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.
I really like that you want to get to know your students through reading and expressing their ideas about text and literature. Students have so many ideas that we may not think of, and they may have vastly different backgrounds that lead them to view a text in a way that we may not have imagined. It is especially important to work one on one with the students so that they feel comfortable expressing ideas to you, and to feel safe in the classroom environment. What steps would you take if a student were shutting down during discussions or didn't want to contribute in a one on one conversation? And how will you get to know your students on a more personal level apart from their ideas on literature? I know there are a lot of ways this can be accomplished, but just wanted to see what you thought!
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