This discussion really has me thinking because I've worked with newbies and
veterans the last two years and am learning some things - I hope.
In regard to To Understand: I'm working through the book for the third time
right now and it's as though it's new again!! It's really cumulative for me.
For instance, this time through I'm better able to understand the optional way
of reading through the book that Ellin discussed early on. I read her
invitation before, twice, but I surely didn't get it, or at least the wisdom
behind doing so. And the graphic of what's essential on pages 32-35? Wow!!
That represents about a 9-hour class in teaching reading!! Add to that the
outcomes and dimensions....
It's hard for me to know what the readers of TU takes from it, and it's hard to
know how it's read by a newbie and a veteran. All you newbies out there who
are reading these posts, please step into this discussion. What I do know, or
believe, is that this book is written deeply enough, but well enough, to
support a teacher's understanding at many, many levels. It can withstand
multiple readings and, I think, multiple levels of understanding. That being
said, though, I would worry putting it into the hands of someone who would read
it once and think they'd "read it," never to read it again. Just think of some
of our third graders who can certainly read the words of some of our fantastic
adolescent literature. Just because they can "read it" doesn't necessarily
mean they should read it.
Some of the teachers in our building really enjoyed reading 7 Keys to
Comprehension. They would never have waded through TU. Now, to me, 7 Keys is
like having some Ritz crackers when I was really ready for a Fusion dinner.
And I'm truly not being elitist here--I do believe it's a great book and I do
think it makes some thinking accessible to people who are unwilling (or
sometimes unable) to delve deeply at this point in their career. But it
doesn't begin to set the lofty goals of TU.
It also seems that if you have someone, such as Judy or Jennifer, who is
willing to scaffold TU with the newbies, that it holds tremendous promise.
Those newbies are very fortunate to be in the position they're in in that
school. Jennifer's position seems ideal for integrating Ellin's philosophy and
recommended practices while accomplishing other goals as well because she
teaches WITH the teachers.
Now, all that being said, I'm not sure how much our newbies can absorb when it
takes 100% of their time right now to just survive. Many of them have young
children at this time, and they go home at 6:00 to cook and clean and launder
and put kids to bed, then fall asleep while trying to prepare tomorrow's
mini-lessons or fill out the dozens of "important forms" they can't get to at
school.
Add to that, I believe now that NCLB is into our teachers' colleges, our
newbies are not getting an education in the reading process. They're getting
an education in fidelity.
Too much for my brain on a Sunday. Hope we can get posts from several people
on this important topic, because when we talk about understanding, we talk
about more than just our students.
Bev
> I still think that the tenants of Ellin's new book, To Understand, could and
> > should be shared with them when they start to learn about teaching >
> comprehension. Suppose, when they are ready, they learn to teach >
> visualizing...couldn't they learn to teach some of the dimensions of
> understanding at the same > time? Couldn't it be integrated into the lesson?
> I really don't know these new > teachers, and I can't say I have tried to
> teach these dimensions of > understanding to many of my own staff yet...so
> maybe I am really off base. It just > seems to me that what Ellin is arguing
> for is NOT an add on...it should be an > integral part of strategy
> instruction to begin with, shouldn't it? I think that > the What's Essential
> model would be the best place to start with new teachers > since isn't that
> the biggest problem new teachers have??? They never know > what to teach
> first....
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