The Think Aloud

      Some of you are wondering what is a think aloud? So let me tell you. A think aloud is when you take a group of students and read a text aloud to them and think aloud while you do it! Okay so there is more to it than that but that is the general idea. A think aloud has the teacher begin reading a text. The teacher has a skill that the students are working on and every so often the teacher will stop and think and evaluate the text in response to that particular skill. It is then the teachers responsibility to guide the students in the process. In the process there should be a gradual release of responsibility from the teacher to the teacher and student working together to lastly the students doing it on their own. The think aloud if used correctly can be a valuable tool in any classroom but if you never release the responsibility to the learner than guess what...They are NOT learning!

      I did a think aloud in my own classroom. The skill we worked on was making predictions. I started  off by having a very short mini lesson on just exactly what a prediction is, why predict, and how making predictions aids us in our learning. The students were spot on in knowing how we predict but not so sure on why we predict. I thought that this was kind of funny. Why are we teaching students a skill and never teaching them why it is a good skill for them to use in their own reading! I thought to myself this happens way to often in the classroom and it is truly disappointing not only to me but to the students who don't know WHY they are learning! When I realized this I told myself that during my think aloud I would need to really push for helping them understand why predictions are helpful.

       For my think aloud we read our book that we were already working on called Clementine by Sara Pennypacker. I did not chose a different book because I wanted them to see how we can use predictions and think aloud strategies in all of their books! So instead of choosing a short book we chose to read a short chapter. I started off the think aloud by reading. I would stop and ask myself hmm...why would Clementine do such a funny thing like write on her arm or pretend to be Lily and then I would predict how this might affect Clementine and how this will impact what happens next in the book. I would then make a point to say what happens because of this will be something I am going to keep my eye out for late.

      As we worked through a few predictions together I could see how much my students were getting it...a lot quicker than I had imagined! I had pre-written out questions to ask on sticky notes and we were flying through them. Everyone was able to make a prediction about what would happen next some right and some wrong. I noticed how bummed out some of my students were when they predicted wrong. I saw this as a major teaching moment and gabbed on to it. I wanted to teach my students that failure is okay and that is how we learn! Without making a wrong prediction or having a wrong answer to the math question there would be no need for school. The world would be boring if everyone knew everything there is to learn. My students really liked this idea and I could tell in there answers. They wanted to predict more and more. They had multiple predictions for everything they wanted to share them and most importantly they were looking for the answers while they were reading! Which is the point of predicting it helps us read with a purpose. 

      When my students were thriving I began to take myself out of the picture. I let them run the show and what they came up with was amazing. The students were stopping each other to challenge prediction questions. What happened when I took myself out as a leader really made me think. Why don't we as teachers do this more often. Sometimes I think we get so caught up with running the show that we fail our students. We can learn a lot from them and they can learn a lot from each other but only if we let them! We need to look at our students as potential teachers as well. As teachers it can be hard to give up the reins sometimes but what happens when you do can be truly amazing!

      This think aloud went great! My students were making predictions like crazy but most of all they were reading with a purpose. It was not about reading the words on a page one by one without making a mistake it was about making connections and looking at the words all together to form a story. I could not be happier with this think aloud and to use it again in my own future classroom!

Project Based Learning Inquiry

So what exactly is Project Based Learning (PBL)? To be quite honest I am not quite totally sure just yet myself... I mean why else would I choose it as an inquiry project? However I can say that I am aware of PBL and the amazing results teachers everywhere are experiencing in their classrooms.

So let me tell you what I have learned in a nutshell. Project Based Learning is taking a real world problem/situation and letting the students figure it out. It is cross curricular and encompasses one over arching idea into every subject. So who cares why does this matter? Well I can tell you what I think. As a student myself and a future educator I often don't see the point in learning if it can not be applied to the real world. After all my job as a teacher is to prepare my students for the real world right? When students learn about a problem or situation that is applicable to their lives they are more likely to be engaged, and when students are not engaged then we all know that they are not learning. Also I would like to stress the importance of PBL being cross curricular. I think that helping students see how what they are learning about in one subject connects to another is important. Establishing those connections is how we truly know that one has grasped a concept. Making and interpreting connections is something that students will do for the rest of their lives and if you ask me is a pretty important skill to have!

So why am I on this Project Based Learning rant one might ask. This is the topic I have chosen for my inquiry project. I will be composing a Pinterest board of what Project Based Learning means to me. I hope that my board will be able to help myself and others all learn the true meaning of PBL and just how it works in the classroom.

Sorry for the short post I am still a learner on this topic. I will be revisiting it again soon to share my new knowledge on the subject at hand!  

Here is a short clip on what Project Based Learning means to one school.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waKZQ9gaBkI

Miscue Analysis

    This week I had the opportunity to work with one of my students on a miscue analysis. I have completed one of these in the past and was never very fond of it. They seemed to take a lot of work and time and not really give me the information I valued most. However for this analysis I used an over the shoulder technique and found that it takes less time and gets down to the essentials of what I was trying to get out of the miscue analysis. I think that this is really important to keep in mind for teachers. A teachers day is pretty jam packed so doing a forty five minute miscue is not really practical the over the shoulder miscue is one that a teacher could complete multiple times a day!

    The miscue for the most part went very well. The student enjoyed the book and really had a grasp on comprehending the information. By doing the miscue I was able to understand more about my student as a reader. I think it is important to get to know each and every student as a reader.

    By completing the miscue I was able to see the variety of strategies a second grader will use on a typical reading session. I was surprised to see how many different strategies were used. My student relied heavily on chunking, pictures, and context clues. All of which are great strategies for a student to be using. My reader I would say mainly focused on using chunking. He would break the word apart and then sound out each individual part then put the word back together. I think that this is an awesome strategy for students and one that I honestly still use myself! I on the other hand get weary about students relying to heavily on pictures. I think that the more strategies we can give a student the better to eliminate the crutch of using the pictures. One day those pictures will not be there and we need to arm our students with the right tools to use when the pictures disappear.

    Overall I feel that I learned a great deal by doing the miscue analysis. I think that it gave me insight to who my student is as a reader and also just as a student. I know that a miscue can take time but it is time that will not be wasted. The more a teacher can read with and learn from his or her students the better. I think that it is important to help our students in their reading and know that we want them to succeed and are going to help them do so!

Classroom Spaces

    I believe that the classroom is an important part in making or breaking how students feel coming to school every day. The classroom should be a safe space where all students feel comfortable learning. There are many ways a teacher can create a classroom environment that will facilitate all different students learning. How is a teacher supposed to be able to do all of that just by setting up a classroom one might ask? In this post I hope to answer a few of the many ways a teacher can achieve creating a space that their students will be eager to come to and excited to open their minds to learning. 

    The first thought that I have about creating an environment for students to learn is by giving them a sense of ownership over the room. Many teachers might feel that on the very first day of school their walls have to be covered in fun colorful bulletin boards. But why not leave them all blank? By leaving the walls blank it gives the teacher and students and chance to discuss what they want on the walls. On the first day have students create something that will be hung up in the classroom. This will give students a sense of ownership. This is their classroom and their work is important and should be displayed. I think that this really gives students a chance to be proud of their work and will often encourage students to work harder if their work will be going up around the classroom. 

    I also believe that all students have the ability to learn. So how should I set up a classroom that facilitates learning to all? I think that this can be challenge at the very beginning of the year but as a teacher get to know their students better they can always be changing the room to facilitate to all types of learners. All students learn differently so what works for one may not always work for others. A classroom should be set up for all to learn successfully. Teachers might post classroom material for students to read or have a focus wall with pictures for visual learners, a station where students can listen to classroom material, and an interactive station where students can touch and manipulate what they are learning about for the kinesthetic learners. As teachers learn more about what type of learners their students are they can fill their classroom with material that interest the students and present it in a way that that particular students learns best from. 

    Lastly it is most important for students to feel safe in their classroom space. It is important for teachers to set up the classroom so students feel safe otherwise they will not open their minds up to learning. Teaches can create reading nooks in the corners so students feel safe, set up their desks in a manner that their desk is their desk it is their home in the classroom, have a comfy rug or bean bags for students to relax. I think the most important part of setting up the classroom so students feel safe is just by having the students aid in classroom set up. This way they can discuss what they need to feel safe. It is important to help students understand that the classroom is a safe place where they are not going to be judged or criticized. 

    I believe that the most important key to keep in mind when setting up a classroom is what works for one may not work for all. Let the students be a part of set up so they can aid in letting the teacher know what they need in their classroom!

For more info about classroom set up here is a link a website about Debbie Miller she has a ton of great information on how to make students comfortable in their learning environment!

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/articles-popular.php

    

Teaching Beliefs

Along the road of my education I have learned a great deal about the teacher I aspire to be. With every class that I take I find out a little bit more of what I find to be truly important. What I have found is that before I can become the teacher that I want to be I have to create an environment where the students know that who they are and want to be is important to me. To be able to create this environment I have come up with a set of beliefs that will help me to achieve that environment. 

My first belief is that all students have the ability to learn. It will be my job to bring that out of each and every one of my students. To do this I will have to find new and interesting material that inspires students to learn and inspires them to want to continue to learn. 

Next I believe that the classroom should be an environment where all students feel safe and accepted. I will do this by creating this environment starting on day one. Many students bring in a great deal of baggage from home with them every day. I will let my students know that they are at school and they are free to drop the stresses from home at the door. School is a safe place for them to be themselves. I also feel that it is important to facilitate classroom discussions where students get to know each other and can find a mutual respect for each other. By creating this environment I believe that students will be able to be comfortable and focus on their learning. 

Another belief that I feel strongly about is knowing how important my role is in a students life. I want all of my students to know that I have an open door policy and I am always there to listen. As a teacher my main goal will be to get to know my students so that I can aid them on their journey to becoming lifelong learners. It is my job to help my students become young productive members of society. 

My last belief is that my beliefs should always be changing. Every day that I learn something new it will be my job to apply to that to my classroom. I believe in practicing what you preach. I can write these beliefs down but unless I implement them into my classroom what is the point? How will I grow and change my beliefs without leaning what works and what does not?

The Dog Ate My Homework

 

"The dog ate my homework!" Teachers everywhere have heard just about every excuse in the book regarding why their students were unable to complete their homework. While there really could be a million reasons, I believe that the main issue often falls back onto the teacher. The teacher plays a big role in creating an atmosphere where students feel that their work is valued and important. Its not just about homework but all student work in general. What can I do to help students feel confident in completing their work? What can I do to make student work fun and engaging? What can I do to help students feel that their work is important and relevant? What can I do to help my students learn something new each and everyday?

While I have posed a few questions to my future teacher self I would like to dedicate my blog to finding out how I can answer those particular questions. As I journey through the class of Literacy Learning and Teaching III, I will be keeping these questions on my mind. My focus is to look deeper into readings about how I can use what I have learned to benefit my students. I hope to learn how I can answer those questions and many more that pop up down the road of learning about literacy.