HI, I totally agree with what you said, Jennifer. What I think turns kids off to strategy instruction is when teachers insist they must find examples of the strategy that is being taught. For example, I am teaching connections. I tell students that in their independent reading, they must find 2 examples of connections and explain it in their "journal". In the first place, students might be reading something challenging or a text that doesn't lend itself to connections. There might be something else that strikes the reader that the reader would like to discuss. If we need to require some written expression, then we need to give students some choice in what strategy or issue they would like to talk about in the text in their writing. Second, I think we sometimes require too much written work. I was guilty of this myself. I did need written responses for me to evaluate. But, how many? If I were in the classroom now, I'd try to provide more time for conversation, and then ask students to respond to their reading maybe once per week. But, whenever I'd suggest this to teachers, there was a lament, "How do we keep students accountable?" This was an issue I really struggled with. What I finally came to realize is that students didn't usually lie when I would ask them how much they had read. (One of my requirements was for students to read each night--how much depended on the student and the text that was being read.) The quality of their responses was more important to me, and the conferences I had with students. When students were not reading, it showed up in their conversations with me and in the depth of their written work. So, while I did need some written work to evaluate/assess, I required less and less as I grew more comfortable with reading workshop.
Carol ----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 5:52:07 AM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] philosophical wonderings In my experience, strategy instruction works. For all kids, not just strugglers. I do not believe it is only for struggling readers. I would like to see the list discuss what aspects of strategy instruction, as it is currently being implemented, turns kids off from the love of reading so that we can all learn what to avoid. Jennifer In a message dated 11/8/2009 4:17:42 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes: I love teaching, but lately I have been questioning the way I teach, particularly reading. I am an avid reader. Reading is an integral part of my adult life. I was never taught any reading strategies. I have children in my classroom who love to read and read way above grade level. I feel that they, like me, have already internalized the strategies and yes they can be strengthened but probably that will happen naturally as well. The more they read, the stronger they will become. It seems that we are prescribing medication whether the child is ill or not. It's like using manipulatives in math. Our new math program requires the use of manipulatives all the time. It used to be that you used maniuplatives when you differentiated for the child who was having difficulty with a concept. It seems like we are heading back to a one-size-fits-all mentality which scares me. I sometimes think the reading strategies were meant for educators so that we could become better teachers of reading, particularly for our struggling readers, and I think we have taken it too far and use it in all cases. When I look at the current guided reading models it is so prescribed: everyone is in a quick guided group with the teacher drilling a skill or they are reading independently. I am having a difficult time seeing the joy in that model. Where do the rich conversations that connect children to each other and to literature take place in this current model? Was the model intended for accomplished readers? Leslie R. Stewart _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
