It has been quiet..... here in Chicago we've finally gotten some Spring weather.... which has made my indoor computer a very unlikely spot to find me! I personally think the pace is perfect - I'm ready to start discussing Chapter 3 - so much to discuss!
I was thinking about Jennifer's original post for Chapter 3 and our own intellectual pursuits as adults, which led me to also thinking about thinking aloud vs. modeling for our students. I believe these ideas go hand-in-hand. As a teacher, well, no, I guess as a person, I know I have felt that fervent desire to learn more. I can think of many, many situations where I have felt a strong desire simply to know, to understand. Of late, I've been devouring Nancie Atwell's books on Writer's Workshop. I read, I stop and take notes, I try her ideas in my classroom, I reflect on my students' learning, and I come home and read, re-read. I plan for next year. I plan for tomorrow. And I read, read, read. I'll confess that I'm reading at stoplights and even glancing down at the book while driving!! (Don't tell the local police.) I'm reading Eckhart Tolle's latest book and thinking about it all day. I'm discussing it with colleagues, thinking about it as I drive. (I just realized I'm not a very attentive driver.) I feel like I NEED to understand. Oh, how I wish my students could know what that felt like! Do they know? Have they felt it? Can I help them become fervent learners? If so, how? After reading Chapter 3 and considering Jennifer's questions, I thought that maybe the first step in transferring this "intellectual pursuit" to my students' lives is to model. I could bring in Atwell's book and share my thoughts while reading - in other words, think aloud for them. But, if I really want them to know what a reader, what a learner does - I could share my EXPERIENCE. I could model for them by sharing, in detail, what I'm actually doing while reading the book. How I pick it up every chance I get, read it, try it, read it again. I could tell them about Tolle's book and how Mrs. A. and I catch each other in the hallways every morning for just a few minutes to TALK about the book. I could tell them how I drove all the way to and from grad school tonight and realized, when I got home, I had never turned my radio on because I was so absorbed in thinking about that book. (Again, with the driving....) To me, that is the difference between thinking aloud and modeling. And that is how we start to show them what people do when they feel a fervent desire to know, to understand. And that's only one small piece of Ellin's puzzle - there are so many more outcomes/dimensions to model for them - to show them how we, as adults, come to understand. :) Dana W. ----- Original Message ---- From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2008 8:30:43 PM Subject: [Understand] checking in Good evening everyone! Things have been quiet here on the listserv... I just wanted to check in and see how everyone is doing with chapter 3? Are we going to fast? Too slow? Feel free to post suggestions here or post them to me privately. Is everyone just busy now after spring break? We have a lot more lurkers than posters and I want to encourage everyone to consider trying out a post. Just share initial thoughts...impressions...questions...ideas... email me if there is something I need to know about making this a great place to learn. Jennifer **************Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used car listings at AOL Autos. (http://autos.aol.com/used?NCID=aolcmp00300000002851) _______________________________________________ Understand mailing list [email protected] http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org _______________________________________________ Understand mailing list [email protected] http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org
