Chana Feldman

May 9, 2012

Dr. Hsu

EDLI 635

Semester Review

     I remember exactly how I felt right before I was going to begin taking this course on Philosophy and Theories of Literacy Instruction. I was apprehensive because writing was never my favorite discipline. Now, at the end of the semester, I feel much differently toward writing. Writing should not be taught as a subject of its own. Writing needs to be part of every student - students of all ages, grades, and levels of ability. Writing should be integrated into most lessons that students will participate in. Interdisciplinary lessons are the best way to prove to students why each subject is taught. When students understand that everything is taught to them because they will probably be needed somewhere down the line, they be more eager to learn.

     I learned so much about teaching students through using the reading and writing connection. It took me awhile to realize just how interconnected these two subjects are. Writing helps students' reading skills and reading help students' writing skills. Writing activities that can improve reading skills are: keeping post-its in the books as references for new words, or for writing down questions, insights and information. This is a great tool for improving comprehension skills. I also thought that keeping a literature journal for thoughts, feelings and experiences while reading, to help students remember what they were thinking while they were reading, was a beneficial method of using writing to improve reading skills. It can also encourage students to think about and analyze their reading.

    When students draw pictures from the story, it can help them understand the reading because it is a visual representation of details from the story. Students usually enjoy drawing pictures and like to see their work displayed in the classroom or hallway. After students draw a picture, that picture can be used as a springboard to write about what they've read. An important thing that I learned is that it is okay to give students a head start on their writing activities. I used to think that the students should write their assignments completely on their own. Now I see that by helping students get started on their work, they will appreciate it and feel that the teacher is on their side and wants them to succeed.

    Discussion groups can inspire students to delve into their reading and help them understand the flow of what they read. Students enjoy discussing their own experiences of their reading and sharing their ideas with their peers. Rereading and retelling parts of the story in the discussion group can help students have a better understanding of the flow of the story. I hope to be able to implement productive discussion groups in my own classroom.

     I learned a great deal about various methods of assessment. It is important to do frequent and ongoing assessment to monitor students' progress. In order to give students work that is appropriate for them, teachers should know where their students stand, academically. It was a real eye opener for me that teachers can assess students' progress without the use of a written test (or an oral test, if a student needs it). An excellent way to informally assess students' development is through discussion groups. Teachers should administer running records to monitor students' reading development. So much information about a student's progress can be understood with the use of running records. I felt like a real professional whenever I administered a running record on a child. Fluency assessment is also a good tool to keep teachers aware of the fluency levels of students. Fluency is important for students to master in order for them to benefit from and enjoy reading.

     Reading together with students (shared reading) or directing the students while they read (guided reading) is crucial for teachers who are teaching reading. Teachers should model reading to point out the correct intonation to the students. I always thought that teachers read aloud to the students to give the students some down time while providing entertainment. Now I know another important reason for it. Teachers can share the strategies that they use while reading. Teachers should encourage students to share the strategies with their peers that they use to figure out what a word says or means. I realized that it does not take any authority away from the teacher when students “act as the teacher”. Students enjoy sharing what they know and will respect the teacher more for giving them that opportunity.

    Using trade books can enhance student's outlook on a particular subject. Through my own school years, I loved when teachers brought in other books to read aloud to impress a particular lesson the class. It was not done very often as text books were the main resource. I'm glad I learned about it so I can use them often with my students. The bigger the classroom library the better. I don't think going to the school library counts for this. Students should have a rich supply of high-success reading material readily available. The more students enjoy their reading, the more they will read and become better readers and writers. I hope that in my own classroom, I will provide my students with all the tools they will need to become good readers and writers. I want my students to experience success often and love being in my class. Thank you for everything you taught me this semester, I have learned so much!