I think that chapters one and two of the Opitz book and the
article Data, Our GPS complement each
other well. The book is very informative
in terms of making aspects of reading clear.
As the article focused on an English language learner’s experience, the
book defined ELLs and gave a great guide of levels of language proficiency. The article does a great job of putting ideas
into practice. Sergio’s needs are
discovered and addressed quickly.
I liked that the Smith article addressed a teacher’s role in
learning as well. I remember admiring a
math teacher that said if everyone in the class doesn’t understand something,
then she knew that she hadn’t done her job of explaining it. I so admire the teachers in the article for
coming together to share ideas and strategies.
I also love the “Our Kids, Not My Kids” section. My
school has a huge focus on out of classroom support. Teachers can suggest students for tutorials
that occur daily or weekly. Students
from all classrooms on the grade level come together, and are given more
intentional and individualized lessons.
These students can exit tutorials just as easily as they enter, so I
feel that my school has an “our kids” type of attitude.
Mackenzie,
ReplyDeleteI also thought the article did a great job of putting what we had been learning in the book into practice. It was great to see that they used much of what the book had suggested and then found success. The idea that students are "our kids" rather than "my kids" was striking to me as well. Every school should hold that idea among their staff because it is truly the way we need to think.
I found the part about ELLs particularly interesting as well. I have not had much experience with these type of students so always enjoy seeing the research on how to best help them so that I can store it should I need it one day. But the idea that we need to know their background in order to help them become better readers brings up a great point.
When reflecting on the book and article myself, I really liked that they both mentioned how important our roles as teachers are to helping students become better readers. It is up to us to take the time to find ways to make our students successful. A good or bad teacher can make the difference between whether or not students are strong readers.