Can Messy Learning Make A Comeback?
11 months ago
Monday, October 26, 2009
On learning to make messes
When reading Lamott and thinking about writing, I can't help drawing parallels to making visual art. In teaching elementary students art, I have often run into the fear of messy. You might think this would only happen with 4-6 graders, but I have seen this as early as kindergarten and through out all of K-6 over the years. Some students just don't like to get messy. Give them an open ended project with plenty of creative choices and they are likely to break down in tears. For some, the messier the project the worse this becomes, paper mache is a great example. I think we all like to have parameters in our life, especially in our schooling. Tell me what you want and I will do that. Is that what you wanted, Mrs. Byrne? If we truly create our own idea and go with it, what is the worst that might happen? We might make a mistake. Now, we get to the real dilemma. Lamott says, "Perfectionism means that you try desperately not to leave so much mess to clean up. But clutter and mess shows us life is being lived."(pg 28) I have had many times in my life where I felt if only the clutter was all straightened out, that life would somehow get much better. I have never found it to be true. My piles of books, notebooks of ideas, paintings, postcards and pictures all over the wall of my studio, inspire me every day. Students need this kind of inspiration too. Lots of books to read, pictures on the walls, magazines and art work on the walls. Maps and atlas and globes nearby. They need fertile ground in which to create. Lamott tells us the Kurt Vonnegut said, " When I write, I feel like an armless legless man with a crayon in his mouth." She says, " So go ahead and make big scrawls and mistakes. Use up lots of paper. Perfectionism is a mean, frozen form of idealism, while messes are the artist's true friend...as children we need to make messes in order to find out who we are and why we are here, and by extension, what we're supposed to be writing."(pg.32) I think Lamott is on to something here. We need to create a space for students to feel comfortable enough to make messes and risk mistakes.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Observed Today
Today was my observed lesson day. I was incredibly nervous to be video taped and observed at the same time. Being the tech newbie that I am, I had to push it and include the Actiboard, Activotes and embedded a youtube video and links to websites where the students could learn more. Trying to teach and handle the tech part was a stretch for me and I missed a few of the more important points of the lesson, but all and all, I made it through. I had lots of help from Selena and my host teacher. I am pretty thankful that that part is over. I love my class of 5th graders, such great kids. I never thought that I would like teaching intermediate students, but I am finding that I really like the challenge of it.
I got a chance to go to another class this afternoon and observe. It was a 4th grade class with a very experienced teacher who is exemplary in classroom management. Really cool to see another teacher managing a class in another way. I can now see that observing many different styles and methods can really be helpful to me. These are full days, but I am loving the experience at my dyad school!
I got a chance to go to another class this afternoon and observe. It was a 4th grade class with a very experienced teacher who is exemplary in classroom management. Really cool to see another teacher managing a class in another way. I can now see that observing many different styles and methods can really be helpful to me. These are full days, but I am loving the experience at my dyad school!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Literacy Week 4
Writing Essentials Chapter 2:
All students, especially those who begin school with limited literacy skills, need to think of themselves as readers and writers, see the processes as meaningful, and have positive attitudes about literacy before they can successfully engage in literacy practices? (p. 34). How do you respond to this quote? What connections can you make between this quote, your field placement, and/or your own experiences?
Do students need to think of their reading and writing processes as meaningful and have positive attitudes about literacy before they can successfully engage in literacy practices?
In the past decade, the teach to the test mentality of teaching writing has been my three children's' experience in elementary school. They were taught the Six Traits of writing, scripted, expository,and persuasive paragraphs. Somewhere in the middle of all this emphasis on writing; we gave them journals, books and fostered a love of reading and writing from the beginning of their lives. All three of my children see themselves as writers and write creatively on their own. How can I translate my experience to have some perspective of what a student with limited literacy skills must go through to feel successful as a writer? In my dyad classroom, we have quite a few ELL students in the class. I see them in various stages of reading and writing. I can see their struggle and I can only imagine how long it would take me to learn the nuances of their language and to try to write in a non-native language.
I can see how engaging my ELL students in writing to someone or about someone or something they care about would engage them more fully. Routman says that" if students write for readers they value, if they put their minds and hearts into their work; if they are able to choose their writing topics...they will become lifelong writers."(Routman, Ch 2, pg 34) In my own field placements I can see how true this can be. When students get to write about a "just right" book that they have chosen, they are more engaged in their writing. Some can't wait to write a book report to share with the rest of the class. Having more choice in topics that have interest to them seems to be one of the keys to getting them to enjoy their writing much more and become more successful writers.These kinds of experience build confidence in their writing which in turn, helps them to find the writing process a bit more fun and enjoyable the next time around.
All students, especially those who begin school with limited literacy skills, need to think of themselves as readers and writers, see the processes as meaningful, and have positive attitudes about literacy before they can successfully engage in literacy practices? (p. 34). How do you respond to this quote? What connections can you make between this quote, your field placement, and/or your own experiences?
Do students need to think of their reading and writing processes as meaningful and have positive attitudes about literacy before they can successfully engage in literacy practices?
In the past decade, the teach to the test mentality of teaching writing has been my three children's' experience in elementary school. They were taught the Six Traits of writing, scripted, expository,and persuasive paragraphs. Somewhere in the middle of all this emphasis on writing; we gave them journals, books and fostered a love of reading and writing from the beginning of their lives. All three of my children see themselves as writers and write creatively on their own. How can I translate my experience to have some perspective of what a student with limited literacy skills must go through to feel successful as a writer? In my dyad classroom, we have quite a few ELL students in the class. I see them in various stages of reading and writing. I can see their struggle and I can only imagine how long it would take me to learn the nuances of their language and to try to write in a non-native language.
I can see how engaging my ELL students in writing to someone or about someone or something they care about would engage them more fully. Routman says that" if students write for readers they value, if they put their minds and hearts into their work; if they are able to choose their writing topics...they will become lifelong writers."(Routman, Ch 2, pg 34) In my own field placements I can see how true this can be. When students get to write about a "just right" book that they have chosen, they are more engaged in their writing. Some can't wait to write a book report to share with the rest of the class. Having more choice in topics that have interest to them seems to be one of the keys to getting them to enjoy their writing much more and become more successful writers.These kinds of experience build confidence in their writing which in turn, helps them to find the writing process a bit more fun and enjoyable the next time around.
Summit Speech Oct09
Check out this SlideShare Presentation that I found that showcases a elementary school reporter and his love for writing as a reporter. Pretty cool.
Summit Speech Oct09
View more presentations from Jack Olmsted.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Literacy Week 3
Fox Chapter 2:
Fox identifies seven ways children demonstrate sound awareness. Choose one of these and then select two activities (also from chapter 2) that support the development of this sound-awareness skill. What is the focus of the activity? What are the directions? What would you be looking for to let you know the children are using the targeted skill (assessment)?
In reading Fox, Chapter 2, the author identifies phonemic awareness as a way that children demonstrate sound awareness. When children learn to identify single sounds, called phonemes, they begin an important step towards reading and writing. Children develop phonemic awareness by learning to isolate sounds, segmenting sounds, manipulating sounds and blending sounds. Two activities that support the development of blending sounds are Finger Puppet Talk and Arm Blending.
In Finger Puppet Talk the focus of the activity is for “children to listen to the finger puppet say words sound by sound and then blend sounds together to pronounce the word” (Fox, Ch 2, pg 53) The directions are that teacher uses a finger puppet and introduces this puppet as one who only talks in sounds. The finger puppet pronounces the word man as /m/-/a/-/n/. The children say the whole word. The teacher would be looking for the children to say the whole word after the finger puppet sounds the word out. Teacher might go over several words and then repeat three to four as an assessment to see if the targeted skill of blending is being used to say the whole word.
In Arm Blending the focus of the activity is for children to use their whole arm as “ a kinesthetic approach to blending that they can use whenever they are reading.” (Fox, Ch. 2, Pg. 53) The directions are that the teacher can have the children imagine that they use their arms to blend words. They use their shoulder, crook of their arm and wrist to blend words. They say the word as they slide their hand from their shoulder to their wrist. Then the children say the whole word again. By using their arms they can remember placing the sounds in the right order. The sweeping motion from shoulder to crook of the arm to the wrist is a tactile way to remember what their sound like as they blend the word.
Both of these activities can be powerful ways for children to develop phonemic awareness and to learn blending sounds.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Past week
View Larger Map
This past week flew by. I am in my new placement in a 5th grade class.I attached a Goggle map of the school by satellite. The school is a Title 1 school with a large ELL population. My host teacher is in his second year of teaching and is very knowledgeable about all the new technical options available in this district. Actiboards, Activotes, etc. I enjoy his classroom management. He does not need to raise his voice. I can barely see the transitions. He is differentiating from whole class to small group to individual work. Assessing at the beginning and checking in with his students all along the way. It is great to observe. I am scared to death to teach in a couple of weeks, but once I get started it will be fine.
Reading Word Strategies and Differentiated Classroom. Lots and lots to do!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Literacy, Week 2
Sulzby & Teale:
Think about classrooms you have visited. What aspects of emergent literacy have you observed in young children? How have you seen teachers support the growth of young children's literacy?
While reading Sultzby and Teale's article about Emergent Literacy; I reflected on my experience in my main placement in a 2/3 multi-age classroom. I saw various levels of emerging readers and levels of fluency. I especially liked the way my master teacher set up her literacy block. The second grade team is collaborating this year using the ideas from The Daily Five by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser. The reading starts out each morning with students finding their reading basket filled with 4-5 "just right" books for them. They know to find a comfortable spot either at their desks or on the floor with a comfy pillow to read silently for 25-30 minutes. Voices are quiet and students are arms length from their neighbors. This was modeled during the first few weeks and stamina was built together as a class as norms were set. This is the time that ELL and Title 1 students are pulled out for extra help. Some days students are reading aloud in partner groups and sometimes they are writing about their "just right" book. I really enjoy this kind of literacy development. Students are finding quite a bit of reading independence through this pedagogy. They are so excited about what they are reading!
Think about classrooms you have visited. What aspects of emergent literacy have you observed in young children? How have you seen teachers support the growth of young children's literacy?
While reading Sultzby and Teale's article about Emergent Literacy; I reflected on my experience in my main placement in a 2/3 multi-age classroom. I saw various levels of emerging readers and levels of fluency. I especially liked the way my master teacher set up her literacy block. The second grade team is collaborating this year using the ideas from The Daily Five by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser. The reading starts out each morning with students finding their reading basket filled with 4-5 "just right" books for them. They know to find a comfortable spot either at their desks or on the floor with a comfy pillow to read silently for 25-30 minutes. Voices are quiet and students are arms length from their neighbors. This was modeled during the first few weeks and stamina was built together as a class as norms were set. This is the time that ELL and Title 1 students are pulled out for extra help. Some days students are reading aloud in partner groups and sometimes they are writing about their "just right" book. I really enjoy this kind of literacy development. Students are finding quite a bit of reading independence through this pedagogy. They are so excited about what they are reading!
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