Repsonses!

My computer won't let me directly comment on specific blogs, so here are my commments.

To Emilys Discussions post
 

Emily, this is exactly how I feel! My kindergarteners have never seen a discussion and I am nervous to be the first to introduce it to them. I think breaking them up into small groups to practice before is a great idea, it just depends on how much time you have and how long the students are able to stay focused on this on task. I'm worried that even with this practice our discussions might completely fail, so I think we should keep each other updated while working through this lesson. We could both help each other a lot.

To Erikas literacty definition post
I love your library idea, I am also hoping to have a wonderful collection of books in my classroom. And I think giving them a cozy space to use these books or other literacy activities is a great way to help them as they continue to learn. I totally understand your dislike of the Morning Message, I feel like a lot of the work my students do is just copied from the teacher and then struggle when they have to come up with something on their own. How do you help them in your classroom? I try my hardest to help them along without directly giving them the answer, but that is what they are used to. I am so sad they think reading is a chore :(

Teaching through Talking

Everyone knows that children love to talk. They will chat your ear off about what they did over the weekend or what their favorite movie is. It is logical then to employ talking in one's classroom as a means of encouraging dialogue and learning amongst students. Discussions are incredibly useful for literacy activties. This is especially beneficial when reading a text as a class. Each student will make different text-to-self and text-to-text connections that are worth bringing to the class's attention. Additionally, when working with ELLs, discussion allows them to construct a deeper meaning of the text and gives them the opportunity for creating comprehensible output. If the teacher is lecturing or just presenting the students with display questions, the chances for students to produce language are greatly diminished. In Janice Almasi's article, "A New View of Discussion," she states "the reader's interpretation constantly evolves, and the interpretation that each person brings to a discussion may ultimately be transformed and shaped by the thoughts and ideas of other group members" (3).

The types of talk I've seen in my placement's classroom are very superficial. Part of this is due to the lack of confidence that my students have when speaking in their L2 (since it is a Spanish Immersion Program), while part of it is due to how my MT leads the talks. I've rarely seen her read a book that interested the student or had any connection to another activity, such as a follow-up writing extension. Although she clarifies and explains vocabulary so that the students comprehend the story, she doesn't ask them to make predictions or discuss the book afterwards to learn what questions or thoughts the students have. In order for them to have an Almasi-quality discussion, I think my teacher would need to select a book that was a more appropriate length (i.e. shorter) and present students with open-ended questions instead of display. Also, she would need to do a better job of encouraging the more shy students to share their ideas/thoughts/questions. I think the hardest thing for my students would be to bridge the language gap. Having a quality and meaningful discussion when students are hesitant to talk is problematic, as is the fact that most of the time when they do share something with the group, it is a short sentence that consists of very basic vocabulary words. The could undoubtedly expand on these ideas and be more articulate if they were allowed to have a literary discussion in a classroom where speaking English was the norm. If my MT incorporated authentic discussions around texts in our classroom, I hypothesize that the oral proficiency of our students would increase as a result of increased opportunities for production.

Discussions in the Classroom

I am currently placed in a kindergarten classroom, so true "Almasi-type" discussions are mainly unheard of in my placement. As the students have just entered school and are still learning how to "behave correctly" for a school setting, they are still practicing skills such as sitting quietly and raising their hands when they want to speak. For this reason, recitation is the most common form of talk that occurs in my classroom. In these situations, the students are seated quietly on a rug, while my mentor teacher leads a conversation about the current topic (either a book they have just read, or vocabulary for a book they will be reading shortly). In the recitation setting, my mentor teacher will ask the student straight-forward questions, such as, "What is this?" or "What is this used for?" The questions that she asks get the students thinking, but are not as open-ended and usually are just asking for a single word answer.

In the Almasi discussions, the students would be feeding off of each others answers, and the instructor would play a minimum role. This is not the case in my classroom, for the reasons answered above. With that said, I am worried about trying to lead a discussion in my classroom for the lesson I will prepare. Scaffolding would be a key factor to help my students work their way up to this type of discussion, as it is not something they have done before in their current kindergarten class, and may not have experience with otherwise. Before conducting any group discussion in the Almasi way, it would be important for me to tell the students how the discussion should work, and to let them know how it is supposed to work (for instance, the importance of not interrupting each other). It may be important to practice this technique in small groups before working as a whole class. If my mentor teacher allows me to, I may break the students into groups and have them discuss a topic related to the discussion we will have as a class, so that I can see how the students react to the discussion type, how they handle the situations, and what they have to say about the topic. The majority of the students love to talk so I will not have to worry about the students being silent, but I worry that they will not be able to build off of each other's answers without my help and comments.

Discussions in the Classroom

In terms of discussion there is not one type that works best for all students. This means it is important for the teacher to make sure they are changing the type of discussion to best suit the students. In my current placement I have been seeing a lot of reciting. The discussions that take place involve the teacher asking a question and waiting for the response or answer from the students. There is not a framework for classroom discussion in any manner. The students do not know how to participate in any other type of discussion because they have been exposed to only reciting. In the class I see a lot of my MT asking questions regarding literature and the students answer and they move on. We do not have in depth conversations that I think my second and third grade students are capable of having. In order to have an "Almasi-type" discussion my MT would have to establish a set of rules to promote a structure. The students may also need to be scaffolded to correctly participate in another type of discussion. My students are very creative and have a lot to offer in terms of opinions and views. I think my students would have an easy time being able to speak up and say their piece. They are not shy students and I think that they have a lot to offer each other. However, I think that my students would have a difficult time being able to practice self control and listening to each other. They are a hyper active group of students and I think may not be able to listen to each other without talking over one another. I think that my students would benefit greatly from having an "Almasi-type" discussion. They would learn more about each other and how to have respect for each other's opinions.

Discussions

The only type of discussion I see in my kindergarten class is recitation, and I really hardly ever see that. Most of the classroom instruction time I see is my MT telling students information or directions and not giving them a chance to give feedback or add on. I think in order for an “Almasi-type” discussion to happen my MT would have to set up a lot of rules and expectations because the students have never even participated in a discussion where they are called on to share ideas, let alone a discussion run mostly by them. I think most students would be worried about getting to say what they want to say and not paying attention and responding to what the other students are contributing to the discussion. I feel in this specific kindergarten class the students wouldn’t get much meaning out of this type of discussion, in a whole class setting. I think it could be done well in smaller groups, but then I think as the instructor it would be hard to facilitate that many discussions and make sure all of the 6 year-olds are staying on topic. Overall I think an “Almasi-type” discussion can be a really meaningful form of instruction I don’t think its appropriate for the kindergarten setting I am currently placed in.

Diversity+Discussions

From our own personal learning experiences as students, as well as those we've gained during our teacher preparation program, it is obvious that one size does not fit all when it comes to school. As a teacher, one of the best ways to help each student succeed is by getting to know who he or she is as a person, as well as a learner. I think that one of the best ways to increase diversity in a classroom and learn about one's students is by employing discussions whenever possible. The article "Text Talk: Using Discussion to Promote Comprehension of Informational Texts" by Gambrell and Mazzoni, presents a variety of strategies for fostering discussions, specifically to increase student learning with different genres. By encouraging students to share their reactions, as well as their opinions, and make connections to the text, we are allowing them to experience literature as something with meaning and also showing them that we value them and their ideas. Instead of using questions as reading checks, we should use them, along with reflective questions or student-to-student questioning so that we are not interrogating them, but allowing them to incoporate their own background knowledge and personal experiences into the conversation. This creates a richer discussion and allows the teacher and students to get to know one another better.

In my upcoming visits to my placement, I will try to learn more about the diversity of my students during reading time. When I work one-on-one with students, I will try to look for opportunities to engage in discussions with students to learn about their opinions or reactions to the book. I think that by understanding how my students are approaching the material they're reading will help me to learn more about their thinking process, as well as who my students are as individuals. They may be able to relate to the events of the story or it may remind them of something else that has happened to them, which would provide me with the opportunity to get to know more about their world.

Diversity When Teaching

As a teacher, it is very important to learn about the diversity in your classroom, and to know each of your students from multiple perspectives to ensure that you are teaching to benefit each student. It is important to learn these characteristics early in the year, so that you know how to teach towards your specific students. When I have my own classroom and in student teaching next year, I plan to do a community profile of the surrounding areas around the school to get an idea of where my students are coming from, and the types of things they have access to. Researching and exploring the area around the school will give me insight into the different types of housing, jobs and resources that the students grow up with as a whole. As we have discussed in class, having diversity in the classroom will benefit all of the students, as they will be able to learn about their classmates, and have a comfortable classroom setting. The experiences that the children have will impact the way they contribute to the class, so it is important to understand where each child is coming from, and what they can bring to the class to make a unique and effective classroom community. As discussed in the Almasi article, it is important that the students are comfortable sharing and discussing, so that the conversation is effective (such as when discussing a certain piece of literature). I feel that the students should be exposed to each others diversity as well as myself, as it will help to create a more comfortable classroom environment, since the students will know each other on a deeper level than purely surface information.

I am currently placed at the kindergarten grade level, but work with two separate classes each week (one day with the morning students, one day with the afternoon students). Since I do have a lot of students that I work with, I have found that I do not know very much about many of the children, as I have not had enough individual time with each of them. One concrete action that I plan to take is to talk with each student and to ask questions regarding home life, friends, hobbies, etc. My mentor teacher has centers set up daily, so I usually spend my time in the classroom working at one of these centers. Instead of purely focusing on the assignment, I may sit at one of the tables that does not require as much work, and ask the students different questions to get to know them. I may also allow them to ask me some questions, so that they feel more comfortable sharing with me as well.

Diversity in the Classroom

Getting to know your students should be the first and foremost step each year when you meet your new class. Knowing your students is the best to teach them, gain their trust and respect for you as their educator. Every classroom is made up of a unique set of students that all have different backgrounds and previous experiences both in the classroom and at home. It is important as a teacher to recognize the the diversity in the class and use it to your advantage. Some teachers feel that you need to constantly compensate when you have a diverse class but I think that you should be able to learn a lot from the diversity. Students can teach other students about their culture and how they are unique and they can gain a lot from that interaction. In the reading Instructional Conversations by Goldenberg they talk about how the U.S school system is like "painting by numbers." We ask the students a question and expect a single response most of the time. If we used Instruction Conversation, or IC, in the classroom more learning can occur. IC allows for an open ended discussion where students can share opinions and provide personal examples of what is being taught. IC looks at the bigger picture and realizes that students can also learn from each other. The best way to learn about diversity in the classroom is by getting to know your students. One simple way to get to know your student body is driving around the area where the school is situated. You can learn from what your students have access to and what their neighborhood provides. It will help you know where your students come from and make you more aware. Another simple way to learn about the diversity is to talk to your students. If the teacher is able to implement IC in the classroom students will be able to discuss their diversity and learn from each other's experiences. Sometimes teacher's forget that students come to the classroom with plenty of knowledge, and if you take the time to actually get to know them you will learn a lot. It's important to take the time to get to know your students and where they come from so you can better educate them.

In the next few weeks I want to increase my understanding about diversity and the students that I am working with. Although I have been in the classroom for quite some time now there are still a few students that I would like to get to know better. My goal is to sit with these students more often and talk to them in a way just to get to know them. Let them share with me anything that they want. While doing this I also want to try and find more ways to use my students previous experiences and connect it to their learning. Often I hear "this isn't important" or "why do I need to know this?" from my students and I would like to be able to find ways to show the importance that are culturally relevant to them. If I am able to find ways to teach my students in a way that they find important and meaningful I will be able to get through to them more and further their learning.