I think many of the same thoughts you are thinking Jennifer! Intrinsic learning is exactly where I think Ellin is going. I'd love to hear more about this and how others are modifying their instruction in this way. I too have a better idea about the 6 systems, and regret that I didn't understand it better last year because I could have made a bigger difference in the life of a child earlier in the year. I have to keep moving forward though. I will meet with his teacher for next year and hopefully she will be interested in working up a plan for improving his ability to use the lexical system. Can I guide my students this year to become better at questioning, reflection, and response? This group hasn't had much strategy instruction. Can I help them enjoy the process as well as the outcome? Can I integrate these strategies into other subjects to help them become well rounded individuals who are able to think widely and deeply? Will I be able to communicate to parents what I am doing and ellicit their help? How can I pull them into the classroom? Can I provide some kind of training for them at home? Can I make this fun so everyone is eager to participate? (I hate the word fun relating to education, it seems to devalue what we are doing - perhaps engaging is a better word?) Will I be able to communicate this to my TA so she feels confident in her abilties to help the students? Can we work together with parents to make this work symbiotically? I want to develop some kind of reminder for when I'm planning my lessons so I remember to include these throughout our studies. I'm asking myself so many questions. How can I make sure that these are available to everyone during lit circles? How can I check that students are practicing these? How can I track their development and changes in their thinking? I'm also thinking about the intellectual life. How can I pursue this without making others feel uncomfortable? How can I find others of like mind to work on similar goals? (Small school - 10 teachers) What can I do to enrich my own life? It seems that everything I do keeps coming back to teaching. How can I develop some of my talents that I enjoyed in the past? Can I branch outside of the education community and make more social connections that will make me feel more connected to my community? It seems the more I read, the more questions I have.
Joy/NC/4 How children learn is as important as what they learn: process and content go hand in hand. http://www.responsiveclassroom.org _______________________________________________ Understand mailing list [email protected] http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org
