I also had a wonderful thinking workshop experience yesterday in a first grade class. The vehicle was the Sundance/Newbridge/Options fiction comprehension kit. We were working on monitoring understanding and using fix-up strategies. I wish I had notes, but of course, you're always caught up in extending the understanding and can't possible note-take during. Oh, for Jennifer's lesson study group! At any rate, what I wanted to continue to wonder about was about how "age-less" good thinking really is. Sometimes the 6 year olds can express something at least as effectively, creatively, and excitedly as 12 year olds. And how "lable-less" it is. Many times kids whom I'd call "school-disabled" are wonderful thinkers and sometimes even wonderful articulators. And I think there is probably none of us on this entire list serve (unless Ellin is here) that really has a clue as to the depth and breadth of the relationship of thinking and wait time! I believe we've only just begun!! (This must be a morning of old songs for me.)
> Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:50:42 -0800> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: > understand@literacyworkshop.org> Subject: [Understand] Pushing Thinking> > > Jennifer wrote: ..but feel free to post your own thoughts on any> chapter two > related topic!> > Chapter two lists a climate of inquiry as being one of the > major> defining points of what is essential. I am actively pursuing such a> > climate by waiting for responses, giving explicit expectations and> > encouragement regarding thinking, and posting reminders to pay> attention to > our thinking as we read. I might be muddling thinking and> inquiry because > the two seem to overlap.> > Anyway, what I want to share is that I've been > wondering if or when I> might notice an indication that perhaps this climate > of inquiry and> thinking is taking root. I think that I might have gotten my> > indication today, but it was during math, lol. After all of my> modelling, > probing, wait time, and other such efforts to get students> to open up, and > students delighting me with their wonderful thoughts> yet remaining very > cautious about responding, one student boldly spoke> up and challenged a math > concept without any prodding from me!> > After the student spoke up, several > classmates voiced their agreement,> and the room was alive with intense > thinking and effort to voice those> thoughts. It was exciting as a teacher to > have students get animated> while telling me exactly what they were thinking. > All of the energy> was over the concept that 8 + 2 = 2 + 8 (This is second > grade).> Students felt compelled to tell me that the other side of the equal> > sign is supposed to be 10. After enjoying for the briefest moment this> > classroom atmosphere that is so different from the usual passive faces> that > have looked blankly at me as I taught past lessons, I assured my> students > that they are correct, and that 10 can take many forms, such> as 8 + 2. It > took more explaining and examples, but in a few minutes,> all was well. Even > though it was math, I pointed it out as an> excellent example of being aware > of our thinking and how helpful it is> to share our thoughts.> > It isn't > happening much in reading yet, with the exception of a few> text to text > connections. Today's response during math gives me hope.> > Kare> > > _______________________________________________> Understand mailing list> > Understand@literacyworkshop.org> > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org _________________________________________________________________ Stay organized with simple drag and drop from Windows Live Hotmail. http://windowslive.com/Explore/hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_102008 _______________________________________________ Understand mailing list Understand@literacyworkshop.org http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/listinfo/understand_literacyworkshop.org
