And how many times have each of us gone 95% of the way, then bailed on them, when that last 5% would have broken the threshold of understanding?
> Date: Wed, 9 Apr 2008 19:44:39 -0700> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: > [email protected]> Subject: Re: [Understand] Jennifer's lesson> > > Jennifer -> I love that you're asking us to not just say "yep, they finally > got it!" but, instead, to pause and ask "Why?". I'm short on time right now > (which is ironic after just reading the posts about the importance of taking > time and reflecting!) and I can't truly stop, think, and listen like I want > to... but I just couldn't resist posting my immediate thoughts. > I think > that the reason it "bubbled up" for them is, partly, due to your very > intentional use of language when you presented the original lesson. More > importantly, I think it is a direct result of your recent understanding about > the nature of understanding! I mean, perhaps before if they said such things > as "The classroom got really noisy" or "We really wanted to know more", you > wouldn't have had the understanding, the language even, to describe to them > that those are things that happen in our minds, in our lives, when we > understand. Actually, you maybe wouldn't have thought to even pose the > question/make the chart as a follow-up lesson. You may have just asked "How > did your questions help you as a reader?" - incidentally, a question I've > been asking for years. :) > So, I'm thinking that because you are starting to > understand what happens in your life, in our lives, when understanding takes > place, you can now make your students aware of those very same things. To me, > your language choice and your awareness as a reader, as someone who does > understand, made all the difference. > > I have always followed up my > strategy instruction with "how did that connection help you as a reader" type > questions, too. But I have never said things like "I love how when you asked > that question, you wanted to just sit and dwell with the text for a moment" > or "after reading this book last night about Writer's Workshop, it's like > I've developed a fervent desire to learn more, to try it....I can't stop > thinking about it". I think it's when we start using that language and > actually showing our students what it looks like, what it feels like to > understand - that is when we'll go "yep, they finally got it!". I think what > you just witnessed in your classroom is what Ellin was attempting to discover > and to explain when she wrote the book. > I'm wondering how many of my > students "got it" all along - did they have it the whole time, but I didn't > have the language, the understanding, to make them see that they got it? Did > I not even really know what it would look like when they got it? I almost > feel like I was asking those questions and sometimes not even knowing what I > would hope they would say!> > And I don't think it was necessarily "easy" - > you did a lot of thinking, planning, more thinking, more planning, and you > acted very deliberately- and that's not easy at all. :)> > Dana Williams > > > Original message:> So...why was this so easy today? I have worked and worked > over the years > with classes who couldn't seem to answer metacognitive type > questions like "How > does this help you as a reader?" and my kiddos always > struggled. I thought > this would be so hard and it all bubbled up. Was it > the fact that they had time > in between to reflect? Was it the changes we > made in the lesson plan to > include more about the nature of understanding? > Was it just one of those "God > Bless America" happy accidents? well... I > hope not. I still have much to > consider.> Jennifer> > _______________________________________________> Understand mailing list> > [email protected]> > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org _________________________________________________________________ Get in touch in an instant. Get Windows Live Messenger now. http://www.windowslive.com/messenger/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_getintouch_042008 _______________________________________________ Understand mailing list [email protected] http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org
