I have been pondering the selections below about classroom environment and rigor--and, surprise, I have quite a bit to say!
I am thrilled to read Ellin's focus on respect and interactions as the foundation of classroom environment. I concur that community is developed not by how the room LOOKS, but by how it FEELS--at least I hope that is what she's saying. When MOT, that brilliant book which changed my life and my teaching forever, was published, so many of us were unsure where to start and many dove into remodeling the appearance of their classrooms; curtains, lamps, and lowered tables bloomed everywhere. But, IMHO, it's not about appearance, it's about the day-to-day interaction in the classroom. I am not a curtains and lowered lights kind of person; I like bright and colorful and I never changed my "decor." Now, with the publication of TU, I feel vindicated. For me, the key words are "authentic interactions." I want my classroom to be a place where a child is free to think anything knowing that thought will be considered graciously by her peers and her teacher. I want my classroom to be a place where, as Britton said so many years ago, we are "floating on a sea of talk." I focus heavily on talk. I believe talk leads to deeper thinking and true learning--the kind of learning that includes changing one's mind based on the thoughts of others. Room 12 MUST be a place where thought and learning are treated with the greatest respect. And about rigor...YES! I am in the midst of parent conferences right now and I am amazed by the number of parents who have said that I scared them at Back to School Night and that they were certain their children would never be able to "keep up." They tell me this as they thank me for helping their kids become thinkers, for making their kids excited about coming to school daily, for sending kids home who are eager to discuss their day. Their kids are becoming joyful learners. I owe it all to Ellin Keene. I was evaluated by my wise principal last year. She wrote (something like), 'most teachers base their classroom management on procedures; Judy's class is a kind and cooperative place because of their daily experiences with LITERACY.' I try to "provoke intellectual development" every minute of every day. Thank you, Ellin Keene. Judy P.S. I'm really going to have to buy a 2nd copy of TU; if I want it at home, it's at school--and vice versa. ----- Original Message ----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: understand@literacyworkshop.org Sent: Saturday, November 22, 2008 6:14:59 AM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific Subject: [Understand] Classroom environment and rigor Ellin writes (pg 87): "It is evident that children are treated with the deepest respect and expected to say and do brilliant things every day. They are trusted to solve their own problems whenever possible and the reward is a greater sense of freedom, more authentic interactions with each other, less need for the teachers to set up ways to control behavior." And "Classroom community means having a classroom that, visibly and invisibly, provokes intellectual development in an intimate setting." I would love to hear everyone's reaction to these statements. I think that the word "provokes" is an interesting word choice in the last sentence above. Notice it isn't "promotes intellectual development", Ellin uses provokes. That seems a much more active word...we as teachers must set up an environment to provoke this development. What are you thinking? Jennifer **************Check out smokin’ hot deals on laptops, desktops and more from Dell. Shop Deals (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1213345834x1200842686/aol?redir=http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;209513277;31396581;l) _______________________________________________ Understand mailing list Understand@literacyworkshop.org http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org _______________________________________________ Understand mailing list Understand@literacyworkshop.org http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org
