talking with my mom over the phone about school. I love to tell her about what I am learning in my classes, and compare things I have learned with how her teachers do things in their classrooms. During this particular conversation, I began quizzing her about the different things they do to get the kids reading. She then told me about “The Mystery Reader”. Each week, a different student gets to be the mystery reader. On Friday, the teacher selects the mystery reader and sends home a book with them to practice reading. The student has all week to practice reading their book. On the next Friday, the mystery reader is revealed to the rest of the class, and they read their book. I was a bit skeptical about this idea at first. It definitely has some positives and negatives, but after having some time to think about it for the past few weeks, I think I have decided that I really like it and would like to incorporate it into my classroom somehow. At the very least, I now have a new addition to my bag of tricks for reading. The best part about it how excited it helps the kids get over reading. My mom tells me that every week, the class gets very excited about finding out whom the mystery reader is and what they are going to read, and that the mystery reader has so much fun keeping their role a secret from everyone else. Another positive thing is that it gives students confidence about their ability to read, as well as giving them reason to practice over and over again. The only thing is that the teacher must be aware of home situations and parental support, because this could be a bad experience for children who don’t have parents to listen to them and help them practice. The one thing I would consider changing about this activity for my own classroom is to somehow allow the child some kind of choice in choosing their book, or I would at least wait until I knew each of them well enough to pick a book they would enjoy and take an interest in. It is so exciting to me to think of the buzz of little voices in a classroom trying to figure out who the mystery reader is! Maybe this treat could be the new thing that makes Friday’s fun instead of those silly old treasure boxes!